Anyone pick up a Griffin from John at Denton Hill? I ordered a bow from him about 4 months ago and he said the only shoot he attended just to sell bow's at was Denton Hill. The rest are to relax and have fun. Pic's would be nice if you were lucky enough to pic one up. Love those Griffins!
I know someone from NY beat me to the punch on a nice LH TD with a bowbolt. Maybe he'll post pics.
BobW got a 64" one.
That 59'r he had was very nice!
Josh
Yep! :thumbsup:
There was a young gent who, I'm pretty sure, said he just purchaed a Griffin Gnat/Knat (I think that's the bow model) a few days earlier. Roadrunner/Ken and I shot with him (and his roommate - Holly) on the Nine Mile Course/Tradgang shoot... on Saturday.
Concerning the bow... wow! He did shoot it well, and it was very quick. The kicker? The bow had no silencers installed but was dead quiet!
David
Misha (excuse me if I spelled it wrong) got the Gnat. He was part of our camp out of Rochester/Buffalo. John liked that our group has bought something like 4 or 5 bows from him over the last few years....
I had to pull a few of Bob's arrows :banghead: They were really sinking in those targets.
Bob W, you dog you! I have a 64" ordered from John, told him 48 or 49@30 would be ideal. Sounds about where that beauty would come it at with my 30" draw. Told John I have three 60", all 43@28, that I draw at 30" and he said I should be ok at that weight but I'd probably be pushing it a little bit with anything higher. Super shooting bow's. Congrat's. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Josh, what weight was the 59'r?
Hey That's pretty cool about the Gnat. I had John make me a 56" Griffin bow bolt last year in all black glass and I had him call it the Gnat...small but stings like all heck! John was a little concerned about naming one of his bows the Gnat :) This is the first one...Doc
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/GriffinGnat003.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v110/tippit/GriffinGnat004.jpg)
I picked up a 60imch 59er that is 41Lbs@28". Iyts beautiful and shoots awesome. I usually shoot my Griffin Longbows but after trying the 59er I knew that I had to buy it. John makes awesome bows!
I shot with Meesha too, and that Gnat was a shooter.
I also shot the 59er John had there. I was very impressed!
In all her glory:
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/robertwestfall/DSCN3287.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/robertwestfall/DSCN3286.jpg)
(http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m193/robertwestfall/DSCN3285.jpg)
Pretty bow BobW :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
So where's the pics of the 59er????
I think it is still on his (John's) rack.....
Edit: (oops, just saw that someone got one - my bad)
Thats a pretty bow Bob I didn't know he made them to look like a birch tree :biglaugh: :biglaugh:
As is the norm with pic's they look better in person I had Bob W's bow in my hands and she looks sweeeeet
LOL Tom. I thought that looked a whole lot better than the "held in hand in the family room", or "lying dead on a concrete floor", or the "oh my god, that is the ugliest couch [shag carpet, insert any other household element]" pose..... :scared:
I received a new 60" Griffin longbow from John about 6-8 weeks ago, it has a Bocate riser and burrough elm veneers. He said he was just experimenting with the burrough elm but man are they nice!! Can't post pics at the present time, our camera doesn't match up with the new laptop.
I have been shooting Griffins for the last 3 years and am totally sold on them. I'm not sure on the speed, I shoot 11gpp with a 48lb bow and get pass throughs on Whitetails consistantly so it must be good enough.
Well I got lucky! Back when I put my order in for a 64" Griffin I asked John if there was anytime he might have a few bow's in stock and he told me maybe. Denton Hill is the only shoot he builds bows for to sell. He told me he try's to have 10 to 20 bow's built to sell there and to give him a call when he came back and there might be a few "left overs". I put that date on the calender and I called him today. I have one of those "left overs" heading my way! 60" 59'er, 43@28. Black glass face and belly with a Granadillo riser and Purpleheart I beam. As John said it's nothing fancy, just a "working man's" bow. I'll post pic's when the fine people from the USPS knock on my door. Can't wait!
