# My strange, strange situation with a local pedal builder



## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

So back in mid-late 2012 I ordered a custom fuzz face clone from a local builder. He's been making videos, has a website, a lifetime guarantee; the whole bit. He's also a member here on GC.

I got it and it sounded great. However, after just two weeks it stopped working, despite me only testing it at home (no gigs or rehearsals). I figured it was probably just a solder joint that came loose or something simple like that. 

Here's where I screwed up. I figured I'd let him know the next time I was heading in to the downtown Toronto (which isn't very often nowadays). But a month later, when I did go downtown, I forgot to contact him or bring the pedal. After that, days turned to weeks turned to months, and the pedal sat on my shelf not working. I kept thinking I would do something about it, but never did.

Fast forward to early September 2013, about a year after I bought the pedal. He sends me a PM here on GC asking how I'm liking it. I tell him it had stopped working way back in 2012, etc etc.

He says he'd be happy to fix it, and mail it over to him. I pack it up and send it off soon after that.

And here's where things get sort of strange...

The pedal took just one day to ship and be delivered. However, over two weeks go by and I don't hear anything. I PM him, and he writes back saying he got the pedal, and just checked it out. He says one of the transistor legs was grounding out against the top of the other transistor. While he's at it, he'd like to adjust the bias for a better gain range. I write back thanks!

I wait two months (now late November 2013), and I haven't heard anything from him. Finally, I write again asking if he's made any progress. He writes back and says the pedal is up and running, he just needs to get it back in the enclosure. He's been really busy, sorry for the delay.

I wait another month and a half, now early January 2014, and I again PM him to see if the pedal is ready to ship back. After a few days he hasn't written back, so I check his profile, and see he hasn't logged back in to GC since early December. Good chance he hasn't seen my PM.

I wait another couple of weeks, and finally in mid-late January 2014 I send him and email through his website.

He replies back and explains he totally forgot about the pedal, apologizes for the delay, will get it back together asap and send it over.

I wait until this past weekend, about a month later, and I haven't heard from him. I sent him an email to see if he's made any progress. Wrote him on Saturday, and haven't gotten a reply as of yet.

It's now been almost six months since he offered to fix the pedal. I figure there's a chance at this point I'll never see it again. 

Boy oh boy, am I through supporting these upstart builders! Only the established ones from now on.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I think I know who this is, and if so, have received some irritated off-line messages about this same builder (though in fairness, one of the complainants was a little overly paranoid).

Some folks, while probably quite honest for the most part, are much better designers/ builders, or enthusiastic talkers, than they are business people. Also fair to note that, when a "business" is one person, without anyone else to take care of e-mail, accounts, order-tracking, contacting suppliers, etc., things can easily fall behind very quickly. And if you weren't the most business-like person to begin with, simply catching a cold and being in bed for a few days can send the "business" into a tailspin. Add to that, most 1-man "businesses" are usually supplemented by other revenue streams (i.e., day jobs). And if they are not supplemented by other revenue streams, the "business" may have to spend large amounts of time hiding from landlords, mooching use of a washing machine off distant relatives, waiting in line at the food bank, or hiding from angry romantic partners. That's not meant to whitewash or excuse anything, but simply to set the expectations in a more realistic direction.

This is why I don't mind selling pedals to folks in town, after I've built them and liked them, and assured their functioning to my satisfaction. I'm disinclined to take orders for pedals or deal with out of town stuff. I can't guarantee when I'll have time to build or fix something, so I hate the pressure of orders. If a pedal stops working right, you bring it by the house, I pop it open, and we make it right. But all that shipping nonsense just gets too involved and sets expectations and costs too high. 

Folks tell me all the time "Mark, you should go into pedal-building". And my response is that I have adecent-paying full-time job already, and that a person will never get rich building fuzzboxes. They MAY make a decent living if they happen to be a decent business person who also happens to make fuzzboxes. But it's the business chops that come first, not the ear for tone, or whatever.


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## urko99 (Mar 30, 2009)

I think you should put the Hammer down. You've been more than patient. I would have lost it long ago. JMHO.


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## Cups (Jan 5, 2010)

Well said Mark. I love building but I suck at business and deadlines.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

If he has a shop location, I don't mind popping in for you. Just PM any info you have and depending on where he is, I could be there before the weekend. Just let me know.


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

Sounds pretty much par for the course in these "small builder" threads, good on you for doing it in the first place, just check the gear page for a litany of complaints against a ton of builders over many years. One of the issues is no business sense... to bad because obviously he has something to offer or you wouldn't have bought in the first place.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

adcandour said:


> If he has a shop location, I don't mind popping in for you. Just PM any info you have and depending on where he is, I could be there before the weekend. Just let me know.


Thanks for the offer, but no worries. He works out of his house near the Danforth area, and I'm located in South Mississauga. I could be there in a half hour if I really felt like it.


