Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Chapman Guitars Bass -Open for pledging, 20 places left
- Thread starter JLAEST
- Start date
aaronhutson and LB75Player,
Lots of people became confused about the pledge system, which Rob explains in the video I posted. However, I can try to explain it better:
1 - You pledge 50£ (by pledging, it's meant writing down on a forum "I pledge 50£ on a MLB-1")
2 - You vote for the specs on the bass
3 - You decide if you like the final project or not
3a - You don't - You bail out, no one ever touched your money. End.
3b - You do - You pay the 50£ so they can start the manufacturing process
4 - They build the bass
5 - When it's done, they ask you for the rest of the money, you pay and they send you your bass.
As you can see, you never buy anything you wouldn't like. The pledge system was made thinking of us, bassists, as most of the people watching his channel are guitarists. It wouldn't make any sense that a thousand guitarists would vote on something they weren't going to buy, it's just a way to protect the votes of people that are really interested in buying.
Avalon,
It has been said the the price would never be higher than 500£, but that's one of the things the pledgers will decide.
Lots of people became confused about the pledge system, which Rob explains in the video I posted. However, I can try to explain it better:
1 - You pledge 50£ (by pledging, it's meant writing down on a forum "I pledge 50£ on a MLB-1")
2 - You vote for the specs on the bass
3 - You decide if you like the final project or not
3a - You don't - You bail out, no one ever touched your money. End.
3b - You do - You pay the 50£ so they can start the manufacturing process
4 - They build the bass
5 - When it's done, they ask you for the rest of the money, you pay and they send you your bass.
As you can see, you never buy anything you wouldn't like. The pledge system was made thinking of us, bassists, as most of the people watching his channel are guitarists. It wouldn't make any sense that a thousand guitarists would vote on something they weren't going to buy, it's just a way to protect the votes of people that are really interested in buying.
Avalon,
It has been said the the price would never be higher than 500£, but that's one of the things the pledgers will decide.
So let me see if I have the jist. It sounds like you pay a 50£ deposit to participate in the "R & D" for a newly designed bass. If you want to buy one once it's developed, your deposit is applied to the cost of the bass. If you don't want one, your deposit is refunded.
I don't want to sound like a cynic, but so far, I'm in agreement with mmbongo. It sounds awfully similar to the "other thread" featuring a bass in development.
I don't want to sound like a cynic, but so far, I'm in agreement with mmbongo. It sounds awfully similar to the "other thread" featuring a bass in development.
I'm just trying to imagine what a committee of 100 bassists would come up with? Edsel comes to mind...
I don't know which other thread you're speaking of, but there's no deposit refunded. If you like the bass, you pay your deposit, only in the end of the voting.
Sounds on the up-and-up to me. Should be interesting to see what happens with the design.
Best of luck.
Best of luck.
I would advice anyone looking at this to go read and watch youtube and follow the development of the two guitars already produced and the third and fourth which I think are underway. There is a concept behind the whole idea more than just knocking to gether an instrument and selling it on.
This one is being done a little differently. Basically because it is a guitar community and Rob has a lot of guitar followers through his web shows, lessons and Youtube channel. The voting for the guitars were open. So there were something 30,000 people voting on a guitar that would have a run of 350 or something. Interest was there and of course it would all pan out to sell the product.
When it was suggested they do the same for a bass the initial reaction from the "Company" (Basically Rob his manager and help from a music store) was being a guitarist forum their wouldn't be enough interest. Eventually they relented and said if they get 100 "Pledges" they would go further with the idea. So part of the Pledge idea is to see if they have the interest before moving on .
The pledge thing has another effect. They are the only ones to vote. That will stop 30,000 guitarists voting on a bass either they don't want, won't buy and will stop it being a guitarists vision of what a bass should be like by virtue of out numbering the number of bassists. .
I'm in if only because I love the idea and concept and followed the last stages of the first guitar and then the 2nd.
It's different and there will only be a minimum run. The guitars very rarely turn up 2nd hand so they can't be all that bad.
This one is being done a little differently. Basically because it is a guitar community and Rob has a lot of guitar followers through his web shows, lessons and Youtube channel. The voting for the guitars were open. So there were something 30,000 people voting on a guitar that would have a run of 350 or something. Interest was there and of course it would all pan out to sell the product.
