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

[FrancescoFiligoi]

You mean on the FB? How is that going to happen? Isn't that a pre-fretting procedure, or no?

Also, for those wondering about the order he works in, I don't think it's FIFO. If there is any kind of a problem he doesn't stop the other work to catch it up, it just goes along with the others. And full customs don't have any priority over the BFRs. So, from what I can understand, if a guitar was ready to ship, or someone at some stage, and a lot of time has passed, it means something was screwed up, and either it needed to be rebuilt or somehow fixed. Generally he doesn't make a point of informing the customer at that point, he just moves on to fix it. My custom needs to be rebuilt 3 times and my BFR 2x, which is why there's been the delay there for me. So that's a possibility for some of you.

Honestly don't know, asked him and said "no worries I'll put the dots", the initial october 2010 order does indeed have offset dots among the specs so he should know. As far as keeping it without inlays...I make tons of mistakes without 'em, my biggest problem.

I'm actually more concerned by the slightly offset pickup cavities...

 

[kruneh]

I don´t even care to email him, cause I know it won´t do any good to any of us.
Mine was painted half a year ago, so at least it´s not still in the wood shop..
Honestly, I am concerned about it showing up next year with wrong specs.
I´m sorry, I´ve kept my mouth shut long enough but this is really getting stupid.

 

[VILARIKA]

I don´t even care to email him, cause I know it won´t do any good to any of us.
Mine was painted half a year ago, so at least it´s not still in the wood shop..
Honestly, I am concerned about it showing up next year with wrong specs.
I´m sorry, I´ve kept my mouth shut long enough but this is really getting stupid.

Just email him. I know emailing him might kill some of his valuable time, but suppose there's an error on your guitar when you do get it. You'll want him to fix it, and that will kill a ridiculous amount of time compared to just sending him an email .

Not to mention, he seems to be dedicating some time to answering everyone now. I'd say it's the best time to get your Q's out.

 

[FrancescoFiligoi]

I guess my 8 is finally ready!

The inlays look good (despite the pic's bad quality)

Back shot

 

[djpharoah]

^ So did he refret it?

 

[FrancescoFiligoi]

^ So did he refret it?

dunno honestly, I just know he told me he was gonna put the inlays, and so he did.

 

[Locrian]

^ So did he refret it?

Don't see any reason why you'd have to refret with that style inlay.

 

[SpaceDock]

^ I guess well find out when he gets it, but I don't think the frets would get in the way.

 

[mikernaut]

Lets hope the inlays aren't stickers

I'm still waiting to hear some news on my redo guitar

 

[Rook]

Couple of people here who I'm looking forward to getting their guitars, cos I know they'll sell em.

My bank account's ready folks

But seriously I'm pretty sure Bernie sent everyone the same update, and I've not heard from him since. I just want to know if my damn guitar exists.

 

[WickedSymphony]

Couple of people here who I'm looking forward to getting their guitars, cos I know they'll sell em.

My bank account's ready folks

But seriously I'm pretty sure Bernie sent everyone the same update, and I've not heard from him since. I just want to know if my damn guitar exists.

Yep, haven't heard from him either after that update. I'm gonna give it a little bit more time then try again.

 

[killertone]

got an e-mail today saying what everyone else has said pretty much, that he's trying to catch up on updating customers, getting guitars done, etc.

told me he's be e-mailing an update later today, so we'll see


btw, this is a new one posted up on his Facebook page... I believe this one belongs to Killertone? Hopefully the owner doesn't mind me posting this

That one isn't mine. I have a 7 string with a black oil finish that looks like this:

 

[Khoi]

That one isn't mine. I have a 7 string with a black oil finish that looks like this:

ah, my bad! I thought I remembered you having that top with the gray finish, I was close though! either way, they both look sick!!

 

[killertone]

True!

 

[Rap Hat]

I'm surprised to hear that an update was sent out to "everyone". I haven't heard from Bernie since Feb., and my guitar's been paid off for 6 months, since I was told it was 'ready for assembly' and I had the $ (as Bernie told me, all it needed was hardware to be installed, it was completely done otherwise).

