Anybody here recently receive their SGD Lutherie pickups order? - Page 4

captainhaddock · #61 05-02-2011, 02:31 AM

Cheers will keep that in mind and get back to you if I need it!

SGD Lutherie · #62 05-03-2011, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by captainhaddock

Did they come with wiring diagrams for different switching options?

Yes, the pickups come with a wiring diagram for a series/parallel or series/single/parallel switch. The ND3 series also show how to wire them so when they are used as two single coils they hum cancel.

They follow the DiMarzio/EMG HZ color codes, so any of those diagrams will work as well.

bongomania · #63 05-03-2011, 09:04 AM

Got my MM5 yesterday! I haven't wired it up yet, but I'll be sure to report back as soon as I do.

bassplayer7770 · #64 05-06-2011, 06:17 AM

I'm considering these pickups for my Hanewinckel 5-string. I just haven't found the right electronics for it yet. I'm even thinking about getting a narrow (neck)/wide (bridge) set, and I'm considering pairing the pickups with a U-Retro 5 Knob Deluxe preamp.

May be a couple months before I can afford that, though...

captainhaddock · #65 05-15-2011, 06:21 PM

My 6 string Sidewinders Arrived last week finally got around to fitting them this weekend!!!!!

All I can say is that they were well worth waiting for.
Havn`t really played them a lot at the moment,but I am really impressed with the tone and clarity of these pickups.

90k · #66 05-15-2011, 09:51 PM

Just an update to say that I haven't installed the pickups in anything yet, So I have no report to give. I am so looking forward to these when I do! will post back then.

sixstringpoet · #67 05-26-2011, 10:07 PM

I Still have not received anything from this guy, he has had my wooden pickup covers and payment since Dec. 8. All i wanted was for him to install some pickups into my covers and send them back to me, he has had a bit of trouble, i admit, but he responded in email on 3 separate occasions that he would send them out, 3 times i have been disappointed. So i told him that i did not want to wait any longer. He stated in this thread that he would refund my money, but he won't return my pickup covers and responded in an email that he does not have any money to refund me. I am glad that i kept all of the email correspondences. I have someone else to fill the pickup covers, but David is holding me up. This is not how you treat a paying customer or a fellow Tb'er.

SGD Lutherie · #68 05-26-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sixstringpoet

I Still have not received anything from this guy, he has had my wooden pickup covers and payment since Dec. 8. All i wanted was for him to install some pickups into my covers and send them back to me, he has had a bit of trouble, i admit, but he responded in email on 3 separate occasions that he would send them out, 3 times i have been disappointed. So i told him that i did not want to wait any longer. He stated in this thread that he would refund my money, but he won't return my pickup covers and responded in an email that he does not have any money to refund me. I am glad that i kept all of the email correspondences. I have someone else to fill the pickup covers, but David is holding me up. This is not how you treat a paying customer or a fellow Tb'er.

You really should tell the whole story before posting things like this.

As I have noted, both to you and here, you asked if I could make some pickups for your existing wooden covers. I've done this for a number of people, so it's normally not a problem, providing the cavity in the cover is large enough to fit one of my pickups. Makes sense, right?

The covers you sent me were a non standard size which required me to either make custom sized pickups, or modify the covers, or both. The issue being that they were too narrow to fit the wide aperture pickups you ordered. I decided it was easier to make narrower pickups to fit. This then became a custom pickup order.

Due to all the other issues I was having at the time, custom orders got held up while I remade pickups for regular orders. I also state on my website that I can't guarantee lead time on custom orders. Think about it a minute. As an example look at Bartolini's custom order page:

Bartolini Custom Price List

They state:

Quote:

The Custom Price List includes those items that we build only to order and in very small batches.
These items are, necessarily, less likely to ship promptly

Who even makes custom one off pickups? Not that many builders.

Now, everything I do is made to order and in small batches. I hand make the internal parts for the pickups. I have certain models and those parts are interchangeable amongst the various cover sizes, i.e., 4-string or 5-string pickups. Here I made a slightly narrower pickup, in-between the wide and narrow sizes.

My policy is no refunds on custom orders, since I have put time and effort and materials into pickups I wont be able to sell to anyone else. But I was trying to be agreeable about it. I got backed up on a lot of people's orders, some much oder than yours. At this particular time I'm out of funds due to the various problems and some refunds I had to issue.

I would have just finished your pickups and sent them to you, but you said you didn't want them after all.

