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Mikeyswood - BUYER BEWARE
- Thread starter Alex Xander
- Start date
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Neutralizing. LOL
As gwangi also mentioned, it was a couple of years ago. Who knows if Ric is still sending customers his way. He was the best finish guy to ever work there, specializing in binding issues mostly, but could fix anything Ric.
OP- sorry for the thread hijack. I'm sorry your issues continue to go unresolved.
This is absolutely horrible, Alex.
Please keep us posted so that the TB community can be made aware, but do yourself a favor and stop wasting your time and sanity trying to speak to him. It's time to start talking to people who can help you get your money back.
Please keep us posted so that the TB community can be made aware, but do yourself a favor and stop wasting your time and sanity trying to speak to him. It's time to start talking to people who can help you get your money back.
Yeah.... stepswork4me...... sounds like a fool... you deserve to get got... while you sit and eat chicken with him... SMH
Alex
Since Mike is not making proper resolution, and he claims to have used up all the already-paid money on materials (true or untrue as that may be), and since it seems decreasingly likely that the build will be finished -- maybe your brother-in-law could collect all the materials and bring them home to you? If you got the neck beam, and all the body laminated per his last description, and the pups, electronics and hardware (assuming he actually purchased them), then at least you'd have $1000 worth of stuff that you could give to a luthier to finish, rather than being out the whole $1750.
This is looking more and more like the Ken Bebensee fiasco, and maybe it would be best to take a partial hit rather than get nothing.
Since Mike is not making proper resolution, and he claims to have used up all the already-paid money on materials (true or untrue as that may be), and since it seems decreasingly likely that the build will be finished -- maybe your brother-in-law could collect all the materials and bring them home to you? If you got the neck beam, and all the body laminated per his last description, and the pups, electronics and hardware (assuming he actually purchased them), then at least you'd have $1000 worth of stuff that you could give to a luthier to finish, rather than being out the whole $1750.
This is looking more and more like the Ken Bebensee fiasco, and maybe it would be best to take a partial hit rather than get nothing.
Do you have a relationship with a lawyer? Yeah, I know you're not in the USA, but it would still be worth a phone call to understand legal options. Obviously the public humiliation route is not working.
Yup.
I believe this falls under "wire fraud".. Big time bad news for a company.
But I don't understand why somebody like this constantly compares him/ themselves to Alembic. Does this guy have 30+ years of stellar reputation and innovation? Has he made guitars for the top players in the world?
I will go out on a limb here and say he's a complete Yutz.
Again, I've been to his shop and his quality is top shelf. He and I are in regular contact and I'm good with the slow build. The quality vs price is well worth the wait to me. I hope everything works out for Alec.
How long have you been waiting for your bass? I am just guessing , 24-30 months? I think it is great you are willing to wait. I just to perspective on what is a proper waiting time for someone.
Thats is exactly the outcome I had with a fabled Luthier/Refinisher
of Rickenbacker guitars/basses. over 2 years wait, horrible communication, no delivery in sight only to see pics of my axe being showed at various trade shows all around mini tours,
It got so bad (btw I was so afraid of this guys mental state that every communication was delibrately overly nice and considerate to him)
When I finally got the guitar back from him (I honestly thought he was NOT going to give it back)
It had such a bad/damaged vibe I had absolutely no desire to keep it.
everytime I looked at it it just reminded me of nothing but bad times!
I can't even think about that brand of guitars and basses anymore
Absolutley saddened your going thru this....I wish this was an isolated deal but your story does seem to happen a lot more than one would think.......Just my 2cents
I made the deposit about 2 years ago. I've seen progress as it's been made. I went to the shop and hand picked the top an back. It's been slow, but again I'm good with it.
I've been avoiding commenting on this thread because I've always found Mikey to be unpleasant pretty much every time he posted and I'll go ahead and admit my selfish entertaiment as I watch this play out. I'll agree with him about one thing; when you commission a bass with non standard specs and difficult woodwork sometimes things do get out of hand and on some builds I've had to take a break for a few weeks to concieve of a way to solve a problem I didnt foresee initially. That being said, I make it a point to stay in at least weekly contact with customers.
I think one lesson to be learned from both sides here is to take a bit of time to consider pricing before you jump into buying OR building a bass.
Its easy as a small builder to get too excited about a potential commission and drop your price more than you can afford to do. Its easy to start the bass and make progres but as the work and time start adding up you see your profit margin dwindling away while still staring at a pile of work that needs to be done. Frustration takes over and its easy to think to yourself "I'm almost giving this bass away now so why should I kill myself to get it done quickly? ----- should just feel lucky to get this bass for that price, even if it takes longer." Now this hasnt been a problem for me with instruments but I've underbid a couple of kitchens and both became a debacle before the end.
As a buyer we all want the best price but if you get a price so low that you cant see how the builder can make any money thats one warning sign to slow down and be a bit more skeptical. Might help avoid a situation similar to the one that Alex is in now.
