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We are Going Dutch!
What is a Dutch Auction?
How is Gryphon Stringed Instrument's Auction different?Traditionally, a Dutch Auction is where the item being auctioned has a starting price and then every day or week the price drops by a fixed amount. As the price gets lower more people become interested in the instrument. At some point you won't be able to resist purchasing it. But while you are making up your mind somebody else might be deciding that the price is already a bargain and so they make the purchase, and you lose.
Gryphon, has had traditional Dutch Auctions in the past. This time we've decided to harness technology to spice things up and add a bit of randomness to make things more interesting. This is how we've set it up, so pay close attention to these "rules":
1) The prices are updated by the computer every day we are open at 12:00 noon Pacific Time according to the computer's clock. The computer's clock might be off a few seconds, or more, so we can't guarantee a universal time sync. Keep reloading the page until you see the daily update. That means 6 days a week, Monday through Saturday, there will be a price drop right at noon.
3) Most days the price will fall by a set amount but on random days (probably once per week, maybe more,) the price will drop by a larger amount. How much larger? We don't know. It might be 10% or 50% more, it might be 300% or 400% more. This is where the irritatingly fun part comes in. The Geek has been instructed to make it random and surprise us. We dont know when, or how much the next "Wildcard" discount will be. We can't give you advice because we don't know what the next day's discount will be. Maybe you'll save $50 by waiting another day, maybe you'll save more than that, and, maybe someone else will buy it and you'll miss out.
4) The best way to monitor our Dutch Auctions is through the website. Here in the store we don't know any more than you do about tomorrow's price. Remember, you might need to refresh your browser to see the latest price.
5) The current price is the only price we will honor until the next price update. The price does not include any applicable sales tax nor does it include shipping costs. Because of the difficulties and delays with bank wires and other forms of payment from foreign countries, we will restrict Dutch Auction sales to forms of payment that can be verified the same day.
6) When you realize you want to buy the instrument, CALL GRYPHON. Yep, this is when you need to pick up the phone, rather than sending an email. Be ready to pay with credit card or PayPal. For credit cards the billing & shipping addresses must be the same or the shipping address needs to be added to your credit card first. For PayPal you must have a verified shipping address.
7) All Dutch Auction Sales are final. We guarantee the instrument is as we represent it and is in healthy, playable condition - as we do with all of the instruments we sell. We will pack it carefully and ship it to you fully insured. When it arrives you'll have a great instrument in your house, at a bargain price, and you can be sure that other potential buyers waited one day too long and lost the auction.
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Gryphon Stringed Instruments
Our Hours
Monday through Thursday
10:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday
10:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
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Our Location
211 Lambert Avenue
at the corner of Park and Lambert
Palo Alto, California 94306
650.493.2131
Toll Free: 888.493.2131 |
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Taking the Custom Guitar Concept to a New Level |
 We've done a lot of custom guitars for customers in the last 39+ years, but this most recent one, built by the Santa Cruz Guitar Co., is exceptional for a number of reasons. The ornate inlay on the fretboard and headstock is what catches the eye, but it's not the only special feature. For one thing, this guitar is a presentation model in the true sense of the word, although the intended recipient in Stuttgart, Germany, Dr. Bodo Rasch, won't see it for several more weeks. |
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How Hawaiian koa came to be a top-rated tonewood for steel-string guitars (Koa - |
 It's no secret that koa is now one of the most highly desirable woods for guitar makers and players alike, but unlike recently added "upgrades" like bubinga, Madagascar rosewood, cocobolo, and other species, koa has been in use for several decades. Yet koa almost never appears on very old fretted instruments, while rosewood, maple, and even walnut show up quite often. Unlike the old standards, and the newcomers, the use of koa has a unique history. |
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Talk to me... About Cars! |
 "Struth!" I exclaimed in my finest Aussie accent, as Kevin opened up the guitar case. There was great joy and leaping about in receiving that day, the day that will always be remembered as the day the Car Talk Special arrived. |
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