Things to ask your taxidermist before making your decision to hire them?

1. Q: Are your fish mounts handcrafted in-house, or purchased from a third party who mass produces their product?
   A: Many companies in this industry are buying their models and then others simply paint them. However at Gray Taxidermy, specialists in each individual field handcrafts every fishmount. Fiberglass artists, detail finishers, paint artists and shipping and crating experts all contribute to the unmatched quality the company provides.
   
   
2. Q: Do you have a fulltime finishing department?
   A: Currently there are 15 fulltime finishing experts on premises, all contributing with their individual expertise.
   
   
3. Q: How long will it take to create my fish trophy mount?
   A: The normal turnaround time is 12 to 14 WEEKS. EXPEDITE SERVICE is available on most mounts. Each task requires precision workmanship and must pass inspection before moving on to the next process as well as final inspection. We can ensure you that we do not sacrifice quality or craftsmanship for turnaround time.
   
   
4. Q: Do you have a fulltime fiberglass department?
   A: Gray Taxidermy's fulltime staff includes a team of skilled fiberglass craftsman who ensure the quality and durability of each fish mount produced.
   
   
5. Q: Do you have a fulltime customer service department?
   A: There is a team of friendly and knowledgeable customer service representatives that strive to provide you with excellent customer service everyday. We produce and deliver fishmounts across the globe and therefore our office is also multi-lingual. English, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish and Finnish are a few of the languages spoken here.
   
   
6. Q: Do you have fulltime staff of painters?
   A: We have four fulltime painters, each artist with their own individual expertise. One specializes in painting sharks and bill fish. Another excels in highly detailed fish patterns and one is handling all fresh and cold water fish. We believe we can provide the best product possible by having a few exceptional painters, each with their own specialty vs. having a group of painters who can provide only an Ok job on any type of fish.
   
   
7. Q: How is shipping and crating handled?
   A: Our shipping and Crating staff are highly experienced and build each crate by hand. Skill and precision goes into each custom crate and is also inspected before being loaded on to a truck.
   
   
8. Q: Is it possible to get invited to see the production at the facility itself?
   A: A Virtual Tour will be available soon and if you are in the area just let us know that you are coming and we will make arangements to give you a live tour.
   
   
9. Q: Can we see photographs from each department?
   A: At Gray our doors are open, or feel free to navigate our website to see images of our facility or production.
   
   
10. Q: Why is the shipping and crating cost at times so high in relation to the cost of the mount?
    A: Shipping and crating is an integral part of the overall production. In order to ensure that you will receive your trophy fish unharmed, careful planning and execution goes into each crate built and delivered. All fishmounts leaving our facility are FULLY INSURED to provide you peace-of-mind.
    
    
11. Q: Why should I commission Gray Taxidermy to produce my fishmount?
    A: When hiring Gray Taxidermy you can rest assured that you will receive a product that will last a lifetime. Experience and tradition goes a long way, even though you may find cheaper alternatives our craftsmanship, professionalism and quality of work is unmatched by anyone in the world.
    
    
12. Q: What kind of quality control do you provide?
    A: There are currently seven individual inspection points through out the process. Unless a certain quality is met after every step in the production, the mount will not make it to the next step.
    
    
13. Q: How long have you been in business?
    A: Gray has been in business for more than 50 years and handcrafted over 500,000 top quality fish mounts.
    
    

As you can see, we can provide you with a clear answer to your question. as a matter-of-fact, we encourage you to ask us questions, or to come visit our world-class facility. Get to know our crew and learn about the entire process of marine Taxidermy. As stated, a repeat customer is our greatest reward and we are here to help you.