L. M. I.
© Frank Ford, 4/16/99; Photos by FF, 4/14//99
The premier supplier of tone wood to the trade, that's L.M.I.
This is just a very quick photo tour. Don't forget to check the L.M.I. website.
Being mostly a warehouse operation, they are located in (you guessed it) a warehouse:
Over the years L.M.I. has grown to occupy a fair amount of space in a large warehouse here in Healdsburg.
It's Wednesday, and Leslie gets the catalogs out, ready for the morning rush:
Wednesday is the day luthiers can come to the front desk and place orders, get on the spot advice, and pick out wood in person.
The rest of the time, orders are processed over the phone:
There's instrument wood everywhere around L.M.I.
Most of the materials are carefully selected, graded and shelved:
Wood, wood, and more wood:
Way in the back there's a kiln for seasoning exotic woods:
All day long, the machinery runs as workers process fingerboards, tops, backs, and special sizes of exotic lutherie timber:
Come to Gryphon on trash day, and you'll probably see me doing this:
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