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Mikeyswood - BUYER BEWARE

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#181
stepswork4me said:
My customers also have
> the option of providing me with the materials. You can usually find great
> deals on parts that you want during construction. The caveat to that is I
> request you to provide two of them; one for you and one for me. Instruments
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So if you decide to buy your own hardware, which seems to be the only way to get him to use what you request, he expects you to buy double so he can charge another customer double the cost of something he didn't pay for. Im not quite sure that is even legal. Either way its an unreasonable request. I am loosing respect for this guy with every post in this thread, even the posts in his defense make him look bad.
 
#182
LightGroove said:
Why dont you help a brother out and figure out whats going on. I understand not wanting to be in the middle of such things but the dude is in Australia and needs some kind of advocate over here.

Admonishing a guy that is "naive" or trustworthy is ridiculous. What Mike is doing is flat out wrong..plain and simple.
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+1

The way the 'builder' is acting is like the buyer should be thanking him for being such an incredible builder. But this 'builder' has A) either lost his mind completely or B) realized he can't build the bass for the price negotiated. His lack of response in this thread doesn't help his case. So he is a political leader? Time to look that one up.....

He doesn't have time to take pics?

Um...yeah.....
http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/...=view&current=Build-1.jpg&mediafilter=noflash
http://s235.photobucket.com/albums/ee107/mikeyswood/Guitars/
 
#184
Hopkins said:
So if you decide to buy your own hardware, which seems to be the only way to get him to use what you request, he expects you to buy double so he can charge another customer double the cost of something he didn't pay for. Im not quite sure that is even legal. Either way its an unreasonable request. I am loosing respect for this guy with every post in this thread, even the posts in his defense make him look bad.
Click to expand...

That blew me away as well. If he really doesnt need the money that makes this kind of behavior even worse. This guy is a piece of work and all the "shalls" and other wordings in his emails to the OP speak to a level of pomposity and arrogance that just keeps bringing me back to the reference to the comic book guy from the Simpsons earlier in the thread.

Thanks for the laughs Mikey, its been world class entertainment so far.Too bad Alex is getting screwed along the way. Alex I do hope you get an adequate resolution to this but its hard to be that optimistic. You may want to consider the Pontifs's advice as well. There is a lot of wisdom in his post and he knows a thing or two about luthiers and custom basses. Good luck Alex.
 
#185
Hopkins said:
So if you decide to buy your own hardware, which seems to be the only way to get him to use what you request, he expects you to buy double so he can charge another customer double the cost of something he didn't pay for. Im not quite sure that is even legal. Either way its an unreasonable request. I am loosing respect for this guy with every post in this thread, even the posts in his defense make him look bad.
Click to expand...

If I was understanding his policy correctly, when mikeyswood builds a bass for a customer he also builds a matching bass for himself in lieu of making money on the build. At least that's how I interpreted things.

So his rates for a bass are a $250 shop fee plus double the cost of materials so the customer gets a bass and he gets one.

I think it's odd, but I believe that's how he's laid things out.
 
#186
Same
Jared Lash said:
If I was understanding his policy correctly, when mikeyswood builds a bass for a customer he also builds a matching bass for himself in lieu of making money on the build. At least that's how I interpreted things.

So his rates for a bass are a $250 shop fee plus double the cost of materials so the customer gets a bass and he gets one.

I think it's odd, but I believe that's how he's laid things out.
Click to expand...

I have the same understanding.
 
#187
Jared Lash said:
If I was understanding his policy correctly, when mikeyswood builds a bass for a customer he also builds a matching bass for himself in lieu of making money on the build. At least that's how I interpreted things.

So his rates for a bass are a $250 shop fee plus double the cost of materials so the customer gets a bass and he gets one.

I think it's odd, but I believe that's how he's laid things out.
Click to expand...

This doesn't seem likely, it wouldn't take long doing it thay way before he would run out of room to store all of his basses.

