Great question. 24 frets with a beefy tone is what I need. Passive, p style in the neck. A lot of 24 fret basses have the super thin necks, which in my opinion is unstable and creates a thin tone that needs to be compensated with active electronics. I've been spoiled by the old peavey passive tone, and I want it in a solong machine. I've played everything that hangs on a wall. On paper some fit the bill, but none have delivered.
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Dude, you are like the abductee feeling bad for the abductor. All due respect, way too many excuses from the builder. They do not seem trustworthy. Again, all due respect but they do not deserve you giving them the benefit of the doubt. Truly hope this works out for you.
haven't read all this. wondering out loud. should a discount be built-in to the contract tied to lateness of delivery? say, 5% for 30 days late, 30% for 90 days late, etc. give the luthier a financial stake in timely completion.
And they have to be ready to "get used to" what they get. My Lawrence was heavier and had a thicker neck than I had really wanted - but I gigged it for years (so much money invested - I had to!!) - it was a fine sounding / playing bass. Just not really want I had wanted!
So as a lawyer, what would you say about the following?
18 U.S. Code § 1341 - Frauds and swindles
Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, or to sell, dispose of, loan, exchange, alter, give away, distribute, supply, or furnish or procure for unlawful use any counterfeit or spurious coin, obligation, security, or other article, or anything represented to be or intimated or held out to be such counterfeit or spurious article, for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice or attempting so to do, places in any post office or authorized depository for mail matter, any matter or thing whatever to be sent or delivered by the Postal Service, or deposits or causes to be deposited any matter or thing whatever to be sent or delivered by any private or commercial interstate carrier, or takes or receives therefrom, any such matter or thing, or knowingly causes to be delivered by mail or such carrier according to the direction thereon, or at the place at which it is directed to be delivered by the person to whom it is addressed, any such matter or thing, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation occurs in relation to, or involving any benefit authorized, transported, transmitted, transferred, disbursed, or paid in connection with, a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency (as those terms are defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)), or affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.
18 U.S. Code § 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television
Whoever, having devised or intending to devise any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises, transmits or causes to be transmitted by means of wire, radio, or television communication in interstate or foreign commerce, any writings, signs, signals, pictures, or sounds for the purpose of executing such scheme or artifice, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both. If the violation occurs in relation to, or involving any benefit authorized, transported, transmitted, transferred, disbursed, or paid in connection with, a presidentially declared major disaster or emergency (as those terms are defined in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)), or affects a financial institution, such person shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.
It sounds to me (as a NON-Lawyer) that one or both of those would perhaps potentially apply.
Carey Nordstrand once told me "NEVER pay in full for a bass before it is done" He said he never wants to be in a situation where he has been paid in full for work he has not completed. That's the way a top notch builder works.
So the good news is you have everything spelled out, including delivery date...there should be no dispute with the written contract. The bad news is you paid in full...
Amazing to me. I would expect the builder to provide the contract as he/she is supposed to be the expert in this field. The typical customer has little knowledge of the build process, the options and choices available. IMO, the builder holds the largest part of the responsibility in assuring the customer has the proper guidance and protections for his/her investment. At the same time, a good contract protects both parties equally in the event of a dispute.
Carey Nortstrand gets it. So do the folks at Fodera, as well as many other professional business people and luthiers. Fodera requires a down payment upon order and nothing else until the build actually begins (which will certainly take months to 1 year+). I operate on the same proven and professional principle...a down payment places your build in the build que and allows me to get the initial materials paid for without risking my dime...it also lets the customer know he/she has a little "skin" in the game without having to risk his/her investment fully. It's only reasonable IMO for both parties to be protected and have some responsibility (although the builder bears the greater weight of responsibility). Progress pics, regular emails and phone calls, and an open door policy all serve to only build trust, but also a greater probability of a successful build and happy customer. The final installment on a pre-determined draw schedule should only come after the build is complete and the product is delivered and the customer is happy. From what I can tell, this is how the reliable custom builders operate...it's simply good biz for all involved.
Best of luck man.
So those are the only pics I got, and that's in sep 2015 after 10 months of waiting with no updates. After that they ruined the body by routing the wrong pickup config. And they had to scrap the whole thing, which I learned of 3 months later, in Dec 2015. What really annoys me is that they said they needed only 45 days or so, to build a whole new bass. This is after waiting over a year. I felt insulted. Really, you're going to churn out a bass in 45 days suddenly? I'm sure it'll be top notch. ...
I went with them because I wanted very specific dimensions and configs that I couldn't find anywhere else, and the price was right.
They were ambitiously churning out immaculate looking guitars. So I took a chance.
They offered a huge holiday discount, $500 off. With the discount it was sub $2k
Well, had you ordered a squire affinity jazz, you would have had it in a few days. (Sorry, just kidding)
Actually, you'd never see a "squire" bass, because they don't exist.
The thread title should be, "15 months ago, I sent some money into a black hole!".
The thread title should be, "15 months ago, I sent some money into a black hole!".
lol @ your initial confidence in them
I've played around on their site before, thought they were built overseas
LOL. I'm not complaining. I absolutely love that Talkbass features these types of responses. All kidding aside, OP is totally getting jerked around by the builder.It always cracks me up when people complain about TB like this. This is like the most polite, respectful, well-moderated message board in existence. I mean, it's still the internet, so there's always going to be good and bad, but have you ever been on a sports message board? OP could be like "What do you think of the so-and-so deal?" and first page would already be like "OP IS A :expletive: GO EAT A :expletive:"
All due respect
