Ormsby Custom Guitar Build Process REVIEW

[AxeHappy]

OP's experience is very similar to mine. Borderline feel as if I dodged a bullet as Perry decided he wasn't going to build my guitar and to refund me because I had the sheer audacity to ask for an update when we hadn't received one in over 2 months and the last potential shipping date we had received was a few weeks away. Didn't refund me san fees though so I also lost a fair amount of cash.

I can sum up how much of an absolute shitrag Ormsby is by saying I had a *much* more positive experience dealing with *VIK*, noted spunk trumpet, than I did with Perry.

 

[thrsher]

just imagine all the people not speaking up.....its too sad at too often see with alot of builders in the past, people not wanting to speak up on their poor experiences.

 

[Eugenio Herrero]

Mate, I feel your pain. I ordered an Ormsby 10 months ago. The only update I've received is a photo of a guitar body that just says "7strings" they're totally unprofessional when it comes to replying, the website originally said wait time is supposed to be 6 to 9 months. So now they've changed it to 9-12 months. Who knows maybe tomorrow they'll change it to 1 to 2 years....

Fiest i wanted a pale moon ebony body but they told me it can take up to 9 months because Perry just is allergic to the wood and some stupid excuse. Then I was like oh okay I ordered another model and a few months later they offered me a pale moon ebony guitar from a customer that pulled out...I said no and after that no updates whatsoever about my guitar. And to top that up, its been 10 months now... So I guess I'll just lose my deposit and not go further with these guys. I'll try to fight for the refund!

I’m posting this write-up to Reddit, SevenString forums and UltimateGuitar forums. Didn’t know where else to put it. Just using a throwaway account.

I wanted to write a review of my horrendous experience ordering a custom Ormsby Hypemachine 2016. It’s been a while since the whole thing was resolved, but I just came across a bunch of pictures I’d saved of the process and it bubbled up old feelings of dissatisfaction/anger. I thought it might be helpful to save other people from this headache.

Here’s how the process went:

1) You wait on their website to put in your name. I BARELY made it to a computer in time to put my order in. There were only 17 slots for the Hypemachines. I clicked “order” the second they opened the doors and I was still like 6th in line. First come first served. I was pretty excited.

2) You send an initial payment through PayPal (This was JULY 2015) KEEP THAT DATE IN MIND.

3) You then begin a payment plan to pay in batches as time goes on. This was not renewed to completion, so halfway through the process you’ve paid some random amount and have no idea what else you owe.

4) You fill out a long excel spreadsheet of specs that make you feel really excited and special. I’ve included a screenshot of part of it below with my custom questions/concerns (not one single thing I put into the spreadsheet was questioned – nobody ever asked about my tuning, about a few other unique items I was asking for)

5) You join a private Facebook group where all of your “updates” occur

6) You wait. And wait. And wait…


2016 came and went. 2017 came and went. 2018 came and went. Some people got their guitars by then, but not everyone. Finally mine and another guy’s were last. He got his at the start of 2019 I believe after much badgering of Perry Ormsby, but I was fed up by JUNE 2019 so I asked (multiple times) for a refund, which I FINALLY received.


Now keep in mind Perry is in Australia. So basically I invested in the Australian dollar for 4 years and just ended up losing money, since the US dollar ended up being stronger four years later. I basically just ended up making a NEGATIVE $200+ investment in 4 years. And no guitar.


For some reason and because of my lack of faith in humanity, I had been taking pictures of our Facebook group the entire time whenever people asked for updates or Perry lied about deadlines/refunds/VIP packs/etc. I’ll post some of the screenshots I took. This is not even all of them. I direct messaged other members of the group who were infuriated. A couple people said the guitars that they received weren’t even that and they wished they could undo the entire process. Perry was often rude to people in the group and made it seem like we weren’t asking for updates frequently enough or had left out info from our spec sheets. As far as I know, NOBODY IN THE GROUP has received their VIP packs yet as of MAY 2020.


