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Whats the latest with DP??

#61
Originally posted by Prague77
ahh...dave's post is making me excited about getting my bass ehehe :D

Dave is a great guy, and I wish I could comment on his basses. But from what I hear they are wonderful. The majority of the attacks on dave that I see are coming from non-owners.. hmm :P
I say dont bash his work if you havent spent time with his instraments..and judgeing a bass by a pic is just...silly..
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I don't know... based on this picture...
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I wouldn't buy this bass. Silly? I doubt it;)
 
#64
Originally posted by Luis Fabara

And I do not agree with Peter Parker about the structural problems, and that Dave´s work is crap.
Its certainly not crap, but to some players CNC and serial made basses have less imperfections that would lead to a better satistaction for your money.
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Luis, crap might be a little strong (not by much) and I apologize for that. The problems you had sounds pretty severe to me. Cosmetic flaws that I've seen, no matter who made the bass, man or machine, should not happen. It's sloppy. Just because one man is building the bass shouldn't mean that its acceptable to have a lot of flaws. When a fingerboard seperates from the neck, that to me is structural. This has happened according to another talkbass member and I think looking at the way my friends fingerboard was installed, is very likely to happen again.
As I have privately told Dave, this is the last time I post anything about his work. My experience is well documented. However, if I see something of Dave's that is truly good, I will post it immediately. I want to be fair but with all that I have to go on, I have offered all that I know. Unfortunately, all I know is of Dave's not so good work. Hopefully something good will come along.
 
#65
Originally posted by Peter Parker


Luis, crap might be a little strong (not by much) and I apologize for that. The problems you had sounds pretty severe to me. Cosmetic flaws that I've seen, no matter who made the bass, man or machine, should not happen. It's sloppy. Just because one man is building the bass shouldn't mean that its acceptable to have a lot of flaws. When a fingerboard seperates from the neck, that to me is structural. This has happened according to another talkbass member and I think looking at the way my friends fingerboard was installed, is very likely to happen again.
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Indeed, there should be no flaws, but these flaws are more prone to happen when you do everything by hand and eye, that means, that its cheaper to avoid flaws using a CNC, but if there is none available, then definetly rising costs and putting more time are the solution to this kind of things (at least putting more time, if costs to keep in bussiness are an issue)

About the fingerboard..
My uncle´s Fodera HAD that problem, and his fingerboard was replaced. That can happen mostly because wood differences in density and preparation more than gluing problems.

For example, if you mix ebony and mahogany, I bet that in some time the ebony will keep its size while the mahogany could shrink and lead to a break.
(I have seen this in Gibson´s thats why the quote on the woods)

Im not to sure if I would put my money on a DP custom the same way, but I can assure you, that If I had the money and the ability to be there in the final process I would do it again and again, mostly because Im somewhat confident that the guy can make it if we push his quality a little more.
It was a great experience to have everything I wanted regarding design. I wanted Wenge, I got wenge, I wanted that, I got that, it was the way of making bussiness and the high expectations that ruined it.
I needed a bass that was versatile and nimble, but the way I play required a more perfect bass than what Dave have to offer at that time.

Man, I still dont know how Dave offered basses to be in 5 weeks!, Thats not the time a custom bass like that should take, but we customers tend to rush things, sacrificing quality.
I would give Dave a year for a project for me, and I guess that would be enough to get a great instrument. Sad thing is that I know he might not want to work with me in the future due to what happened in the past.

I wonder where is the Omega bass now.
I recognize 1 thing that I didnt think well, and that was the neck woods. I should have not used mahogany as the center core, and used 5 pieces of wood instead of three.

Dave, if you post here, can you tell me where is the Omega now?
 
#66
Luis, thanks for posting.

Dave, thanks also for posting.

Peter Parker, thank you once again for your opinion. I agree that we should hear the bad as well as the good and I thank you for giving us your side of the experience. Like I said before, it does nothing but help us all in the long run.

I think the thing is, some people might be going into this looking for a Sadowsky at a price point of less than a grand. And that just ain't gonna happen; two totally different areas of building.

I believe if you go into it looking for a $1200 bass, you'll MORE THAN LIKELY come out happy; with a $1200 bass;)

Anyway, maybe the rest of us will be fortunate and recieve killer instruments. I hope everyone that gets one on this forum can post a thorough review with lots of detailed pictures.

I'm off to bed guys, take care.

Peace.

Alex
 
#67
Originally posted by RedV
...I think the thing is, some people might be going into this looking for a Sadowsky at a price point of less than a grand. And that just ain't gonna happen; two totally different areas of building....
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Alex - this is a very good point. I went into it KNOWING I would not get a Sadowsky (or comparable) quality.

I don't know that I got my money's worth. Maybe close, but it certainly wasn't a bargain.