:goldtooth:
Seen it, and I know you won't be disappointed.
Yellowdog, that's the beauty I shot. You will not be dissapointed. Shoots as good as it looks!!
When you've been waiting for a bow from a bowyer for 18 months and then he makes 20 bows to bring to a shoot to sell to anyone who walks up while mine isn't even started, I think there is something wrong with this picture. Just my two cents. There I said it because I have been in those shoes.
jwingman, I believe this is the only event that John shows his bows to the general traditional crowd...for people to try one out. He told me once that Denton generated enough orders to keep him busy for a year...that was before he got real busy. He doesn't have a web site or advertise so Denton is his only official advertisement. Ron & Gregg do a similar showing of the Shrew with the Michigan event. A few bows for one event isn't going to change your wait time much for a guy to keep his product out there...besides the Griffin is worth the wait. JMHO...Doc
The only problem that I see with buying a bow off of
John after Denton Hill is cleaning all the saliva off of them...........
Craig
QuoteOriginally posted by monkeyball:
The only problem that I see with buying a bow off of
John after Denton Hill is cleaning all the saliva off of them...........
Craig
You're exactly right Craig. I was going to suggest that very thing to Yellow Dog because I know for a fact I left drool marks on that 59'r.
Although I understand the comment about making bows for shows ahead of custom orders, realistically that is a necessary part of the business. With no bows to show bowyers couldn't attend the shows, and without attending the shows it wouldn't be long before there were no new customers. Bowyers need to plan ahead for the shows, so actually, the bows built for the shows were on "the list" even before the custom orders came in.
well said Whip
If somebody wanted to take one of the left overs made for the show I,m sure it'd get shipped out right away with no wait perhaps last yr even
Having been on a list paid in full for over 5 yrs before giving up on the bow I've got little to no sympathy for folks that don't like to wait 1.5 - 2yrs thats just the way it is and most times the wait is spelled out before the order is placed...maybe not 5 yrs worth LOL but the wait should be expected same as bowers needing to build bows to show it's just buisness
John has just notified my wife and I that the Griffin Longbow that she ordered in April 2007 will be completed sometime this August. I am sure that it will be worth the wait time. John is making a special handle on her bow because she shoots with only one finger on the string. She has been shooting a 52lb Navajo Scout while waiting for her McCullough bow.
QuoteOriginally posted by jwingman:
When you've been waiting for a bow from a bowyer for 18 months and then he makes 20 bows to bring to a shoot to sell to anyone who walks up while mine isn't even started, I think there is something wrong with this picture. Just my two cents. There I said it because I have been in those shoes.
Remember that bow making is not an exact science and they miss weight from time to time. That bow becomes a "stock" bow and will either be sold to a person that calls wanting about the exact same thing or it will be brought to a show/shoot and sold there or used as a demo. Almost all of his bows were under 45 lbs, at least the ones I looked at there and for the most part everyone wants one in the 50-55 lb range.
I don't fault a bowyer for this...if he said it was a 6 month wait and it turned into 12 months or more and I heard this I might be a touch mad. I asked him what his current lead time is and he said 18 months...so I guess if you placed an order you would have to know it's gong to be about that long.
No offense of course!
Josh
Like whip said, A bow maker has to plan on having bows for the shows. It's the way the business works, and the "stock" bows are already on the list for the next show, to show to a "new" customer. Just think if John did more than one show each year.
I am glad that there are people that are willing to wait and that they all love John's bows. He is a great bowyer and makes a beautiful product. I am a fan of his bows and I own some of them. If someone wants to wait two years for one of his bows while anyone can walk up and buy one every July right off the shelf, that is a choice they have to make. Bowyers do need to have bows for people to try out and see their product. They do not need to put there paying customers on the back shelf and make bows for sale at the shows. Most have a line of Demo bows for this use. This leaves them to focus on getting the product out to the people that gave them money in good faith to have a bow built for them. That is just my two cents. I think the guy/gal who has been waiting 15-20 months should be given preference over someone who can walk up and buy the same bow as if it was a commodity product.
