Anyone heard from Sherman lately?

[msherman]

Originally Posted by Qucifer

None of these "other customers" contacted me directly.

Crucified told me he Pmed you and you declined.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by msherman

Crucified told me he Pmed you and you declined.

I had only had the guitar for a couple of days at that point, and I was still evaluating.

Back on topic, Mike... escrow.

[msherman]

Shoot me an email with detailed pictures of the condition of the guitar, and we will go from there.

[Qucifer]

I'll email them to you, and I'll also post them here in this thread.

I'm tied up the next few days. But I'll make it a priority to get that done during the day on Sunday.

[angus]

Originally Posted by Cheesebuiscut

So we're going to see pics of these basses soon right!!!

Fingers crossed. He said they'd go out by USPS Monday.

Carry on.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by Cheesebuiscut

On top of the fact that he promised you a 3rd guitar to make up for it all and then sold the thing!

He promised me April '09 delivery and threw in an ATA flightcase. Neither of those things materialized in my build. I didn't get my guitar until July, 1.25 years after I ordered it. And I've never received a flightcase.

On with the pictures:

Full frontal:



From behind:



Body detail:



The backside of the body:



Headstock detail:



Back of the headstock:



The new pickups, which Nordstrand made to correct the string-alignment problem:



This is how Mike shipped it to me. Bridge and neck pickup pictures:



If you also look carefully, you can see a mis-cut slot in the brass part of the bridge saddle on the high-E string. The slot in the saddle was completely off-center when I received the guitar. The misalignment isn't due to movement of the saddle piece either, because it was/is properly aligned with the rest of the saddle base.



One of the strap button screws sheared off when I was installing a straplock button. It will need to be drilled out, or an EZ-out used on it, or something similar:



I can understand why people are led to believe that these are special guitars--the finish and woodwork look very nice in pictures (and in person). But once I received the guitar, I was vastly underwhelmed with the attention to detail, the playability and the sound.

Here's another example of a detail problem:



It's hard to see in the photo, but the input jack isn't mounted evenly and isn't recessed. There's a bigger gap between the body and the mounting flat of the input jack, versus the other side, which is flush. It doesn't affect the performance of the guitar, but it looks wonky and certainly isn't what I'd expect on a custom instrument. Low-end production guitars do better than this.

With regard to my comments to Mike about the bridges being mounted in the wrong location on the guitar... I believe the neck angle on this guitar is too steep for the ABM bridges that Mike used. At a nominal action adjustment, the bridge saddles have to be raised up very high. When I received the guitar, the intonation was a mess--a few strings were 15-20 cents out. Most were out, but not by that amount. When I was adjusting the intonation of the low-F# string, the angle of the ABM saddle was steep enough that the string was actually resting on the saddle base, rather than the brass saddle-piece itself--this made the intonation artificially sharp, and as a result, I couldn't get the saddle back far enough to get the string to intonate. This made me think the bridges might have been installed in the wrong spot--I figured out the issue within a day or two, and let Mike know that that was my bad, not his. Here is a picture of the height of the ABM bridge saddles for low action:



And, there's a lot of fret buzz with even moderately low action settings. I think the guitar is going to need a professional fret leveling before it'll play well.

I'll be copying these pictures to Mike via email as well.

Mike,

Please let me know what additional detail you require. There isn't a mark or a scratch on the thing.

[Qucifer]

So how much are we going to do the escrow for, Mike?

Is the sheared off screw worth $100? Hell, I sorted out the pickup problem for you... that ought to be worth something.

I paid $3500 + shipping.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by Rorschach

I´m sorry to hear that you custom axe was disapointing Qucifer, and all the rest with delays and what not...

I would probably react the same if my Shamray RGA8 arrived with flaws...but I´m pretty sure I wouldn´t address it on a public forum...

Just my opinion.

Good luck.

J.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to work this out with Mike in private.

Maybe it's a misunderstanding on my part (but I don't think so), but I've never been able to get Mike to agree to an escrow return. I don't feel comfortable sending my guitar back to him without assurances that I'll actually get my money back.

I've said over and over that I'm willing to pay the escrow fee. The only requirement of Mike is that he has to put the money up with the escrow folks before I send the guitar--that's how escrow works. He then gets several days to inspect the guitar and make sure its in good condition.

