new materials
TRANSCRIPT
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NEW MATERIALS FOR AN AGE OF
SCARCITY
Music Trades July 2011
Mike Grosek
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FLAXWOOD?? Manmade Tonewood Natural Fiber Composite
Composed of polymer infused with spruce fiber Finland has enough Spruce trees to supply 1,000 years Hardens to a material with no grain or structure Conducts sound uninterrupted Virtually impervious to fluctuations in temperature and
humidity
Density comparable to Ebony
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U.S. LACEY ACT AND FLAXWOOD International restrictions make it increasingly
problematic to trade in protected wood species.
Flaxwood is not affected by the Lacey Act.
Environmentalists support Flaxwood for obvious reasons.
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CREATING THE GUITARS
Necks, Bodies, and backplates – Injection-molded Hand-assembled, hand-finished, and fitted with premium
electronics
Unique “3-D” neck joint gives a neck-through appearance
If you lined up 100 of them, they’d all be identical Parts, Dimensions, and specific gravity are uniform
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DRAWBACKS
Production Costs Investments in injection-molding machines drive retail
price up
Each instrument between $2,000 and $4,000
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Bolt-on Neck design lowers price Neck made of composite joined with body of European Alder These hybrid guitars have suggested retail of $1,299 and
MAP of $999
At winter NAMM 2011 Hybrid designs compared similar to All-Composite line guitars
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MARKET FOR FLAXWOOD
Manufactured in North Keralia, Finland.
Distributed in 19 countries
Sales in U.S. less driven by environmental concerns than in Europe Tougher to sell in U.S.
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OTHER USES FOR FLAXWOOD
Prototyped fingerboards and tailpieces for outside instrument makers
Shells for snare drums Stone dust composite
Electric Bass Models
Furniture, Automobile, and Home Construction Industries
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