Hey, Benn..

[WolfeMacleod]

If you can't or haven't made pickups for people in months, quit responding to people who are emailing you looking to buy pickups.

MM'kay?

[madialex]

MM Kay

Hey Wolfe, hows about trying to stop being the big shot, the overlord of all pickup making M Kay. You have put your self on some sort of higher than though pedastool and you think you run the pickup industry and make all the standards here, go away and mind your own damn business buddy. I dont fuck with you and you dont fuck with me MM Kay!! When did you get to the point that you think you are the industry boss anyway??? So you make good pickups ok, Jason kicks your ass in that respect and I dont see him here telling people what to do and how to do it... Why not come down from your soap box and keep your fucking mouth and nose in your own business...

[madialex]

Further more I am not leaving this place no matter what you do or say. I have been taking names and such from prospective buyers but have not offered to make anything at this time due to the fact that I have orders pending from a good while back, yes I said it, A good while back... I have not ripped anyone off and don't plan to start. I know I owe people pickups and I fully intend to honer those orders. You nor anyone else here knows what has gone on in my life to cause these delays and I wont go into it. I have not stopped winding nor have I planned to rip anyone off. Come to my home and I'll show you every order that I have taken and in what stages they are in to completion. Just because someone emails you about not getting an order from me makes you my keeper now? Not hardly!! My question is why would they email you in the first place, have you been going around telling people you are in charge of the pickup industry and you are policing it?? What business is it of yours. You told me it hurts your business, HOW??? You claim to make a gazillion dollars a year on pickups, you even like coming here to brag about having to waste some of the tons of money you have made for tax purposes. BLAH BLAH BLAH!!! I'm glad you are doing so well. I am quite sure there are a lot of guys here who, Like me cant stand to hear you go on and on about how good you are and how much money you have and what big name is using your pickups now etc>>>>> Wolfe, I'm sure you are liked by some people but if you are like this all the time I really don't see how you have any friends at all. You run your thing and I'll get mine going again as soon as I am able and I assure you not a single order I have will go unmade or un-delivered.

[WolfeMacleod]

Hey Wolfe, hows about trying to stop being the big shot, the overlord of all pickup making M Kay......My question is why would they email you in the first place, have you been going around telling people you are in charge of the pickup industry and you are policing it?? What business is it of yours. You told me it hurts your business, HOW???

[/QUOTE]

Ben, I'm not trying to be a big shot at all, I just want to see people with orders get thier orders filled, no matter who thier orders are with.
You want to know how it hurts my business? When people post on forums saying they'll never go to another custom winder again, THAT'S how it hurts my business. And yes, I do take that personally.
When I have to apologize to people for YOUR issues, I take that personally.
As for why people email me, I don't know why. Maybe it's because they know that I know you, maybe it's because they know that I've offered to fix other people's mistakes and do anything that I can to help someone who was not my customer to begin with.

You told me in PM that you have not wound a pickup in six month, nor have you sold any. The complaints I have gotten, and the ebay auctions I've seen, tell me differently, I'm sorry.

As for your statement about Jason kicking my ass "in that respect," who are you to judge? Jason makes good pickups, treats his customers well. We have never, nor will we ever, do a comparison to see which is better.

When you hurt my business, it IS my business.

[refin]

Okay...I hate to have this as my first post on a forum.I have almost 5000 posts on other forums.
Madialex,I don't know you from Adam......you may wind a great product and have many satisfied customers,I don't know.However,in defense of Wolfe,he has personally wound 3 pups for me,and goes out of his way to please.If you are a rewinder/custom winder,you know that it can be a thankless and unappreciated job.Wolfe's work is excellent,and I'm saying that as a satisfied customer,and not a compensated fool.I have never sensed anything but humilty and a sense of awe from Wolfe in the school of winding...maybe I say that for the benefit of those reading this thread.The product is good and the man is real,always looking to improve his craft.
If you follow his lead,you too will be in great demand and a buzzword among musicians who give a hoot about tone.

[corduroyew]

I don’t want to get involved in an argument, but this thread does bring up a question that I have had kicking around in my head for a while.

What is an “acceptable waiting time” for a pickup? I build guitars as well as pickups and I’m still new to the idea of selling the pickups that I make. When I build guitars people usually have to wait a year or so befor they get the guitar. They pay a deposit before I will track down the materials, then they pay half the price of the guitar before I start building and they pay the rest before the guitar ships. Pickups are a lot different though. I seem to feel that I have to have the things out in less than a weeks time. If I’m 2 weeks behind on on a pickup order I feel the need to drop everything in order to get the pickups out the door. Is there any type of industry standard on this? I know it’s always good to get stuff to the customers as quickly as possible, but when you rush things the product isn’t as nice. Anyway… Do you guys have any thoughts on this?

