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Stop custom build?

thumpastingray

thumpastingray

Guest
Oct 23, 2011
24
3
Amsterdam
#1
So I am getting a custom build from a small builder and I am doubting if I should go on with the build. Here's my story,

In the end of last year I ordered a custom bass. The bass would be ready in march (I think that in june the bass is gonna be finished). The builder promised me a set of woods under which a particular top that I thought was beautiful. In march he emailed me and said there would be a change in top because there was an issue with the current top. He considered me a new top and already cut it up before he showed it to me. To prevent any further delay I just said it was ok. Last week I saw a body with a top looking EXACTLY the same as my original top. I am 100% positive that its the same top. The top has exactly the same wood grains and colors. I think this is extremely unprofessional and am thinking to stop the build. Btw I already paid 40% of the bass. What would you do? :hmm:
 
#3
You may be 100% positive, but unless you can back it up with a photo, it comes down to your word against his.

Factors to consider:

1. What further financial obligation do you have if you pull the plug? Be sure you're not legally bound to pay more than that 40%.

2. Was the builder specific about the "issues?" Did he email photos? Seems to me he jumped the gun in making a new top without your approval. Sort of violates the whole idea of a "custom" build.

3. If you do not pull the plug, how are you going to feel about this bass when you get it? Is that bitter taste going to go away sooner or later? Will you learn to love it as much as you were going to love the original?

Given that the builder essentially changed a design spec without your OK, he at the very least should give you some financial consideration.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
 
#5
But, if it's the original top that you originally wanted and the 'new' replacement top was a 2nd best option... well... aren't you now getting the top you actually wanted?

Am I missing something here?

Sure it sounds like the build is taking longer than promised and a miscommunication on the top is happening which isn't cool.

I'm very confused ;)
 
#6
dalkowski said:
You may be 100% positive, but unless you can back it up with a photo, it comes down to your word against his.

Factors to consider:

1. What further financial obligation do you have if you pull the plug? Be sure you're not legally bound to pay more than that 40%.

2. Was the builder specific about the "issues?" Did he email photos? Seems to me he jumped the gun in making a new top without your approval. Sort of violates the whole idea of a "custom" build.

3. If you do not pull the plug, how are you going to feel about this bass when you get it? Is that bitter taste going to go away sooner or later? Will you learn to love it as much as you were going to love the original?

Given that the builder essentially changed a design spec without your OK, he at the very least should give you some financial consideration.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
Click to expand...

1. I dont think I have to pay the rest in order to get my 40% back. But im sure I can work something out with him. Im just not sure yet what I'm going to do.

2. No he wasnt specific and didnt go in details at all. It just came to: "There was a problem with your old top here's a new one''.

3. Thats exactly what im worried about.

I have photos of my original top and the other bass with that top I dont think its good to post them though preventing any damage to his business.
 
#7
thumpastingray said:
So I am getting a custom build from a small builder and I am doubting if I should go on with the build. Here's my story,

In the end of last year I ordered a custom bass. The bass would be ready in march (I think that in june the bass is gonna be finished). The builder promised me a set of woods under which a particular top that I thought was beautiful. In march he emailed me and said there would be a change in top because there was an issue with the current top. He considered me a new top and already cut it up before he showed it to me. To prevent any further delay I just said it was ok. Last week I saw a body with a top looking EXACTLY the same as my original top. I am 100% positive that its the same top. The top has exactly the same wood grains and colors. I think this is extremely unprofessional and am thinking to stop the build. Btw I already paid 40% of the bass. What would you do? :hmm:
Click to expand...

What was the issue with the top you had selected?
Do you like the top you are to get now?
 
#8
Yelo said:
But, if it's the original top that you originally wanted and the 'new' replacement top was a 2nd best option... well... aren't you now getting the top you actually wanted?

Am I missing something here?

Sure it sounds like the build is taking longer than promised and a miscommunication on the top is happening which isn't cool.

I'm very confused ;)
Click to expand...

The replacement top wasnt the 2nd best option. He just picked it out, cut it up and emailed it to me. But the point for me is that he lied to me. And that the top he already promised me was used on another bass without any notification.
 
#11
thumpastingray said:
I have photos of my original top and the other bass with that top I dont think its good to post them though preventing any damage to his business.
Click to expand...

You are a wise and thoughtful man. Your balance in the karma bank just increased significantly.

Consider this: There are more than two top-worthy slabs of wood on the planet (at least for now). Insist your builder source a new top that's to your satisfaction. It'll take time, but you may end up with a top that's even nicer, and you won't have to settle for second best. The builder will create a gorgeous bass he can be proud of, and the time spent hunting down your new top will be his penance. You both win.

Good luck.
 
#12
Have you bothered to ask the builder about this, if not you should. It seems like right now you're in complete conjecture mode and having a conversation with the builder may very well sort everything out. If the original top had what he thought was a problem maybe he found a workaround for it to make it work or perhaps your memory ends up not being as good as you thought it was. Either way talking to a person is generally easier than mind reading , at least I've always found that to be the case.
 
#13
Perhaps there was a particularly unsightly blemish on the original top which would have shown up on your bass. Beautiful wood is not something you simply throw away, maybe he had another instrument whose design would have omitted the blemish, so he used it for that instead.

I'm not saying he was right to make the change without notifying you. I am merely suggesting a reason why you see your top on another instrument. But I could be wrong. It is just a thought off the top of my head.

Hopefully you can get this cleared up with the builder by simply talking to him. It would be a total bummer to get my hopes up for a custom build only to cancel it halfway through on a whim. It would be an even bigger bummer if I had almost half the cost (surely it isn't cheap) invested already. Without all of the information from both sides, it is hard for me to imagine what I would do.
 
#16
It seems to me that it is time to have a sit-down with your builder. Calmly voice your concerns; your belief that he used your top on another instrument, the excessive time taken to build your instrument(at least how far beyond his original promise to you). There may very well be logical explanations for both, there may not. Either way, your best chance for a positive outcome is to calmly discuss it with him. He may even realize that you deserve some consideration for his errors. If you go in guns-a-blazin' he is likely to get defensive and the outcome could be negative. Several luthiers I have dealt with are great artists but not necessarily great businessmen. What seem like major sacrifices to you may seem like nothing to him. You have to calmly express your frustrations and concerns to make him understand the importance of his actions.
 
#17
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in an unpredictable manner when woodworking. I've thicknessed a top down to 3/8 and had a blemish show up that made it unusable at that thickness, but oddly enough I was able to bring it down to 1/4" and have it disappear. In that case, its still a usable top, but wasn't any good for the instrument it was to be used on.

I also agree that two tops cut from the same slab can look nearly identical, especially if the slab has a perpendicular grain orientation (quartersawn).

Its probably worth exploring this with your builder. If he's not forthcoming and open about the changes and why he did them, then you may have bigger problems anyway...
 
#19
It seems to me that it is time to have a sit-down with your builder. Calmly voice your concerns; your belief that he used your top on another instrument, the excessive time taken to build your instrument(at least how far beyond his original promise to you). There may very well be logical explanations for both, there may not. Either way, your best chance for a positive outcome is to calmly discuss it with him. He may even realize that you deserve some consideration for his errors. If you go in guns-a-blazin' he is likely to get defensive and the outcome could be negative. Several luthiers I have dealt with are great artists but not necessarily great businessmen. What seem like major sacrifices to you may seem like nothing to him. You have to calmly express your frustrations and concerns to make him understand the importance of his actions.
Click to expand...

Best advice ever. It seems so rare nowadays to find a custom luthier who is easy to deal with. One of the reasons I love the guys at Birdsong so much! Good luck.
 

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