Re: Guitar display cabinet....??
So here's the solution: seek out your local reproduction furniture company and ask for a bespoke piece.
It took a few companies to find the right one but in the end, they co-designed this with me, taking into account all the possible problems (e.g. height to accomodate a 6-string bass; reinforcement in the base to take the weight; internal measurements to take standard guitar rack; maximum cabinet width for two doors without central pillar support, etc) and turned this around in six weeks. Even has internal lighting. I was going to line it with red velvet, but heck it looks great as-is.
At some point many of us have probably bemoaned the decline of craftsmanship and local businesses in this global economy. Well here's a good way to address that by commissioning your local craftsmen/women supporting them in what they do, and getting something great to boot.
$3500 for a similar cabinet? Puhleease!!! That sounds like a rich hobbyist getting you to pay for his fancy new tablesaw. Instead the place I went to was a small family-run factory that employs people. They also have the scale and facilities to turn this stuff out in small volumes (they specialise in short-run furniture for hotels). That way they're able to do it for far less.
