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Experienced wait time?


Studio Custom

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1 hour ago, DBraz said:

There’s not much to be said in the first four months is there?  

Yes. I shared a couple emails with Mike, sent him a deposit and he said his wife would contact me within a few days with paperwork, etc. I heard nothing for 3 months? So, I emailed Mike and asked for return deposit, I did need money at the time. He said he normally doesn't do that but he said he couldn't get to the order for 'some time' and he would agree to do it in this case. There was a breakdown in communication. I would order from Mike again, so it's not a personal thing. He could have said No and I really like his work. He also seems like a good guy. 

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24 minutes ago, RockinJim said:

Yes. I shared a couple emails with Mike, sent him a deposit and he said his wife would contact me within a few days with paperwork, etc. I heard nothing for 3 months? So, I emailed Mike and asked for return deposit, I did need money at the time. He said he normally doesn't do that but he said he couldn't get to the order for 'some time' and he would agree to do it in this case. There was a breakdown in communication. I would order from Mike again, so it's not a personal thing. He could have said No and I really like his work. He also seems like a good guy. 

Again, I don't know what you expected here. Paperwork? What for?
Could it be that you just needed the money, as you said, and not a long wait time without any updates?
It sounds like you needed your money back for something and Mike gave it back to you, which as you alluded to was nice of him.

"I asked for my deposit back," implies some dissatisfaction with your order.

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2 minutes ago, kizanski said:

Again, I don't know what you expected here. Paperwork? What for?
Could it be that you just needed the money, as you said, and not a long wait time without any updates?
It sounds like you needed your money back for something and Mike gave it back to you, which as you alluded to was nice of him.

"I asked for my deposit back," implies some dissatisfaction with your order.

2 minutes ago, kizanski said:

I did expect to hear back after deposit after our emails. I didn't reach out because I didn't want to bother him but other issues popped up. Again, it was nothing personal. I think Mike was gracious in his response. 

 

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4 minutes ago, RockinJim said:

I did expect to hear back after deposit after our emails. I didn't reach out because I didn't want to bother him but other issues popped up. Again, it was nothing personal. I think Mike was gracious in his response.

 

Right.  You needed your money back and Mike sent it back to you.
That's miles away from, "I asked for my deposit back," as an answer to a thread regarding wait time to receive a guitar from Mike.

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Unreasonable expectations are usually met with what are perceived as unreasonable outcomes.  Reasonable expectations resulting in unreasonable outcomes is what matters to me.  Ian Anderson taking five years to build me a Flying V, while a dozen guitars ordered after mine were delivered is an example of the latter. 

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2 minutes ago, The Shark said:

Ian Anderson taking five years to build me a Flying V, while a dozen guitars ordered after mine were delivered is an example of the latter. 

We all have horror stories like that one; long wait times without any communication, mismanagement of materials, poor measuring resulting in incorrectly mounted hardware, poorly documented communications resulting in "misunderstandings" with a project's direction, and said builder calling his customer "difficult," and all this as you watch other guys' projects start and finish.
And that was just one guitar!!

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10 minutes ago, kizanski said:

We all have horror stories like that one; long wait times without any communication, mismanagement of materials, poor measuring resulting in incorrectly mounted hardware, poorly documented communications resulting in "misunderstandings" with a project's direction, and said builder calling his customer "difficult," and all this as you watch other guys' projects start and finish.
And that was just one guitar!!

You forgot the 28 different completion dates promised along the way.  And then, I had to buy a case and have it dropped shipped to the builder to ship my guitar.  It took him five weeks to get a box for the guitar.  And yes, the case I sent him did arrive in a box!

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To Rodi's point, at first, there were no numbers being handed out, because that might create a false sense of numerical build order.  While that was a loose structure of predictability, with so many different custom features being ordered and offered, it was out of necessity (and to make things move along faster), that similar characteristics might be "batched" together, regardless of number.  There's a LOT of variation between these guitars, and even if Mike had a CNC machine to aid with the rough-out stuff, he'd still need to either hand build jigs or somehow program the coordinates into the CNC software.  Those things are all incredibly time-consuming.  When some knucklehead decides he wants 3 TV Jones instead of Humbuckers, Mike has to make separate jigs, calculate the depth for each pickup cavity, etc. before carving the top.  There may be 5 or 10 people in a row that all order a totally different bridge, different scale lengths...you name it.  That definitely takes away from most assembly line, stock production efficiency.

