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Club Moollon

#3,903
Shookadeez said:
Dude, seriously. Someone might want to do a wellness check on Andi. I have a bass that was finished, I paid the remaining balance on January 1, and I'm still waiting to hear any shipping details.
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These are good people, and I worry too, since to say that Moollon is "coping" with its success is putting it mildly.

With this many back orders bearing down on them, and the general sense that YJ has chosen a system of grouping jobs together by task (in the name of "efficiency") which he doggedly sticks to no matter how untenable it has become, and with unfulfilled orders dating back to 2020 with no change in strategy, you'd think they would both be in the fetal position right now.

If you're happy to wait it out, and it's no skin off your nose, more power to you. On the one hand, you have YJ's commendable integrity; these instruments are intended to always be built by one man, in the way he thinks they should be done. And there is the idea that it's a passion project, which can yield something of greater worth to the buyer AND the maker. Those of us lucky to have one (or several) can feel that. But this is just getting silly. Perhaps to the astonishment of YJ himself, Moollon has become a real businessā€”dragged, screaming into being though it may be. And there are those who will claim that this strategy and philosophy are beyond reproach. I think that's jive. For the health of the company and especially that of its head honcho, it needs a way out of this dysfunction that is something other than "let's just ignore it and it'll go away".
 
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#3,904
600 Ohms said:
These are good people, and I worry too, since to say that Moollon is "coping" with its success is putting it mildly.

With this many back orders bearing down on them, and the general sense that YJ has chosen a system of grouping jobs together by task (in the name of "efficiency") which he doggedly sticks to no matter how untenable it has become, and with unfulfilled orders dating back to 2020 with no change in strategy, you'd think they would both be in the fetal position right now.

If you're happy to wait it out, and it's no skin off your nose, more power to you. On the one hand, you have YJ's commendable integrity; these instruments are intended to always be built by one man, in the way he thinks they should be done. And there is the idea that it's a passion project, which can yield something of greater worth to the buyer AND the maker. Those of us lucky to have one (or several) can feel that. But this is just getting silly. Perhaps to the astonishment of YJ himself, Moollon has become a real businessā€”dragged, screaming into being though it may be. And there are those who will claim that this strategy and philosophy are beyond reproach. I think that's jive. For the health of the company and especially that of its head honcho, it needs a way out of this dysfunction that is something other than "let's just ignore it and it'll go away".
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Oh, I'm waiting it out! I've been waiting since early January 2021. What's a few more months? I have not had the opportunity to put my hands on a Moollon yet, but every time I've seen someone play one live I'm floored. This is THE bass tone.
 
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#3,905
With the risk of sounding like a smart ass, reading all this I'm glad I bowed out last year. I kindly asked Andi to refund the deposit unless my order was close to production. I got the impression that after a 3 year wait it was nowhere near the top of the queue of whatever system YJ uses. The refund was swiftly made.

I hope to add a J IV to my collection someday, but that will be a second hand purchase again.
 
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#3,906
Hi, Iā€˜m new here.

I am in a similar situation to some here, with an order from March 2021, and as for many, this operation has become a test of patience. In fact, I don't like getting upset about it anymore, I can't change it. I no longer even ask for news, because there is none. The methodology behind the production is a bit of a mystery to me. At least it seems that no one is being favored, and that's a good thing.

All this waiting has led to me buying a second-hand Pino Palladino CS. In fact, it's so good that I'm quite relaxed about waiting for my P classic IV, which will hopefully arrive by the end of the year.

Let's hope that everything is going well with YJ and Andi.
 
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#3,907
subz said:
Let's hope that everything is going well with YJ and Andi.
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Yes, this.

Andi pretty much announced that they canā€™t and wonā€™t answer any questions on time estimates anymore. He said the answer to every single customer would be, ā€œa build will be done when itā€™s done,ā€ and if you canā€™t live with that then he is happy to give a refund. He also said that these questions on time estimates and updates on how a build is coming along will only slow him and YJ down, so please stop. If youā€™re not receiving updates or responses to messages where youā€™re asking for updates or time estimates, he probably wonā€™t bother responding to those types of questions anymore. He made this known, so donā€™t take it personally. I, for one, appreciate his honesty in this. Itā€™s probably difficult for a business to admit they are so behind they no longer have time or ability to check on your order progress and give updates.

All we can do is wait, or ask for a refund and move on, and
subz said:
hope that everything is going well with YJ and Andi.
Click to expand...
 
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#3,908
I think there are at least two things that have led to frustration among some customers: on the one hand, the waiting period originally stated (when I ordered it was supposed to be about a year and a half), which turned out to be wrong after a certain time (the reasons for the delays can be read on FB, and they are plausible). On the other hand, in recent years we have become accustomed to the fact that many things are available at the click of a mouse at a speed we could never have imagined in the past. And we can track, almost in real time, how the goods get from the warehouse to the truck and to the next distribution station, and so on. YJ can't and won't offer that, and rightly so. Because it's our problem, not his. But if we try to understand how he works and why he does certain things the way he does them and not otherwise, then we should also understand that this is one of the reasons why his instruments have such an excellent reputation.

SLO Surfer said:
Itā€™s probably difficult for a business to admit they are so behind they no longer have time or ability to check on your order progress and give updates.
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Exactly! I really never thought of that before.
 
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#3,909
If any one is interested in a used P IV I have one in the classifieds, itā€™s a fantastic bass but Iā€™ve got 3 p basses right now and can use the money.
 

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#3,910
I ordered a P-IV classic back in Feb of 2021. I'm hoping to see it this year. but given the current state of things, that could be a little too optimistic.
I also ordered another J-IV classic last year knowing of the backlog, but I have no illusions that I will see it in less than 3-4 years.

I am fine with the wait as long as they materialize.
 
#3,911
Pardon my nagging this issue, but for those of you who have been around long enough to know about the Darrin Huff debacle, I was one of the guys who lost a large sum of money after being strung along for over 20 years without a bass ever materializing. It's hard to understate the effect this has had on my perception of small shop luthiers. But I took the chance on a Moollon because I have played them and was enamored as much as the rest of us in this thread.

Being frustrated with the situation and having empathy/concern for the well being of YJ and Andi are not mutually exclusive. "Shut up and deal with it or take the refund and walk" is an apologist viewpoint and I am becoming resentful of being told to do so. When I communicate with Andi, I'm not asking him things like "so when's it gonna be ready, huh?" I am polite, courteous and merely asking for a progress report.

I hope everyone waiting gets their instrument eventually. It will hopefully be worth the wait.

Oh and btw Andi texted me this morning.

Have a good night.
 
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