Jeff
 
#68
thank you dave and luis for responding to this thread. it's great to have dave and luis explain what really happened with some of the specific problems.

i respect peter parker's opinions and concerns, but i think calling dave's work "crap" is just not true. i understand that there have been a few people that have not been satisfied with their basses, but there are a lot more people that are extremely happy with their dp custom basses.
 
#69
I purchased a DP about a year back. I'm not going to try and kiss any butts. The bass was not perfect. However, it was what I expected at the cost and it sounds great. There were no problems that made the bass unplayable or anything close to it. Only minor cosmetic flaws were found by me. Dave's great service and courtesy played a part in my purchase. I had the money to try something different and I went for it. The bass looks awesome and many people have said the same thing. They don't notice the flaws because they wouldn't know what to look for. I play my basses a lot and I play them hard so it's not like it wasn't going to be worn anyway.

My DP is still my main bass. I was having another built until I lost my job. I got a bass that had what I wanted in it and looked how I wanted. I'm happy with it.
 
#70
I have found all of this discussion quite interesting, maybe not as informative as I would like, but interesting nonetheless. I have ordered a DP Custom and dont expect its completion until late Fall. I dont have a wealth of experience in the Bass world, however I do have years of exeperience playing guitar...(yes, I saw the light and switched!). I cannot comment on the quality of DP work, as I have not experienced it, as of yet. However, there are a couple of issues I feel compelled to bring forth.

1.) In my dealings with Dave, ordering, etc.,he has been extremely patient and helpful. This, to me, is outstanding customer service. We live in a world where that has become a lost art. There may be some problems with basses that have been built in the past...and maybe there will be some in the future. It is CRITICAL that we note Mr. Pushnic taking the time to come to this forum and dealing with these concerns. That shows me nothing but dedication to his craft and a genuine sense of caring about his product. Again...that doesnt happen much in today's world. If anyone doubts there are problems with EVERY bass or guitar that is built, go read some of the postings on Harmony Central. Some are not that good for guitars that cost a lot of money.

2.) In my years of owning many 6 string guitars, some of them very expensive, I recall dealing with one rather large company that shall remain nameless..(the name rhymes with PRS). When calling the factory regarding a neck problem, I was told "Dude, some guitars are just quirky that way!" First off, being 51 years old and being called "Dude" just doesn't seem to fit...but more importantly, they sold me the guitar (through a dealer) and didnt care much about me after that sale. What all this rambling comes down to is...I believe Dave is trying to put a quality product out there. Nothing is perfect, but he cares enough to try and make it right. If he falls short once in a while. I am confident tht he will try to make it good. But remember, we all fall short of perfect once in a while. In everything I have read about DP Customs, I don't recall seeing anything stating that his guitars are better than any other. It seems to me that he is trying to build a quality bass for a reasonable price. So maybe we should go easy when swinging the sword. I know one thing for sure..I sure as hell wouldn't try to build a bass...hats off to Dave for putting his heart into what he does.
 
#73
This is a little off topic, and I maybe should email DP myself but I'm hoping someone else hear might know the answer.

Does Dave do bolt on necks??? it sounds like problems have either been neck or cosmetics. I need I perfect neck and am looking at maybe a graphite neck because of that. Just wondering if he does bolt on and i wonder if he would slap a Moses on a body. MMMnnn maybe I will email him if he doesnt see this.
 
#74
I'm sorry but I have to say something. I've owned over 20 guitars in my life, and am the proud owner of a custom made Yancey bass (One that was commented on several months ago in this forum). I have never seen a decent instrument that had the fret board come off. That's not a small problem. I believe that a hand made bass should never have problems like that, because someone is taking time looking over the instrument. Maybe a mass produced instrument.

It seems that DP should take some time and learn how to do things correctly, and learn to pay attention to detail. Yes, it does take some time to learl the correct way to do things, but after all he is putting himself forward as a luthier. If it was a hobby that might be a different thing.

As for the idea that it's just growing pains, I find that sad. If you can't practice an art profficiently yet, wait until you can to show to the world. I had the chance to play the first bass that Greg Yancey (www.gregyancey.com) ever built, and I can tell you that everything was soundly built. Maybe it's because he's an engineer, but he learned to do the things necessary to complete the project, instead of throwing something together to finish it. It's true that the finish left something to be desired, but the main elements that make it an instrument were right on.

It sounds like this gentleman either needs to slow down and take things more seriously, or go back to doing this for himself as a hobby.

I know I would rather have a mass produced Ibanez than a custom made instrument with serious short comings.