This was my first custom guitar purchase. What a garbage experience. A few more random things off the top of my head:

1) The only pictures I got of my guitar were pieces of the neck and body randomly. Nothing else…Maybe 5 pics of just parts?

2) During this entire time, people are posting in the HypeGTR group about their AWESOME NEW GUITARS and posting about Jared Dine’s 17-string etc etc. As in – the company is 100% ignoring your backlogged guitars and is blatantly working on other junk and PR stuff...

3) I use a special tuning (perfect fourths) which I specified in my specs. Nobody ever asked me about it.

4) I asked if I could have a blower switch installed. Nobody ever asked me about it.

5) Perry would flat out not respond sometimes. Nobody else at Ormsby would answer you if you messaged them.

6) You honestly had no idea how much the guitar would cost at the end. Our monthly payments stopped in probably 2016, so who KNOWS how much parts were for the final bill.

7) Perry Ormsby used just about every excuse in the book for not getting back to people and not updating us. He had a kid, he got the flu, he was in a dirtbike accident of some sort, his dog ate his homework…LIFE HAPPENS MAN. He is completely unapologetic and doesn’t realize how bad this way of dealing with clients really is.

8) Maybe things at Ormsby have changed in the last…5 years? Doubtful. With guys like this in charge, it’s pretty hard to get past it.


That’s all for now. Hope this helps someone. Pics are below. I obviously blurred names and tried to order by date. Might be a bit confusing, but hopefully you get the gist.

EDIT: I guess I can't create links yet but when I'm able to I will include the link below. In the meantime you can DM me and I'll send you the pics if you're interested.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

Yeah, it's usually a pretty big red flag when builders get chased off the forums or just ghost from all media that they can't directly control.

To that end, there's a reason Perry doesn't really post here anymore.

Whatever happened to him here? I remember when he posted pretty regularly, but he just kind of disappeared and I never quite picked up on why. If there was some big event or ugly thread, I must have missed it. Last I remember he seemed to get on well with most folks here.

I bought a HypeGTR a few years ago secondhand and it's still to this day my best guitar sans my new EQ. Probably has more play time on it than anything else I've owned by a longshot. I recall a few of the production instruments having some pretty questionable QC oversights but nothing too dramatic- nothing like this.

This was a surprising read, I've got to say. That really sucks, man. Sorry they really put you through it.
Edit: Haha wow, I just realized how old this thread is

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Whatever happened to him here? I remember when he posted pretty regularly, but he just kind of disappeared and I never quite picked up on why. If there was some big event or ugly thread, I must have missed it. Last I remember he seemed to get on well with most folks here.

I bought a HypeGTR a few years ago secondhand and it's still to this day my best guitar sans my new EQ. Probably has more play time on it than anything else I've owned by a longshot. I recall a few of the production instruments having some pretty questionable QC oversights but nothing too dramatic- nothing like this.

This was a surprising read, I've got to say. That really sucks, man. Sorry they really put you through it.
Edit: Haha wow, I just realized how old this thread is

It was pretty much the same deal as Kiesel. They thought being "forum sponsors" entitled them to shut down any negative or perceived to be negative thread or post about their business and when they found that not to be the case they took thier ball and went home.

As I said, they only really participate in media they can directly moderate themselves now.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

It was pretty much the same deal as Kiesel. They thought being "forum sponsors" entitled them to shut down any negative or perceived to be negative thread or post about their business and when they found that not to be the case they took thier ball and went home.

As I said, they only really participate in media they can directly moderate themselves now.

Damn. Pretty hypocritical. I remember Perry being rather vocal about other shops' shortcomings and how you can't shut that stuff down, you have to fix it instead etc etc.

Shame. I was definitely a fan of the brand for quite some time. Not a "I might drop $5-6k on a custom" fan but I definitely liked what was coming out of the shop and wanted to scoop another Hype at some point. Sucks to see a sour attitude.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

He was quite blunt towards Etherial which was a good thing, even if they never took on board any advise.

