Ms Lora/Mr Wu Special Project

[MaxTwang]

MaxTwang, I think RonD, like 2B before him, is overstating a bit and ascribing motives that don't hold true, at least for me. But your point-- and I think the underlying spirit of RonD's-- is a good one. It could have been a new thread. I've been watching this thread since BigMike started it, and I shared his excitement for what is a beautiful build. My apologies to BigMike for not suggesting a new thread to discuss the issue (which everyone clearly acknowledged was with another guitar). As you said, it was a good topic for a different thread. And RonD and 2B (and BigMike), I've read your posts for some time and have respect for all of you.

My apologies aboutit,

It was not my intent to target you or anyone, rereading my last post I see it comes off that way.

BTW I do like Big Mikes guitar, and hope he sticks around to give us his review.

[aboutIt]

It's all good MaxTwang, no worries.

[Marty Grass]

I don't recall anyone getting banned since Patrick died.

Life goes on.

[339 in june]

I don't recall anyone getting banned since Patrick died.

Life goes on.

Only one dirty finger recently.

[vinnyv1k]

BigMike,

If I was your C.O. I would pin a badge of honor on your chest. Hope to hear from you soon.

[MaxTwang]

I don't recall anyone getting banned since Patrick died.

Life goes on.

Obviously we're not trying hard enough in Patrick's absence.

[2bornot2bop]

I don't see it as "anger", just typical forum drama.

A lot of assumptions made. None of it matters. The stuff Mike is having to cope with, that's what matters. I can't imagine having to place one of my pets in a home...they're like your kids...especially if you're like Mike and I and never had kids.

All the best to you Big Mike!

[BigMikeinNJ]

2B's got it nailed to the door, it's a MONSTER giving all these guys up. I think I got my stray Smoky placed at the Horse Farm, we'll passive trap him a couple days before I go, stash him in the basement of this one building they have that other strays stay in, he can do some warm inside in that basement until he gets acclimated to it and the other cats and when I'm gone I'm sure he'll go back to my now empty place, but he'll go back to the horse farm for a warm place to sleep. So that's later in the month.

Just closed a deal with a kid just out of Boot doing an 8 year stint in the Reserves, an Engineer, meaning next time some sh*t happens he gets deployed. But his GF stays behind in Toms River with Lucky the kitty and they have a shiatsu (??). I'm giving them a case of cat food, a big box of litter, a huge bag of dry food and another fancier dry food. So they come see Lucky Saturday after the Fur Friends In Need lady picks up Lady the dog. Man the pace is crazy, but hey it's seems ordained if ya ask me.


Again thanks to all the nice people that have been PM'ing me...
Happy Trails To You, 'Till We Meet Again....

<strong>

[BigMikeinNJ]

​A very heartfelt HAPPY NEW YEAR to Lora, and the WU's...

[BigMikeinNJ]

I'm going through so much right now, a couple of you mentioned how hard it is (being pet lovers they understand). Seems like God has shined down on me and helped. I took two of my sickest cats into the vet to be euthanized on Wednesday. She insisted on running a thorough round of blood work and other tests and deemed that she could not (by her medical oath to INCUR NO UNDUE HARM), so I signed over custody of the animals to her. I am glad they didn't get put to sleep but I know their conditions better and I think at some point she will call to tell me she saw the seizures and did send them along to God.



My wife ran a couple CL ads for the dog and a cat. You all know what CL can be like. I was getting flooded with texts for "your puppy" (Lady is 5 as the ad states) and turns out they were kids with mobile phones, later I got very stern texts from their mothers telling me they could not have the dog and to leave them alone (oh my...). Well I was pretty low. I cried out to God for help. Tried watching some old Seinfeld just to tune out what I was feeling. Went to bed early that night and looked at my phone. Miraculously I had messages from a woman who runs FurFriendsInNeed, a really very strict and organized Rescue Organization for dogs (but also felines)

Home

​Out of Staten Island/Holmdel. We spoke at length and Saturday they came over and met Lady and I signed over custody to them. Lady is now in a delightful foster home on Staten Island, two other dogs, two young girls and a couple. She's living on a quiet cul de sac with woods nearby, kinda like here. The dogs took to her immediately showing her around the house rolling around on all the furniture and generally having a ball. Lady adores other dogs and girls. What a win-win for Lady.



