Well, I was looking at the vendor list for the Baltimore shoot this week and saw a name I was not familiar with--Saint George Custom Bows. I clicked on the link to their web site and there was a message that said "Fedora Custom Bows is now Saint George Custom Bows. News to me. Hmmmm.

Interesting?!?!

Hmm look into it more?

Probably the same guy that bought it and has changed the name to St. George. I talked to him at Denton Hill and he was having issues with Mike relinquishing the Fedora name. Since I don't know if that was part of the original sale, I can't respond one way or another. If indeed it is the same guy, he maybe just decided to change the name versus a fight over the original name.

I see Saint George is registered as a vendor at ETAR, Denton Hill for this year, so I suspect it is that guy..just changing the name.

The address was in Pennsylvania, now the web site shows the business address as Massachusetts. Hard to keep up. The bows on the web site look like the Fedoras, but all of them now carry different names.

Or, you could just contact the folks and ask them. The gent I talked to was very forthcoming and a likeable cuss.

Tel: 781-447-4520 ? Email: [email protected]

Looks like they're closed on Mondays.

I've heard the same news from a member on this site that lives in Utah.

https://ut- state.cataloxy.com/firms/ut-st- george/www.fedorabows.com.htm

Just looked it up on google and Paul Mykut is in partnership. Steer clear of him . bad news.

The 'Saga' continues!

What those guys. A little shifty I am told

St. George, is Dean Miller in Utah. Paul Mykut has been partners for some time since the buy of Fedora Bows from Mike Fedora. Paul has the Fedora Name that is what he has been selling bows under. But Laverne Woock is the original buyer of Fedora Bows bought from Mike Fedora, Paul Mykut bought it from Laverne. Too much going on in the can of worms, Very puzzeling what has been going on with Fedora Bows, ????

Too many good bowyers out there.

So if Fedora sells his company why does he care that someone calls it Fedora bows. He is done. Why not move on. I don't trust those guys as far as I can throw them.

Kind of a blocky bow in my opinion. Never even considered one ever.

He's not done. Mike Fedora that is.

George Stout if you talked to Mykut, yes easy to talk to but can't be trusted. Would cheat his own mother.

Oh I thought he retired and sold his company.

Jon straighten it out. Can a bow still be gotten off Mike?

I recently spoke with the new owner and he was very open, probably too much so, about his frustration with the legal battles involving Mike. The conversation really turned me off of considering buying a new Fedora.

However, Mike has sold a ton of bows over the past decades, especially on the east coast, and they are not hard to find in good shape and at very reasonable prices for a quality custom bow. Like Gator1, I didn’t really care for the looks of Mike’s bows when I first saw them. When I finally got around to shooting one, I changed my mind pretty quickly. I now think his 560 Hunter one-piece is one of the best shooting one-piece bows made. Very fast and quiet. Like most high performance recurves, it is not the most forgiving of form errors though.

moon, it was a passing conversation. I was there about five minutes and he was just telling me about his issues. Didn't even get his name so it is just what it is. I also don't know what Mike and Jason are doing, but I "hear" they are still making bows. Never shot one that I can remember although Mike himself told me they had no equal. ;))

I started shooting recurves in 1970 and have shot / owned a LOT of them. I decided to take the jump and bought for me a rather expensive all Osage with Bamboo limb cores 560 from Mike Fedora Sr. There was no nonsense with this transaction. Dealing with him was as professional as it gets and he never let his product leave the shop unless it was 100% perfect. The bow I received was "perfect". I didn't care for the string and twisted up my own. I can say with conviction that Fedora bows will stand up there with the best of them and I believe that the thousands of owners over the years would agree. He set a standard and held on to it. Sad to see that a true icon of archery history may be heading to greener pastures. He was not only a master bowyer, but an educator and promoter of the sport of archery.

barebo2 - I agree 100%. Thank you

That 781 area code number is just a dealer located in Whitman MA south of Boston. I've been to his shop.

I am still confused. So they sell their company but started another company selling bows?

Happens all the time babysaph. Earl Hoyt sold Hoyt Archery and started Sky as an example.

No, The dealer in MA is an archery shop and indoor range totally separate from the Fedora fiasco. He's a dealer for many other bow lines and was for Fedora before all of these changes to Fedora so apparently is continuing with the St George line. It's a family run operation with a guitar shop on first floor and archery shop on the 2nd floor.

So they didn't see their bow business. I don't blame them then for being upset that someone else was using their name.

In my opinion it doesn't really matter. I don't think anybody's ever really going to duplicate Mike Fedora's bows unless he provided his own forms and training to go along with the deal.

Nope it doesn’t matter.

Everything is a battle is it not anymore. Things are best left alone when it comes to others business.