With the move away from forums towards FB groups there was no need for Ormsby, Kiesel or many other brands to market here or anywhere else.

 

[Edika]

It is a telling sign of a personality when they critisize issues harshly and then go do the exact same things but have really good excuses for them and/or then become unapologetic because this is how things are lol!

 

[diagrammatiks]

Perry had a long tirade about the kiesel Vader and the non angled neck hardware.
Then the Goliath came out and he was like whelp.

 

[I play music]

Perry had a long tirade about the kiesel Vader and the non angled neck hardware.
Then the Goliath came out and he was like whelp.

What do you mean with angled neck hardware?

 

[fabronaut]

Mate, I feel your pain. I ordered an Ormsby 10 months ago. The only update I've received is a photo of a guitar body that just says "7strings" they're totally unprofessional when it comes to replying, the website originally said wait time is supposed to be 6 to 9 months. So now they've changed it to 9-12 months. Who knows maybe tomorrow they'll change it to 1 to 2 years....

as someone who kinda thought "oh, this is a neat design, comes with stainless steel frets, and I don't mind waiting a bit for thorough QC?" starting to get away from my cheap beaters that I tinker with... this is the kind of feedback and information that I needed. glad I remembered that duh, the search function exists!

I found about them awhile back and started following the FB group maybe around the time the pandemic started? have been very curious about their stuff. I think I mentioned their offerings a few times in comments, as I'm naive with this stuff and maybe got sucked into the hype a bit, out of curiousity and the allure of having something cool that's maybe harder to get? nearly pulled the trigger on ordering one of the production guitars a few times. now I am very glad I didn't...

~$2K+ CAD is a serious chunk of change for me. putting down $1500 or so deposit and having nothing to show for it anywhere near the expected time window would really suck. I slowly got the impression (esp. as of late) that there was maybe something more than just COVID delays happening. it's always "just another delay" it seems. I know insanely good guitars can be had from consistently well liked high end builders that do smaller production (e.g. Suhr) and to a degree, you get what you pay for. I just don't have Suhr money lying around right now. haha.

I'm sure the logistics of running a business and the financial stressors can be crazy, but c'mon. I can see how a custom order may be fraught with complications, but massive repeated delays on production runs shouldn't happen. especially when it seems like there have been recurrent issues well before the pandemic kicked in.

maybe the lesson is "don't preorder" and if I had more restraint, "don't buy unless you can try it first." heh.

 

[Bodes]

I slowly got the impression (esp. as of late) that there was maybe something more than just COVID delays happening. it's always "just another delay" it seems.

They are in Perth, Australia. They have had 2 x three day lockdowns and have just entered a 5 day lockdown.
I call bullshit on any COVID related delay. Especially if he doesn't state exactly that it is, like trouble importing hardware, etc.
He is just a knob head.

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

They are in Perth, Australia. They have had 2 x three day lockdowns and have just entered a 5 day lockdown.
I call bullshit on any COVID related delay. Especially if he doesn't state exactly that it is, like trouble importing hardware, etc.
He is just a knob head.

Well, not trying to make excuses for them, but that isn't necessarily the whole picture.
COVID delays can easily amount to multiple different issues that directly or indirectly affect production. I know shipping times out of Australia have been unreal over the past year; presumable because of supply chain and logistical issues imposed by COVID. For example, I had a preorder bundle that shipped out toward the end of last year that took over four months to get from Aus to the US. That's time from when the parcel started to move to when it showed up at my door. I can only assume it's equally crazy trying to get stuff into the country too.

Strongly agree that if the above was causing issues with sourcing parts or something that that'd be an easy thing to explain, though. People are pretty understanding if the issues you're running into actually are out of your control, so it'd make sense to share that information if that's actually what's going on.