A question to the builders here: Could any of you see building the bass in question for 3000$? I cant. Especially not with an international customer. With all the non standard specs, the hidden pickups , the irritation of working with cocobolo, etc... I feel thats a dangerously low price for an instrument of this nature. If you have an understanding about the build time as Stepswork4me seems to thats cool but clearly Alex doesnt feel the same understanding was reached and the email replies from mikey are just mind boggling. (Though personally amusing
)
Alex, I hope this works out for you. I think you should have Mikey make you a list of materials totalling 1750$ and then send whatever work he has done and the remaining materials to you. Take that and find someone closer to see what can be done. This type of difficult build requires a builder who is inspired to solve problems and create a unique instrument. At this point with the degradation of your relationship, and considering that your luthier basically told you that luthiery is now far down his list of things to do, its unlikely you'll recieve an instrument that satisfies your expectation.
As always, this is simply my opinion and should taken with your preferred grain of salt.
I think one lesson to be learned from both sides here is to take a bit of time to consider pricing before you jump into buying OR building a bass.
Its easy as a small builder to get too excited about a potential commission and drop your price more than you can afford to do. Its easy to start the bass and make progres but as the work and time start adding up you see your profit margin dwindling away while still staring at a pile of work that needs to be done. Frustration takes over and its easy to think to yourself "I'm almost giving this bass away now so why should I kill myself to get it done quickly? ----- should just feel lucky to get this bass for that price, even if it takes longer." Now this hasnt been a problem for me with instruments but I've underbid a couple of kitchens and both became a debacle before the end.
As a buyer we all want the best price but if you get a price so low that you cant see how the builder can make any money thats one warning sign to slow down and be a bit more skeptical. Might help avoid a situation similar to the one that Alex is in now.
A question to the builders here: Could any of you see building the bass in question for 3000$? I cant. Especially not with an international customer. With all the non standard specs, the hidden pickups , the irritation of working with cocobolo, etc... I feel thats a dangerously low price for an instrument of this nature. If you have an understanding about the build time as Stepswork4me seems to thats cool but clearly Alex doesnt feel the same understanding was reached and the email replies from mikey are just mind boggling. (Though personally amusing
) Alex, I hope this works out for you. I think you should have Mikey make you a list of materials totalling 1750$ and then send whatever work he has done and the remaining materials to you. Take that and find someone closer to see what can be done. This type of difficult build requires a builder who is inspired to solve problems and create a unique instrument. At this point with the degradation of your relationship, and considering that your luthier basically told you that luthiery is now far down his list of things to do, its unlikely you'll recieve an instrument that satisfies your expectation.
As always, this is simply my opinion and should taken with your preferred grain of salt.
OK APPARENTLY HE MEANT 8PM.
I did send en email immediately after the one where here accepted the facebook chat to clarify the 8:00 meant 8am, but I did not receive a response until 12 hours later telling me he meant 8pm (20:00).
Another breakdown in communication. Trying again in 3 hrs...
I did send en email immediately after the one where here accepted the facebook chat to clarify the 8:00 meant 8am, but I did not receive a response until 12 hours later telling me he meant 8pm (20:00).
Another breakdown in communication. Trying again in 3 hrs...
What a mess--can't wait to see where this goes. If the facts are straight (which they appear to be) you were seriously wronged Alex and deserve all your cash back--- good luck!
Hopkins
Commercial User
Here is where I have a problem, I have completed two builds, and I am very close to the 3rd being finished this year. I admit that I am not producing "Alembic quality" instruments, but I am not a full time builder, and only get to work on them on the occasional weekend. Seeing as though my shop is an hour and a half away from my apartment, I am pretty sure I have much less time to devote to work than Mikey does.
My point being this, there is no way, with a clear conscience take a deposit that large up front and keep someone waiting years. If you are a small operation, you shouldn't take on to many projects to where you get so back logged that you cant finish in a timely manner. And no instrument, no matter the time constraints, should take 2 years to finish. It just doesn't take that long.
On top of all of that, to ask for an up charge for an estimated time of completion is beyond asinine. Alex, I am sorry you are going through what you are going through, but I applaud you for getting the word out on shady business practices.
I just spent an hour on Facebook chat trying to work this out. An hour that should have take place long ago. Didn't really get anywhere. I expect Mike's version of events shortly.
I've been folowing this thread since the beginning. This is beginning to sound an awful lot like the Darrin Huff story. Alex, best of luck to you. This guy, mikeyswood is a piece of work, it seems. If I were going to get a custom bass, he would never see a penny of my money, thanks to this thread. there is no way, even if comes up with a plausable excuse, that I'd ever contact this guy. I'd go talk to Mike Lull or Mike Tobias or Roger Sadowsky, guys with a proven track record and the integrity to back it up. Once again, good luck Alex.
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