+1. Ben could have easily have blown me off. He didn't. His customer service is second to none.
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Ben Lindsey Hot Rod Jazz Build
- Thread starter Scott McArron
- Start date
+1. Ben could have easily have blown me off. He didn't. His customer service is second to none.
I've played many Fender-clone basses with similar or flatter boards, none with edges like this. None. I'm not asking for anything that should be a given for a Fender-style bass.
???
I don't care about the pickups. I can easily change those out at any time with minimal expense. I believe I posted this in so many words. I went with them because Ben suggested them.
Ben told me himself he didn't even notice it on those basses, so it's not his "design," per se. Also, it's not like a 75 bass, which is what I ordered, so it's not right.
I did see several of his other instruments, however, I have not had the chance to play them. And I did spec a well-balancing bass, so a lighter neck than the one that was one this one would fall well within my specs. None of the things you mentioned above, including heavy necks, odd-placed string trees, or little FB rolling were part of his other basses that I knew of. However, these things are clearly shown in many pictures of 75 jazz basses, which again, is what I ordered.
I didn't want, and still don't want, any more rolling on the fingerboard than any other Fender or Fender-clone instrument. I'm not asking for anything that doesn't fall within the specs of "Fender 75 jazz bass." Any deviations from that starting point that I agreed to had nothing to do with string trees, FB rolling, etc.
I cleared this up already in the comment above. There were several things.
I love honest responses as long as they're constructive. Your first post here was blatant sarcasm, which I don't fit into the category of "honest responses" or constructive responses, or heck, even civil responses.
What a load of crap
I dont have the time to post my whole opinion on this but Scott paid and asked for the bass of his dreams and he should get no less.
It is Obvious that Ben knows all about Customer service because of what he did.
I have a friend that bought a custom Sadowsky from Roger recently, he said that once he received the bass he felt that he would have licked single coils better and that he would have licked the neck to be sanded to give it a softer touch.
Roger told him to send the bass back and he would do everything at no cost! My friend said he will be going to NY soon anyways so he will just stop by. Roger said he will be waiting.
Customer service is all about satisfying the customer
I dont have the time to post my whole opinion on this but Scott paid and asked for the bass of his dreams and he should get no less.
It is Obvious that Ben knows all about Customer service because of what he did.
I have a friend that bought a custom Sadowsky from Roger recently, he said that once he received the bass he felt that he would have licked single coils better and that he would have licked the neck to be sanded to give it a softer touch.
Roger told him to send the bass back and he would do everything at no cost! My friend said he will be going to NY soon anyways so he will just stop by. Roger said he will be waiting.
Customer service is all about satisfying the customer
Ben gets a freakin' A+++++
He's smart enough to realize that there is way more to lose by having an unhappy customer than there is by having to start a new bass and sell/part out the old one. He won't be out much $$$, mainly just his time....and he's accumulating a TON of goodwill by being so accommodating.
Scott - congrats on getting your bass made for you by someone who actually cares.
Kudos, Ben.
He's smart enough to realize that there is way more to lose by having an unhappy customer than there is by having to start a new bass and sell/part out the old one. He won't be out much $$$, mainly just his time....and he's accumulating a TON of goodwill by being so accommodating.
Scott - congrats on getting your bass made for you by someone who actually cares.
Kudos, Ben.
Pointless? No. Whether they agreed on a solution or not really isn't my concern. I mean, honestly, what else could the builder do but comply with his wishes? If he didn't, it would be all over this thread and the builder might be out future business based on the responses in this thread. His only option is to say "Hey, I'll build you a new bass". Kudos to him for doing that...I would definitely have a hard time doing it.
But why not have some contrast of opinion instead of bandwagon responses? Yes, my posts are blunt, but I disagree that they are inflammatory. I simply pointed out what I saw to add some perspective, and even added in a caveat that I could be completely wrong. It wasn't anything personal, it was simply an observation.
As a side note, despite the outcome of the build (I hope he gets the bass he wants), I think it's imprudent and unethical to have a competitive builder, who builds the same style of bass, question the merits and styling of Ben's design in a public forum. If anything, the responses could have been in private. just my .02
Dude, if you are going snip my posts please note that you did so.
This is what I said, in context
The important part is the radius, followed by the edges of the neck. How those two aspects interact were what I was referring to. By snipping my post, you took it out of context.
