Koa prices

I have a local veneer company that bought a large koa log quite a few years ago then resawed it in to 8/4 slabs. They had a customer that wanted it sliced into veneer but the deal fell through. The entire log was stickered and has sat for several years. I'd say the log is a little over 8' long and the widest slab is about 3'. Based on what I've seen online for backs, it would be considered plain with no figure. I wondered what is a reasonable rate for plain koa per BF. I've seen such a wide range that I can't get a grasp on what to offer on a slab. They say they'll sell the whole log for $10,000 but I don't want the whole log but would take a nice sized slab if the price is right.

I haven't priced it in 6 months or so and it depends upon where you buy it, retail or from the mill. I've seen prices real high as well as quite low depending upon how much someone has and how desperate they are to sell. Here on the Big Island select koa is running about $12 bf. Kiln dried up to $20. 3A to 4A green koa runs about $55 to $65. Add $10 bf more for kiln dried. 5A QS instrument grade koa is $100+.

In my experience, you can barely give plain koa away...which is a shame because it's much more interesting than mahogany...but customers want bling and flame. I've seen some sources charging nearly as much for nice koa back and side sets as I was getting Brazilian rosewood for...which, given that I resaw commercially, was admittedly fairly cheaply, but, really good koa is very pricey.

Thanks guys. My pricing method up to this point has been based on how many instruments I can get out of a board than by the BF, but this is a whole different animal. I guess I'll see what they offer ad go from there.