So all I can say is be patient and I'll refund your order when I'm able to.

fourstringbliss · #69 05-26-2011, 11:06 PM

All I know is that even though the Sidewinders I bought took longer than "normal" to get to me (part of the great epoxy fiasco) they are great pickups and sound as good or better than any other pups I've used (including Barts and Nordy's).

SGD Lutherie · #70 05-27-2011, 06:45 AM

I want everyone to know that I try and get these things taken care of in a timely manner. Those that know me know I'm not trying to take advantage of anyone.

I'm a one man operation that runs on a very small budget. Pickup sales fund the making of pickups. Unfortunately the issues I had late last year, and into the beginning of this year really taxed the resources I had. Then with a combination of me having to do some freelance graphics work to pay the bills and orders becoming almost non existent it puts a strain on things. This lead me to start selling off instruments I don't play much, like my 73 year old King Mortone upright.

I have to feed my family too.

I still have several very overdue custom orders, and I'm trying to get them finished and to their owners.

What I'm trying to NOT do is end up like Q-Tuner, Lane Poor, or even Darkstar, all of which seem to have stopped operations for the time being. We are in tough economic times, especially for small business like myself.

sixstringpoet · #71 05-27-2011, 07:10 AM

I have told the whole story, You could not finish my order in a timely matter for whatever reason. If you want me to, I will post all of our email messages for you to see. As i said, on 3 occasions you said you would get my order soon, or this week, but you did not send me anything. You knew that the neck pickup cover i sent you were of non standard size way back on Dec. 8, that's 6 months ago, I have an email response to prove it. At that time you told me that you had to open the neck pickup cover a little. You did not tell me about making custom pickup bobbins until April 7. So from Dec. 8 to April 7 you did not even touch my order at all. You decided on your own to make custom bobbins, you did not ask me, i would have told you to send my pickup covers and my money back to me way back then. You can't complete an order in 6 months?!!!

I asked you to send my pickup covers to me so that i can finish a project, you are not the only custom pickup maker that i use, the same time i sent you my covers to fill, i also sent some peavey tl-5 pickups to reed james, he filled the order on time, with no issues at all, and tl-5 covers are very unusually shaped. I can take pics of the bass and pickups if you would like. I would like to send him the covers that you have so he can complete the order. I have been begging you to send my covers, but you keep blowing me off. And i don't care about bartolini price list or any other pickup makers, my business was with you.

This wait is ridiculous, but that is not what has me upset. I don't like the way you do business. If you say you are going to get my order out this week, then get it out that week, if you can't, then let me know. I should not have to chase after you. You are not trustworthy. Please don't ask me to be patient, i have been. Please just send my covers to me this week, please.

Anomalous Bass · #72 05-30-2011, 01:26 PM

David, just finish your outstanding orders and stop with all of this nonsense. Its obvious that you make a good product from what past customers have said but dont lie about outstanding orders just because youre upset at a customer who has every right to be irritated at you. If i recall correctly sixstring isnt the only one who has had similar problems with you blatently changing the story despite complete conversations between you and the customer that state you saying you would supply the product many MANY times and just didnt deliver. It always seems to be excuse/lie after excuse/lie. I know trying to play certain orders as one of to buy seemingly as much time as you want seems like a good idea but the reality is that it just makes things look worse. Its not right that simply because there are people who had good experiences with you that the others get ignored or treated improperly. Like sixstring said, the wait doesnt seem to be the problem, its how you handle situations that puts people off. You also have no right at all to hold sixstrings pickups when he clearly wants them back.

SGD Lutherie · #73 05-30-2011, 04:06 PM

sixstringpoet's covers are on the way back to him and a refund was given.

Anomalous, I've sold over 300 sets of pickups since I started back in '06, and most of the time things have gone very smoothly. It's the few problems that you read about here.

I'm past the issues I had starting in december with making the pickups, and am almost caught up with back orders, having just a three custom orders to finish.

I apologize to anyone who was waiting, and things should be going more smoothly from now on.

This wasn't any fun for me either.

Evan Ciambrone · #74 05-30-2011, 06:51 PM

Whether I have a valid opinion is up for debate, but here's what I have to say:

I think David's pickups are really cool/sound great from clips.
Anyways: To David- imo, you should either change your wait time so people anticipate longer. Two things can happen- people will still order your pickups and be delighted if the order is filled faster than expected, or people won't want to risk that wait time and won't order. If the latter happens, at least you won't have people bitching and moaning about it, and the more reputable you are with first time and second time customers, the better anyways. I feel for you, running on your own, it's tough and you must do it because people want your pickups and (at least at some point) you like or liked making this product, not because you are scamming or making six figs doing it.