I've been pretty patient, with my only issue based on a miscommunication (if you could call it that; it had to do with the whole "ready for assembly" thing, which Bernie explained didn't mean the guitar was anywhere near being sent out because... Uhhh, some reason I guess?

I'm mainly surprised the guitar has been static literally since I got the spot in sept. of last year. It was apparently only needing hardware and final setup then, and I've made sure to ask if there were any issues the times we've talked.

I'm not saying I can't get in touch with him; every time I've tried he's been prompt with getting back. I'm just frustrated that I have to go out of my way to get any updates while he's sending out mass emails to others, and when we do talk I get told that it just needs hardware. I'd be more inclined to contact him if I thought it would be any different, but I know I'll come off the convo elated that he's working on it, only to get dejected 6 months later when no progress has been made but dozens of other people have had updates out of the blue.

Bernie is a nice guy and great to talk to, but this whole mess has really brought forth some serious disorganization to the point where I'm sure there's guitars he's just forgot about.

 

[SpaceDock]

^ I have been thinking a lot about that as well. It doesn't make sense.

I was thinking about what Max said a long time ago, the flood of BFR guitars would lower the sale and resale of normally priced Rico's. Maybe this has been an attempt to slow that flow of instruments in order to better control their availability on the market and the pricing.

Though, potentially others were right that Bernie had farmed these guitars out to another build shop to lower the price, like localized imports maybe from Mexico. That could have gone wrong and caused him to rebuild the guitars himself, hence the overworking and crazy QC problems.

Hell, maybe he's just getting older and the shit is hard to do.

Maybe I've just been obsessing about the guitar I should have gotten a year ago. Doesn't really matter until I see a guitar.

 

[mikernaut]

sigh, I typed up a rant in my frustration of playing the waiting game, but it's not going to help things in the end. bottom line ... alot of what has gone down is possibly going to hurt his Rep. I personally would still love to get a 3rd BRJ made ( even after all the chaos) but it's clear things are not as smooth as they used to be.

 

[Isan]

This thread still upsets me even after selling my slot off .... it is just totally bogus what he is doing to everyone.

 

[Speculum Speculorum]

I, too, am merely waiting for a guitar which I was told would be delivered, at latest, in September of 2011 (non-BFR). Bernie emailed me at the beginning of last week saying that it would be finished by this previous Friday... I am hoping that I will not be disappointed - yet again. I'm about one more delay away from saying screw it and politely requesting that my money and my self-supplied pickups be returned to me.

In the case that he is actually finished with my guitar, and I receive it in a timely manner, then everything will be up to how exceptional the instrument is. No matter what though, I am extremely reluctant to ever purchase a guitar from him again. I can't say that I would recommend him to any musicians who are looking for a custom instrument unless they have absolutely no strings attached to when they would like to receive, if they ever do, an instrument they paid good money for.

The whole process has been a weird roller coaster ride from Hell and I would like it, quite frankly, to be finished with.

 

[leonardo7]

I, too, am merely waiting for a guitar which I was told would be delivered, at latest, in September of 2011 (non-BFR). Bernie emailed me at the beginning of last week saying that it would be finished by this previous Friday... I am hoping that I will not be disappointed - yet again. I'm about one more delay away from saying screw it and politely requesting that my money and my self-supplied pickups be returned to me.

In the case that he is actually finished with my guitar, and I receive it in a timely manner, then everything will be up to how exceptional the instrument is. No matter what though, I am extremely reluctant to ever purchase a guitar from him again. I can't say that I would recommend him to any musicians who are looking for a custom instrument unless they have absolutely no strings attached to when they would like to receive, if they ever do, an instrument they paid good money for.

The whole process has been a weird roller coaster ride from Hell and I would like it, quite frankly, to be finished with.

Question for you, have you paid final balance due yet?

Im about to pay final balance due today and Bernie says he will ship mine either tomorrow or Wed at the latest. Ive seen pics of the final product so I have to assume its all good. I cant imagine paying and then not receiving the guitar this week, or next week. I have to say that I am excited.