My DP Pushic Custom fiasco........

[pilotjones]

How much of a control cavity actually exists beneath the cover? I'm not that familar with DP but when I removed a like cover from my Elrick, only about 1/4 - 1/3 of the exposed area was routed to accept the electronics.

Riis

Good point. And like Geoff said, it's all speculation.

 

[4string4ever]

Is this your Bass here? >> http://cgi.ebay.com/DP-CUSTOM-5-STR...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I get a liittle sick when my name gets used like this. 'Keyword Spamming' may mislead some but I hope these starved bargain hunters don't call me with their compaints.

Nooooo!!!! I wouldn't do something like that......

 

[lamborghini98]

A champion of mediocrity. You are a lazy company's wet dream. Either that, or you're hoping really hard that all of the little mistakes that add up to a POS don't happen to your bass.



Yeah, no kidding...

Im a lazy company's wet dream. You forget that there are actually different kinds of customers. Some people have lots of money and buy station wagons. Other people dont have enough money and sell their house for a corvette c5. I know one of each. Still respect them the same.

 

[lamborghini98]

The matching control cavity cover might be a nice idea, but why then drill the hole for the string ferrule so that is on the edge of the cover and at the edge of a laminate for the neck and body wing. Could this be a problem in the future?

I hear that his control cavities are really tight, so Im pretty sure that the string ferrule doesnt actually go into the cavity. But perhaps it will be. It does look odd.

 

[jomahu]

too bad Rondo Music isn't a custom outfit.

 

[pilotjones]

too bad Rondo Music isn't a custom outfit.

Rondo is pretty much the opposite of a custom outfit. Designed as a Fender clone (basically, not designed), manufactured overseas. You can choose a color, though.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Im a lazy company's wet dream. You forget that there are actually different kinds of customers. Some people have lots of money and buy station wagons. Other people dont have enough money and sell their house for a corvette c5. I know one of each. Still respect them the same.

Yeah, but if someone bought a new station wagon that had a missing fender, rear view mirrors that weren't level with each other, windshield washers that fired off into the rear window of the car in front of it, and the left rear door didn't quite fit in the space designed for it, I'd still think they were an idiot if they just accepted the imperfections. Simply being drivable isn't enough. Station wagon, or sports car--there are still standards that have to be met.

To accept otherwise is foolish.

 

[pilotjones]

You know, I'm thinking that for your $800-1000 you can get a well made standard design (many maunufacturers), or a poorly made but one-off custom woods-and-shape bass (DP). It's only when somebody expects one-off custom woods-and-shape, and well made, for their $1000, that someone gets disappointed.

If someone is willing to settle for something that needs work, and expects it before ordering, it shouldn't be a problem. Although I'm not one of them, there could well be people who are perfectly satisfied this way, since they get a sufficient charge from having their "own" bass.

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

I hear that his control cavities are really tight, so Im pretty sure that the string ferrule doesnt actually go into the cavity. But perhaps it will be. It does look odd.

I don't think that he's saying that it goes into the cavity, but that half of the ferrule is inside the cavity cover. It looks to me like it was planned poorly. The bridge dictated where the holes for the thru-body stringing went, but the cavity cover had already been done so he just drilled into the cavity cover.

 

[jomahu]

windshield washers that fired off into the rear window of the car in front of it,

now THAT would be cool!

seriously though...knowing how much custom basses cost and the quality that comes with the price tag, is it realistic to expect the same attention for such a (relatively) low price?

i'd guess not. but i'm not a bass-builder.

 

[SuperDuck]

Moses?

That got an lol out of me.

 

[Eilif]

now THAT would be cool!

seriously though...knowing how much custom basses cost and the quality that comes with the price tag, is it realistic to expect the same attention for such a (relatively) low price?

i'd guess not. but i'm not a bass-builder.

Well said. This pretty much sums up the pushic/wish issue.

The problem is that these companies advertise as though they were better than they are. DP's look pretty cool, but they often seem to have problems, some of which cannot be fixed exept at large expense (neck issues) when the maker decides not to fix them. The moral of the story is:

Buyer Beware. Do your research and know what you are getting into. Sometimes you can get more than you pay for, but more often you get more than you bargained for.

One more thought....
If Carvin had multiple choices for body shapes and more pup/electronics choices would anyone be tempted to buy a DP?

 

[Geoff St. Germaine]

now THAT would be cool!

seriously though...knowing how much custom basses cost and the quality that comes with the price tag, is it realistic to expect the same attention for such a (relatively) low price?

i'd guess not. but i'm not a bass-builder.

