Looking for a new city

[Reeltarded]

After years of heartache with a new landlady at the studio, the time is short. When they send novice art school architects in to measure your space, it's over.

I am looking for a city that needs a very experienced setup/repair/restoration luthier, and enough business to afford one. I have big references. Anything from bar fretting to replacing the top on your Loar era mandolin or making your stock strat stay in tune even if you stand on the bar while kicking the strings. No joke.

I'm tricky like that.

Anyhow, if you hear anything, please make a note! Thanks!

[overtone]

well at least with the art school novices you may have more time than usual, or maybe nothing comes of it at all.
Sounds wise to look around.
Best, tony

[sliberty]

I'd love to see you relo to NJ, but I can't recommend it. Too expensive here to make a go of it I suspect. Still we could use your skills.....

[Gibsonman63]

I would love to see you here in Houston. There are basically two guys here that everyone uses. Both are a bit eccentric and both have long lead times.

[cbass]

Springfield/branson area?
I know a couple of guys I can ask.

I'm not sure about luthier work but I know every time i mention I can repair tube amps shop owners are trying to send me out the door with a bunch of broken amps.
Till I tell them I live two hours away in the middle of no where.
Once the kids graduate I might consider moving there and opening up a shop.I doubt it though I like dirt roads,spring creeks ,and smallmouth bass fishin alot more than money.

[NickC]

Stay far, far, far away from upstate New York ...... or anywhere in New York for that matter. Everyday I think about escaping this place.

I'm from Atlanta. I still love Atlanta and I'd recommend it ...... except maybe it has gotten too-big-for-its'-britches ......... if you know what I mean. When I lived there it was 1.5 million strong. Over 3 million now. If you don't like big cities, might not suit you.

How about Nashville, or one of the suburbs?

[LeftyStrat]

Here are some representative rates for Seattle:

http://www.parsonsguitars.com/repair_shops.php
http://www.emeraldcityguitars.com/about/repairs/

Seattle rent can be expensive unless you're willing to live further out from the city. The NW music scene is vibrant and thriving. I love this city more than anywhere else I've lived; SC, Atlanta, Dallas, and Portland, OR, (although I did love living in Portland).

[Reeltarded]

I'm from Atlanta. I still love Atlanta and I'd recommend it ...... except maybe it has gotten too-big-for-its'-britches ......... if you know what I mean. When I lived there it was 1.5 million strong. Over 3 million now. If you don't like big cities, might not suit you.

How about Nashville, or one of the suburbs?

Me and you both on ATL.. and NY. Maybe we make an island out of the floaty parts, and escape to Haiti? I wish I could find a string of tours to tech on and just kind of give up to that for a while. I am sure I need to get out of this corner.

It's dead, Jim!

Seattle? I like coffee.

All good thoughts. I don't have the time to ride around the country looking, helps to have eyes out there guiding, even if just a little.

Thanks.

[xtian]

I might move to Austin if I was looking. Very liberal for TX, nice city, great music.

[cbass]

I would love to see you here in Houston. There are basically two guys here that everyone uses. Both are a bit eccentric and both have long lead times.

I'd say reeltarded has the eccentric part down and I mean that in a good way.

[Reeltarded]

My friend Erin tells me I am an idiot for anot already being there.

Ok, that's 2 for Texas..

[LeftyStrat]

There's a lot more than coffee to love about Seattle. Summer's are glorious, 70-80 with a nice cool breeze coming off the Puget Sound. Minutes away from beaches and an hour away from the ski slopes.

And vistas at every turn. Yeah winters are grey, but that's what the good coffee and beers are for. Seattle has a small town feel to it, because we're bounded on two sides by water, so not the urban sprawl of ATL or Dallas. But still large enough to pull national music acts on almost a daily basis.

Very bicycle and walking friendly. And if you're into women of asian descent, it's a paradise.

[LeftyStrat]

Some local event calendars:

http://www.showboxonline.com/events.php
http://www.thetripledoor.net/Calendar.aspx
http://www.tractortavern.com/calendar.asp
http://thecrocodile.com/calendar


The other thing about the Seattle/Portland music scene is that all bands seem to be very supportive of each other. People have been "discovered" just because they took lessons from some drummer at Seattle Drum School.

THD and Soldano shops are minutes from my house. And whenever you pop into Emerald City Guitars you never know who you'll run into.

[martin manning]

Lefty, where is that top picture taken from? Maybe it's a composite?

[LeftyStrat]

Lefty, where is that top picture taken from? Maybe it's a composite?

It was taken here:

http://www.mtbakerridgeviewpoint.com/

The olympic mountains certainly look larger than life in that photo. I believe it was taken with a telephoto lens.

I didn't take it, it was posted by a friend on FB.

The second photo was taken from Alki Beach in West Seattle.

The third photo was taken by me from my office window, down by the water front.

The last photo was taken from a park on Queen Anne Hill.