If he's really willing to give me my money back, this shouldn't be a problem for him.

If he had agreed to an escrow arrangement during our last exchange, I wouldn't be here now trying to do the same thing.

[NDG]

Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about it sonically?

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by NDG

Out of curiosity, what didn't you like about it sonically?

The low end is fairly muddy and indistinct compared to other 8's that I've played. Even unplugged, acoustically, the low end doesn't seem very clear.

But that's just my opinion.

Originally Posted by vansinn

After these several pages, it seems to me like a stand-off between the parts.
I really wish both will somehow make some amends to get the flow going and the issues resolved.

It's not a relationship that needs to be worked on. He is the vendor and I'm the customer.

I really don't want to interact with him anymore. The reason why I told him that we were done previously is that, short of going public with this information, I was sure I wasn't going to get satisfaction out of the arrangement and I figured I'd try to make lemonade out of lemons.

All I want at this point is to arrange an escrow so that I can return the guitar and get my money back. I don't ever want to interact with Mike again once that transaction is completed.

If there is someone else who would like to buy the guitar despite the issues I've described, feel free to contact me.

[angus]

I called Mike today to confirm that my instruments had been shipped out as promised. He didn't pick his phone up- that's ok. Hopefully he calls me back at his convenience to confirm that they are in USPS's possession.

I'll keep everybody updated.

[Qucifer]

And, as usual, no response from Mike.

[MFB]

Originally Posted by Qucifer

And, as usual, no response from Mike.

I'll save Mike a bit of trouble on this and say he IS also moving from one factory to another, and it's not exactly a quick move

[Qucifer]

It's always something.

[angus]

Originally Posted by MFB

I'll save Mike a bit of trouble on this and say he IS also moving from one factory to another, and it's not exactly a quick move

Sure, but wasn't that started back in the end of July or August? It hasn't seemed to slow his production of other instruments, nor his contact with other customers, so I don't know if it's really a valid argument given the circumstances.

I've been a customer of Mike's through multiple moves that I've been told of. It has not correlated to times of better/worse contact.

I've spent about $8000 with Mike- plus the $1000+ I spent on the wood (including a gift piece of bubinga used on one of my basses; the excess of which was also used to make Kevin/Crucified's guitar, an 8 string for me that he sold to another customer, and two other guitars at least). A quick call or email to say that he shipped the instruments/hardware as promised isn't too much to ask.

He said he won't do USPS Shipping confirmation/tracking, so the very minimum would be to let me know it went out so I know to expect it in the next few days.

[zimbloth]

Originally Posted by angus

Sure, but wasn't that started back in the end of July or August? It hasn't seemed to slow his production of other instruments, nor his contact with other customers, so I don't know if it's really a valid argument given the circumstances.

I've been a customer of Mike's through multiple moves that I've been told of. It has not correlated to times of better/worse contact.

I've spent about $8000 with Mike- plus the $1000+ I spent on the wood (including a gift piece of bubinga used on one of my basses; the excess of which was also used to make Kevin/Crucified's guitar, an 8 string for me that he sold to another customer, and two other guitars at least). A quick call or email to say that he shipped the instruments/hardware as promised isn't too much to ask.

He said he won't do USPS Shipping confirmation/tracking, so the very minimum would be to let me know it went out so I know to expect it in the next few days.

It costs $0.70 to get delivery confirmation/tracking with USPS. Or free if you print the label online, so...

[Andrew_B]

none of my buisness....
but having built and restored various shit for some fairly unappreciative people over the years i thought i might share a few words, and tell you some things,

one being that the most annoying thing in the world is when someone tells everyone about a fault before you have time to put it right....
seriously, if i .... something up and dont realise i would very much like the opportunity to redo it properly....
THAT is how you as an dissatisfied customer protect future customers... you dont go bad mouth a product before you have witnessed it at its best....

another being when packages "dissapear"

another being when peoples expectations exceed what a human with two hands is capable of building/making/carving/shaping, and then once your done they decide that its not good enough and should have been done by machine.... talk about shooting someone down....

