The BRJ Black Friday Thread (Only for updates for/by customers.)[Ad Free]

[blanco]

Has anyone actually made a list of when people put their deposits down to get a better idea of how many people, on this forum, haven't had their instrument and the earliest date when it started?
I know people are saying 200+ builds but if people are going down the legal route it would be more helpful having an sort of legitimate list rather than rough guesses and the dates will help show that its not a recent occurrence.

 

[Speculum Speculorum]

Well, I am pretty sure that the list of guys who got their guitars is somewhere around 10-15 people, at best. And the Black Friday run started in September of 2011. So come this autumn, it will be 3 years of no guitars after being promised 4 months. Oh and don't forget that the cap was supposed to be somewhere around what... was it 15 or 35 guitars? Isn't that what people were told?

 

[WickedSymphony]

Well, I am pretty sure that the list of guys who got their guitars is somewhere around 10-15 people, at best. And the Black Friday run started in September of 2011. So come this autumn, it will be 3 years of no guitars after being promised 4 months. Oh and don't forget that the cap was supposed to be somewhere around what... was it 15 or 35 guitars? Isn't that what people were told?

Yes it was around 15 guitars and he did a second sale for like 5-10 more guitars in December, but if I remember correctly after he decided to take more orders he let everyone know that the wait would be longer for all the additional guitars. Of course when I bought my spot off someone else he told me 7-9 months, and it's been nearly 2 years.

 

[Speculum Speculorum]

Yes it was around 15 guitars and he did a second sale for like 5-10 more guitars in December, but if I remember correctly after he decided to take more orders he let everyone know that the wait would be longer for all the additional guitars. Of course when I bought my spot off someone else he told me 7-9 months, and it's been nearly 2 years.

But that's part of what is so rotten about all this shit. People bought in because it was a really great deal, and then later he informed them that he took more orders and that build times would be longer.

If people really follow the bread crumbs throughout this drama, they'll see one lie after another. Delays, fabrication, outright lying to people... I feel bad that Bernie is now apparently mentally ill, but we're kidding ourselves if we actually believe that things are just going to be hunky dory if he ever gets out of institutionalization. I say that unless you have no other option than to wait, you should be hauling ass to get your money back and get out. Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior.

 

[Rap Hat]

The spot that I got was either the very end of the first batch or the very beginning of when he did the additional 5-10. The guy I got it from had been waiting almost a year before he sold it to me, and I've been waiting over a year myself.

That was part of the reason I jumped on it, because it was one of the first spots and I stupidly assumed it would be a FIFO setup. Didn't go for spec changes, just wanted it quickly. It was nearly done when I got it, had already had the oil applied and was waiting for the hardware to be installed.
And that blows my mind. Here's a guitar that could literally be finished in a day and be one less headache for Bernie. But instead it sits completely untouched minus the one day a year ago where Bernie takes a picture of it for me.

 

[clubshred]

Has anyone actually made a list of when people put their deposits down to get a better idea of how many people, on this forum, haven't had their instrument and the earliest date when it started?
I know people are saying 200+ builds but if people are going down the legal route it would be more helpful having an sort of legitimate list rather than rough guesses and the dates will help show that its not a recent occurrence.

I have a short list from the very first orders taken on Black Friday 2010. PM me for details.

 

[WickedSymphony]

But that's part of what is so rotten about all this shit. People bought in because it was a really great deal, and then later he informed them that he took more orders and that build times would be longer.

I could be wrong, but as I remember it he let all the additional orders know that the wait for theirs would be longer when he started to take them. I don't know if he meant to say the original set would take longer too, and I don't remember if he gave an actual time quote for the additional instruments. I also don't know how many orders he took before he said they would take longer, and what times he told all those additional people that ordered before that. Just that at some point he did say that the guitars would take longer.

Not that I'm defending him or anything, as I purchased my spot from someone nearly a year after and the time I was told was still way off the mark so it's still nuts.