So Nan had run another ad on CL for Lucky the cat. Again some of the very same kids texting me about my kitty... (rolls eyes). I had one good possibility, a 19 year old guy just outta Boot Camp starting an 8 year Army Reserves stint out of Fort Dix. Great kid. But after a check with the landlord he had to back out. Again despair and frustration was closing in. And again I cried out and all of a sudden I get texts from another woman who runs

http://whiskersrescue.org/wp/

Another great foster organization who rescue, spay/neuter and rehome animals through a very strict vetting process (they even go inspect prospect's homes and verify vet records to see they are suitable parent material ((Like FurFriendsInNeed does)). So Sunday they come and take Trooper and were supposed to take Lucky but she was in a real agitated state and we could not get her. I finally told the lady to leave the carrier and eventually Lucky came out. I'm going to hold onto her a day or so longer and spend a lot of time just reassuring her (like I did everyone else prior to my goodbyes with them). So for now it is Lucky, the chickens and Smoky the stray. Down from 6 cats to 2 and the chickens.

This house is so quiet and lonely. But I am so pleased that I have really good rescued organizations working on behalf of them all. Between the vet and making sizable donations to both rescue groups I think I have spent over $1200.00... Speaking of DONATION each website takes PayPal donations. ANY amount is gleefully accepted and acknowledged. IN FACT during the month of February
http://whiskersrescue.org/wp/

has a very generous benefactor who will match any amount when using PayPal as long as you state in the comments area MATCH THIS DONATION !! So all the money I donated them got matched. I also gave the Whiskers person a couple cases of canned cat food, dry food, 3 boxes of cat litter aside from my financial gifts.

Here are my guys, now no longer with me. The last photo is of Lucky the cat (Lady playing bite the Kitty), Lucky will likely be calm enough in a day or so I can put her in a carrier to be relocated. We're doing some serious bonding right now (it's so hard on these guys to see the others suddenly leave).



I gotta leave again for a while, I just wanted to say howdy and to Thank God for His Help in doing this, I sure didn't do it... I'll post updates from Lora once my dream guitar is ready to ship and again when it gets here and I can play it and photograph it myself...

Little threadjack here, pretty normal in this thread huh ???

(not feeling so) Big




A last hug goodbye

[Max405]

Wow Mikey, what a post. Amazing.
STAY tough big fella. You are a good man. There is a place for you in heaven. Just put that off another 50 years or more..
Your Friend, Joe D.

[BigMikeinNJ]

Thanks Joe, just to let everyone else know I reached out to Joe via PM this morning to set aside our little beef. Too much going on in everyone's lives to carry any bad feelings. Any of you who feel you need to talk to me one on one, please PM me so we can also make the peace...

Matter of fact Joe, when I get this guitar from Mr Wu, you should come up. I'll buy you lunch (by then I'll have my house pretty much packed) and I can record you playing it thru my amp (if I haven't sold it by then, deal in the works with a broker buddy of mine in Tom's River, I need MOVE money).

Big

[Max405]

Thanks Joe, just to let everyone else know I reached out to Joe via PM this morning to set aside our little beef. Too much going on in everyone's lives to carry any bad feelings. Any of you who feel you need to talk to me one on one, please PM me so we can also make the peace...

Matter of fact Joe, when I get this guitar from Mr Wu, you should come up. I'll buy you lunch (by then I'll have my house pretty much packed) and I can record you playing it thru my amp (if I haven't sold it by then, deal in the works with a broker buddy of mine in Tom's River, I need MOVE money).

Big

I would love to do that. And I'll pick up lunch.
JD

PS, Just to Clarify, Mike NEVER voiced his displeasure with me publicly. He could have and he would have been 100% right in doing so. But he didn't. After I realized I was the one who rained on his parade, I reached out to him privately and apologized.
Mike demonstrated class and I learned from him.
Thanks everyone.
JD

[h1pst3r88]

Well I am glad for both of you, but mostly for myself! I love this thread and both of you are big reasons why I spend time in this community.

Now, back to oogling my first Yunzhi!

-Chris

[yolandateam]

​A very heartfelt HAPPY NEW YEAR to Lora, and the WU's...