Mike (and Trish) are doing great with learning the ropes on this venture for just being a few years into things.  I would say that the build time gets faster the further along things are, depending on current backlog.  Still within reason in my opinion and better than some of "The Emperor's New Clothes" fanboi jackhole builders over on TGP.

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21 minutes ago, cmatthes said:

When some knucklehead decides he wants 3 TV Jones instead of Humbuckers, Mike has to make separate jigs, calculate the depth for each pickup cavity, etc. before carving the top.

...or changing the guitar's scale or wanting a wraparound bridge...
What's with these primadonnas?

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15 hours ago, 0054 said:

Yo Funk, I was just shy on 3 years of sending quote and 32 months before I got mine... LOL, you must be paitent!

You have me beat by a bit. I bet there are a couple of others who sent in custom quotes before Mike had delivered any Ultimates that beat me as well. It has been longer than anyone else who posted a timeline prior to my posting. 

Threads like these can go off the rails really easily. There’s a fine line between answering the question posed by the OP and inadvertently discouraging a lurker or first time visitor to this forum from contacting Mike. 

 

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2 minutes ago, Funky Chicken said:

Threads like these can go off the rails really easily. There’s a fine line between answering the question posed by the OP and inadvertently discouraging a lurker or first time visitor to this forum from contacting Mike. 

This is the point I was trying to make above.

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1 hour ago, Studio Custom said:

Some would argue that if you have a 30 guitar plus backlog, maybe it is time to hire an assistant.  Wealth is created by profiting off the labor of others as they say. 

A couple of things.

1) An assistant who can not perform tasks at or near Mike's level (and who can?) could cause more harm than good. One slip and you are bandsawing a body. It's his name on the headstock, and his processes are what is creating the finished product.

2) I have no place speaking for Mike, but it may be that he doesn't want to have to train someone or deal with all of the business details that he can avoid as a sole proprietor.

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Methinks that Mike and Trish have some valuable unpaid supporters assisting in some of the "business details".

FWIW, one (just one) of the reasons I do NOT sell any of the "wood projects" I create is not wanting to deal with the "business details" involved. Nevermind that my background might suggest I'd be good at that part of it. (Of course one of the OTHER reasons is that I want to do what I want to do, WHEN I want to do it----Not have to meet anyone else's expectations).

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18 minutes ago, Funky Chicken said:

A couple of things.

1) An assistant who can not perform tasks at or near Mike's level (and who can?) could cause more harm than good. One slip and you are bandsawing a body. It's his name on the headstock, and his processes are what is creating the finished product.

2) I have no place speaking for Mike, but it may be that he doesn't want to have to train someone or deal with all of the business details that he can avoid as a sole proprietor.

You are being overly dramatic. 

Someone can be trained to mundane tasks to create more hours per week for the proprietor, regardless of the business type.  Parts have to be ordered, then received.  Materials moved about.  The shop cleaned up, etc.  The owner doesn't have to do everything including scrubbing the toilets. 

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2 hours ago, Studio Custom said:

Some would argue that if you have a 30 guitar plus backlog, maybe it is time to hire an assistant.  Wealth is created by profiting off the labor of others as they say. 

There are more things we don't know about Mike's business plans that I'm sure are possible considerations.

MIke can do his work when he wants without consideration of anyone else's schedule

His shop is in his home and he may not want other people there

Mike may have no desire to become a bigger business, so his backlog is only a question of expectation between himself and his customer

I'm sure when Mike feels ready, he will implement changes to how he does things

I have not heard of a single person who felt their guitar did not meet or exceed their expectations!

ArnieZ

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30 minutes ago, Studio Custom said:

You are being overly dramatic. 

Someone can be trained to mundane tasks to create more hours per week for the proprietor, regardless of the business type.  Parts have to be ordered, then received.  Materials moved about.  The shop cleaned up, etc.  The owner doesn't have to do everything including scrubbing the toilets. 

Early on in an email exchange I mentioned an interest in using a material on my guitar that I had not seen Mike use. I researched where to get it and sent Trish a link. When we got to that point in the process, I found out that they had already gotten hold of the material and all I had to do was approve it. Trish has the parts thing under control.

While Mike was performing that step a question arose-he contacted me right away and gave me options as to how to proceed. We agreed on what to do. Later that same day I got another email saying that the original plan wasn't going to look the way Mike thought it should and that he went with his gut. The pictures attached to that email were my proof that Mike's level of skill is simply off the charts. I'll gladly trade the wait for the end result if it means that Mike and Gary are the only two people who had a hand in the build.

