I got my Strictly 7 Boden and....

[Pezshreds]

I can appreciate why he's getting angry, but man that's no way to handle business. His videos would have been a lot more effective if he had taken out the aggression and name calling and name shaming out, because he actually had a couple of valid points.

 

[engage757]

mod edit: nice subtle promotion of the deal you proposed in comments to Jim's videos. One more post promoting your "network" or anything else you're up to and you will be gone permanently.

 

[Erockomania]

I answer 30 emails before my morning coffee. That was pure silliness.

I hate to keep piling on, but damn was that shop disorganized! Your work is as clean as your work area. If you look at all the badass custom guitar manufacturers out there you will see very clean workbenches (with little exception). There is a reason for that.

If that were my shop, I'd hire a $15hr guy to research progress, answer emails and organize the shop as much as possible. Those few things WILL bring in more business because customers that are happy tell people how badass their new guitar is. Conversely, one unsatisfied customer will post on forums with detailed pictures and recalled conversations until EVERYONE knows just how bad the company is. A $15 per hour guys will pay himself off after only a few guitars are sold. You WILL sell more guitars when you have great customer service. Fact.

Damage control could be as easy as some standard organization and prompt correspondence. This is not a new theory. This is textbook.

 

[Erockomania]

You know, in all honesty, it seems like Jim is a nice guy who is stressed and over his head. He feels let down by Strandberg, and he is getting a ton of negative publicity, he rushed guitars and made mistakes because of this. That's why I said what I did. Maybe letting some other guys check one out and see what they think. Maybe S7g still has hope, I don't know. It isn't unheard of for guitar companies to make a comeback. He honestly seems like a good guy pushed to his limit to me.

Either way, mistakes were made and must be rectified. Let's face it, he isn't in a BRJ hole. yet.

I agree. Seems like a nice guy in way over his head.

I think S7Gs future is in $1000 stock builds. They can't cater to this crowd.

 

[TIBrent]

You know, in all honesty, it seems like Jim is a nice guy who is stressed and over his head. He feels let down by Strandberg, and he is getting a ton of negative publicity, he rushed guitars and made mistakes because of this. That's why I said what I did. He honestly seems like a good guy pushed to his limit to me.

+1 This, perfectly said.

 

[jonajon91]

5. Trash-talking others actually makes yourself look a whole lot worse.

This .... seriously

These videos are sad, it seems like they can see their company slamming into a brick wall. I think they need to call chef ramsay to fix their company, this is near Amy's Bakery social media breakdown level =P

Exactly what I was thinking when I was watching these.


I wonder when we will get the big paragraph apology on facebook. I wonder if he was a mental condition? HaveNotHeardThatOneBefore

 

[fc3603]

I am soooo glad I watched that video before heading to work this morning and before it was made private. The guy is one stressed out pathetic dude! I took notes and will reply in response when I get home tonight. I will start by posting a snapshot from my cell phone proving that the phone call I had with Curran last Thursday was under 21 minutes, not the 45 minutes they both claim it to be.

For now:

He's decided to NOT make me another body as a replacement but is kind enough to be offering I send him back the guitar Ive already paid for? And hes kind enough to give me less a week to do so? Then wait 4+ months for the money to be sent to Washburn? Then wait another 4+ months for the guitar to be made? I said it before Jim admitted it in the video today, Strictly 7 is broke!! Thats the reality and I knew it when he asked me for upfront payment back in January. Since then there has been nothing but evidence stacking up to prove that they are on their way out the door. The evidence would not be so present to someone who has no dealings with the company. The position I have been in and dealing with what I have dealt with is what has made it obvious to me that they are broke and today he has admitted to it in the video.

Unless he works it out somehow, or gets financial backing, I do not feel as though I would ever get my money back, therefore will not be sending him my guitar. He wants me to send him the guitar so he can paint it and sell it asap! Meanwhile, that money wont be going to me or Washburn for many months if at all, and in the meantime the money from the resell will be used to cover his expenses and debt! Sending him back the guitar is a much better deal for him than making me a new body. While its the best option for him, its the worst option for me. Funny how these things pan out.