My post was not blatant sarcasm. There actually was zero sarcasm intended. Questioning your build specifications does not equal sarcasm.
I used an ellipsis to indicate an intentional omission of text. It was not my intention to change the context of the sentence.
This is what you said:
"You were unsure about the radius, the edges of the neck, as well as the pickups... and ultimately, you weren't satisfied with those aspects of the bass."
I'm confused about how my text omission takes it out of context as it's written above.
I said your first post in this thread. Where you said this: "This thread reminds of why I could never be in customer service." That is called sarcasm. It does nothing to move a conversation in a positive direction. A person can speak their mind with contrasting opinion to the general consensus and still be constructive. I have no problem with this, and in fact, I encourage it. I do not encourage inflammatory or sarcastic remarks, which are destructive forms of communication.
I've actually gotten several PMs today from people thinking about getting a bass built. They told me that reading this thread has actually pushed them in the direction of having Ben build their basses, because they know that they will be taken care of. It's my hope that in the end only positive things will be taken from this thread.
Ben is the man, indeed!
HAHAHHAAHAHAAH!!!!
No, you used 3 question marks. That is not an ellipsis. I don't know if it was your intention, and I don't care. I went on record stating that you took my statements out of context, and I'm OK with that.
As I stated in my post to you:
Ahh...yes, my very first post was a joke. It wasn't sarcastic though.
An ellipsis = ...
That is correct English notation for omitting text in a quote.
Seriously though, there's just nothing left to say here.
This is just ridiculous.
Ahh...I see what you did there. You used an ellipsis within my quote....yes, very deliberate...and super obvious (that is sarcasm). I shouldn't drink so much on a Sunday night
No, it's grammatically correct for omitting your text. It is not grammatically correct for omitting someone else's text. Think about it; how could a simple dot dot dot, omit someone else's verbal intentions? It's intellectually dishonest to suggest that it is, IMO.
Seriously though, there's just nothing left to say here.
It is. This went from you not knowing what you wanted in a custom bass to a grammatical discussion. Not sure how that happened but ...
I shouldn't drink so much on a Sunday night
Well, that explains a lot. Take care of yourself, now.
Well, that explains a lot. Take care of yourself, now.
Please don't discount my objections with a response like this. My post was lighthearted, but don't pass it off as a reason to discount my position.
I feel for Ben Lindsay, and I'm positive i wont hear from him again in this thread...it wouldn't make much business sense to do so. I only hope that the people that have contacted you, in lieu of contacting Ben, have a more concise idea of what they are looking for in a custom bass
Sorry guys. I have to apologize about this. I've been on TB for well over a decade now. I'm here everyday. Don't post much, but I read a lot and love being a part of it. Now, it may be because I don't post much here, but managing threads is not one of my strengths. I wish I were better at it. So, hopefully, we'll get some updates here this week and maybe some pics and get a real discussion going here that's somewhat on topic. Thanks for sticking around and following this build. Ben is the man and I can't wait to play this bass!
Did I say pointless? I meant useless. This is a public forum and you are allowed to make a point I suppose, but just because you can does not make it meaningful.
This thread has been going on for months and those that have any real stake in this transaction came to their solution weeks ago. Your arguments do not help anyone.
It seems that you think that, from your soapbox, you are repairing the sullied reputation of a scorned businessman. The builder had already taken care of any doubts of his credibility well before you stepped in.
Hey Scott,
I was dying for pictures of your new baby while reading the whole thread before... well... forget about it...
I'm really looking into a vintage look, '60's JB sound, and found out all your interests in Ben's job.
Where's your bass at the moment? Do you have some pix to send?
I'll shoot Ben an email anyway as I seem to have found the right person for my dream bass.
Thanks
Rodolphe
I was dying for pictures of your new baby while reading the whole thread before... well... forget about it...
I'm really looking into a vintage look, '60's JB sound, and found out all your interests in Ben's job.
Where's your bass at the moment? Do you have some pix to send?
I'll shoot Ben an email anyway as I seem to have found the right person for my dream bass.
Thanks
Rodolphe
Hey Rodolphe, pictures are coming soon! Ben is just about done. The last time I talked to him he said that it should be done early this week. Ben suggested going with a white undercoat, which would be more period-correct, so that made the paint job take a little longer. Pics should be in any time now.
If you're looking for a bass builder who is willing to bend over backwards to get you your dream bass, Ben is the guy to talk to. No better customer service anywhere.