--Spiff
 
#75
Honestly, no I have never played a DP. That's a good way to sidestep the point though. I don't have to play a DP to know that the workmanship is not up to snuff. If 9 out of 10 basses are great, that's still too high a percentage of mistakes for a handmade instrument. In fact, that suggests that he can do better, but for some reason (effort maybe?) doesn't on some. That is not encouraging. Luthery is not darts. If you use good habits, and know what you're doing it's not hard to be consistent, like anything else in the world
 
#76
Originally posted by BassManSpiff
I have never seen a decent instrument that had the fret board come off. That's not a small problem. I believe that a hand made bass should never have problems like that, because someone is taking time looking over the instrument. Maybe a mass produced instrument.

It seems that DP should take some time and learn how to do things correctly, and learn to pay attention to detail. Yes, it does take some time to learl the correct way to do things, but after all he is putting himself forward as a luthier. If it was a hobby that might be a different thing.

As for the idea that it's just growing pains, I find that sad. If you can't practice an art profficiently yet, wait until you can to show to the world. I had the chance to play the first bass that Greg Yancey (www.gregyancey.com) ever built, and I can tell you that everything was soundly built. Maybe it's because he's an engineer, but he learned to do the things necessary to complete the project, instead of throwing something together to finish it. It's true that the finish left something to be desired, but the main elements that make it an instrument were right on.

It sounds like this gentleman either needs to slow down and take things more seriously, or go back to doing this for himself as a hobby.

I know I would rather have a mass produced Ibanez than a custom made instrument with serious short comings.

--Spiff
Click to expand...

Luis Fabara mentioned that his uncle had a problem with the fingerboard coming off of his Fodera. So, maybe Fodera isn't a quality instrument? Or, maybe the guys who work for Vinny need to slow down and take things more seriously?

Would you rather have a mass produced Ibanez than a Fodera?

Come on. I'm not putting a DP Custom on the same level with a Fodera, but, as Luis said, these kinds of things have happened to other manufacturers too.
 
#77
If a fodera has the fret board come off, then yes, that is an inferior instrument. Whoever built it needed to pay more attention. It can happen to expensive instruments too. Anywhere where a fine product is made, people need to take pride in what they're doing and do it well.

As far as opinions on Greg's basses, I would take an opinion seriously if they had a reason to have it. If you can find me an example of poor workmanship than go ahead. People get reputations for a reason.

--Spiff
 
#78
It's true that my information is second hand, coming from pictures and posts, but the preponderence (yay big words) of evidence suggests there is an issue with some of his basses hitting the public that shouldn't be. It's just not right to pawn of lackluster effort with the excuse that it is a cheap custom made bass. I've been very impressed with the cheaper ibanezes these days. If you can't spend an arm and a leg to get a nice custom bass, then it seems logical to buy the best you can.

It almost seems that people on this board have forgotten the reason to spend mad money to get a hand made bass. I thought it was to get a good instrument, not because of the snob factor in owning something custom made. I think those priorities might be a little off.

--Spiff
 
#79
What I find really strange is I see both sides to this story. I see that maybe we are a bit quick to judge, but to be honest Ive never seen a fretboard fall off or pull away from a neck or see a fret installed diagonal similiar to a fan fret. Ive never heard anyone desribe these before until this discussion started.

To me that is alittle crazy, Luis' bass had both of those problems, I can let the fretboard pulling slide, humidity can do weird things but a fret placed that poorly and a crooked bridge!!. If i remember didnt he have electronic problems(or someone else), they said Dave said he didnt even try it before sending it out. That is a major lack of QC, the least you could do is play and check the electronics before shipping a bass that long of a distance.

When buying a bass you need to expect the bassics: A good straight stable neck, electronics that work properly. Something that will play and be as stable as the average bass in that price range.
If I pay $700-1400 for a handmade bass I expect stability, if its pretty its a plus. I dont care if its some exotic wood or plain ash as long as it sounds good and plays well and is stable. These are the bassic things someone should expect.

I would like to hear other opinions on these basses from owners, maybe there are problems or more gems. Sounds like Jeff Rader wasnt happy with the bassic construction along with not getting a vibe for his bass. Im sure there are other people opnions out there. But all this makes me alittle unsure of what to expect.

Another thing that surprises me is why alot of this hasnt been discussed more openly before, Ive never heard any negative comments about any smaller luthiers. But I hear people always quick to gripe about larger builders(Fender, Ibeenhad etc).

Why is this, do we let things slide for the smaller working class builders, or are we more critical of the big company buiders?
 
#80
People tend to take negative comments about things they like as bashing. Sometimes it probably is bashing... other times it just may be perceived that way. I've seen the pics of the DPs that have been posted here and I think they speak for themself. I've also read positive and negative reviews from actual owners.

Personally, I don't feel the need to try and convince anyone of what they are, if you dig what you see and read, cool, if not, just as cool. Good luck either way.
 

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