Ivr told you people he's going broke in my last comment but guys won't believe. It's not that hard to figure it out

 

[L1ght]

I answer 30 emails before my morning coffee. That was pure silliness.

I hate to keep piling on, but damn was that shop disorganized! Your work is as clean as your work area. If you look at all the badass custom guitar manufacturers out there you will see very clean workbenches (with little exception). There is a reason for that.

If that were my shop, I'd hire a $15hr guy to research progress, answer emails and organize the shop as much as possible. Those few things WILL bring in more business because customers that are happy tell people how badass their new guitar is. Conversely, one unsatisfied customer will post on forums with detailed pictures and recalled conversations until EVERYONE knows just how bad the company is. A $15 per hour guys will pay himself off after only a few guitars are sold. You WILL sell more guitars when you have great customer service. Fact.

Damage control could be as easy as some standard organization and prompt correspondence. This is not a new theory. This is textbook.

Okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and give Jim a little break on my part since I've been bashing S7 myself mostly because of the lack of care going in to such expensive instruments, but I just can't let this post slide without saying something.

Jim himself, the "organization" of his shop, the amount of employees he has on payroll and how he chooses said employees, along with a NUMBER of other things said here, are COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT to the situation at hand. This is NOT a witch hunt, nor should it be, and who are we to criticize and judge another person and the way he completes his work? There is only ONE thing to be judged here in this entire situation, and that is the quality and consistency of expensive guitars and literally NOTHING else. You simply can not bash on the state of his workshop or his tools, etc..., because beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, alright? I am sure there are PLENTY of other luthiers and various workshops out there that are pretty unorganized, yet still have the ability to churn out fantastic instruments, and in the end that is all that matters.

Let's all try and keep this about the guitars, his attitude towards his customers, and his overall accountability of aforementioned details. Nothing else should be discussed here. You want to talk about how you think his shop is shitty and disorganized? You want to talk about how you think he should run his own company? Go start a thread in OT or General.


Now, with that being said, I'm not sure if anyone else touched on this yet, but for those of you who saw the video, did anyone else notice the really gross rag he was using to put on the finishing oil on that untouched body? And how the black stain that was on that rag came off with the oil and in to the body of the guitar? There's no way that stain is coming out either since he himself said that body was dry as a bone and would suck up the oil instantly. I wonder who is going to get that body, who will wind up complaining about a weird black stain mixed in with the oil finish...


/contradictorypostiscontradictory

 

[Mklane]

I got this for $1500, pretty nice oiled claro walnut.

 

[Insinfier]

Now, with that being said, I'm not sure if anyone else touched on this yet, but for those of you who saw the video, did anyone else notice the really gross rag he was using to put on the finishing oil on that untouched body? And how the black stain that was on that rag came off with the oil and in to the body of the guitar? There's no way that stain is coming out either since he himself said that body was dry as a bone and would suck up the oil instantly. I wonder who is going to get that body, who will wind up complaining about a weird black stain mixed in with the oil finish...


/contradictorypostiscontradictory

Yeaaaaaa, he was like "no big deal" and I'm dying a little inside. You gotta be ....ing kidding me. You just put oil on the guitar and you have some black dye on the rag.

I think that moment sums up all the quality control issues.



I'm actually curious how the entire back of the guitar would look with a little bit of that black rubbed in with the oil...

Not curious enough to ruin a $2500 guitar...

 

[Erockomania]

Okay, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and give Jim a little break on my part since I've been bashing S7 myself mostly because of the lack of care going in to such expensive instruments, but I just can't let this post slide without saying something.

Jim himself, the "organization" of his shop, the amount of employees he has on payroll and how he chooses said employees, along with a NUMBER of other things said here, are COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT to the situation at hand. This is NOT a witch hunt, nor should it be, and who are we to criticize and judge another person and the way he completes his work? There is only ONE thing to be judged here in this entire situation, and that is the quality and consistency of expensive guitars and literally NOTHING else. You simply can not bash on the state of his workshop or his tools, etc..., because beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, alright? I am sure there are PLENTY of other luthiers and various workshops out there that are pretty unorganized, yet still have the ability to churn out fantastic instruments, and in the end that is all that matters.