When it was suggested they do the same for a bass the initial reaction from the "Company" (Basically Rob his manager and help from a music store) was being a guitarist forum their wouldn't be enough interest. Eventually they relented and said if they get 100 "Pledges" they would go further with the idea. So part of the Pledge idea is to see if they have the interest before moving on .
The pledge thing has another effect. They are the only ones to vote. That will stop 30,000 guitarists voting on a bass either they don't want, won't buy and will stop it being a guitarists vision of what a bass should be like by virtue of out numbering the number of bassists. .
I'm in if only because I love the idea and concept and followed the last stages of the first guitar and then the 2nd.
It's different and there will only be a minimum run. The guitars very rarely turn up 2nd hand so they can't be all that bad.
Well, my cynical side got the best of me. It sounds like the "Company" is asking potential customers to pay to do the R&D. Not cool, IMHO.
If he's so interested in diversifying his business, maybe Rob should front his own R&D costs or solicit genuine investors to participate in his business instead of asking his potential customers to do so. I humbly suggest he become a member of Talkbass and spend some time interacting with the thousands of bassists here for ideas on developing a bass. That is unless he's got hoards of people with money in hand just begging him to build a bass. In that case, he doesn't need us.
JLAEST, are they paying or not to vote? You tell me because based on what you've written, I can't tell. In your first post it was
but in your last it is
Sounds like two different things to me. Which is it?
I won't be visiting any links to research this matter any further off of Talkbass.
but in your last it is
Sounds like two different things to me. Which is it?
I won't be visiting any links to research this matter any further off of Talkbass.
Sorry, I can't understand where the two things I said are different.
First one - Finding 100 people to vote. In the end, these people pay (if they like, as said in "However, if you don't like the result, you can quit and you won't pay a thing.").
Second one - You vote. In the end, you pay, if you like.
First one - Finding 100 people to vote. In the end, these people pay (if they like, as said in "However, if you don't like the result, you can quit and you won't pay a thing.").
Second one - You vote. In the end, you pay, if you like.
This is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. Take it from a guy who's been there: If you ever want to royally *$%@ up a project, just send it to committee.
Riis
Riis
Pledging is not paying. You pledge to pony up 50 (metric) bones if you decide to buy it. The pledge is a symbolic gesture to see how much interest there is in a bass. I'm not seeing why this is so hard.
It would probably look just like a Fender...which is pretty much just like an Edsel....
+1, but I can understand the misunderstandings. You have to listen and read a couple times to make sure you have it straight. It's a rather unique concept.
By the way, can we be updated on when they officially have 100 pledges? I already waste,...ahem, spend enough time on TB. I would rather not start tracking the happenings on another site or youTube channel.
You're not paying any R&D costs I would say if you went to a luthier to have a bass built you would have to put down a larger deposit than 50 english shillings.
You pledge £50 which is basically saying I am interested. I will put in MY input to the design by a way of vote then IF I like the final design i will pay a deposit so my name goes on one of those basses.
So far when doing the guitars they have taken the comments made on the forum and had a Luthier draw up a number of designs, they then get put into the vote. Then once the shape is picked they go for things like Pick up arrangement, Bridge etc etc. The final design gets made by the luthier. This gets shipped to the factory (A reputable one ) they build a proto it gets evaluated . the factory gets notified of any changes that need made. A couple i remember from the guitars was one of the proto's was a 3 piece and they asked for 2 and the control cavity made bigger so it would be easier to mod. Then another Proto is made by the factory. If it suits they go into production.
Of course maybe you decide you don't want to pay the deposit (Pledge) so you walk away having had your say on the bass 100+ people will have in their hands no worse off bar lost a few minutes on the internet. Or you could wait to see and get one if there are any left after all the people that pay the deposit and remaining amount cough up.
It is really easier to watch the company unfold as it started with Rob being offered a Signature guitar by another company which in turn turned into them deciding to be Chapman guitars instead of a sig. Something happened with the first company that started it all. Then another Music store picked up Rob to do the distribution end of things. (Andertons they have a youtube channel where Rob does the reviews) .
It is really something that is a unique concept and hard to explain. Although I think something is getting lost in translation maybe it's just the different way of looking at things changes across the Atlantic.