I wouldn't expect the same attention to detail, but IMO, attention to detail relates to fit and finish, not to structural issues, twisted necks, abhorrent finishes. Some of this is the error of the customer in that he asks for things that Dave cannot do well, but then it is Dave's responsibility to be upfront about this. For instance, I build a small number of instruments and I stick to easy to apply non-spray finishes. If I were to be selling these instruments (I just build for friends at cost) and a customer asked for a polyester spray finish I wouldn't just try to do one and then claim that it was hard to do on that wood when the customer complained that it looked like trash. I'd say that I've never done one, or that I can't do that with very good quality and recommend against it.

 

[Jay Terrien]

If someone markets themselves on their website as a "custom builder", then they should have the technical skills and business acumen to run an honest business practice that consistently puts out functional instruments devoid of blatant incompetence.

Unfortunately, for a small yearly fee and a monthly hosting charge, just about anyone can buy a domain name to hawk their "artistic custom products". The evolution of e-commerce allows just about anyone to bring some type of junk into the international marketplace since there are virtually no professional checks and balances whatsoever. Don't believe any of the hype, pictures (often photoshopped to death), or "reviews" (crafted by friends who have business interests in promoting a certain product) displayed on someone's website.

The bottom line: There is way too much fraud in the marketplace today and sadly, lots of incredibly skilled luthiers (honest guys with lots of integrity) are losing customers to the aforementioned hacks.

It would be VERY interesting if there was some type of law put into effect that enforced proper certification for builders. If that ever happened, it's safe to assume that fly by night operations would be dropping out of the marketplace quite quickly.

As Eilif stated: "Buyer Beware. Do your research and know what you are getting into."

Well said. This pretty much sums up the pushic/wish issue.

The problem is that these companies advertise as though they were better than they are. DP's look pretty cool, but they often seem to have problems, some of which cannot be fixed exept at large expense (neck issues) when the maker decides not to fix them. The moral of the story is:

Buyer Beware. Do your research and know what you are getting into. Sometimes you can get more than you pay for, but more often you get more than you bargained for.

 

[ZoomBoy]

I just read all 8 pages of this thread. From what I can gather why anyone here on TB would order a DP is beyond me. It seems to me that DP doesn't pay much attention to detail and doesn't stand behind his product 100%. What happened to the customer is always right here? The consumer has a right to a reasonable amount of satisfaction for the cost of the product. For $700 I certainly wouldn't expect Fodera quality but I would have SOME level of expectation regarding the build quality. I just wouldn't let that many issues slide. Sounds to me like some people want Fodera quality on a Wishbass budget. That doesn't work. My Dad used to say "You get what you pay for." Unfortunatly sometimes that lesson is learned the hard way.

Jeff

 

[lamborghini98]

I don't think that he's saying that it goes into the cavity, but that half of the ferrule is inside the cavity cover. It looks to me like it was planned poorly. The bridge dictated where the holes for the thru-body stringing went, but the cavity cover had already been done so he just drilled into the cavity cover.

I guess the best solution is to ask him. It does seem a little fishy, but I cant imagine he coud make a big mistake like that.

 

[lamborghini98]

I can't seem to resist mentioning political/socialogical terms in this thread, so the moderator deleted my post.

 

[lamborghini98]

I just read all 8 pages of this thread. From what I can gather why anyone here on TB would order a DP is beyond me. It seems to me that DP doesn't pay much attention to detail and doesn't stand behind his product 100%. What happened to the customer is always right here? The consumer has a right to a reasonable amount of satisfaction for the cost of the product. For $700 I certainly wouldn't expect Fodera quality but I would have SOME level of expectation regarding the build quality. I just wouldn't let that many issues slide. Sounds to me like some people want Fodera quality on a Wishbass budget. That doesn't work. My Dad used to say "You get what you pay for." Unfortunatly sometimes that lesson is learned the hard way.

Jeff

Im pretty sure that reading this thread is a terrible way to make judgements on DP. why dont you try talking to some of his happier customers, too. This is just the negative. Remember that he has made probably hundreds of instruments ... and I bet you cant find more than 6 or so original buyers who werent happy.. and not more than 1 or 2 who had serious problems with their instrument (by serious I mean you cant play the instrument). Youre right in that you should expect to get what you pay for. But you need to re-evaluate the meaning of that statement in this context. Are other basses overpriced? Who is Dave's market? etc etc

Im out of this thread until someone gives reason for any more debate. I really want to see an itemized list of the problems in 4string's instrument, and their actual impact to the instrument.

 

[embellisher]

If an instrument has a neck issue with twisting or warping, and the builder refuses to fix it, that is way beyond minor fit & finish issues.

 

[embellisher]

I guess the best solution is to ask him. It does seem a little fishy, but I cant imagine he coud make a big mistake like that.

What does it take to convince you, besides a photograph? Anybody who would put a string ferrule through the control cavity cover did not plan out the building of the bass very well.