Let's all try and keep this about the guitars, his attitude towards his customers, and his overall accountability of aforementioned details. Nothing else should be discussed here. You want to talk about how you think his shop is shitty and disorganized? You want to talk about how you think he should run his own company? Go start a thread in OT or General.


Now, with that being said, I'm not sure if anyone else touched on this yet, but for those of you who saw the video, did anyone else notice the really gross rag he was using to put on the finishing oil on that untouched body? And how the black stain that was on that rag came off with the oil and in to the body of the guitar? There's no way that stain is coming out either since he himself said that body was dry as a bone and would suck up the oil instantly. I wonder who is going to get that body, who will wind up complaining about a weird black stain mixed in with the oil finish...


/contradictorypostiscontradictory

I said what I said because I think it IS relevant to the work he is putting out as well as the manner in which he conducts business. Customer service is king. In order to provide great customer service, you must have a great foundation on which to work. This includes organization.

 

[L1ght]

I said what I said because I think it IS relevant to the work he is putting out as well as the manner in which he conducts business. Customer service is king. In order to provide great customer service, you must have a great foundation on which to work. This includes organization.

I understand what you are trying to convey, I honestly do, but what you are saying is completely backwards. Quality merchandise and quality customer service should be achieved at any cost, regardless of the organization skills of the company or how they run their workshop. Just because you find the S7 workshop to be messy and unorganized by YOUR standards, does not mean that everyone else will have those same standards. Each individual will thrive under their own preferred setup and surroundings.

I don't think the state of the S7 workshop has anything to do with the current situation taking place right now and to be perfectly honest, it is irrelevant. You are just using the state of the S7 workshop as another excuse to justify and to be angry about the end-result quality of the guitars. It doesn't work like that.

 

[theoctopus]

I'll never understand people who sink huge amounts of their own personal cash into a business. It's never a good idea. Find investors or get a loan, and if you can't, that's probably a good indication that you shouldn't be starting the business in the first place...

 

[capoeiraesp]

If you can execute it well there's no problem with doing such a thing. My favourite luthier did that 10 years ago and he's doing quite well for himself and his brand.

 

[underthecurve]

I don't think the state of the S7 workshop has anything to do with the current situation taking place right now and to be perfectly honest, it is irrelevant. You are just using the state of the S7 workshop as another excuse to justify and to be angry about the end-result quality of the guitars. It doesn't work like that.

Actually it works exactly like that. Look up 5S. It's a quality control system that increases throughput and reduces defects through organization.

 

[theoctopus]

If you can execute it well there's no problem with doing such a thing. My favourite luthier did that 10 years ago and he's doing quite well for himself and his brand.

It's one thing to provide a (relatively) small amount of start-up cash, and then reinvest as the business grows, and another to drop $100k of your personal coin to keep a business afloat. It's a major business faux paus that even big-timers like Michael Ovitz have made (and regretted, to the tune of many millions).

 

[L1ght]

Actually it works exactly like that.

That is one seriously bold statement there, friend.

Sure, there are plenty of processes and functions out there to increase productivity and overall quality as well, but everyone and every company have their own best practices and due diligence that either works for them, or doesn't. You can't simply place all or most of the blame of a companies misfortune on how they run their factories and/or workshops, as there are MANY variables to why things may go wrong. And you certainly can't place blame on something you know very little or next to nothing about, the S7 workshop being in question here. Just because you saw a video or two at best that made you think their workshop was unorganized doesn't mean you can go and place the blame on that. You have no background information. You have no other evidence to support your claim other than your own standards of what you consider to be organized and effective, and therefore any rational person will consider it to be invalid.

Not to mention that these videos were made post-internet ordeal, and so in the past few weeks or so when shit started piling up and getting hectic for the workshop, it *may* have caused the shop to gain a little more "clutter". Anyone who has not been at that workshop before and personally experienced it for themselves can not present accurate speculation. You just can't. It won't mean anything lol. And to top that off, do you think initially Ola would have chosen S7 to reproduce his art and his instruments if he thought the place was a shitshack? That only further proves my point.