I have found you either love Fedoras or you don't . I always loved mine and as far as blocky I never found that to be true they have lines unlike any other bow. The thumb knob always really liked that.

You can't please everyone Lord knows that and so do we. And so does Mike.

As far as the wood combinations the way he put his bows together they won't ever be able to be duplicated probably.

Its nearly impossible to duplicate the hands of a master.

I agree with Glenn, totally. I’ve had 5 over the last 45 years; all Mike Sr’s bows. The 560 Hunter is one of the finest quality and shooting recurves anywhere.

Ditto all the praise for Mike Fedora Sr. and the craftsmanship and artistry of his bows. Fortunately I own 4 of them that I treasure. And they shoot my arrows like laser beams.

WMM

I also have 2 a Longbow n a Recurve both shoot very smooth n very fast

I have 2 of Mike Seniors take downs.Bought them a few years back. Talked to Mike Sr, a few times. Integrity? You bet! Just like his Bows! Damn Shame seeing his Name dragged through this CRAP>>

Anybody who actually knows Mike Sr. Would ever drag his name through the mud.

ZERO reason to buy into that circus when there are 1,2,6,10,25,100+ other bowyers out there...

My original 560 one piece from Mike Sr was as good as they get .......

Leon Stewart is the only bow builder in Pa.

Not true longbow4life

Fake news only Bowyer in Pa.

Sr. stands in the light so he don't have anything to worry about.

Gods blessed him with incredible talent.

there a a number of talented bowyers in PA, and certainly no shortage nationally. I've known Mike, Carol and Jason for a long time. he's a great bowyer and coach, one of the first building really high performance bows. And they are really good folks. Just visited with him last week - he's as feisty as ever.

when Sipsy river set up at the OSTA shoot at Jackson,ohio I walked down the long rack of bows and a Fedora caught my eye. I have never forgotten it. in a class of its own. never saw one even near it. jmo

There are so many forums here, but no forum is good enough for us. We can find these forums more on http://libguides.wits.ac.za/c.php? g=145381&p=952427 and we will have more ideas about it. Please tell me what can happen if we do it.

guess I am confused, if he bought the business and did not get the name Fedora, what did he buy, the equipment? Could not have been the website without the name?

Any Doubt?

regardless of who the guy bought the company from, the way I see it, until he gets about a thousand bows out there on the market and gets a name for himself...... well, he's got a lot of work to do yet.

Live 2 minutes from Mike and Carol and have a pile of Fedoras as a result. Talked to him a few times about the transaction at the heart of this thread and never really got a clear understanding, except that the purchase included, mostly, his inventory of exotic woods ( Brazilian Rosewood among others), which the new buyer may have mishandled in transporting, to a point where it cause Mike some distress. Anyway, I love his bows. My favorite is his R/D, I have hunted with it for the last 15 years and it is still nearly perfect. And the woods he uses..... pretty bows.

If anyone is interested; I'm Dean Miller from St. George Custom Bows. I lived the whole story of the sale of Fedora bows. I now have all the forms from Mike's shop in PA. All the wood is in Ohio, except for a white cabinet full of his exotic wood scraps for overlays. I spent over a month with Mike and Carol in P.A.learning as much as I could from senior. I spent 3 more months with Junior in Utah. It's been quite a ride, but I love Fedora bows and will do my best to make bows as well as the Fedora's did. Iv been making bows for over 15 years

Dean, Best wishes to you. So many of us have multiple Fedora 560s. An iconic one piece recurve. Those who have shot them know what I'm talking about. Hope to see your work at Denton Hill. TLM

Good Luck

I had a Fedora pass through. While not real trim,I liked it,good weight. Well made, nice finish, & a very pretty bow. I found it easy to shoot and quiet. Unfortunately I can't say who made it but I assumed the elder but cause it was an older bow.>>>>-----> Ken

I imagine not many here knew Rodney Hoover, but he was one of the finest barebow shots in the country back in the 60's and 70's..and I suppose 80's too. I was following him through a shoot back in the late 70's, and he ended up shooting a 528 barebow out of 560 at the shoot in Lewistown, Pa. I talked to him afterward about his bow. It was made by Mike Fedora, a 68", 44# target model. That tells you a bit about Mike's ability and reputation on bow building. Most of Mike's customers were fiercely loyal to the brand for sure.

Good luck on your bow business

Dean, wishing you the very best with your effort to continue the Fedora legacy.

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread. Anyone know how St George Custom Bows is doing 5 years after the fact?

I had a nice long talk with Mike last week. He and Carol are in good spirits and busy. Mike mentioned tht he has been mentoring a local Amish fellow on bowmaking. Mike is repairing a 560 takedown for me.

GOOD SUCCESS I'm wishing you DEAN with your new bow venture. Will there be any of the Accelerator style of 1-piece R/D longbows? Steve

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