another being that people dont realise the images in their head cannot be transfered to timber and end up looking the exact same.... (even if you do it yourself lol)

mistakes happen, if you have never made a mistake in your life, THEN you may proceed and judge other people's mistakes

inboxes fill up, emails dont send, postmen read the return address instead of the forwarding address and you end up with your own package.... etc i know i dont hear my phone when im in my workshop and my voicemail doesnt work lol....

i havnt personally talked to the man himself, but he is good at what he does...
Sherman, Oni, Hufshmid they are all great builders, great craftsman, and know what they are doing, and thats where i want to be when the time comes....

ok the devries threads are funny and all.. yea... cause hes a retard....

but Sherman is an active member of this forum, among others, and gives out valuble info and posts pictures of build processes when he could be in the workshop making $$$...

a bit of respect is due


on a side note.... it took me 3 months to refurbish my workshop....
and i probably have half the tools/storage units and machinery he does...
so i cant begin to imagine what the poor bloke is going through trying to move his....

[angus]

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

but Sherman is an active member of this forum, among others, and gives out valuble info and posts pictures of build processes when he could be in the workshop making $$$...

Not for mine he hasn't. In years. That's despite repeated offers over the years to get updated pictures for me (and I began requesting it after over a year of promises for new pictures and none received) and yet I haven't seen a picture of my fretted bass since March 2007. Fretless was March 2008 with the pickup shell.

Yes, he's taking lots of pictures for other customers, and that's over and above what you can expect a builder to do. That's great. But the fact that he takes pictures of finished instruments for customers who placed orders two years after I did does not give him a free pass to ignore me. So sorry, I can't say that I understand the relation between that argument and this situation.

However yes, the fact that he takes pictures? Over and above, to be sure. But basic communication is way more important. Nobody is even expecting instant. But months and months of silence?

a bit of respect is due

I'm sorry, this pill is a bit hard for me to swallow from you.

I've given a ton over the years- primarily by giving him my vote of confidence by ordering three instruments, worth just shy of $8000, before he was popular anywhere (we met on talkbass.com). Ok, eelblack has ordered like 10+, but I did it three years ago. If that isn't a lot of faith, I don't know what is. I've also been enormously patient- the original quote times were about 3 months. Add in some wood delays (not his fault in the slightest), and say 5-6 months. They are currently in the exact same state now (except now the pickups are here and are in their shells) as they were at 5 months. It was only once he sold the guitar he made for me to another customer that I just lost all of my patience and became very, very uncomfortable.

Respect has been given, in spades. Respect has not been credited back.

on a side note.... it took me 3 months to refurbish my workshop....
and i probably have half the tools/storage units and machinery he does...
so i cant begin to imagine what the poor bloke is going through trying to move his....

Oh, no doubt. I've moved an entire professional machine shop with a couple million dollars in machines. It took a long time. It sucks. A lot. Nobody is questioning that. But he's still managing to get instruments out, which means he still has time to work, and he is still communicating with other customers, which means he could communicate with us. I have absolutely zero doubt he's busy as hell and working long days, but he still has time to deal with other customers, new and existing, so we should be included in that. That's the point.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

none of my buisness....
but having built and restored various shit for some fairly unappreciative people over the years i thought i might share a few words, and tell you some things,

You may not realize this, Andrew. But I've been an absolute prince of a customer, even past the point where things didn't smell right.

I even tried to work out this return with Mike in private.

Nobody is being thrown under the bus without cause...

Originally Posted by angus

However yes, the fact that he takes pictures? Over and above, to be sure. But basic communication is way more important. Nobody is even expecting instant. But months and months of silence?

And that's exactly what all of the apologists in this thread don't realize--the extent of the poor service and mishandled communication from Mike.

And what about the substandard product that I've been delivered?

Dude... how could you possibly be okay with having to invest an additional $450 in neck and setup work on a custom instrument? That's ridiculous...

Originally Posted by zimbloth

It costs $0.70 to get delivery confirmation/tracking with USPS. Or free if you print the label online, so...

I had him ship to me via FedEx. I DID NOT want a tracking-less shipment method.

[cyril v]

Originally Posted by angus

Sure, but wasn't that started back in the end of July or August? It hasn't seemed to slow his production of other instruments, nor his contact with other customers, so I don't know if it's really a valid argument given the circumstances.

