I need to vent !!

[ragetoca]

If there is one thing TalkBass has taught me after all these years its never buy a custom bass from a small time builder.

If I take a chance on a cheap knock-off bass from China and never get it or its junk I can live with that. But there are countless stories on here of people spending thousands of dollars with custom builders and waiting years to get diddly squat.

Sorry you went through that. I echo others comments about telling us the shop name so we can add it to the long list of other scammers to avoid.

I dont really think this guys shop is a fraud, like my post says, nice guy, terrible business practices, I don't think he is out there scamming people, just he probably is a YES man person, says yes to everything and then he cant fulfill it........I have been jazz-bass-less for 5 months, and now I am going to be hundreds of dollars out of pocket.......

 

[ceetee]

I got that picture yesterday, he is shipping it to me today in that condition

I've had a very poor experience with a one-man shop in the UK...one that most people just rave and rave and rave about, and if someone does say anything negative about said builder, the ravers immediately jump to his defense and blame the whole situation on the person complaining. For that reason, I have never posted my documented exchanges with that UK builder showing how horribly he handled things. Might be possible the OP is dealing with a similar situation.

Never been in that situation but some idiotic sh.tstorm on an online forum is not that a big thing to my mind. But I'm not in that situation so it's just talk from my side.

 

[Saetia]

Too busy, probably because of all the custom orders he has to build.....probably, my guess

Crazy to think he couldn’t have just been upfront about the current work load on the books. He was able to speak on NAMM and show that little bit of forethought but not deep enough to express from the start. You probably would have been more than willing to wait what ever it took if they had been upfront, which is a shame because all it would have done is build report for his business… it baffles me when people can’t just be upfront. It’s sad honestly. Pride isn’t necessarily a band thing but is often just mislabeled hubris… now integrity is a proper metric of good person.

 

[ceetee]

I got that picture yesterday, he is shipping it to me today in that condition

Did he say why? "I'm too sick/busy/whatever"? What does he imaging you doing with that diy kit?

 

[ragetoca]

Crazy to think he couldn’t have just been upfront about the current work load on the books. He was able to speak on NAMM and show that little bit of forethought but not deep enough to express from the start. You probably would have been more than willing to wait what ever it took if they had been upfront, which is a shame because all it would have done is build report for his business… it baffles me when people can’t just be upfront. It’s sad honestly. Pride isn’t necessarily a band thing but is often just mislabeled hubris… now integrity is a proper metric of good person.

He did, it was always "next week"

 

[BadMonk]

The treatment dealt by the custom builder is despicable, if true,and there's no reason to think otherwise. Sorry for your ripoff misery, OP. If it were me, I'd file a complaint with the State's Attorney General, Consumer Protection in the state where he resides.

 

[ragetoca]

Did he say why? "I'm too sick/busy/whatever"? What does he imaging you doing with that diy kit?

Taking it to a local luthier to be finished.......Yes, he did say he was too busy, got sick, the shop burned down, ET came home, Tsunami hit the west coast etc etc

 

[ragetoca]

The treatment dealt by the custom builder is despicable, if true,and there's no reason to think otherwise. Sorry for your ripoff misery, OP. If it were me, I'd file a complaint with the State's Attorney General, Consumer Protection in the state where he resides.

Well, I did not buy the bass directly from him, I got it on a trade, I thought since he built it he would have another one laying around, honestly my intention was never to get it "repaired" and I was willing to pay for a new one, and thats what he originally promised, then he changed it to "I will fix it" to eventually "I am too busy to fix it, here you can have it back even worst than when you sent it" - He did promise to send me a new set of tuners......really??

 

[Saetia]

He did, it was always "next week"

That’s what I’m saying, obviously he wasn’t. He either was booked solid or literally had an executive function issue, either way he could have owned up to it. Sorry you had to deal with this.

 

[Jeff Scott]

This is why I only do business with major names like Fender, Musicman, Spector, Rickenbacker, and the highly reputable independent builder Mike Lull Custom Guitars.

Add Martin Keith to your shortlist. He's a stand-up guy.

 

[JRA]

This is why I only do business with major names like Fender, Musicman, Spector, Rickenbacker, and the highly reputable independent builder Mike Lull Custom Guitars.

If there is one thing TalkBass has taught me after all these years its never buy a custom bass from a small time builder.

i get what you cats are saying, but FWIW: there are a bunch of "small-time builders" that deliver the goods over and over again, so it's possible to get great instruments from builders other than the bigger shops/manufacturers --- and we've all heard/read about the big guys putting out trash and/or treating customers poorly. it can happen at any/every level of instrument building....

Your word reflects your character. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or underdeliver on your commitments.

 

[luckydawgg169]

i get what you cats are saying, but FWIW: there are a bunch of "small-time builders" that deliver the goods over and over again, so it's possible to get great instruments from builders other than the bigger shops/manufacturers --- and we've all heard/read about the big guys putting out trash and/or treating customers poorly. it can happen at any/every level of instrument building....

View attachment 7149951 View attachment 7149951 View attachment 7149951

Thats all fine and dandy, but with the big builders you are most of the time buying from a retailer with a return policy.
I like that option better....

