# A Canadian Stew Mac???



## gooberman

Does anyone know if there is a similar Canadian Alternative to Stew Mac for pre-slotted fret boards? I am looking for a rosewood 25.5 inch scale Fender type board. I was going to consider trying to make one myself, but this is going to be my first attempt so I would like it to work once complete!

Anyone who has ordered a board from SM, what sort of Duty would be added onto their shipment?

Thanks,
G


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## Stratin2traynor

I've ordered from StewMac a few times and so far I haven't had to pay duties. My orders were around $50 - $100 each. I haven't had any problems at all.


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## ajcoholic

Stratin2traynor said:


> I've ordered from StewMac a few times and so far I haven't had to pay duties. My orders were around $50 - $100 each. I haven't had any problems at all.



There is no duty, but there is the provincial tax and GST depending upon your province.

I usually place orders from $300 to $500 and have always had to pay the 13% tax coming into Ontario. But, if it is a lower amount (like a $30 fretboard) you may get it without any tax having to be paid.

It all depends upon the amount and what the customs worker is feeling like that day 

AJC


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## Rugburn

These guys:

http://www.guitarpartscanada.com/

Shawn :smile:


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## martyb1

Rugburn said:


> These guys:
> 
> http://www.guitarpartscanada.com/
> 
> Shawn :smile:


Have you had good luck with them?
I only ordered from them once,took over a month to get it
I have heard others with similar horror stories


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## aC2rs

I have ordered from Stew Mac on a couple of occasions. As mentioned above PST & GST were payable when I picked the stuff up at the post office - and Canada Post added a small handling fee of about $5.


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## Spike

martyb1 said:


> Have you had good luck with them?
> I only ordered from them once,took over a month to get it
> I have heard others with similar horror stories


Count me among those who will never order from them again. Waited forever for a pickguard that was flimsy junk. After waiting a few weeks, and hearing those horror stories, I ordered one from StewMac. It came within 10 days (and I paid no duty). Weeks after that, in comes the Guitar Parts Canada trash.


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## bagpipe

martyb1 said:


> Have you had good luck with them?
> I only ordered from them once,took over a month to get it
> I have heard others with similar horror stories


Do a search on this forum before before ordering anything from GuitarPartsCanada.


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## Rugburn

I've never used them, but like some others here I was hoping to find a canadian parts dealer and leave all the extra charges out of it. Thanks for the heads up. 
Shawn


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## fraser

doesnt look very fender-ish- but you could maybe make it work- in canada, too
http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-QUALITY-ROS...34.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301:0|293:2|294:30

http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-QUALI...34.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301:0|293:3|294:30

both those are 25 1/2 inch scale.
same seller has unslotted boards too. if you keep an eye on them, different things pop up from time to time


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## gooberman

doesnt look very fender-ish- but you could maybe make it work- in canada, too
http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-QUALITY-ROSE...3:2|294:30

http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-QUALIT...3:3|294:30

both those are 25 1/2 inch scale.
same seller has unslotted boards too. if you keep an eye on them, different things pop up from time to time 


I did see those...I can't tell if they have a nut slot like the SM ones...if it doesn't, howdo you...or can you make one?


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## fraser

gooberman said:


> doesnt look very fender-ish- but you could maybe make it work- in canada, too
> http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-QUALITY-ROSE...3:2|294:30
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.com/BEAUTIFUL-QUALIT...3:3|294:30
> 
> both those are 25 1/2 inch scale.
> same seller has unslotted boards too. if you keep an eye on them, different things pop up from time to time
> 
> 
> I did see those...I can't tell if they have a nut slot like the SM ones...if it doesn't, howdo you...or can you make one?


it would be simple matter to cut a slot if there isnt one- id just use a small coping saw, and maybe a skinny chisel. bit of sanding, and itll be great. just be sure you retain the same distance, 12 3/4 inches to the twelfth fret- screw that up and the neck will never intonate correctly.


