Hi folks - Don't go looking for a tall tree & a rope just yet !!. I have no problem at all with
whoever buying whatever - it's none of my business !. It just seems to me that as soon as something new comes along,we (some of us),immediately become disatisfied with what we have already.
To take Doc Holiday's point re. Bill Collings setting up a case production unit. Doc's quite correct - it takes a lot of time & cash to do that.That's why some companies have cases built to
their own specs.by companies who already have the tooling & facilities in place. First Quality did exactly that when they asked TKL to build a rectangular case with additional reinforcings / wooden plies etc. for them. That was their "American Vintage" series case & it's a killer case !!. Collings could have done exactly that. Even hugely prestigious companies such as Rolls Royce / Bently don't make all their own parts,they're made by companies who are already set up to make those parts. The Rolls & Bently parts are simply made to a
higher spec.
As i mentioned in a previous post,i could design an incredibly strong mandolin case using thermoformable Lexan Polycarbonate outer shell mouldings with internal reinforcings. However,i wouldn't even dream of forking out the cash for the mould tooling,knowing full well that there are companies who already have the exact tooling required. I'd simply pass my specifications to the company with whatever extra i needed to tell them,& let them get on with it. After a prototype (or 2) has been made & tested,it's either a yes or no situation.
I can only understand Bill Collings going the way he has if he needs to control
absolutely everything from start to finish.
How many mandolin builders make their own tuners ?. Now that's an area of some discontent if ever there was one,
Ivan
Bookmarks