Hi.Mike,

Thank you. Happy Chinese New Year to you all.

Yours
Lora

[AlohaJoe]

There are many nice adults on this forum. What a pleasure.

[BigMikeinNJ]

I heard from Lora last night, she's checking with Mr. WU to confirm the ship date (it should be going out just after the Chinese New Year ends on the 14th), I hope to have final photos to drool on and share with you all...

Be Careful Out There...

Big

[BigMikeinNJ]

Well I am glad for both of you, but mostly for myself! I love this thread and both of you are big reasons why I spend time in this community.

Now, back to oogling my first Yunzhi!

-Chris

Hey Chris, what's up man ?!?! With all I got going on I almost let your comment get past me. DO SHARE, do you have it already or what ?? Please amplify your comments (no pun intended, lol). Ya know as my pals say "no pictures it didn't happen". LOL !!
Big

[h1pst3r88]

Hi Big,

I don't have it yet but Lora sent me pics of what she has in stock... it's those that I can't stop staring at! I figured I'd see what they have in stock and if something struck my fancy, I'd pull the trigger.

I love their homage to the D'aquisto Solo in natural but there is also a big 17.2" (3"deep) cutaway in violin finish with wood binding that is tugging at me. It was a cancellation... and it is really nice.

I see why you have been through the process several times ;-)

Do you have both Yunzhi and Mr. Wu guitars? Any compare/contrast between them?

-C

[BigMikeinNJ]

Well let me clear up a tiny bit of confusion for you, if you are dealing with Ms Lora that means you are not buying from Yunzhi but from Lora's YolandaTeam. Good move (thought Yunzhi does make decent guitars). Isn't Ms Lora great to work with ??

As for my guitars from China, they are ALL Mr Wu built - purely by fate. When Eastman was first formed Mr Wu was the main builder there, or one of them. And by seeing the back plate on this Eastman prototype he recognized it as one of his early works with Eastman (their fifth guitar).
Years later he left Eastman and went with Mr Li to Yunzhi and that was when I first worked with Ms Lora, this was 6 years ago or more. He built that guitar too.
Then Ms Lora and Mr Wu left Yunzhi and started YolandaTeam... so this will be my third Mr Wu. Each guitar is stunning in looks and playability. What can I say. If it stops snowing I'll run them out on the deck and take photos of the two together while I wait for the final photos from Lora on this project.

SO DO TELL, the one in violin finish is pulling at you ?? I love their violin finish. But the Solo inspired guitars are really pretty too. Shaking my head here, if I were you I would be very conflicted as to which to get. Hard to go wrong with either. Good luck deciding. Do you have any photos of them, post them here. Please...

Big

[h1pst3r88]

Right?!?!

-Chris

[h1pst3r88]

Please nobody scoop this on me! ;-)

-Chris

[BigMikeinNJ]

That is really nice, the wood used on the back is quite exceptional to show that much flame with the violin stain as the finish... Is there a Solo inspired guitar also available to grab up now ??


And these inside photos never do the guitars justice. I wish they had decent enough weather there (it's pretty cold there) and an area with some green, like some ivy or some green bushes, so they could use outside sun light and the green background to compliment what is already very nicely done...

[h1pst3r88]

At this point I am considering buying two of the guitars Lora currently has in stock. I love that 17.2" (the pics above) but I was hours away a couple of days ago from buying a lovely 17" Yamaha AE1200S at a pretty decent price.

Then I learned of this Yunzhi/Yolanda thread after trying to do some research on what ended up being Sprial's oval hole guitar for sale on Reverb. It's really nice and he's done all the work. He also has a solo, or had, because it too was listed on Reverb... again for a great price, but I don't know if it sold.

I don't really need multiple 17" guitars but now the options within my budget are near limitless.

[h1pst3r88]

Yes, there is a Solo currently but according to Lora it won't be ready until after the holiday.

I have some pause about it because the flame on the back doesn't look particularly distinctive, but I really love that design of guitar. Lora has even offered to refinish the guitar for $150. I asked because she sent me pics of the Solo's finger rest and tailpiece and they were on a blue Solo. Really tremendous looking guitar!

Anhoo, please do not scoop me until I figure out what the hell I am going to do.

Really I want 17.2" violin, the Solo in Blue, and the Yamaha!

;-)