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## Lab123

I use Stu-Mac and LMI on a regular basis....They ship ASAP...I usually get a tracking number...Service is great and if you need to talk to a sales person,you get someone who is very informative....The problem is when it crosses the border...It can be in Customs for a few days or a few weeks...The funny think is sometimes you have to pay custom charges and sometimes you don't...Larry


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## Lowtones

I recommend StewMac. Fast and reliable. I think that there is a misconception about how difficult and expensive it is to order from the States. If you have to pay PST and GSt, Oh Well you will pay it from a Canadian Supplier also. The dollar is only worth about 80 cents right now so that will cost you more as well. If you have them send it by mail the extra charge is small but if you are in a hurry and want it sent by courier be prepared to pay an extra $30 or so cross border brokerage fee to the courier that will need to be paid on delivery. So if you are spending several hundred dollars it's not that much extra but if you are only buying a fretboard it can double the cost.


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## fraser

sorry i didnt mention it in my earlier posts, but yeah, ill echo what lab and lowtones said about ordering from stewmac. first time i did it it seemed scary, but i order from them regularly now, only once had to pay an extra fee- its worth the extra if you discount the hassles and searching you eliminate, and you get exactly what you want.


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## gooberman

fraser said:


> sorry i didnt mention it in my earlier posts, but yeah, ill echo what lab and lowtones said about ordering from stewmac. first time i did it it seemed scary, but i order from them regularly now, only once had to pay an extra fee- its worth the extra if you discount the hassles and searching you eliminate, and you get exactly what you want.


Everything seems scary right now! Anyone order any hardware or anything fron Bezdez on e-bay...they have low prices and cheap shipping? A bridge is like 3-4 times cheaper, same with other stuff...much appreciated!


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## fraser

i buy stuff from bezdez a couple times a month. never heard a bad word aimed at them, and all my experiences with them have been great.
your in brooklin, so youre about as far away from them as i am. usually only takes a few days.


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## shoretyus

fraser said:


> i buy stuff from bezdez a couple times a month. never heard a bad word aimed at them, and all my experiences with them have been great.
> your in brooklin, so youre about as far away from them as i am. usually only takes a few days.


+1 just study closely what it is you want. Sometimes their stuff is a bit odd. Great to deal with.


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## Shepherd

If you want cheap parts Bezdez is ok, if you want quality parts go somewhere else. Lesson learned the hard way.


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## Get Rhythm

Consider having 1 made by a reputable Luthier. I build my own guitars and finger boards all the time. Not only can you pick different hardwoods but you can also have them inlaid, pearl dots, etc., etc. Will cost more than Stewmac but you get what you pay for these days and they are having a lot of stuff shipped from offshore. I prefer to shop North America.


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## Hamstrung

Get Rhythm said:


> Consider having 1 made by a reputable Luthier. I build my own guitars and finger boards all the time. Not only can you pick different hardwoods but you can also have them inlaid, pearl dots, etc., etc. Will cost more than Stewmac but you get what you pay for these days and they are having a lot of stuff shipped from offshore. I prefer to shop North America. You can check out some of my work at Get Rhythm Guitar Repair, Guitar Sales, Guitar Restoration, Luthier, Mandolin Repair, Stringed Instrument Repair, Bracebridge, Muskoka, North Bay, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Almaguin, Burk's Falls, Huntsville, Parry Sound, Gravenhurst, Orillia, Barrie, Ne


Welcome to the forum. I hope you are become a regular contributor here and enjoy your time but advertising is to be done in the Dealer's Emporium section which people pay to access. 
It's kinda bad form to introduce yourself with an ad in a zombie thread on your first post when people are paying for the privilege of advertising their services.


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## LowWatt

Hamstrung said:


> Welcome to the forum. I hope you are become a regular contributor here and enjoy your time but advertising is to be done in the Dealer's Emporium section which people pay to access.
> It's kinda bad form to introduce yourself with an ad in a zombie thread on your first post when people are paying for the privilege of advertising their services.


Well said and my thoughts exactly ...moves like this often make me write off a company before giving them a chance.


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## Nick Burman

A lot of hardware and electrics can be ordered through music stores. For tools and wood finishing gear, try Lee Valley.