 

[Cockandballs]

Christ I wish I’ve found this thread earlier. I just wrote a thread about my garbage RC One I waited for the last couple years. Unplayable guitar with even worse service. And sent this thread to my friend who ordered a custom from Ormsby aka Decibel Guitars since it’s three years and no guitar. Their Facebook page is a bunch of incels or their term is “ormsbro” so glad I got rid of mine. Such duchebagedness.

 

[Df5c4eb3]

Christ I wish I’ve found this thread earlier. I just wrote a thread about my garbage RC One I waited for the last couple years. Unplayable guitar with even worse service. And sent this thread to my friend who ordered a custom from Ormsby aka Decibel Guitars since it’s three years and no guitar. Their Facebook page is a bunch of incels or their term is “ormsbro” so glad I got rid of mine. Such duchebagedness.

I still login to check on this thread and my other threads on this periodically. I love that someone bumps this one every once in a while. Can't believe these dudes are still hanging on and in business. But like you said it's all the Ormsbro simps keeping them afloat. My one hope is that my reviews are Googleable somehow and I can stop only a couple people from ordering from these scammers.

 

[Cockandballs]

Ormsby = shit sandwich without the bun

 

[Buffnuggler]

The brands hype peaked with the coppertops, those were cool but they had major problems producing them consistently I heard, which is why they've never done them again. Everything they've put out since that last copper top run has been hideous, I'm pretty sure his underlings are making them all now so that he has more time to jerk around on Facebook and post pictures of his cars. The brand really has no character or sense of aesthetics, Perrys only creative ethos is "Guitar go fast." They lucked out with the copper top idea but they really shot themselves in the foot by over expanding and its obvious they aren't even a true custom shop anymore and I doubt Perry even builds more than a couple guitars a year, their new designs are hideous and uninspired.

He really has no significant endorsement deals. It's just random aussie guys and then Dino/Rusty Cooley, who are both way over the hill.

Compare it to Kiesel, also an egotistical douche incapable of admitting fault like Perry, who has seen his business grow a crazy amount in the last few years to where they are upping prices and having a huge wait list, and who has actually gotten some really nice talent in the form of Will Swan etc. Not a Kiesel fan but hard to deny they are doing good. Perry is the opposite, he's expanded but the brand really seems to be in a harsh decline.

 

[lost_horizon]

Ormsby guitars are annoying and kind of give Australia a bad name. I would love someone to go to the Perth factory or the Mayones Factory and Poland and see what is going on. I find that is such an eye opener, seeing the Framus factory and how they did things was such an eye opener.

I know a few guitar builders in Australia, they are so busy some aren't even taking orders. They also have an import line of guitars that crank out some cheap production models so they just do the QC on. I know one builder who used to do a guitar building course but recent changes to insurance in Australia makes that not even viable any more. Some used to build heaps of different styles but now they only build hollow bodies and have adjusted their workshops to suit. Keeping and retaining people is hard, electricity is going up by 50% and the cost of everything is inflated including property. Most builders already START at 4-6k AUD (2.5 - 3.8 k USD) before options just to be able to keep producing.

I am having some custom necks made with a builder, sat in line for a year, paid a deposit 2 months ago and hope to have it by April. At any stage I knowing hard it is for builders I fully expect to never see my money again. Thats how borderline some of these businesses are. People are backing out of orders and asking for their money and these people have already built guitars or have all the materials. I'm the kind of person that would prepare to overpay just so I know it was done by an Australian and I was supporting locals. The really good local builders that do one off signature models i look on in amazement. Imagine going from building a Djent stick for Josh from Northlane to making a set neck Les Paul Gold top with stainless frets.

Ormsby have always been about the money and needing money to survive, not enough customers here so he needed to go international. My guess is the tooling has fallen off, lost people, specs can't be achieved, completely unable to complete the current workload yet alone the backorders. The entire business would be marginal right now. If it is a limited run or a particular piece of hardware he wouldn't have enough to meet volume to get any discounts.

Hopefully he just pulls the plug and does refunds and stops hanging people out to dry. At this point he would probably cost money to fulfil the orders AND there would be no warranty or service on the instruments even if you did get one.

