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Man, is it ever hard to find a good luthier...

bullshark

bullshark

Sep 7, 2006
791
410
Montreal, Canada
floatingby.com
#1
Is workmanship and pride in a job well done disappearing? Or am I just unlucky?

I tried 3 luthiers in the Montreal area: one left gobs of glue all over the neck of my ESP, the other scratched my brand spanking new Dimarzio pick-ups and then argued they were already scratched, and then the other installed a nut on my P that look's like it has been carved with a dull potatoes knife. Guess I have to learn how to change a nut myself, no way I'm leaving that on there.

What's the problem? What they charge isn't enough for quality work? Then they should charge more.

Or is it that they just don't care?
 
#5
Trevorus said:
You'll get some hacks doing guitar work sometimes, you may have to either learn the skills yourself, for find someone else.
Click to expand...
Learn the skill and purchase the proper tools. I'm pretty handy with a soldering gun, doing my own setup and cleaning etc. It's just the more major things, like changing a nut and frets, I'd thought I'd leave to the professional; looks like I'll need to learn how to do that as well.

Well, they say if you want a job well done, you have to do it yourself...
 
#6
I am finding more and more these days that true craftsmen of any feild are a dying breed. Where I am at its kinda the same, you've got the guys who are wanna be's and the real deal Luthier's. Its hard to get the "good ones" to do anything for you as they are always busy and have a long waiting list. The "hacks" seldom are busy as no one wants to use them because of their bad workmanship. So I have learned to do most of the work on my own basses, until it gets into fretwork which I am still not comfortable doing.
 
#10
Why hesitate to name the guys you've been to? If anything it might help out some fellow bass players. I've been going to Pierre Laporte for fifteen years and have been very happy. One of the things I like about Pierre is that if I am not satisfied with something he's done (this has usually related to personal taste rather than to any problems with workmanship) he will make it right. He's a very decent guy and he most definitely takes pride in his work.
 
#11
The neck on my cello snapped at the heel. I took it to the local shop. There are scratch marks on the side of the neck and fingerboard from him removing the FB and there are terrible lines from glue squeezeout where it was mended. That's when I realized that there is no reason for me to take any of my instruments to someone else to fix or set up.
 
#13
I sure hope Michel Fournelle isnt one of the guys that ripped you off... He's usually very good. You can contact me if you got something to do on your bass, or even to ask questions, no problem. Im on the north shore, done refrets and complete builds. Best of luck
-Mario
 
#14
bullshark said:
Because I've only been to each one once, the shoddy work "might" be a fluke... in any case, no ground to attack somebody's reputation, just ground for me not to go there anymore.

But it wasn't Pierre Laporte.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. You might want to pay Pierre a visit. He's a real down-to-earth guy and I know he does work for a lot of the top players around town (for what that's worth). He's a one man operation which means that he can be slow when it comes to builds, but I find him to be quite reasonable (in terms of delivery time) where general repair work and set-ups are concerned.
 
#15
bullshark said:
Is workmanship and pride in a job well done disappearing? Or am I just unlucky?

What's the problem? What they charge isn't enough for quality work? Then they should charge more.

Or is it that they just don't care?
Click to expand...

I think this is descriptive of the plague of our times. From my little perspective, a lot of this stems from the Mothers that would insist that "everyone is a winner" and sacrificing the truth that someone is not proficient at something for the sake of the their "feelings." These mentalities have bred a generation (mine, mostly, and unfortunately) of 'ehh, good enough'-ers. It appears that a since of value (in almost anything really) has somehow either degraded to a critical level, or it/they have been usurped completely.

If one looks, it is everywhere. Through the sound-bite culture no argument of any value can be presented in support of anything or against anything. All that one can do is make brief (and at times) not so witty commentary on anything. One can also see this in the culture of instant gratification, that is the main-stream. Wherein, idols are made of superficial physical beauty rather than content of character, and PLANNING & PRACTICE are lost or forgotten. The mandates of success ala responsibility (in it's many facets, most importantly IMO responsibility for SELF), purpose and value are rare topics of conversation and rarer yet, topics of contemplation. As we watch the 21st century Rome fall before our eyes, to both Orwell's concepts (that which we fear will ruin us) and Huxley's concepts (that which we love will ruin us). We can look to what consumes most of an individuals 'free' time to find his values, priorities, sense of self, and just about every other idea we as humans use to guide our brief existence here on earth.

