Glue & Tape ~~~~~ WOW

Fred Justice · Post by **Fred Justice** » 21 Jan 2015 3:00 pm

I'm not sure where to put this but I just had to share with you all the rising cost of building anything, even a dad blam bird house wouldn't be cheap. How can a man afford to build anything at all any more?

Home Depot,
The contact cement............$11.97

A small roll of 1" tape..........$5.87

A small roll of 2" tape..........$8.97

Total......$26.81
Plus tax, about........ $2.70

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 21 Jan 2015 3:06 pm

yup, two little rolls of tape and a can of glue= $30... Thats really IS ridiculous... bob

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 21 Jan 2015 3:31 pm

Painter's tape is ridiculous. It's like regular masking tape, only with a crappy (weaker) adhesive...but it costs over twice as much!

Of course, paint is just as bad. I can remember when it was $7-$11 a gallon. But nowadays, it's made with water, and it's more like $30-$50 a gallon!

Go figure.

Lynette Richards · Post by **Lynette Richards** » 21 Jan 2015 4:19 pm

Definitely feel your pain. We have to drop an easy $300 for a short supply of essentials. Kinda shows why guitars cost what they do.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 21 Jan 2015 6:15 pm

If you think supplies are expensive here you should check out the prices in Europe. I return home to England once a year and what I notice is that the prices of almost everything are the same in pounds as in dollars, but a pound is worth about $1.70, so everything is about 70% higher.

...and you think gasoline prices are high in the U.S.

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 21 Jan 2015 9:09 pm

Paying the bill for two thousand bellcranks will bring a tear to your eye too.

DG Whitley · Post by **DG Whitley** » 22 Jan 2015 6:08 am

Doug, I can't even imagine that pain....ouch...

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 22 Jan 2015 7:34 am

Doug Earnest wrote:Paying the bill for two thousand bellcranks will bring a tear to your eye too.

Doug.. I get tears buying ONE bellcrank for some steels...

2,000?.. yikes.... bob

Fred Justice · Post by **Fred Justice** » 22 Jan 2015 7:54 am

Yes, those bell cranks, pedal cranks, parts, parts parts, a round of legs, a round of pickups, the beat goes on.
But seriously, $9.00 for a roll of tape? come on.

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 22 Jan 2015 8:26 am

I got Amazon Prime a few weeks ago. Free shipping (for $99 a year) and 2 day delivery.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Painters-Multi ... B00004Z4DU

Genuine 1.88" Scotch blue tape for $5.88 a roll in a 6 pack. WaltMart also sells the Duck brand for $5.97 a roll.

Hamilton Barnard · Post by **Hamilton Barnard** » 22 Jan 2015 9:04 am

The blue tape on the orange roll is the "delicate" tape and is substantially more expensive than the standard blue on the white roll.

Less glue = more money.

Joe Naylor · Post by **Joe Naylor** » 22 Jan 2015 10:09 am

I had held my prices for 2 years - supplies and everything else have gone up. At the Phoenix show someone told me that something was way too expensive. He said I was asking over twice as much as he expected. I held my tongue but was thinkin that the parts to build it was more that that not including any supplies.

And Fred I have tried other tape and it does not work as good.

Joe Naylor
www.steelseat.com

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 22 Jan 2015 10:50 am

And $10,000 worth of legs does fit in the back of my pickup.....just barely over the top of the bed. Oh well, I just do it because I love it

.

Got a $500 box of springs today!

Mike Vallandigham · Post by **Mike Vallandigham** » 22 Jan 2015 12:04 pm

Alan! Yeah, how does that work? When I was 14, in 1992 or so, I went to Europe. Upon landing in London, I bought a can of Coke out of a vending machine. IT cost one pound. I had to pay $1.64 to but that pound.

At that time, I had NEVER seen a can of soda cost more that 50cents in the USA.

Funny how that stuff workd!

Malcolm McMaster · Post by **Malcolm McMaster** » 22 Jan 2015 1:19 pm

The UK is probably the most highly taxed country in the world.We pay for one litre of petrol/diesel what you guys pay for a gallon., in fact in some cases we pay tax on tax.

Lynette Richards · Post by **Lynette Richards** » 22 Jan 2015 2:51 pm

I agree with ya guys. As a manufacturer is sure gets tough. $1,000 in tuning keys yesterday and $1,800 worth of aluminum stock just arrived by truck. That only makes about 5 different parts out of the 250 or so it takes to build a steel.

Unfortunately for the buyer we are going to have to raise our prices soon. We have been doing an amazing job of streamlining the business to save money and not affect you. We have had the same prices since 2008. Unfortunately we have done all we can, and we are going to have to raise them.

Rick Barnhart · Post by **Rick Barnhart** » 22 Jan 2015 3:02 pm

Mike Mantey wrote:Unfortunately for the buyer we are going to have to raise our prices soon. We have been doing an amazing job of streamlining the business to save money and not affect you. We have had the same prices since 2008. Unfortunately we have done all we can, and we are going to have to raise them.

Just look what you started, Fred. I woulda brought you a couple rolls of tape had I known. haha

DG Whitley · Post by **DG Whitley** » 22 Jan 2015 3:08 pm

Mike, I would have to say you've done well to hold them that long. Sorry to hear you'll be raising them soon, but you have to do what you have to do to feed the family.

Best wishes.

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 22 Jan 2015 5:35 pm

I'm in the wrong business.

Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 22 Jan 2015 5:40 pm

I just gave $2338 per gallon for some red thread locking compound.

Of course I bought the 1.2 oz. size, but that's what it figures out to!

Daniel P., yes, it looks like adhesives and such are big money.

Mike Mantey, that does it. I'm raising my prices too! (Not really, but I should).

Daniel Policarpo · Post by **Daniel Policarpo** » 22 Jan 2015 5:58 pm

Doug, I don't think anybody would blame you or anybody else if you did raise your prices. I did have to add a little more adhesive, though. I think you can tell I don't ever plan on selling it...

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Doug Earnest · Post by **Doug Earnest** » 22 Jan 2015 7:33 pm

I like it Daniel!

Jeff Newman used to decorate his ZumSteels with adhesive embellishment. Some of them were pretty neat, and it was an ever changing motif. The last time we saw him in person he had some sort of a silver print design with a "Kick Ass" logo toward the keyhead end. Cheri (my spouse)thought it was horrible. I liked it.

If and when you do get rid of that guitar just pass it on to someone else who will learn on it and enjoy it. It will keep doing the job for which it was intended.

Somewhat in keeping with the topic, it is rather depressing at times to see what we pay for some supplies and materials. Not that we do not get our money back many times over, but you do have to work at the financial ends of things to make sure there is always money available to take care of expenses. Just like any other small business, of course.

I think maybe that line about "it's a hard way to make an easy livin'" may apply to the steel guitar builder bizness. It's only 9:30 p.m., I better get back to work.

This lighthearted topic is a nice distraction for a few minutes, thanks.

The Steel Guitar Forum

Glue & Tape ~~~~~ WOW

Glue & Tape ~~~~~ WOW

I understand