Francis,
I hope I don't have to go thru this again but if I do I will keep Elderly's in mind.:bigbye:

Stan Werblin started that great operation about 25-30 years ago, in an old school stroage building on Washington St. in downtown Lansing- right near the LCC and the Capital Bldg.- It is called "Elderly' for the "Vintage" guitars and other stringed instruments, both new and used, they sell and service. They may well be the largest retailer of new Martins in the US of A- not sure.

Elderly started in a very small basement room in East Lansing in about 1972. I doubt that room was more than 12x16 if that. When they outgrew the basement they moved to downtown Lansing.

Brian, this thread may get back around to broken stocks on Parkers but it looks like we'll have to let it run it's course of Martins, Dobros, Gibsons and all the dealers and repair shops specializing in them. Be patient, we'll get back to "throwing up" over broken Parker stocks and the causes thereof soon enough.

:corn:

A similar thing happened at my gun club a few years. A fellow member bumped my Perazzi SC3 off the gunrack and it fell on the grass barrels first and the stock shattered on the bottom of the wooden rack as the stock bounced on it. Steel throughbolt, I had taken that gun around the world and shot many thousands of rounds with it...go figure. (I am sure Bruce would be just as critical of Daniele Perazzi's choice of wood as he is of Parker Bros....) I just threw the pieces in bag and had the thing re-stocked. On the related subject of CH guns with the patent rod, I have a 34" CHE 207,298 a bit later than Chuck's gun with the rod. The stock was cracked completely through the wrist of the pistol grip when I got it from a member here. I just had that one restocked too and put away the original wood...Wood merchants and stockers have to make a living too...

Regarding internal support for a stock. I think a carbon composite rod would be the thing to use. It is exceptionally strong, light weight and will bond well with any epoxy adhesive used to fix it into place.

sorry about your stock. once while duck hunting in the ca delta in a makeshift floating blind my best friend dropped his LC Smith ideal grade on the gunnel of the aluminum boat. it broke of the stock which was beautiful. he was sick also, and I was shocked. he eventually got it repaired at considerable expense. when I hunt with my 1906 VH 12 ga. I worry some when in the boat or canoe with the dogs and all the gear. now my friend and I duck hunt with synthetic stocked mossberg 500s, and remington 870s in the boat and canoe on really bad weather days. it seems with some of my friends with really high end guns they tend to worry more about their gun than enjoy the hunt, especially with the kind of duck hunting we do. I can understand their worry, I would too.

I have a nice little Parker O Frame DHE with 28" barrels, weighs 6lbs 1oz. Three years ago, while chasing Bobwhites, I fell while and broke the stock. I sent it off to JJ Perodeau and had him fix it. I don't think I could tell it was broken if I didn't already know it.

The bad news is I am paranoid about buying a gun in the ususally dark gunshow environment. I have lost faith in my ability to spot repaired broken stocks.

Best,

Mike

I hear that Mike. I owned and shot an O frame 16 gage for four or five years before realizing it had a repaired wrist.

I feel a broken stock repaired properly is much stronger than a original.

Lets see, I said the same thing about the wood being beautiful but weak in the wrist and needing reinforcement as at least five other people, yet I get the snide and abrasive comment from Don.

Don, I don't know, I haven't seen your Perazzi, don't know much about them, never owned one and only shot one a few times so I can't comment, so please don't put words in my mouth or statements I never made or would make.