Double Bass Attaching Pecanic Tail Piece

[JYD]

TPacman
This is probably for another forum but,sounds like you had a Realist pickup.
Why did you change to the K and K?
Anyone else change from Realist to something different.

 

[Pacman]

Originally posted by JYD
TPacman
This is probably for another forum but,sounds like you had a Realist pickup.
Why did you change to the K and K?
Anyone else change from Realist to something different.

I had a realist. It sounded like poop on my carved bass. The K&K sounds great.

Any other questions?

 

[Tom Baldwin]

Wasn't that you on "Night Court"?

 

[Pacman]

Originally posted by T-Bal
Wasn't that you on "Night Court"?

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Yeah, that was Pac, right before he joined Midnight Oil.

 

[Pacman]

How can we laugh, when beds are burning? That's what I want to know....

 

[powermans]

So we're talking Good Aussie Rock... and who's the US stand in for Peter Garrett? Does Pacman do a Midnight Oil Tribute band?
Anyway , couldn't help but come on to give a comment on Mike's Tailpieces. As of my local post received today I'm the proud owner of a Compensated Tailpiece from Mike....mine features a beautiful wood called "Katalox".
Over the past 4 weeks Mike and I have exchanged at least 25 e-mails and YES Mike will HATE me for saying this but..... he will (if pressed) drill the holes for your cord. I explained to Mike that here in Brisbane the closest thing that resembles a Luthier is the guy that chops fire wood for an upcoming winter.... hence as I gave Mike the extra....shove he kindly drilled the holes. As I stated the box of goodies arrived today and I have yet to fit the piece to the bass,I'm also waiting on a new set of Obligato's and a "Realist"
So will wait till ALL parts arrived before I attack the Job!
The Tailpiece looks fabulous the "Katalox" blends in perfect with the darkish colour of my bass.With my order I also received a Quiver however, after seeing how nice the tailpiece looks I have decided to keep the quiver in the case until needed... so as not to kill the look of the tailpiece.
If any one else is considering purchasing one of these tailpieces from Mike.... GO FOR IT!

 

[kpo]

Originally posted by John Sprague
[B...
You can also call Mike Pecanic for advice, he'd be more than happy to talk with you about getting it installed right. You shouldn't be hesitant to ask a luthier to install a piece that you supply, it's no biggy. ... [/B]

This just seems DUMB - to sell an incomplete product. It's like tempting people to go screw it up on their own, rather than finishing the product before it leaves the shop.

A fellow on the 2xbasslist bought the Pecanic and is furious - he was never told there would be missing parts, and now he has to drive hundred of miles to get the thing installed - what a waste - Bad Business by Mr Pecanic.

Any other quality tailpiece - Hell, even the cheap ones! - come in two designs, one where there are holes straight through the top, and one where the holes go to the back mortise. Why not just buy a complete product like this? I'm very happy with my Kolstein adjustable taipliece, and of course it was delivered in a fully functional state.

 

[Pacman]

Originally posted by kpo
This just seems DUMB - to sell an incomplete product. It's like tempting people to go screw it up on their own, rather than finishing the product before it leaves the shop.

Not that Mike needs any defense, but I think he's stated his reasons pretty clearly. Namely, you shouldn't go jacking around with a double bass unless you know exactly what you're doing. IMO, it's pretty damn responsible doing as he does. Please note, that he will drill holes if you ask him to, but highly recommends that instalation (as with any repair) be accomplished by a qualified luthier.

Also, by making sure that someone qualified does the job, it keeps you from blaming Mike if you screw your own bass up.

 

[kpo]

Originally posted by Pacman
... IMO, it's pretty damn responsible doing as he does. Please note, that he will drill holes if you ask him to, but highly recommends that instalation (as with any repair) be accomplished by a qualified luthier.

That's not "responsible", that's condescending!!! That's selling people short!

Bass players are pragmatists, not babies!! If we don't know how to set something up, we'll take it somewhere, for heaven's sake!. But for those who can do it, why should they have to worry about getting an incomplete product?!?

I'm extremely happy to have purchased a fully-functional Kolstein adjustable tailpiece - if I had wanted to install it at home I could have.