[WolfeMacleod]

What is an “acceptable waiting time” for a pickup? I build guitars as well as pickups and I’m still new to the idea of selling the pickups that I make. When I build guitars people usually have to wait a year or so befor they get the guitar.....Is there any type of industry standard on this?

A year for a guitar is OK. I have waited two years, no problem. I have been having a guitar being built now that has taken well over a year, not a problem.
Why? Because it can take a month easily to build a guitar!

For a pickup, I try to keep it under four weeks. Lately, it's been 3-4 weeks, with a couple people slipping off the radar, and I feel terible when it happens, and do everything I can to finish them as soon as I realise it.
I want to get it under two weeks again soon, and keep it there.
One week would make me very, very happy. We had it down to a couple days, untill November happened when we got really busy with almost 100 orders a week coming in...caused a big backlog that we're still removering from. Almost there.

Last I saw before Lindy Fralin updated his site, his wait was 4-6 weeks.

Someone doing 10-15 pickups a week? maybe 20? The wait should be no longer than a few days

[madialex]

You told me in PM that you have not wound a pickup in six month, nor have you sold any. The complaints I have gotten, and the ebay auctions I've seen, tell me differently, I'm sorry.

[/QUOTE]

Hey wolfe, I dont know who that is on the ebay auction, but it aint me. I have not made any gold humbuckers with gold poles in almost a year.

[madialex]

I'm sure he

is a good guy. Maybe I'm reading him wrong, if so then my apologies to Wolfe. Just as he may be reading me wrong as well. I know it is not good to make customers wait for an extended period of time, I know that. But when things happen in ones life that cant be avoided or changed what do you do? If I had the money I would refund everyones money who was waiting and still send the pickups as well but I don't have the money. I have parts but that ain't worth a damn if not put together. I am not trying to gain sympathy from anyone just some understanding. And as we all know people make a short time out to be a very long time when they are mad so some complaints should be taken with a grain of salt. Just so Wolfe knows I am getting previous orders done and shipping them as fast as I can humanly get them done. And by the way I don't sell on eBay at all, I have not sold my stuff on eBay in almost 2 years now.

[Possum]

waiting times.....

There are no rules for waiting times y'all. I'm told Holmes and some others have a year waiting list, which I think is kinda ridiculous in a way, but there it is :-) My waiting list can go to 4-5 months sometimes more, but no one is building hand made whacko pickups like I do either, like my Fat Charley. There's a ton of hours in one of those things, I am weeding out some like that and not making them anymore for that reason. I am up front with my customers and tell them the wait can be long and that I don't make my primary income from pickups, my primary bucks comes from album design work, am doing a Scott Henderson compilation right now. I don't guarantee a delivery time because every damn time I do it backfires in my face :-) The ones who want their pickups NOW go away when I tell them how long it usually takes, and thats FINE by me because the impatient ones are the ones I don't want to deal with anyway. The really patient ones have always been my best customers and always come back for more.

END OF THREAD OK???? :-) :-)

[Stan H]

I tell my customers that it will be 3-4 weeks but I usually try get them out within two. This makes most of them very happy and my ass is covered if "something" comes up. I like to give myself extra time because pickups aren't all I do. I also build custom passive electronics and wiring harnesses for guitars and basses. I do it all from a little corner in a spare bedroom, kinda like Possum's photo from another thread.

-Stan

[NightWinder]

Hummm

WHen the shit hits the fan..........
A small viewpoint. I have rewound some pickups from forum members here, big names too. All which have been very well built. Did the tone suck? Not nessisarily. More so, I think that it was a matter of timber and setting up properly, and proper application for the guitar. Maybee their guitars were poorly built. WHatever means......I have a waiting time under a week, and am doing quite well now. Blessed definately. Working continuously. If your upfront with the customer......no worries. Whatever Wolfe wants to say, doing this or that, money to spend.....Huge orders. WHo knows? IS his product the best? No. Different and a signature sound? Yes. His Own? Yes. Is what he puts here true. I don't know. Have I spoke with wolfe personally? Yes. What do I think of Wolfe? Personally, He IS as genuine as anyone, one who is deeply passionate about his product, and a real pleasure to talk too. He also cares about the Black Art Pickup makeing technics and other winders in general. The guy is handleing his thing.....Handle yours. Is it his business how you run you company? Not Nessisarily. How did it end up that your customers are complaining to him? I have read the older post too, and there are issues there, whether wolfe stepped on your toes, contacting your customer, offering to make things right seems out of place to me. I believe his actions were genuine. I personally would have let you go up in flames, its not my business what you do. Things to learn. Let them find you!!! I could care less how you run your business, because when all is said and done....My customers care how I RUN MINE. As far as them being done with "handwinder". It will be a matter of time....They will be back because the product speaks. Maybe not back to you.....But maybe Wolfe instead, because of customer service reports.
Ben.....you seem like a smart person. Think this over. Do you think that a customer gives a fuck about your personal life? What ever the fuck you have going on, who, what, when , where, or how the fuck ya are. Nope!. They want their shit bro. Period. YOU KNOW THIS! I'll tell you what.....If I were your customer, and you told me a 2 week wait, and it turned out to be 3 months.....I'd be one mad Motherfucker. That you would'nt want to see. And your in the public eye to boot. Keep focused and real.....pump that shit out, make some cash, and reclaim your reputation. You can do this! Thats the difference between you and Wolfe, not pickups nessisarily. Thats mutual ground.
PEACE