Here's a guitar that could literally be finished in a day and be one less headache for Bernie. But instead it sits completely untouched minus the one day a year ago where Bernie takes a picture of it for me.

That's what I don't get either. My guitar, last I saw it, just needed to be buffed and have the hardware installed. How long could that possibly take to finish? And I'm sure there are many guitars like ours that could be done in a few days and be out the door.

 

[spawnsc]

Small claims accepted. Got my court date...

hope it all works out

 

[JPMike]

At least your guitars had no flaws, my 2 builds had neck issues and had to be rebuilt. Yay!

 

[peet]

There's so much of this to read and I just can't/won't take the time to do so. I just thought I would post and tell my BRJ story.

I ordered a left handed bolt-on Jekyll 7 just before the black Friday sale. Was quoted 3-4 months build time. I paid in full right away...after 9 months of waiting and struggling with communication with Bernie, I received my guitar. It was less than perfect.

Issues are as follows,

1. I asked for offset dot inlays and they were straight down the middle (this was an issue I waived since I was tired of waiting)
2. Body of the guitar was supposed to be tongue oiled except for the spalted top. The whole body was clear coated.
3. The pickups were wired wrong and I had to contact Bernie for a step by step as to how to solder it myself.
4. The nut was poorly glued and after a few weeks it popped off from string tension.
5. The nut was also poorly carved and the high E string kept popping off the nut.

I contacted Bernie with the list of problems and he quickly responded by phone and promised me a top priority rebuild. I agreed and ordered a set of Bareknuckle Warpigs and had them shipped to his shop for the rebuild. Time and time again I would wait, get impatient and call him out. Bernie would eventually respond to me and "calm me down". 2 years passed and he finally admitted that he botched the rebuild and had to start a new one. I asked for my pickups to be sent to me just to be done with it. He then persuaded me with a promise of a neck through at no extra charge. I foolishly agreed... that was the last time I spoke with him which was late November/early December 2012.

Now the whole story of his illness has been made public. He told me that he had been in and out of the hospital over these few years but I never pressed him for anymore information. In hind sight I should have demanded my pickups and not fallen for the BS again and again.

I know my dealings with Bernie aren't as bad as some of you who haven't received anything at all. This has gotten WAY out of hand...to say the least. I really do hope Bernie pulls through, I really do. But I REALLY hope we get what we paid and waited so foolishly patient for.

Cheers,
~P

 

[mikernaut]

sorry to hear your story peet, it seems way to common:mad.

 

[ovation22]

Most elaborate April fools prank ever.

 

[HaloHat]

Just wondering...

With the number of you in this situation you could hire the best forensic financial investigator in the country. Where is all the money. If it was being spent on his "medical issues" or otherwise that could be evidence of wrong doing.

Who owns the building where all these partly build guitars are? If you paid in full or sent him parts you paid for, your property is in that building. The building has an owner of public record who is either still getting his rent from BRJ [doubtful eh?] or the building owner is going to seize the contents of the building to pay for back rent... which brings up another interesting situation. If BRJ IS behind on the rent with the building owner, what stories did he get from BRJ? I am a real estate investor and was a licensed real estate broker for 10 years. Unless the building owner is one of the worst property owners [commercial] ever he goes by a time line. What I am saying is if all your guitars and parts you sent BRJ are not seized already they will be soon if BRJ is behind on his rent.

I admire your patience guys. I love music and guitars too. But you who keep waiting to take action and hoping are being very naive. Better try and get what you can out of that building if it is still in there because the money is likely long gone boys. But a pro financial investigator might help you to find when this really started and if it bought any assets you can seize. Sorry.