 

[Pacman]

Originally posted by kpo
That's not "responsible", that's condescending!!! That's selling people short!

I wonder how many basses Mike's repaired that someone had "fixed themselves"...

Bass players are pragmatists, not babies!! If we don't know how to set something up, we'll take it somewhere, for heaven's sake!. But for those who can do it, why should they have to worry about getting an incomplete product?!?

Bass players, just like any other segment of the population, run the gammut from highly aware to dim bulbs. Some know that something's beyond their skills, some don't.

I'm extremely happy to have purchased a fully-functional Kolstein adjustable tailpiece - if I had wanted to install it at home I could have.

I'm extraordinarily happy with the tailpiece I got from Mike. His customer service is outstanding, and he tries dilligently to make sure his customer gets the best product for their circumstance - something not everyone does these days. To imply that Mike is selling less than functional pieces is crazy - and if a bass player was that pragmatic, he could just drill his own holes, to match his bass, right?

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally posted by kpo
This just seems DUMB - to sell an incomplete product. It's like tempting people to go screw it up on their own, rather than finishing the product before it leaves the shop.

If Mike were to drill the holes for you, would you then complain if the cable you have is a different size than the holes drill in the TP? I guess if Mike wasn't so condescending, he would know (by telepathy) what size to drill the holes for any cable size you happen to have. You can't even get the luthiers here to all agree on the proper or best cable to use. I guess Mike should also know where you want the holes drilled. I guess it doesn't matter - all basses are the same - right?

A fellow on the 2xbasslist bought the Pecanic and is furious - he was never told there would be missing parts, and now he has to drive hundred of miles to get the thing installed - what a waste - Bad Business by Mr Pecanic.

Where does this guy live? Nome? Hundreds of miles? Give me a break!

Any other quality tailpiece - Hell, even the cheap ones! - come in two designs, one where there are holes straight through the top, and one where the holes go to the back mortise. Why not just buy a complete product like this? I'm very happy with my Kolstein adjustable taipliece, and of course it was delivered in a fully functional state.

Mike offers his in THREE styles. All you have to do is ask. Unlike the other tailpieces you mention, Mike makes his one at a time for the individual who orders it. He doesn't go to the back of a warehouse and pull out one out of the bin. If I were to pick a word to describe Mike's ethics and business practices, it certainly would not be condescending. Mike Pecanic is a class act.

 

[Damon Rondeau]

Hmmm. I've been watching this one brew over at 2xbasslist, and I may even have been responsible for having it spill over here. Folks were wondering why Mr. Pecanic does it that way and I pointed them to a TB thread here where Mike speaks for himself.

The p*ssed off bass player is in southern Italy and uses a luthier in Cremona so to some extent he's inconveniencing himself. I'm sure there are lots of luthiers in Rome or Naples or wherever the heck Vito is.

I've not dealt with Mike (although as my bowing is coming along I'm starting to hear a possible need for a tunable tailpiece and they sure are purty), so I don't know how he presents the "no holes" fact to customers. Personally, I'd be a little puzzled why there are no holes in the TP, but then I'd take it down to the shop and drill it in my own drill press. No problem-o.

When you go down to the American equivalent of Canadian Tire to pick up some new spark plugs for your car, do you expect not to be sold the plugs 'cuz you might strip out the threads in the block? Do you expect a lecture on the importance of going to a mechanic? Or, do you expect to be treated as an intelligent grown-up who knows about the risks inherent in changing his own spark plugs?

I can see Mike's position but it's obvious at 2xbasslist he's teeing off some customers -- actual and potential -- because of it.

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally posted by Damon Rondeau
Do you expect a lecture on the importance of going to a mechanic? Or, do you expect to be treated as an intelligent grown-up who knows about the risks inherent in changing his own spark plugs?

If car engines were made the way a bass is, wouldn't you want to warn the DIYer that there is a possibility that one the pistons might fall out?

I stopped counting how many times I've had to re-do repairs that were done by "intelligent grown-ups". And... usually they are the ones that have a job to play in 3 hours and beg me to stop what I'm working on and fix their screwups so that they can play their job.

