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Luthier's Resource: OEMs & Suppliers

#66
lbridenstine said:
Does anyone know of any OEM hard case suppliers?
Click to expand...

Hey Lisa;

Another good source is Ace Products. They own and distribute a wide range of brands and models of cases. They are happy to work with small Luthiers, and they'll sell you one or a truckload. That's where I usually get my Reunion Blues cases.

Ace Products Group
 
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#67
Bruce Johnson said:
Hey Lisa;

Another good source is Ace Products. They own and distribute a wide range of brands and models of cases. They are happy to work with small Luthiers, and they'll sell you one or a truckload. That's where I usually get my Reunion Blues cases.

Ace Products Group
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'll check out both Ace and Access. The option of buying one at a time is definitely helpful to me.
 
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#68
lbridenstine said:
Thanks! I'll check out both Ace and Access. The option of buying one at a time is definitely helpful to me.
Click to expand...

One note about buying cases: The cost of shipping an empty case is quite high, as compared to the cost of the case itself. For example, when I was buying Reunion Blues cases directly from Ace, they were giving me a decent discount for being an OEM Luthier. But the cost to ship the case was about double their discount. It would cost me less to walk into a Guitar Center and buy one at retail price.

I talked to Ace about this, and they said there's nothing they could do about that; that's what it cost them to ship a single case. Shipping rates are based on the size of the box, not the value of the contents. It becomes more reasonable when you buy a pallet of cases, like 10 or 20. Then the pallet is shipped by Freight, and the shipping charge per case is much lower. Then, the OEM discount is actually a discount. But, like most of us small Luthiers, I don't need 10 cases at time, and I don't have the cash lying around to go for the quantity discount.

These days, I buy the Reunion Blues cases one at a time on Amazon. They come from small music stores around the US, who are selling off excess inventory online. They buy them by the pallet from Ace, and under their deal with Ace, they have to sell them online at the standard retail price. Basically the same price that I would pay in person at Guitar Center. Because I have Amazon Prime, the shipping is Free!! (yeah, right...). But that's the best deal for me. Order them one at a time on Amazon, and they are at my door a few days later. Less time and trouble than driving to Guitar Center.

I told this to the sales rep at Ace, and he said that's fine with them. They're still selling them to me indirectly, and it's more efficient for them to send a pallet load to a music store. I'm also helping out a small music store.

The overall point is that it's a good idea to choose a case brand/model that's commonly available in the big stores like Guitar Center, and on Amazon. That's the cheapest way to get them one at a time. If you want to buy a pallet of them, go to the distributor like Ace and flash your Luthier card.
 
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#69
Bruce Johnson said:
One note about buying cases: The cost of shipping an empty case is quite high, as compared to the cost of the case itself. For example, when I was buying Reunion Blues cases directly from Ace, they were giving me a decent discount for being an OEM Luthier. But the cost to ship the case was about double their discount. It would cost me less to walk into a Guitar Center and buy one at retail price.

I talked to Ace about this, and they said there's nothing they could do about that; that's what it cost them to ship a single case. Shipping rates are based on the size of the box, not the value of the contents. It becomes more reasonable when you buy a pallet of cases, like 10 or 20. Then the pallet is shipped by Freight, and the shipping charge per case is much lower. Then, the OEM discount is actually a discount. But, like most of us small Luthiers, I don't need 10 cases at time, and I don't have the cash lying around to go for the quantity discount.

These days, I buy the Reunion Blues cases one at a time on Amazon. They come from small music stores around the US, who are selling off excess inventory online. They buy them by the pallet from Ace, and under their deal with Ace, they have to sell them online at the standard retail price. Basically the same price that I would pay in person at Guitar Center. Because I have Amazon Prime, the shipping is Free!! (yeah, right...). But that's the best deal for me. Order them one at a time on Amazon, and they are at my door a few days later. Less time and trouble than driving to Guitar Center.

I told this to the sales rep at Ace, and he said that's fine with them. They're still selling them to me indirectly, and it's more efficient for them to send a pallet load to a music store. I'm also helping out a small music store.