If that was infact the case, then the fact that he is taking two years or more to complete a customers bass, while building a duplicate at the same time is still unacceptable. If you cant complete a customer order in a timely manner, you damn sure shouldn't be building personal instruments.
 
#191
Rickett Customs said:
I, myself, have not seen any 100% completed instruments from Mikey since I've been on talkbass, but that is just me.
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I think this is a very important point.

It seems the takeaway lesson here is to do some due dilligence on a potential builder. Check builds that they've done for other folks on TB.

Were other people happy with their basses?

Were other TB members satisfied with the customer service of the builder?

Were timeframes met?
 
#193
Hopkins said:
This doesn't seem likely, it wouldn't take long doing it thay way before he would run out of room to store all of his basses.
Click to expand...

It is a odd pricing structure. He doesn't build a bass for himself. His pay is what the materials cost X2.

So if you buy your own hardware and electrics he would lose out on that part of the sale so he charges you what you paid for the parts.

Say you buy a set of used Hipshot tuners for $75 he gets $75 and so on.

If he supplied you the same set of tuners new for $160 he would get $160.

Odd, but it is a fair way of doing it.
 
#195
stepswork4me said:
I've seen and played completed instruments. His quality is top notch.
Click to expand...

Haha ok. The pictures you posted sure are good evidence /sarcasm

What is your angle in all this? You've stated your positive opinion of him many times. You're his only supporter here, why not at least show a picture of this elusive bass he built for you?

Also, it sounded like you had to hound him on a weekly basis for results. OP is in Australia. Why not help OP out, drive across the river to Mike's shop, and see whats up? Since you're so eager to involve yourself in this story and all.

To OP: sorry you have to deal with this. If I were in your shoes, I'd be trying to connect with others in Cinci, be it the local press, local police, Better Business Bureau, or fellow TBers. It has to be so frustrating to have to do this from the other side of the world. Personally I'm a 6 hour drive from Cinci, otherwise I'd be bangin down his door for ya tonight.
 
#197
hdracer said:
It is a odd pricing structure. He doesn't build a bass for himself. His pay is what the materials cost X2.

So if you buy your own hardware and electrics he would lose out on that part of the sale so he charges you what you paid for the parts.

Say you buy a set of used Hipshot tuners for $75 he gets $75 and so on.

If he supplied you the same set of tuners new for $160 he would get $160.

Odd, but it is a fair way of doing it.
Click to expand...

Buying your own hardware saves him the time of ordering it himself. He said in that email that if you order your own parts, he wants a duplicate set for himself, it doesn't say he wants the money it costs.
 
#199
I get where he is coming from on the pricing. I guess the only thing that I would do differently is to not really come out and state that and just ask for a list of parts. Price those parts then double it and add your shop fees and quote that price to the customer. If they want to buy there own hardware, that's fine, just take the cost of those items out of the quote and keep your mark up in there. I suppose transparency is good too though. I'll give him that much.

It seems wierd to ask for a second set of hardware if you buy your own. Unless you really are only using the money to build instruments...I doubt that is the case though.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around $1750 for parts. Unless he really did buy electronics from Alembic or Wal or someone else like that. Who knows.
 
#200
On a side note, when the builder said he had some people "visiting Australia", does anyone think it was a threat? Kind of surprised no one's had one of these basses up for show or sale on talkbass. Does he "silence" the buyers?

(This next bit might sound crazy but bear with the Indian "wizard" haha) Does he show them silver worms? The kind that petrify you, used to brainwash girls and do other unspeakable things that they never talk about? Say "lies", no matter what riddle they ask you, Alex. LIES.

On another note, the two-shooter theory in two presidential assassinations. The Catcher in the Rye. Political/illuminati conspiracy? Brainwashing? Silver worms?

*cough cough* ahem. Excuse me from deviating from the OP subject. I assure you my concern is entirely for Alex and his well-being and I wish him all the best in retrieving his dues from the "luthier".

Cheers.

- Jimmy "Inspite All My" Rage
 
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