ZYGI
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As I read through Rraymonds Torii Jr. classified ad, I noticed there was some confusion about the amp base woods. I'll try to clarify whats going on...
The first plate amps needed wooden bases, walnut was chosen for this as well as offering the molded wood base. When I lived in AZ I was buying west cost walnut which my yield from each board was 80-90% of each board.
For reasons Rick stated, walnut I was able to buy since moving to NC, was mostly the outer edges of the tree which has a lot of sap wood, which is ugly and very white compared to the heart wood. I was throwing away at least 50% of the wood I was buying!
The new wood we use now is Sapele, which if bought in the correct widths needed yields 90% or more, literally just throwing away the the very edges of each board. But, it needed to be dyed (not stained) to mimic the color of the walnut bases we had been selling. Cost per board ft is roughly 30% more expensive than that of the walnut, but the yield is much better, and Steve agreed to the change.
Now when ordering a custom wood, I.E. cherry, maple, or even oak, you are getting exactly those woods. No stain, dye or otherwise. The main reason for the cost increase has more to do with the fact that the "walnut" bases are ordered in quantity, where as the "custom" woods are a one offs for the most part, and have to be built one at a time, so set up, to build one amp base has to be considered. Let alone, having to go to town to buy just one board to make the base.
In the case of exotics, its a cost of board and shipping to get the one board to me. Sometimes shipping being the major cost of the wood. I just did a Ziricote base, and the wood for the base (and it was just enough to build the base) cost me $98.+ cost of shipping.
There have been a few times when a board was not able to be located, and I have veneered a complementary wood with the requested wood, but that has been very rare.
Hope this helps!
ZYGI
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