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## blam

damn. I totally forgot about lee valley. seems they have a reamer for pretty cheap (16.xx) stewmac wants upwards for 50$


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## Nick Burman

I've got some router bits from Lee Valley that are higher quality and cheaper than Canadian Tire. Always check Lee Valley first


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## gooberman

Wow, I started this thread when I was first getting started. I never did buy a pre-slotted fretboard from Stewmac, or anything else for that matter. I worked around it. In fact, it probably was good for me. I slotted my own board and I realized that it wasn't that hard. I agonized about it while doing it, and it probably took me 2 or 3 good hours to line everything up and cut the slots, but I did it. In the end it wasn't that difficult at all. My second board that I slotted went much quicker, and I am sure my third that I will doing in the next week or so will go even faster. I can understand the fear that some people have, but in retrospect, even if I screwed it up, it was only an $8 piece of wood that I am sure I could have done something with.

For tools, I love Lee Valley!, I checked it out after some people mentioned it on this site. I even bought some of their hobby wood for fretboards.

I still wish that there was a store I could go into with just luthier stuff like Stewmac, just for the convienince and somewhere to look around on the weekend!

For everything else, after some of you had suggested, I go to Bezdez on ebay. Good prices and quality form what I can tell.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I have learned a lot from this site!


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## snacker

i wouldn't recommend ordering from guitar parts canada, unless you're into getting the run around and waiting over month for your parts


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## Get Rhythm

Hamstrung said:


> Welcome to the forum. I hope you are become a regular contributor here and enjoy your time but advertising is to be done in the Dealer's Emporium section which people pay to access.
> It's kinda bad form to introduce yourself with an ad in a zombie thread on your first post when people are paying for the privilege of advertising their services.


Totally understand, I really don't know how all that jumbo got on there, picked it up and I was unaware, apologies.


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## Get Rhythm

LowWatt said:


> Well said and my thoughts exactly ...moves like this often make me write off a company before giving them a chance.


And people like you I don't want as customers anyway!


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## LexxM3

Get Rhythm said:


> Totally understand, I really don't know how all that jumbo got on there, picked it up and I was unaware, apologies.


Dude, you're unbearably funny. In 2011, you had 1 post that revived a dead 2009 thread. In 2017, 6 years later, you added 2 posts to the same 2009/2011 thread. Your total post count right now is literally 3. Sorry, I don't think you understand how forums and the internet work. Way too funny! But doesn't add positively to an image of competence ...


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## LowWatt

Get Rhythm said:


> And people like you I don't want as customers anyway!


My point was that companies that spam forums without support do more harm than good for their business. Even if they're a great company that technique drives people away and people in those communities discount them before giving them a chance. But then that's your response to me. You don't have to worry Mr. Jennings. you will never have me as a customer as I only do business with people I can respect.


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## buyusfear

blam said:


> damn. I totally forgot about lee valley. seems they have a reamer for pretty cheap (16.xx) stewmac wants upwards for 50$


Stewmac's reamer, item # 0344, while expensive, is well worth it and unlike anything you will be able to find anywhere else. IMO. 
It has a 2 degree taper which, unlike other reamers, removes material at a more even taper, which is crucial for things like tuner press fit bushings. 
Lastly, its half rounded, which guides the cutting portion of the tool to cut a beautifully clean circle, unlike conventional reamers which tend to chatter and leave a super ugly rough circle.
This is one of the most valuable tools on my building bench. 

Its one of those right tool for the right job scenarios. The day I finally got mine I laughed at not having done so sooner.


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## troyhead

If you're looking for tools, it's not Canadian but I've bought some stuff from Amplified Parts in the past for a much better price than StewMac. For example, their notched straightedge is $30 USD compared to StewMac's $90 USD. 

Amplified Parts - Luthier Tools


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## dantahoua

Great wood and service here: Welcome to Bow River Wood to Works - In tune with your needs


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## bileshake

Still would be nice to have a canadian supplier. Exotic woods in Burlington ON is doing some good stuff with wood and such.


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## knight_yyz

Exotic woods also carries Allparts lineup.


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