I've been a customer of Mike's through multiple moves that I've been told of. It has not correlated to times of better/worse contact.

I've spent about $8000 with Mike- plus the $1000+ I spent on the wood (including a gift piece of bubinga used on one of my basses; the excess of which was also used to make Kevin/Crucified's guitar, an 8 string for me that he sold to another customer, and two other guitars at least). A quick call or email to say that he shipped the instruments/hardware as promised isn't too much to ask.

He said he won't do USPS Shipping confirmation/tracking, so the very minimum would be to let me know it went out so I know to expect it in the next few days.

Thats absolutely silly... I add shipping confirmation for just about anything and especially something thats worth about $5000+. I mean, if someone has a good reason why you wouldn't want it, please tell me... otherwise it just sounds like it's not going to end well.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by psychoticsnoman

How about you pull the cock out of your ass and stop being an inconsiderate prick. The man built you a guitar to your specs and due to faulty rod snapping close when it was close to finishing, he decided to build a whole new guitar and busted his ass to get it to you in a couple of months. I've seen your guitar in person and It kicks ass Nothing i saw on it was flawed. Not exactly his fault if the instrument you spec'd out doesn't match up to your expectations.

Just the way you have presented yourself in this thread makes me think you were a ....ing asshole to put up with during this whole build.

Nice. Let's bring it down to that level.

I never asked for misaligned pickups, an improper neck angle or shoddy workmanship. And despite how you've portrayed me, I've never nagged him or been any sort of an issue whatsoever. Did you even look at the pictures I posted on a previous page? There were/are obvious issues with my guitar. That's my fault? You certainly couldn't have looked at it very closely in person. Are you suggesting that I somehow cocked up the pickup alignment and the neck angle in some effort to frame Mike Sherman?

I'm completely happy with the specs I provided him. I would order this guitar again with the same specs, assuming it were going to be built correctly. At this point, he's either going to give me my money back like he said would, or he's not.

I'm not a dick... I'm just asking for professional service. He certainly didn't get my guitar to me in "a couple of months"... He promised it in a couple of months, and then when that date came and went, I never heard from him. I was the one that had to contact him, a month after the due date came and went. He hadn't even put the top on the guitar at that point.

If you think that guitar is worth the price of admission, maybe you would like to buy it from me? I'd even knock an extra $100 off because you're such a cool guy.

And even if I were a "....ing asshole", that doesn't give Mike Sherman the right to treat paying customers like this.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by psychoticsnoman

I would gladly buy the guitar from you if the finances allowed.

Ok. So when you can save up $3500 for a custom instrument, we'll see how much "nitpicking stupid shit" you're willing to tolerate.

[Qucifer]

Originally Posted by ElDuderino

That's not "just nitpicking stupid shit." The point is he ordered a custom instrument with a recessed output jack and the instrument came with a non-recessed output jack. If I ordered a custom guitar, I would expect it to come with all the specs I requested.

I actually didn't specify anything about the output jack.

But I also didn't think I'd need to specify "please mount the output jack so that it's even, and doesn't look like it was done in high-school shop class."

Heh... but for that matter, I ordered it with cosmo hardware, and it arrived with plastic ebony-esque knobs and black chrome strap buttons. But I considered that nitpicking stupid shit and swapped them out myself.

[Qucifer]

For the record, I've heard nothing from Mike Sherman since he last told me that I needed to submit pictures so that we can agree on a price for the escrow return.

Originally Posted by psychoticsnoman

Sure, I wouldn't exactly call a non-recessed jack "shoddy workmanship" as you are. did you have a recessed jack as one of your specs? if you were that concerned with it you should have.

You're not understanding what I'm saying. The output jack has a bigger gap on one side of the body than on the other. It was installed at a bad angle and looks sloppy. That has nothing to do with whether or not it's recessed. If it were recessed, it would be easier to hide the bad angle.

Go back here and read/look carefully: Anyone heard from Sherman lately?

That's all.

[psychoticsnoman]

how is it a bad angle? its flush for the most part, if it was moved over a bit you'd still be complaining that it wasn't completely flush with the side. Its on a curve, it won't be flush with the side.

I have read/looked over those pictures carefully, which is why I said I would gladly buy it if the finances allowed.