I got my Strictly 7 Boden and....

[Fred the Shred]

Why would one assume S7G is going bankrupt without more concrete data? Again, it's very easy to jump to conclusions, and the one thing we know is that we have inconsistencies deriving from excessive orders, communication issues and wood hiccups that are a consequence of multiple factors.

At the same time I'm not keen on elevating companies to supreme divinity, I also don't tend to claim they are so bad that whomever listens to me thinks they are the cause of hurricanes, wars, and famine in Africa, or at least without factual evidence to support that. I have played some very good guitars from them, as well as seen some unacceptable QC issues, but when skimming across the whole Boden debate sparked by the better known couple of duds, some peeps are really pointing out things they don't like about the parts themselves, or attributing finish properties to wood flaws and crap, or claiming that wood fluctuations are impossible in guitars (I truly hope you never get a snakewood fingerboard...) and diluting the actual problems in there out of paranoia.

Not my business, so not my problem, but this kind of phenomenon dilutes the useful information tremendously.

 

[RickSchneider]

10min into the hour long video, seems like he is so far repeating a lot of "I don't have time to do things other than build guitars". Why is this video so long winded then! I'll stick to it though, interested in what he has to say

 

[isispelican]

well someone is angry

 

[xCaptainx]

34 min mark. Ouch.

 

[Suho]

Any ballpark figures as to how many S7/Ola guitars (including rebuilds) remain to be completed?

 

[RickSchneider]

Oh my....

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DretNN-JmYw#t=33m

 

[fps]

I'm really saddened by the stories in this thread. These amounts of money, and frankly the amount of importance these guitars have to their prospective owners, are so enormous that for people to come away feeling let down, with a negative experience where they wanted such a positive one, is incredibly sad, and I really feel for you.

It seems there are a lot of new luthiers these days. The amount of money that can be charged for working in small batches with small numbers of people working on the instruments is high, so it seems like a very good small business idea, though hard work. The internet means you can make a good-looking guitar, indeed a few genuinely terrific guitars, get a good endorsement, and the orders will roll in. However, it is the QUALITY of those people working on the guitar that we, prospective customers, are meant to be paying for, and if those people are not of the highest quality, then that shop must sort its problems out quickly, reduce its prices enormously, or die. That's not a go at S7, it's just the nature of the high-end guitar business.

It is times like these I'm struck by how remarkable the best of the mass production guitar industry is, how few true duds there are among all the LTDs, SEs and Ibanezes I've played in my local guitar shop, and how sometimes you can find a gem in these Korean-made guitars that has the mojo and heft of a guitar three times its price. An acoustic sure, but my Yamaha AC3R, every Yamaha AC3R, is checked TWICE for quality and set-up before it leaves the factory, and I have a fantastic one that rolls with guitars twice its price, as a result.

I guess the harsh truth here is hand-made doesn't always mean better, if those hands are inconsistent in their craft. Seems there are some FANTASTIC guitars from S7, and some very, very happy owners out there with brilliant instruments. But they have to be able to do it day-in, day-out to have the right to charge these kinds of prices, when an instrument of the highest level is meant to be nothing less than extension of your entire being.

 

[decoy205]

The builder I work with has a philosophy that when he doesn't want to sell the guitar and it's hard for him to let it go that's when it's ready to go to the client. Until then it's not good enough.

 

[Basti]

34 min mark. Ouch.

Indeed, OUCH.

This isn't a way of dealing with a problem, whatever his intentions may be he's putting customers in the spotlight and expecting the general public's support to shut them up once and for all. If the customers were wrong (for the sake of argument) it's the seller's responsibility to be professional in dealing with the issue, not call them out and let the world know how much they piss him off.

 

[ola_strandberg]

Any ballpark figures as to how many S7/Ola guitars (including rebuilds) remain to be completed?

I have now offered to assume the responsibility for delivering the outstanding orders as well as the currently agreed replacements from S7.

The customers involved will be given the option of staying on with S7 to receive their original order, or having it fulfilled by Strandberg Guitars in Sweden.

 

[DoomMantia]

Haha. Wow pretty brutal videos. Entertaining watch though.

