A bit of a rant Admin I need to get off my chest. Do with it what you see fit.
A great irritation of mine as someone who crafted high end woods for over 50 years relates to so called high end mods made from a slab of wood or with wood panels that are cheap dyed woods being used to drive the price of the mod way up. Eye appeal sells, but are you being taken, cheated out of extra money for them? All too often the answer is yes.
A favored candidate for dyed woods is Buckeye Burl because it is open grained, easily accepts dye or the stabilization it actually needs. But is not expensive wood as true fine woods go. Dyed, double dyed, triple dyed or stabilization ads some cost, but not even close to what they are charging for them when made into mods. Far too many MFG's are using these relatively cheap woods and calling them high end so they can raise the prices up... raise them up to many times more than what the mods are really worth. Many of them do it whether large commercial operations or a craftsman in their home workshop.
Case in point from a well known US distributor of the exact same popular mod model with the same grade of wood used, one double dyed the other triple dyed. Maybe to some buyers they have different eye appeal. But a $250 difference in cost for very little extra out of pocket cost to make the higher priced one is just plain robbery.
For $600 you can buy some truly high end wood mods from some of the best makers worldwide who do use the highest grade woods available, woods that do not need to be dyed or stabilized to give them eye appeal or longevity. Their's are true works of art, worth every penny they cost, they earn your pride of ownership, bragging rights.
Bottom line,.. buyers beware. Take the time to make sure what you are paying for in the name of high end is in fact high end.
A great irritation of mine as someone who crafted high end woods for over 50 years relates to so called high end mods made from a slab of wood or with wood panels that are cheap dyed woods being used to drive the price of the mod way up. Eye appeal sells, but are you being taken, cheated out of extra money for them? All too often the answer is yes.
A favored candidate for dyed woods is Buckeye Burl because it is open grained, easily accepts dye or the stabilization it actually needs. But is not expensive wood as true fine woods go. Dyed, double dyed, triple dyed or stabilization ads some cost, but not even close to what they are charging for them when made into mods. Far too many MFG's are using these relatively cheap woods and calling them high end so they can raise the prices up... raise them up to many times more than what the mods are really worth. Many of them do it whether large commercial operations or a craftsman in their home workshop.
Case in point from a well known US distributor of the exact same popular mod model with the same grade of wood used, one double dyed the other triple dyed. Maybe to some buyers they have different eye appeal. But a $250 difference in cost for very little extra out of pocket cost to make the higher priced one is just plain robbery.
For $600 you can buy some truly high end wood mods from some of the best makers worldwide who do use the highest grade woods available, woods that do not need to be dyed or stabilized to give them eye appeal or longevity. Their's are true works of art, worth every penny they cost, they earn your pride of ownership, bragging rights.
Bottom line,.. buyers beware. Take the time to make sure what you are paying for in the name of high end is in fact high end.
Last edited:
