Bad News: LMII is closing down.....

[Bruce Johnson]

I'm pretty sure Mr. Bruce is going to use a blast chamber for his truss rod tests.

Of course. Safety First. That's why the Secret Underground Lab is underground. To reduce the collateral damage if a test goes wrong. Maybe I'll do the testing over in Unit 2....

It might be interesting to rig up strings and a pickup on the test neck, and record the sound a bass makes when its truss rod snaps. We already know the sound that the bass owner makes....Does the bass cry out in pain, or in joyous relief?

 

[ardgedee]

Of course. Safety First. That's why the Secret Underground Lab is underground. To reduce the collateral damage if a test goes wrong. Maybe I'll do the testing over in Unit 2....

It might be interesting to rig up strings and a pickup on the test neck, and record the sound a bass makes when its truss rod snaps. We already know the sound that the bass owner makes....Does the bass cry out in pain, or in joyous relief?

If you've ever had a therapeutic massage, you'll know it can be both.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

If you've ever had a therapeutic massage, you'll know it can be both.

You're probably right. A sharp painful scream, followed by a joyful sigh. And the sound of all the strings losing tension together......

 

[ctmullins]

If a truss rod snaps while no-one is around, does it make a sound?

 

[Bruce Johnson]

If a truss rod snaps while no-one is around, does it make a sound?

That's a profound question...

And does anyone ever notice that it's broken? Or does the owner start adding neck shims and trying different bridges?

 

[Gary_M]

Has anyone revisited Luthiers Mercantile International recently?

Seems as if StewMac is going to continue to market some of LMI's tools... makes me wonder if they will add the truss rods? And, did StewMac buy out the remainder of the LMI inventory? So many questions.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

An update, for any of you interested:

I just got an e-mail from International Violin Company (IVC). I'm somewhat familiar with them; they've been around forever. They are one of the biggest suppliers of tools and materials to Luthiers who are into Violin-family instruments. And some things for acoustic guitar builders.

International Violin Home Page

Anyway, they say they've been long time friends with the guys at LMII, and shared many sources and some products. LMII gave them their customer list, and permission to reach out to former customers like me. They're inviting me to see if they may have some products that I may be looking for.

I did a quick scan of their site, and didn't see anything in particular that we bass builders would be interested in. They don't carry truss rods or do bass fingerboard slotting, or anything like that.

But I was thinking that maybe a few of us should write to them and ask if they would start carrying the LMII Yellow Instrument Makers' Glue. They probably would know the source. They don't list it now, but it would be a reasonable product for them to add to their line.

I'm going to write to them.

 

[Beej]

Great idea Bruce, I'll do the same. I got that email too and also reviewed their products with some hope in my heart. It faded after a little while and I sadly hit 'unsubscribe'. But I kept them in my supplier file and will check them periodically.

 

[Bloomfield]

I got that same email yesterday and unsubscribed without looking at. I wasn't sure why I'd received it, but maybe LMII's mailing list got passed on to them. I'll take a look at it later and see if there is anything of interest. With shipping and fees though, I try to order from the US as little as possible.

 

[Crawforde]

It looks like Lee Valley is getting into instrument building tool supply now. Instrument Making - Lee Valley Tools

 

[Matt Liebenau]

It looks like Lee Valley is getting into instrument building tool supply now. Instrument Making - Lee Valley Tools

They’ve always had quality tools. Hopefully that carries over to these.

 

[Crawforde]

They do.
also, I’m in Florida and the shipping is quite reasonable. Usually free.

 

[David Marti]

Good idea on the yellow instrument glue, Bruce. It would be awesome to have another source for that--I'm hoarding my last bottle.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

A quick update about a possible replacement for LMII's Yellow Instrument Glue;

Our buddy Jeremy (@Freekmagnet) recently bought a bottle of Gorilla Ultimate Waterproof Wood Glue. Note: This is not the infamous Gorilla Polyurethane glue that they got their name started with. This is a PVA glue, in the same class as Titebond and the LMII glue.

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www.amazon.com

Jeremy's initial reaction to it is that it is fairly close to the LMII glue in characteristics. In particular, it does harden in gaps, and can be filed and sanded.

I may get a bottle and try it out, as a possible replacement for the LMI glue.

Has anyone else tried it?

 

[chinjazz]

A quick update about a possible replacement for LMII's Yellow Instrument Glue;

Our buddy Jeremy (@Freekmagnet) recently bought a bottle of Gorilla Ultimate Waterproof Wood Glue. Note: This is not the infamous Gorilla Polyurethane glue that they got their name started with. This is a PVA glue, in the same class as Titebond and the LMII glue.

Loading…

www.amazon.com

Jeremy's initial reaction to it is that it is fairly close to the LMII glue in characteristics. In particular, it does harden in gaps, and can be filed and sanded.

I may get a bottle and try it out, as a possible replacement for the LMI glue.

Has anyone else tried it?

I've seen this around, but it never registered in my feeble mind as a contender - I'll check it out for sure!

 

[Gary_M]

A quick update about a possible replacement for LMII's Yellow Instrument Glue;

Our buddy Jeremy (@Freekmagnet) recently bought a bottle of Gorilla Ultimate Waterproof Wood Glue. Note: This is not the infamous Gorilla Polyurethane glue that they got their name started with. This is a PVA glue, in the same class as Titebond and the LMII glue.

Loading…

www.amazon.com

Jeremy's initial reaction to it is that it is fairly close to the LMII glue in characteristics. In particular, it does harden in gaps, and can be filed and sanded.

I may get a bottle and try it out, as a possible replacement for the LMI glue.

Has anyone else tried it?

I've used Gorilla's standard wood glue quite a lot and quite frankly prefer it over Tite-Bond.

Gorilla Wood Glue | Gorilla Glue

Gorilla Wood Glue is an adhesive that woodworkers and carpenters trust. This wood glue is water resistant, super strong and dries in a natural color.

gorillatough.com

But I have not used the Ultimate formulation. Let us know how you like it, I'm curious!