Well folks I don’t know if you have noticed or not but I have been a little less active on the forum of late, and to some I am sure this has been a relief. The reason behind my absence was partly because of a recent ISP change and all of the associated turmoil which that brings in this day and age but also because I, (yes me!) have been stunned into complete speechlessness.
Some of you may recall that during the recent OLF swap meet Steve Roberson of Colonial Tonewoods dropped an absolute clanger on us when he showed images of an amazing billet of Bastogne (I believe it is pronounced Bas-tone) Walnut which he was due to re-saw. He announced that he would be making some sets available to us OLFer’s around early July and also made mention of a special he was having offering A and AA Red Spruce Tops for just $25 & $50 a piece.
Well the swap meet came and went and was absolutely brutal on my finances; however I simply could not resist that beautiful Bastogne Walnut. It haunted me in my sleep and taunted my every waking moment, yeah, it’s the WAS alright, you see once you got it in your blood,…well, you know what I’m talk’in about….. So I waited, I waited patiently, and then I made contact with Steve at the beginning of the month as instructed. As always Steve went out of his way to help me out and I gotta say….. Oh Yeah Baby! I got my Fix!
Feast your eyes upon what he sent me. But please keep in mind these images were taken on an old Sony 3.3 Meg Cyber-shot, in my backyard, and on an overcast day. In real life, this stuff is just THE Ritz!
Now in this last shot, by flooding the area with naphtha and quickly snapping the image, I have tried to capture the 3D effect which the intense curl of this Bastogne is likely to produce under a finish. This is simply incredible in real life and whilst the image does give a reasonable idea, it does not do justice.
I know, I know, be still thy beating heart.
Anyhow, if you are in the market for some of this stuff be quick, once it is listed on Steve’s site my prediction is that it will be gone in a flash. As for the “on special” Red Spruce that I ordered, it too was exactly what I was after, I was specific about what I wanted, and that is what I got. But then I must say that I have never once, not ever been disappointed with anything received from Colonial Tonewoods.
For all woodaholics, but especially for those WAS affected individuals which live outside of the USA, take head of this kudos my friends. Like you, I understand that returns are difficult at best, more importantly, Steve Roberson understands this point very well so he gets it right from the start.
Steve also knows that shipping cost are a handicap to his foreign clients and always seems willing to go the extra yard to ensure we get fair value for money. If you ask nice, I bet he will even cherry pick to your requirements and make a full blooded effort to colour matching wood you may already have from e-mailed images etc.
I have no problems at all in giving Steve this wrap and lending my support to his business, I do so without any prompting or incentive from him and without any expectation of future favour. The fact is that I am just giving credit were due and will gladly continue to do so as long as I continue to experience the level of service and quality of product that Steve continues to provide.
I have had very good dealings with all OLF sponsors I have dealt with to date and that is most, but Steve of Colonial, Tim Spittle of Australian Tonewoods, and John Watkins of CNC Guitar Parts have been quite simply outstanding vendors.
If you are new to this craft, it is easy to get a little bewildered with all that is available in the market place. In my experience, if you buy from an OLF sponsor, you will always do well, if you buy from any of the 3 guys I mentioned above, you will most likely have your expectations well and truly exceeded every time.
Cheers
Kim
Sorry Bob 
Can't forget the Zootman, always good to do business with Robert C the Zootmeister of 