[madialex]

WHen the shit hits the fan..........
A small viewpoint. I have rewound some pickups from forum members here, big names too. All which have been very well built. Did the tone suck? Not nessisarily. More so, I think that it was a matter of timber and setting up properly, and proper application for the guitar. Maybee their guitars were poorly built. WHatever means......I have a waiting time under a week, and am doing quite well now. Blessed definately. Working continuously. If your upfront with the customer......no worries. Whatever Wolfe wants to say, doing this or that, money to spend.....Huge orders. WHo knows? IS his product the best? No. Different and a signature sound? Yes. His Own? Yes. Is what he puts here true. I don't know. Have I spoke with wolfe personally? Yes. What do I think of Wolfe? Personally, He IS as genuine as anyone, one who is deeply passionate about his product, and a real pleasure to talk too. He also cares about the Black Art Pickup makeing technics and other winders in general. The guy is handleing his thing.....Handle yours. Is it his business how you run you company? Not Nessisarily. How did it end up that your customers are complaining to him? I have read the older post too, and there are issues there, whether wolfe stepped on your toes, contacting your customer, offering to make things right seems out of place to me. I believe his actions were genuine. I personally would have let you go up in flames, its not my business what you do. Things to learn. Let them find you!!! I could care less how you run your business, because when all is said and done....My customers care how I RUN MINE. As far as them being done with "handwinder". It will be a matter of time....They will be back because the product speaks. Maybe not back to you.....But maybe Wolfe instead, because of customer service reports.
Ben.....you seem like a smart person. Think this over. Do you think that a customer gives a fuck about your personal life? What ever the fuck you have going on, who, what, when , where, or how the fuck ya are. Nope!. They want their shit bro. Period. YOU KNOW THIS! I'll tell you what.....If I were your customer, and you told me a 2 week wait, and it turned out to be 3 months.....I'd be one mad Motherfucker. That you would'nt want to see. And your in the public eye to boot. Keep focused and real.....pump that shit out, make some cash, and reclaim your reputation. You can do this! Thats the difference between you and Wolfe, not pickups nessisarily. Thats mutual ground.
PEACE

Point taken.....I know no one cares about my personal problems for sure. And they deserve better than what they have gotten to this point. Whats done is done and my personal problems have been more than a lot, more than most people should ever have to deal with, but yes it is no ones problem but mine and I cant hit the reverse button so here we are. Things are hopefully turning around in my life and I am slowly getting to past work. I have told everyone who has emailed me about any new orders that I am getting back to past orders that need to be done first then theirs if they still want them so I am not trying to take any orders unless they want to wait. I guess I am taking Wolfe in the wrong context, but when he PM'd me saying i'm lucky he and others from this forum didnt come to my home and kick my ass I take that very personal and threatening. I actually at one point wanted to save up some money and go visit Wolfe and talk pickups and try to learn more of the black art of winding but now i'm not so sure about that. Oh well, this is the end of my posting.

[NightWinder]

ahhh dude. Listen. You have right to bitch......You know this. Don't ever back down to reclaim your name. I'm not taking any sides, but I can see whats posted. I read the old posts too. Seems like wolfe blantantly contacted YOUR customer, and offered to fix or rewind your pickups. The post reads that YOur customer was'nt too happy with that either. Backstabing.....Sneaky.....what gives at this point. All I will say is that wolfe is trying, trying to do things his way. If you read the old posts....they speak for their selves. Anyone with a sense Knows whats right. Ben, don't run from this, fix it. Your business, your customers. You belong here, on this forum. Stay here, we have unfinished chats brother........Both you and wolfe I respect and you both have some killer posts with ideas.......fuels the mind.

[madialex]

Not going to leave the forum, just meant that was my last post about this whole thing. I know Wolfe means well, always has. I respect him and his work and his knowledge. Actually me and Wolfe lived in the same small town in middle Virginia and probably passed each other a hundred times and never knew it. I have kept up with Wolfe over the years watching him go from a small winder to a pretty big name. It aint easy doing that. Anyway peace to all and I am going to get it together soon, very soon.