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## Guest (Feb 20, 2014)

mhammer said:


> Folks tell me all the time "Mark, you should go into pedal-building". And my response is that I have adecent-paying full-time job already, and that a person will never get rich building fuzzboxes. They MAY make a decent living if they happen to be a decent business person who also happens to make fuzzboxes. But it's the business chops that come first, not the ear for tone, or whatever.


Mark, you should license out the building of some of your designs to someone who can handle the supply chain!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Well, Biyang already took it upon themselves to use one of my designs, although they did so without my permission or without telling me.  And if the Chinese can't handle the supply chain, who can?
http://hammer.ampage.org/?cmd=lt&xid=&fid=&ex=&pg=4 (for Woody schematic; note Biyang's choice of font)
[video=youtube;K4RtEUMOuIE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4RtEUMOuIE[/video]


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

Well, he emailed me back just a few hours after I started this thread. He still hasn't logged back in to GC, so it's possibly just a coincidence.

He wrote: "I replaced all the pots with higher quality Alphas. I'm going to mix and match different transistor sets as well. Maybe put some better switchcraft jacks in if they'll fit. "

In one of his earlier PMs he wrote something along the lines of 'Sorry for the delay, I'll make it up to you', so it seems his offer to upgrade the components is he way of making things right (no complaints here).

It appears I'll likely be getting the pedal back after all!


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Again, basic honesty, and good intentions, are a nice addition to solid business practices, but are not the same thing AS solid business practices.

I hope for both parties that it all works out amicably and sonicly.

And hey, if you ordered something from *me*, I could deliver and repair in under *15 *months! "Speedy service" is my middle name. :acigar:


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

I do know a thing or two about running a business: I've grown my small business successfully for just under a decade now, have increased revenue every year since taking over operations, and currently manage sixteen employees. 

In this pedal maker's defense: he's learning, as many of us do, by doing. I've made mistakes over the years, but I live, learn, and move forward. 

Seems he still plans to make things right, so I'm more hopeful than I was a few hours ago.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Clean Channel said:


> Well, he emailed me back just a few hours after I started this thread. He still hasn't logged back in to GC, so it's possibly just a coincidence.
> 
> He wrote: "I replaced all the pots with higher quality Alphas. *I'm going to mix and match different transistor sets as well. Maybe put some better switchcraft jacks in if they'll fit.* "
> 
> ...


Although you do have to accept some of the blame for this situation due to the attached quote. It would be better _and faster_ if he just sent you a new pedal with all the upgrades.

_"But a month later, when I did go downtown, I forgot to contact him or bring the pedal. After that, days turned to weeks turned to months, and the pedal sat on my shelf not working. I kept thinking I would do something about it, but never did. Fast forward to early September 2013, about a year after I bought the pedal. He sends me a PM here on GC asking how I'm liking it. I tell him it had stopped working way back in 2012, etc etc."_


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

You mean to tell me you live within a half hour, and didn't drive over to put the heat on him? You got nothing to gripe about then.

CT.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I have to admit, I'd rather no deal with one man shows anymore. Not worth the hassle most of the time.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

CocoTone said:


> You mean to tell me you live within a half hour, and didn't drive over to put the heat on him? You got nothing to gripe about then.
> 
> CT.


No, I'd consider it a waste of an hour to drive all the way downtown and randomly knock on his door. I can make far better use of my time.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Sorry for your troubles Tim, I hope everything works itself out.

Ryan, of Dr Scientist is the flip side of this story.
Always prompt responses to emails, even on a Sunday,
super nice guy to deal with and excellent communication.

I'll deal with that one man operation any time.


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## CocoTone (Jan 22, 2006)

Clean Channel said:


> No, I'd consider it a waste of an hour to drive all the way downtown and randomly knock on his door. I can make far better use of my time.



But you'll blow all kinds of time on here whining bout the guy, instead of resolving the issue like an adult. Its easy to ignor an email, text message or phone call, but when your looking him in the eye,,,

CT.


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## Clean Channel (Apr 18, 2011)

CocoTone said:


> But you'll blow all kinds of time on here whining bout the guy, instead of resolving the issue like an adult. Its easy to ignor an email, text message or phone call, but when your looking him in the eye,,,
> 
> CT.


This thread didn't take "all kinds of time".

Showing up at his door unannounced is not behaving like an adult.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Sounds like it could work out after all. Fortunately for you, the builder showed some concern by initiating contact post-purchase. Now it's no longer sitting broken & unused on your shelf...


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

Not really sure what to walk away from this thread. We still don't know who you're talking about as you haven't outed him, but yet, you still seem to be non-plussed other than more promises and no real results to date.

Good luck, I guess....


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

It sounds great!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

You are a very patient person.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Clean Channel said:


> No, I'd consider it a waste of an hour to drive all the way downtown and randomly knock on his door. I can make far better use of my time.


You get his number and call to let him know when you're leaving. It does sound like it didnt need to take this long.


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