 

[underthecurve]

That is one seriously bold statement there, friend.

Okay, maybe not exactly, but quality doesn't just fly out of peoples asses. I'll concede that when it comes to small artisan shops, shops geared towards one off production, organization is less critical to quality. But you can't tell me that big shops like fender, gibson, prs, or even their overseas facilities aren't set up with organization and cleanliness in mind?

And I don't think workshop organization is their only problem, luthiery is a tough thing to make economical especially at this scale. Margins are super tight, and your yield would have to be really good.

I'm sorry you misinterpreted me, I wasn't trying to make a bold paradigm shifting statement. S7 has been shown to make some good guitars, some not so much. People are going to point out the obvious, and they wouldn't necessarily be wrong.

 

[Erockomania]

That is one seriously bold statement there, friend.

Sure, there are plenty of processes and functions out there to increase productivity and overall quality as well, but everyone and every company have their own best practices and due diligence that either works for them, or doesn't. You can't simply place all or most of the blame of a companies misfortune on how they run their factories and/or workshops, as there are MANY variables to why things may go wrong. And you certainly can't place blame on something you know very little or next to nothing about, the S7 workshop being in question here. Just because you saw a video or two at best that made you think their workshop was unorganized doesn't mean you can go and place the blame on that. You have no background information. You have no other evidence to support your claim other than your own standards of what you consider to be organized and effective, and therefore any rational person will consider it to be invalid.

Not to mention that these videos were made post-internet ordeal, and so in the past few weeks or so when shit started piling up and getting hectic for the workshop, it *may* have caused the shop to gain a little more "clutter". Anyone who has not been at that workshop before and personally experienced it for themselves can not present accurate speculation. You just can't. It won't mean anything lol. And to top that off, do you think initially Ola would have chosen S7 to reproduce his art and his instruments if he thought the place was a shitshack? That only further proves my point.

Nobody said all the issues can be blamed on the organization. A clean line can and will enhance your workflow for the better. I know this from experience. I own two businesses and have implemented lean manufacturing successfully. It has increased quality, consistency and efficiency. It's measurable.

It's something they obviously need because they could use any help they can get. Something so minor as proper workflow, in process kanbans (staging areas) and clean workspace can DRASTICALLY increase throughput and it can also improve quality and consistency.... all of which they could benefit from.

I respectfully disagree with your comment as all these things go hand in hand.

 

[L1ght]

Okay, maybe not exactly, but quality doesn't just fly out of peoples asses. I'll concede that when it comes to small artisan shops, shops geared towards one off production, organization is less critical to quality. But you can't tell me that big shops like fender, gibson, prs, or even their overseas facilities aren't set up with organization and cleanliness in mind?

No. I can not tell you, because if I did, I would be lying. Can you? Do you know how the everyday works of Fender/Gibson/etc.. operate? I literally have no idea what their production facilities look like, here OR overseas, but I can bet they probably aren't always like what you may see in the pictures, on the Internet... haha. Once the cameras and film crews disappear, who honestly really knows how the facilities operate on a typical day other than the actual employees.

And that's what I am trying to make some of you understand here. You can't judge the quality of their(S7) instruments just based on the appearance of their workshop. Especially in this situation, when most of the finishing work on these guitars is done by hand... Whatever negligence you see here that leads up the overall sub-par quality of the guitar in question is pretty much based solely on the individual that applied the finish, and ultimately made the decision to use sub-par woods.

Nobody said all the issues can be blamed on the organization. A clean line can and will enhance your workflow for the better. I know this from experience. I own two businesses and have implemented lean manufacturing successfully. It has increased quality, consistency and efficiency. It's measurable.

It's something they obviously need because they could use any help they can get. Something so minor as proper workflow, in process kanbans (staging areas) and clean workspace can DRASTICALLY increase throughput and it can also improve quality and consistency.... all of which they could benefit from.

I respectfully disagree with your comment as all these things go hand in hand.

I am not discrediting whatever you are saying, I have already made that clear. Read my post above.