To all the Griffin and 59er owners, enjoy your great bow. To all that are waiting to get one, go to Denton and buy one and you just might save yourself a long wait. They have been readily available at his booth for the last three or four years running. It might not be the exact bow you want but they will all have drool on them for sure.
QuoteOriginally posted by jwingman:
... Bowyers do need to have bows for people to try out and see their product. They do not need to put there paying customers on the back shelf and make bows for sale at the shows. Most have a line of Demo bows for this use.
I think enough people have stated the various reasons for a custom bowyer to have sale bows at a show. I can certainly appreciate the frustration for someone on the waiting list but, as state previously, that is something that is understood at the time of the order. As far as most bowyers having a line of demo bows available, I'm not sure that is true. Maybe for the biggest companies like Black Widow. I guess I can only speak to the bowyers that I have gotten bows from, and none of them had a line of demo bows that weren't for sale.
I guess I should have contained my joy and kept my mouth shut. In no way did I mean to cause John any grief. I do know that John has called people that have been on his waiting list if he has a bow that is close to what they have ordered to see if they want it. As Josh, Oliverstacy, said most of the bows that John had at Denton Hill were very low weight. I draw 30" so I'm always on the lookout for bows made by John in the mid to low 40's. As a few people stated, John is a one man operation, with no website, no advertising and no email. He's just a guy that makes a great bow that's in demand. If he makes 10 to 20 bows to take to Denton Hill once a year, what does that amount to? A bow a month over the course of a year. When I was lucky enough to pick up the bow I did, I was dropped of his list and everybody else moved up one.
Mike,
You did not hurt John one bit...there are 20,000 people here who understand what a custom bowyer needs to do to make a living. If you look in the sponsor classifieds right now you will see Schafer Silvertips in there and they are going quick. Stock bows Dave made up to sell at Denton Hill...hmmmmmm...that just can't be right, or could it! If any of the stock bows are close to what a guy on "the list" wants, I don't know any bowyer who is not going to sell it to them and move everybody else up one.
All the rest of us are waiting for the pictures; don't let ONE cranky crybaby spoil the fun :saywhat:
How do I track down Joh Griffin?
I was at Denton and I shoot a 60" Griffin 59@29. My friend along with me is left handed as I am and he wanted to shoot a Griffin. John had a LH take down 45@28 that was beautiful. We shot it and I was amazed at the speed of that bow. What I mean is that I was probably pulling 48 lbs and it really impressed me. I believe if I had it to do all over again I would probably get a 60" Griffin somewhere around 50@29. I'm a one bow guy, though not by choice at this point in life. But, boy, did that light poundage feel good!
Bows By McCollough
John McCollough
8525 W. Chadwick Rd.
DeWitt, MI 48820
(517) 626-6365
The drool on the Ebony 59er was mine ! If I wasn't going moose hunting this fall it was mine.
There are six of John's bows in our group and on one shoot I had the only non McColough bow !
I just looked at a '59er on the classifieds that is for sale NOW.
Well, we just returned from a week on Mullet Lake and this little beauty was sitting in the local Post Office waiting to be picked up. Black glass face and belly, Granadillo riser with a Purpleheart "I" beam, 49@30 60" Fiftyniner. As always with John's bow's it's a work of art. I'm not going to sound like a broken record and say "it's the best bow I've ever shot". There's a bunch of great Bowyers out there and you can find anything to suit your style. I just happen to be "hooked" on John's bows at this time. Here's a few pic's, and yes it's a shooter.
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/Yellowdog3822/P8070256.jpg)
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/Yellowdog3822/P8070255.jpg)
(http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/Yellowdog3822/P8070254.jpg)
I talked to John earlier this week and he has a few bows that he did not sell at Denton Hill. I'm not sure whether they are Griffins or 59er recurves. In case any one is interested.