 

[TonyRo]

I would name and shame, for sure. Not out of spite, but because people around here need to know the builders to stay away from. You'd think small luthiers trying to make a career out of a passion would understand that there's a ton of competition and in order for people to give you their hard earned cash instead of the big guys, you need to do it all right. The build has to be great, the customer service has to be great, etc. The risk is all on the customer end and one slip up can wreck your reputation.

 

[JRA]

Thats all fine and dandy, but with the big builders you are most of the time buying from a retailer with a return policy.
I like that option better....

return policies are cool. glad you think my comments are "all fine and dandy!"

 

[jimmydean]

Sorry mate , please post his vitals so everyone will know who to avoid in the future . I am curious about the Sadowsky you traded , I take it wasn't a $7,000.00 model ?

 

[ragetoca]

Sorry mate , please post his vitals so everyone will know who to avoid in the future . I am curious about the Sadowsky you traded , I take it wasn't a $7,000.00 model ?

No, it was a min Japanese 5 string model, probably worth $2500-$2800

 

[littlebun]

You've stayed classy; I admire that because it's super frustrating to be put off and jacked with. Here's hoping things turn around concerning this.

 

[Winton]

I just need to vent a bit and go on a rant—no names necessary, as it’s not important to single anyone out.

Last September, I traded a Sadowsky jazz bass with another user here on TB (a good guy, by the way). The deal went smoothly, and in exchange, I received a 5-string jazz bass that he had custom-ordered from a small luthier shop on the West Coast.

The bass was in great condition—mint, passive, and exactly as described. I had plans to convert it to an active preamp, a few days in I was playing it at home and I noticed the neck had a slight bow, I decided to adjust the truss rod. I grabbed the key, gave it a quarter turn, and… snap. I heard a small cracking noise. Sure enough, the truss rod had broken. A small piece came off, and I noticed tiny dots or "bubbles" in the steel rod. Was it a weak point, a defect, or just cheap material? I’m not sure.

Now, I’ve been playing bass for 30 years, owned over 20 basses, and I’ve never experienced a broken truss rod. I know it can happen, but it’s never happened to me—not even on some of the super cheap basses I’ve owned (Ibanez, Yamaha, etc.) or the high-end ones (Alembic, Sadowsky, you name it). I’ve adjusted necks in terrible shape before, but this was a first.

I reached out to the previous owner (not his fault—the bass was fine when he shipped it), and he suggested I contact the luthier who built it. I did just that. I called the luthier, explained what happened, and he apologized for the broken truss rod. He agreed to build me a brand-new neck for a couple hundred dollars and said he’d start working on it as soon as I shipped the damaged one back to him (he needed it to match the bass pocket size and align the holes). I shipped the neck in October, and the waiting game began.

After a month (despite him saying he’d start right away), he told me he wouldn’t build a new neck but would instead repair the existing one by installing a new truss rod and fingerboard. He promised to send pictures of the premium fingerboard material he planned to use, but those pictures never came. Another month passed, so I reached out again. He said he was “ready to start working on it” but had some questions for me. We talked on the phone, and he assured me he’d finish it ASAP.

By December, I texted him again, and he said, “I’m working on the neck and will finish it next week so I can get ready for NAMM.” More weeks went by—still nothing. No pictures, no updates, nada. In January, I texted him once more (I’ve been incredibly patient), and he said he was too busy preparing basses for NAMM but promised to finish my neck right after the show. So, I kept waiting.

On January 30, he texted me saying he was back from NAMM and that my neck would be finished the following week. Finally, some progress! Or so I thought. Two more weeks passed—still nothing. No pictures, no tracking info, no updates. Yesterday (February 12), I reached out again, and the excuses started pouring in: “I’m too busy, I’ve been sick, my shop burned down, the dog ate my homework, aliens invaded us…” You name it.

So, what’s the end of the story? See the attached image. This is what he’s sending me back: an unfinished neck. Now I’m stuck with it and will have to find a local luthier to finish the job, which will likely cost me at least $600 to do it right.

Shoutout to the TB user I traded with—he even offered to take the bass back and return my Sadowsky. I said no—it’s not his fault. He also offered to help cover some of the costs, but again, I said no—it’s not his responsibility.

The moral of the story? Your word reflects your character. Don’t make promises you can’t keep or underdeliver on your commitments. As for me, I’ve learned my lesson: I’ll never buy from a one-person shop again. I’ll stick to reputable brands and builders who stand by their work and deliver on their promises.

To the Luthier who built this bass, you are a nice guy, but a terrible business person, your word is as weak as the truss rods you put in your basses....

Thanks for lending me your ears..... laters

Good on both you and the TBer you traded with! He offered twice, take back and pay. And for you, to turn the offers down because it wasn’t their fault. We do have quality people on TB.

It reminds me of another site I used to be active on when I used to play the tuba: TubeNet. I’ve bought and traded on that site in the early 2000s. Good people on there that communicated and kept their word.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I hope no ones else gets this unprofessional treatment or worse from this builder.!

 

[murphy]

I dont really think this guys shop is a fraud, like my post says, nice guy, terrible business practices, I don't think he is out there scamming people, just he probably is a YES man person, says yes to everything and then he cant fulfill it........I have been jazz-bass-less for 5 months, and now I am going to be hundreds of dollars out of pocket.......

I wish I could lend you my 5 string Jazz while you are getting it finished.....