To everyone else- Grow the f*** up. If you have a problem- contact the seller. If the seller doesn't respond- cancel the purchase with paypal/credit card company/ seek legal action. The whole "I'll post my side of the story on tb and wait for people to gang up with me" is a fourth grade move. And it can border on libel or slander to a guy who is trying to provide a useful service. If as a customer you are unsatisfied, post a review, don't buy again, don't recommend, but don't attack the guy? Get it resolved BEFORE you tell the story. Could YOU make those pickups in six months? No, that's why you paid to have them done. Buyer beware, exercise your rights as a consumer. A nice old axiom is the triangle effect to a product/service. Good and cheap but not fast. Cheap and fast but not good. Good and fast but not cheap.

fourstringbliss · #75 05-30-2011, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redhot6

Whether I have a valid opinion is up for debate, but here's what I have to say:

I think David's pickups are really cool/sound great from clips.
Anyways: To David- imo, you should either change your wait time so people anticipate longer. Two things can happen- people will still order your pickups and be delighted if the order is filled faster than expected, or people won't want to risk that wait time and won't order. If the latter happens, at least you won't have people bitching and moaning about it, and the more reputable you are with first time and second time customers, the better anyways. I feel for you, running on your own, it's tough and you must do it because people want your pickups and (at least at some point) you like or liked making this product, not because you are scamming or making six figs doing it.

To everyone else- Grow the f*** up. If you have a problem- contact the seller. If the seller doesn't respond- cancel the purchase with paypal/credit card company/ seek legal action. The whole "I'll post my side of the story on tb and wait for people to gang up with me" is a fourth grade move. And it can border on libel or slander to a guy who is trying to provide a useful service. If as a customer you are unsatisfied, post a review, don't buy again, don't recommend, but don't attack the guy? Get it resolved BEFORE you tell the story. Could YOU make those pickups in six months? No, that's why you paid to have them done. Buyer beware, exercise your rights as a consumer. A nice old axiom is the triangle effect to a product/service. Good and cheap but not fast. Cheap and fast but not good. Good and fast but not cheap.

Well said. I only started this thread because I was nervous about the big wait and lack of communication, but after I learned about the epoxy thing I was satisfied enough to order another pickup from David.

cybersnyder · #76 05-30-2011, 07:41 PM

I would have zero reservations ordering pickups from SGD. Sometimes things happen despite well thought out plans.

loopee · #77 05-31-2011, 12:20 AM

same here......been thinking of getting another set for a new "to be modded" bass very soon

Pj,Rj,Hj · #78 05-31-2011, 07:38 AM

Looking forward to his Wal inspired pickups for a Fretless I'm making. David's manner on this forum is agreeable enough for me.

R. Laevinus · #79 05-31-2011, 09:12 AM

I have never spoken with David personally nor had any business dealings with him...

...but I have absolutely zero reservations about dealing with him. I will be placing an order with him for a pair of pickups as soon as I hear that things are going smoothly again for him.

CopperheadLXXIX · #80 05-31-2011, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redhot6

Whether I have a valid opinion is up for debate, but here's what I have to say:

I think David's pickups are really cool/sound great from clips.
Anyways: To David- imo, you should either change your wait time so people anticipate longer. Two things can happen- people will still order your pickups and be delighted if the order is filled faster than expected, or people won't want to risk that wait time and won't order. If the latter happens, at least you won't have people bitching and moaning about it, and the more reputable you are with first time and second time customers, the better anyways. I feel for you, running on your own, it's tough and you must do it because people want your pickups and (at least at some point) you like or liked making this product, not because you are scamming or making six figs doing it.

To everyone else- Grow the f*** up. If you have a problem- contact the seller. If the seller doesn't respond- cancel the purchase with paypal/credit card company/ seek legal action. The whole "I'll post my side of the story on tb and wait for people to gang up with me" is a fourth grade move. And it can border on libel or slander to a guy who is trying to provide a useful service. If as a customer you are unsatisfied, post a review, don't buy again, don't recommend, but don't attack the guy? Get it resolved BEFORE you tell the story. Could YOU make those pickups in six months? No, that's why you paid to have them done. Buyer beware, exercise your rights as a consumer. A nice old axiom is the triangle effect to a product/service. Good and cheap but not fast. Cheap and fast but not good. Good and fast but not cheap.

+1. Have a Sidewinder "deep" in the neck position of my 12 string, and it has been a massive improvement over the original EMG HZ pickup it replaced. Hopefully going to be getting a NEO for the bridge in the near future.