btw - I actually read through every single one of these posts over the course of the last month. One in particular caught my eye from a real estate stand point. I don't remember what page it is on but the key words are - "I went by the building and the windows were all blacked out. BJR or someone said it was to keep the woods from wapring etc" something along those lines was said in a past post by someone. Well guys, blacked out windows on a commercial property is a very bad sign for the hopes anything is still inside that building. It is usually a sign that the tenant who is behind on their rent has been locked out. Again, sorry. Next time someone speaks with the family you might ask, and document or even ask if you can record the conversation, if someone in the BJR family who is not er, cough, sick if they have access to the building or if BJR is behind or even evicted/locked out. Get a feel good story - ask for the property managers ph number and state you only wish to verify BJR is not locked out or evicted. If they give you the nubmer, try to reason with the building owner/corp. for the guitars and parts. If they do not give you the ph number look up the owner yourself. The buildings owner is public record, a person or corporation with a phone number and address. Guitars and parts all gone? Who took them? The building owner or BJR? that is very important to know.

Lastly, and unless someone has a friend in BJR's phone carrier's company who is willing to do something they should not [i.e. don't ask your friend to risk their job or worse over this] an attorney or law enforcement person will have to do this - phone records can be subponaed. Follow BJR's phone calls and you will likely know everything you need to know about this whole mess. To the person who got their small claims court date - BJR will either be a no show and you get a judgement worth the paper it is written on or BJR hires an attorney to move your case out of small claims, yep, can and does happen all day every day. Then you need to get an attorney too $$$ they hope you won't. If you do they will offer to settle most likely for less than what you are out now. BJR, through his many stall tactics has now had time enough to move assets to others and get all kinds of ducks in a row for when and if you guys ever really go after him with some horsepower.

 

[spawnsc]

some good points and good advice ^

 

[ovation22]

Not really interested in throwing good money after bad.

Unless there's a way for me to get my money back with little or no effort (additional money) then I'm just counting it gone. The BBB didn't help. The CA AG didn't help. The FTC didn't help.

As for anything coming out of that place? Fat chance. When Bernie was there he couldn't keep the necks from warping and fingerboards from cracking. What's the state of things with no one there? And to those that sent him pickups, yours were likely installed in another random customer's guitar and sent out months ago. The man couldn't keep anything straight. It took him a year and a half to admit to me that he lost my paperwork.

 

[Diggi]

2 things:

- I'd like to throw in $50 to hire a person to investigate this further - as HaloHat suggested.
- can we get a count of the guitars we're all waiting on?

* I'm waiting on 1. Deposit given and pickups sent to Bernie.

I know we'll just scratch the surface as to how many folks who are watching and commenting on this thread have already paid and have guitars in various stages of completion, but it might give us an idea of what kind of resources we can raise to hire someone to look further into this mess.

I'm sure there's a better way to determine this, but it's a start.

 

[kruneh]

-I´d throw in $50 for whatever you guys deciede to do.
-I don´t have a guitar on order.

 

[xwestonx]

1st time poster, long time lurker...
I'd chip in for sure.
1 guitar fully paid for under the "March madness" deal he was running... Wouldn't be surprised if that beautiful looking guitar I bought was really someone else's...

Last I heard from Bernie was late November. Communication pretty much stopped after I paid in the full balance, which I paid when the guitar supposedly only needed pickups and hardware...

 

[berzerkergang]

Has anyone asked for proof that Bernie is in a mental facility? I know that the two times a friend of mine checked himself in there was all sorts of paperwork to prove it to his boss, the bank etc. I would think that at this point some proof of his whereabouts should be given to those owed guitars. They can blank out the name of he hospital or whatever but after all this nonsense, it should be offered up.

And in regards to what the guy said above, people could look up who owns the building and see what can be wiggled out of them however if the landlord is as pissed off and fed up as all of you, I wouldnt expect to be getting any merchandise out of the building, plus who's to say that if this person did let someone in they wouldnt take a nicer guitar than owed or lie and say there's two guitars owed etc, I really really dont see that happening at all because there's no proof that you own any specific instrument in the building apart from an email ordering it. Who's to say there isnt someone that ordered the same thing before you did and the other guys got done before yours got started. All in all, bad plan on that front.

 

[JPMike]

4 guitars.