 

[Damon Rondeau]

Yes, I understand that point about the guys who have shot themselves in the foot. Those guys are bass players and DIY'ers but, if they show up at the last minute with a disaster, they are also tinkering schlemiels who deserve to be soaked for emergency work, IF they can get it done at all. If they complain, you can add "whiner" to the list, and not a true DIY'er at all.

The bass playing camp is not homogenous. Some of us are quite capable of these types of things, understand all the risks, and are offended by the proposition we can't be trusted to change a tailpiece on our own. We (usually) don't bitch and moan about the treatment, but we do look for alternatives to the treatment.

A friendly prominent warning -- one time only -- that knowledge and skill are required to install is all it would take to correct the offending stance.

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally posted by Damon Rondeau
The bass playing camp is not homogenous. Some of us are quite capable of these types of things, understand all the risks, and are offended by the proposition we can't be trusted to change a tailpiece on our own. We (usually) don't bitch and moan about the treatment, but we do look for alternatives to the treatment.

Sorry Damon, but from my experience you are in the minority. It's your right to ignore any advice that you feel does not apply to you. For others, you can't say "warning" enough times.

 

[Pacman]

Originally posted by Damon Rondeau
The bass playing camp is not homogenous. Some of us are quite capable of these types of things, understand all the risks, and are offended by the proposition we can't be trusted to change a tailpiece on our own. We (usually) don't bitch and moan about the treatment, but we do look for alternatives to the treatment.

You mean solutions like drilling your own holes? That might be a way to separate the wheat from the chaff - certainly if you can attach a tailpiece, you can drill holes, yes?

 

[Damon Rondeau]

And I understand your position, Bob. If I'd been doing the job as long as you have, I'd be singing the Whining Schlemiel Blues too. I believe I am likely in the minority but if I was running a net-based business, selling world-wide to anyone, I might like to serve all the market segments.

On the other hand, mayber I really AM a freak. Geez, what if they all were right?

And Jon, I'm not quite following you. In my little diatribe "the treatment" was a vendor working on the assumption I might set the bass on fire at any moment and "the alternatives" meant looking for a different vendor.

In all truth, drilling nice-looking, proper-fitting, properly-positioned holes in these exotic, weird-shaped hardwood thingies isn't a slam-dunk proposition. That's not for amateurs or the queasy. Now, if the TP had HOLES, it's a different story.

I believe the Italian chap who did the complaining at 2xbasslist is a professor of some sort. At any rate, he seems to be a legitimate, respectable fellow for whom DB is a living and a way of life. Maybe there was a language issue, who knows, I'm pretty far into something that's not my business. Anyhow, this ordinarily affable fellow got quite livid on the subject of the TP -- that he was offended by the assumption of incompetence was unmistakeable.

I must say, otherwise I still have yet to hear anything but good about the tailpieces themselves: their beauty, effectiveness, craftsmanship and the pleasant demeanour of Mr. P.

 

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally posted by Damon Rondeau
And I understand your position, Bob. If I'd been doing the job as long as you have, I'd be singing the Whining Schlemiel Blues too. I believe I am likely in the minority but if I was running a net-based business, selling world-wide to anyone, I might like to serve all of the market segments.

I have no idea of what you mean by Whining Schlemiel Blues, so I'll just assume that is something Canadian. For the life of me, I fail to see why you think that Mike is not serving all of the market. He is offering a high quality handmade product on a made to order basis. He has already stated on several occations that he will drill the holes and even make pocket holes IF YOU ASK FOR IT. What is so hard or unreasonable about that? If you are buying from his website, don't the pictures show what he is selling? If I were buying one, I wouldn't want the holes showing. OTOH, someone else might not like the pocket holes. JUST ASK and he will give you want you want!

 

[Damon Rondeau]

ws blues: I had called the DIY'ers who plague you both "schlemiels" and "whiners" in my previous post. Sadly, and once again, it was memorable only to me. Sigh.

On the issue of no holes: at least some folks think it's a bit odd that there are no holes -- without asking. If you weren't told that in advance, or if you didn't scrutinize the pictures closely enough on the site, you might be surprised -- unpleasantly -- when the piece arrived without holes of any kind at all. I would have been, but I've only bought and installed two TPs in my day.

I had better not comment any further. It's none of my business -- my only intent was to try and shed light on where kpo's posts were coming from. No more from me.