 

[RickSchneider]

It is a true shame that it had to come to that Ola, but it's a testament to your character that you are extending such an offer. I hope your venture with Washburn proves more fruitful, someday I would love to see a strandberg over here in Australia

 

[SDMFVan]

That video is insane. The fact that he thought that was a good idea tells you everything you need to know about S7.

 

[fps]

Pretty long video, I think 24 minutes to 27 minutes is interesting stuff re Strandberg. Pretty worrying that one of his guys took a Strandberg home and worked out how to assemble it himself because he didn't receive training in putting the guitar together. Also about the neck, a 3mm side dot on a 4mm space, and how it's hard. Well, to be honest, that's why you're the luthier.

The tone of this video is aggressive, and passive-aggressive, in a way which I feel is unhelpful for the image of the company. Poor guy is clearly near the end of his tether re all this. His point at 30 minutes is a good one re unrealistic expectations based on pretty internet pictures.

The wormhole is addressed around 32 minutes 20 seconds. This is jaw-dropping stuff. I have sympathy on both sides. Still, jaw dropping.

39 minutes- you don't hang up on a customer. Customer service 101.

43 minutes- Lol! He is pretty annoyed about the levels of misinformation out there.

47-49 minutes- Harsh, in the extreme, on him. $23,000.

56 minutes- *you will* LOL!!

56 1/2 minutes- info for people with outstanding Boden orders, I think?

 

[Pyrocario]

someday I would love to see a strandberg over here in Australia

+1 for Australia. I so badly want one but the import :x

 

[foreright]

Wow, slagging off your ex employees... classy!

Actually, his points about people picking up the phone are fair enough... it amuses me no end how people are so reliant on email these days. He has some other good points too but specifically calling out customers and ex-employees is not cool and makes him look like a whiny kid... "pleeeeease sir... it wasn't my fault!"

 

[technomancer]

Let's be honest here, if he hadn't shipped product that should have never gone out the door and then tried to tell the customer it was fine deal with it none of this would have happened. He can try to blame it on whoever he wants, it's his company and his customers and S7 should be taking responsibility for the situation. Bottom line is they've been shipping guitars with issues of varying degree for a LONG time and are finally getting backlash on it. They are also NOT handling it gracefully. Which would be more effective: fixing the customer issues and posting an apology along with what was done to resolve the situation (ie pics of replacement guitars / parts etc) and a promise not to let it happen again, or what they are doing

Also since Strandberg is no longer associated with S7 beyond wrapping up orders I pulled this into its own thread

 

[Danukenator]

What a ....ing scumbag. I assume at the 34 minute mark he is talking about Leonardo. If so, the he should take up the offer and just send the money to Washburn.

 

[RickSchneider]

Thanks for breaking this off, I'd rather see strandberg move past this as soon as possible. After spending an hour and a half watching all of that footage, I've got to say he had some valid point, but his demeanor and aggression seemed to work against him.

I've got to see his reasons for being frustrated, but I think to make such extensive videos to clear your name and your company you should at least try to go about in a calm manner. Do not claim to respect your clients based on your own goodwill, but curse out other clients because they were unsatisfied with what he mostly acknowledged was subpar.

"I trust my employees to send out perfect instruments so I did not check the strandberg shipments" Did he not say there was a 3% return rate on S7 guitars? For a decent figure like that you think you would want to go over an ACKNOWLEDGED foreign product with a fine toothed comb before just shipping them out.

I hope all parties can move beyond this, S7 included. They aren't an awful company from what I have seen overall, but they have really dropped the ball a few times recently. Nobody wants people to lose jobs, and for those on the waiting list or those with S7 guitars, I hope the best for what they've spent their hard earned money on

 

[Danukenator]

I'm going to double post just because this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. I hate when people claim they are being trolled for being criticized. DDOSing, Racism and general hatred to incite anger is trolling. Criticism is NOT trolling, it's pointing out errors and failings in a company.

I hate how people claim they're being trolled when, in reality, they are simply being confronted for having shoddy products. "Trolling" is a shield used to simply erase all of their accusers.


EDIT: I will note, to be fair, he does make several valid points. People should just pick up the phone every now and then. I couldn't reach Black Water on email, so I called and got through.