The overall point is that it's a good idea to choose a case brand/model that's commonly available in the big stores like Guitar Center, and on Amazon. That's the cheapest way to get them one at a time. If you want to buy a pallet of them, go to the distributor like Ace and flash your Luthier card.
Click to expand...

Okay, yeah that makes sense! I'm definitely in the same boat with not wanting to get a pallet at a time.
 
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#70
I have an OEM relationship with Gator Cases and it saves me a few bucks and sales tax vs. Amazon/Musicians Friend. I usually buy 2 to 4 cases at a time and their shipping rates seem fair. However, if they're out of stock, I'll buy from whoever has what I need at the time.
 
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#72
claudel said:
Where can I source one really nice 4 string fretless fingerboard blank?

USA, please.

Gabon or Brazilian

Preshaped would be great.

There's gotta be some left somewhere.

TIA
Click to expand...

Since LMI closed down, the two best sources I know of are Stew-Mac and Exotic Woods:

Unslotted Fingerboard for Bass - StewMac

Shop Unslotted Fingerboards for Bass at StewMac. Top-quality kiln-dried, unradiused, unfretted, and ready for final trimming. StewMAX free Shipping!
www.stewmac.com www.stewmac.com


There are a few others, but not many.

You should also look into the synthetic ebony/rosewood replacements. They've come a long way over the years.

Here's a long thread all about them:

Bruce Johnson

Thread 'Rocklite: The Latest Synthetic Ebony For Fingerboards'

I thought I'd start a thread here specifically about Rocklite, the new synthetic alternative to ebony for fingerboards. I've started working with it now on some necks for clients (other Luthiers). I'll share my observations as I go, and encourage any of you who try it to join in. Tell us how it works or doesn't work for you.

First, some background about ebony and the synthetics:

There is a revolution taking place in the world of ebony fingerboards. Real ebony, particularly African ebony, is getting very scarce, very expensive, and highly regulated. There are many sub-species of ebony...
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#73
In relation to the richlite/rocklite/ebanol... where can one actually get that in wider and/or longer dimensions?

Richlite sold 4 string and guitar blanks, but didn't offer anything wide enough to do a 5+ (2.75" at the widest) and if I remember, was also not long enough to do more frets than usual (27")

Has that changed at all? Sorry for not searching it out first, but figured anyone who has shopped it lately may know off the top of their head.
 
#74
rojo412 said:
In relation to the richlite/rocklite/ebanol... where can one actually get that in wider and/or longer dimensions?

Richlite sold 4 string and guitar blanks, but didn't offer anything wide enough to do a 5+ (2.75" at the widest) and if I remember, was also not long enough to do more frets than usual (27")

Has that changed at all? Sorry for not searching it out first, but figured anyone who has shopped it lately may know off the top of their head.
Click to expand...

Believe it or not, Richlite sells fingerboards directly on their site, even slotted ones. And you can also buy larger sheets to cut down.

www.richlite.com

FRETBOARDS

Durable, FSC-certified paper composite material for countertops, cladding, furniture & industrial use. Made in the USA. Explore applications.
www.richlite.com www.richlite.com

Rocklite closed down and is no longer available.
 
#75
rojo412 said:
Richlite sold 4 string and guitar blanks, but didn't offer anything wide enough to do a 5+ (2.75" at the widest) and if I remember, was also not long enough to do more frets than usual (27")
Click to expand...
Richlite's store sells blanks for bass guitar that are 27" x 2.75". Maybe tight for building a fiver with wide spacing at the bridge, but plenty of leeway for 24 frets. Main downside as far as I can see is the only colors they offer are Black Diamond and "maple", none of the figured-ish woods they offer in guitar lengths.

Ibanez makes a 5-string fretless bass with a blue Richlite fingerboard, so there are definitely off-menu options although probably also MOQ requirements beyond the means of hobbyists.
 
#79
Does anyone have a line on where to source BULK stacked 50K preamp pots with detents, akin to these Nobles (or identical to them)?
Screenshot 2026-01-07 at 10.31.14 AM.jpg


Yes, BestBassGear, Reverb, FatBassTone all carry them at $18/each.
I know there has to be a better supplier for bulk amounts out there... or at least that is my hope!
Thanks!
 
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