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Funky Chicken said:

Early on in an email exchange I mentioned an interest in using a material on my guitar that I had not seen Mike use. I researched where to get it and sent Trish a link. When we got to that point in the process, I found out that they had already gotten hold of the material and all I had to do was approve it. Trish has the parts thing under control.

While Mike was performing that step a question arose-he contacted me right away and gave me options as to how to proceed. We agreed on what to do. Later that same day I got another email saying that the original plan wasn't going to look the way Mike thought it should and that he went with his gut. The pictures attached to that email were my proof that Mike's level of skill is simply off the charts. I'll gladly trade the wait for the end result if it means that Mike and Gary are the only two people who had a hand in the build.

 

 

And that is fine and dandy for YOU.  Not everyone is willing to wait that long. 

When one orders a custom shop Fender or Gibson, they do not know who the builder(s) will be up front, and they are still happy with the end result.  It is the company's reputation that makes the buyer's mind at ease, not the fact that Leo or Henry actually had a hand in the manufacture.  No reasonable person believes Paul Reed Smith is building their guitar himself. 

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Just now, 0054 said:

Some people get what Shishkov guitars are about and others dont, c'est la vie. 

Ron Thorn just announced he accepted a job at Fender, he was a very well respected builder.  You just can't charge enough for a one man operation IMO.  Lawyers could type their own briefs, but it makes more sense to hire a paralegal, same idea.   Has anyone ever not taken Mark Geragos as their defense lawyer because he wasn't going to be the one typing up the paperwork?  The whole concept is silly IMO. 

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3 hours ago, Studio Custom said:

Some would argue that if you have a 30 guitar plus backlog, maybe it is time to hire an assistant.  Wealth is created by profiting off the labor of others as they say. 

Others would argue that if patience isn't a virtue you enjoy, seek out something with the potential to provide instant gratification. What would an admin assistant do to reduce that backlog? It's the labour to build them properly and to the standard Mike, Trish and their customers expect that takes time. 

Here I am thinking "Awesome! A long lead time means more time to save and pay the installments" ;) Now to predict what would I want 2-3 years from now..

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17 minutes ago, Sugartune said:

Others would argue that if patience isn't a virtue you enjoy, seek out something with the potential to provide instant gratification. What would an admin assistant do to reduce that backlog? It's the labour to build them properly and to the standard Mike, Trish and their customers expect that takes time. 

There's a lot to be said for doing things entirely (or close to it) on your own terms.

Whether you're flat broke and bent for the rent or rich as fuck .but still unsatisfied and consumed with accumulating more cash, in either case you're a slave to money. 

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1 hour ago, Studio Custom said:

Ron Thorn just announced he accepted a job at Fender, he was a very well respected builder.  You just can't charge enough for a one man operation IMO.  Lawyers could type their own briefs, but it makes more sense to hire a paralegal, same idea.   Has anyone ever not taken Mark Geragos as their defense lawyer because he wasn't going to be the one typing up the paperwork?  The whole concept is silly IMO. 

Mike's business model and my own are very similar.  I have a thriving tax and accounting practice and have no staff.  I answer the phones, make the appointments, buy the supplies, pay the bills, perform all the tasks and deliver the work to or meet with the clients.  I have never advertised. 

I'm sure I could increase my profit by adding staff, opening satellite offices and advertising.  But I'm happy with the income amount I earn.  And it's considerably more than most of my classmates from Stetson University class of '95 (my third career) earn.  The only ones that earn more are partners and they do very little accounting or preparation.  They hate their jobs for the most part.  I wear golf shorts and Nike shoes to work every day from April 15th to January 15th of the following year.  I work when I want and am beholden to nobody but my clients.  I play softball twice a week, practice with the band once a week and play golf two or three times a week.  My wife and I garden and cook together all the time.  I'm active in my church.

I'm certain SC would find flaws in my business model, but local accountants that know about my practice are envious.  My clients love that I handle every facet of their work. 

Some, however, could not handle the ninety five days straight that I work at an average of fourteen hours a day.  At 56 years old, I always look for efficiencies.  But I have no interest in changing my business model just for more money.  I have enough money.  It's time that my business affords me. 

Try to put a price on time and freedom.  Nobody can pay me a salary that's enough to give up what's become a great self-employed life.  

More power to Mike and Trish.  They might be on the right track, regardless of other's perceptions.

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5 minutes ago, The Shark said:

Mike's business model and my own are very similar. 

Some, however, could not handle the ninety five days straight that I work at an average of fourteen hours a day. 

Try to put a price on time and freedom. 

Just deleting the noise to highlight the facts stated. 

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