Those who would deny the most foundational of means of mans survival here, that of rational thought. Those who would rather not think for themselves (or at all) quickly differ their mental capacity to that presented on TV. And as such, you'll find them quote and defend the opinions and values promoted there with all of the emotion of a child or adolescent, and all of the logic & reason or a rock.

Sorry that was a rant. But when faced with the question of why standards appear to be lowering, I am forced to consider those who created the conditions that made possible the lowering of standards. If that makes any sense.
 
#16
G00D+~VIBES said:
I think this is descriptive of the plague of our times. From my little perspective, a lot of this stems from the Mothers that would insist that "everyone is a winner" and sacrificing the truth that someone is not proficient at something for the sake of the their "feelings." These mentalities have bred a generation (mine, mostly, and unfortunately) of 'ehh, good enough'-ers. It appears that a since of value (in almost anything really) has somehow either degraded to a critical level, or it/they have been usurped completely.

If one looks, it is everywhere. Through the sound-bite culture no argument of any value can be presented in support of anything or against anything. All that one can do is make brief (and at times) not so witty commentary on anything. One can also see this in the culture of instant gratification, that is the main-stream. Wherein, idols are made of superficial physical beauty rather than content of character, and PLANNING & PRACTICE are lost or forgotten. The mandates of success ala responsibility (in it's many facets, most importantly IMO responsibility for SELF), purpose and value are rare topics of conversation and rarer yet, topics of contemplation. As we watch the 21st century Rome fall before our eyes, to both Orwell's concepts (that which we fear will ruin us) and Huxley's concepts (that which we love will ruin us). We can look to what consumes most of an individuals 'free' time to find his values, priorities, sense of self, and just about every other idea we as humans use to guide our brief existence here on earth.

Those who would deny the most foundational of means of mans survival here, that of rational thought. Those who would rather not think for themselves (or at all) quickly differ their mental capacity to that presented on TV. And as such, you'll find them quote and defend the opinions and values promoted there with all of the emotion of a child or adolescent, and all of the logic & reason or a rock.

Sorry that was a rant. But when faced with the question of why standards appear to be lowering, I am forced to consider those who created the conditions that made possible the lowering of standards. If that makes any sense.
Click to expand...

Nice ranting!! :hyper:
 
#17
G00D+~VIBES said:
I think this is descriptive of the plague of our times. From my little perspective, a lot of this stems from the Mothers that would insist that "everyone is a winner" and sacrificing the truth that someone is not proficient at something for the sake of the their "feelings." These mentalities have bred a generation (mine, mostly, and unfortunately) of 'ehh, good enough'-ers. It appears that a since of value (in almost anything really) has somehow either degraded to a critical level, or it/they have been usurped completely.

If one looks, it is everywhere. Through the sound-bite culture no argument of any value can be presented in support of anything or against anything. All that one can do is make brief (and at times) not so witty commentary on anything. One can also see this in the culture of instant gratification, that is the main-stream. Wherein, idols are made of superficial physical beauty rather than content of character, and PLANNING & PRACTICE are lost or forgotten. The mandates of success ala responsibility (in it's many facets, most importantly IMO responsibility for SELF), purpose and value are rare topics of conversation and rarer yet, topics of contemplation. As we watch the 21st century Rome fall before our eyes, to both Orwell's concepts (that which we fear will ruin us) and Huxley's concepts (that which we love will ruin us). We can look to what consumes most of an individuals 'free' time to find his values, priorities, sense of self, and just about every other idea we as humans use to guide our brief existence here on earth.

Those who would deny the most foundational of means of mans survival here, that of rational thought. Those who would rather not think for themselves (or at all) quickly differ their mental capacity to that presented on TV. And as such, you'll find them quote and defend the opinions and values promoted there with all of the emotion of a child or adolescent, and all of the logic & reason or a rock.

Sorry that was a rant. But when faced with the question of why standards appear to be lowering, I am forced to consider those who created the conditions that made possible the lowering of standards. If that makes any sense.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more...
 

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