BTW, Spot, that "disastrous fire" mentioned in that Gurian article was disastrous in more ways than one. It not only destroyed Michael's shop, but his lumberyard where he had accumulated some of the finest instrument-building woods in existence, including a large chunk of the available supply of Brazilian rosewood (importing BR was banned in 1969). Many other small-shop luthiers had been purchasing woods to build their own instruments from Gurian and had to find new sources after the fire.

Bruce