 

[Cockandballs]

L

Ormsby guitars are annoying and kind of give Australia a bad name. I would love someone to go to the Perth factory or the Mayones Factory and Poland and see what is going on. I find that is such an eye opener, seeing the Framus factory and how they did things was such an eye opener.

I know a few guitar builders in Australia, they are so busy some aren't even taking orders. They also have an import line of guitars that crank out some cheap production models so they just do the QC on. I know one builder who used to do a guitar building course but recent changes to insurance in Australia makes that not even viable any more. Some used to build heaps of different styles but now they only build hollow bodies and have adjusted their workshops to suit. Keeping and retaining people is hard, electricity is going up by 50% and the cost of everything is inflated including property. Most builders already START at 4-6k AUD (2.5 - 3.8 k USD) before options just to be able to keep producing.

I am having some custom necks made with a builder, sat in line for a year, paid a deposit 2 months ago and hope to have it by April. At any stage I knowing hard it is for builders I fully expect to never see my money again. Thats how borderline some of these businesses are. People are backing out of orders and asking for their money and these people have already built guitars or have all the materials. I'm the kind of person that would prepare to overpay just so I know it was done by an Australian and I was supporting locals. The really good local builders that do one off signature models i look on in amazement. Imagine going from building a Djent stick for Josh from Northlane to making a set neck Les Paul Gold top with stainless frets.

Ormsby have always been about the money and needing money to survive, not enough customers here so he needed to go international. My guess is the tooling has fallen off, lost people, specs can't be achieved, completely unable to complete the current workload yet alone the backorders. The entire business would be marginal right now. If it is a limited run or a particular piece of hardware he wouldn't have enough to meet volume to get any discounts.

Hopefully he just pulls the plug and does refunds and stops hanging people out to dry. At this point he would probably cost money to fulfil the orders AND there would be no warranty or service on the instruments even if you did get one.

Ormsby guitars are annoying and kind of give Australia a bad name. I would love someone to go to the Perth factory or the Mayones Factory and Poland and see what is going on. I find that is such an eye opener, seeing the Framus factory and how they did things was such an eye opener.

I know a few guitar builders in Australia, they are so busy some aren't even taking orders. They also have an import line of guitars that crank out some cheap production models so they just do the QC on. I know one builder who used to do a guitar building course but recent changes to insurance in Australia makes that not even viable any more. Some used to build heaps of different styles but now they only build hollow bodies and have adjusted their workshops to suit. Keeping and retaining people is hard, electricity is going up by 50% and the cost of everything is inflated including property. Most builders already START at 4-6k AUD (2.5 - 3.8 k USD) before options just to be able to keep producing.

I am having some custom necks made with a builder, sat in line for a year, paid a deposit 2 months ago and hope to have it by April. At any stage I knowing hard it is for builders I fully expect to never see my money again. Thats how borderline some of these businesses are. People are backing out of orders and asking for their money and these people have already built guitars or have all the materials. I'm the kind of person that would prepare to overpay just so I know it was done by an Australian and I was supporting locals. The really good local builders that do one off signature models i look on in amazement. Imagine going from building a Djent stick for Josh from Northlane to making a set neck Les Paul Gold top with stainless frets.

Ormsby have always been about the money and needing money to survive, not enough customers here so he needed to go international. My guess is the tooling has fallen off, lost people, specs can't be achieved, completely unable to complete the current workload yet alone the backorders. The entire business would be marginal right now. If it is a limited run or a particular piece of hardware he wouldn't have enough to meet volume to get any discounts.

Hopefully he just pulls the plug and does refunds and stops hanging people out to dry. At this point he would probably cost money to fulfil the orders AND there would be no warranty or service on the instruments even if you did get one.

So one of my friends pulled the plug on a custom build and got the deposit refunded. He said he lost his shit because he saw them holding a guitar building course and was like what the fuck just build my guitar already. They’re kind of being a bit hacky now.