Daily Run Down, & Round Table-P/Us

[SonnyW]

What size do you need Sonny?

It's just plain old .187x .656 A5's. I have a batch on order but it has been over 2 weeks and still not here yet. I am expecting them any day though and no pending orders are waiting, just not able to start any new bobbins ahead on the '65s. If I get desperate I can always just grind down some longer ones. I've done it before.

[Stratz]

Sorry, no go.... I have a load of .195" x 710" A5 that I'll probably never use. I'd like to trade most of them for anything shorter in either 187" or 195"

Rob.

[SonnyW]

Sorry, no go.... I have a load of .195" x 710" A5 that I'll probably never use. I'd like to trade most of them for anything shorter in either 187" or 195"

Rob.

Thanks, I'm good on .195x .710, eighteen hundred left at least, without counting. I have plenty of .187 x .688 that are pretty easy to grind down.

[Stratz]

Thanks, I'm good on .195x .710, eighteen hundred left at least, without counting. I have plenty of .187 x .688 that are pretty easy to grind down.

Thats a lot of rod Sonny. I don't even think I have 2,000 pieces of Alnico total .

[copperheadroads]

It's just plain old .187x .656 A5's.

I hope I never bought all they had,They shipped me 800 pieces of .565" a couple days ago

[copperheadroads]

What kind of pants are you gonna wear?

HAHA

I wear Pajama bottoms
We don't use guns & we don't back up like these guys did
Bull Moose Charges Truck - YouTube

[SonnyW]

Thats a lot of rod Sonny. I don't even think I have 2,000 pieces of Alnico total .

Certain sizes I use a lot I have in bulk. Back when I had a day job, when I got a design I liked I would just go ahead and have them made up to specs so no future issues with supply or consistency, at least for a long time. Minimum quantities for those orders are why I have so many. Can't afford to do that as much anymore, unless things pick up.

[Stratz]

I can approach guitar shops because I don't work on other players guitars and I've built some very good relationships over the years but in your case I imagine it would be very tough selling pickups to other shops as they're you're competition.

I certainly hope things pick up for you.

[big_teee]

Certain sizes I use a lot I have in bulk. Back when I had a day job, when I got a design I liked I would just go ahead and have them made up to specs so no future issues with supply or consistency, at least for a long time. Minimum quantities for those orders are why I have so many. Can't afford to do that as much anymore, unless things pick up.

Sonny:
Your Pickups, and Setups are so good, Everyone there is playing them already.
If they were a little bit unsatisfied, They would be trying different things, and trading guitars.
You have them perhaps so happy, They're not buying anything new.
T

[SonnyW]

T, I wish that was all true. Most of my customers are pretty satisfied though, I'm proud of that. And a lot of them do repeat. It is mostly just word of mouth kind of a thing, which takes time to spread. And I think it is partly just the the economy and times right now. There is plenty of trading guitars going on though. More on Craigslist than anyplace else. And lots of players have G.A.S. I can only think of a few of my customers that have only one guitar. It's kind of funny too, the setup customers don't buy very many pickups, and the pickup customers tend to do their own setups. I could probably put my pickups on ebay and reach a wider audience, but don't really want the reputation of that. I'm keeping busy enough, just not with the kind of cash flow it takes to order magnets made up to specs very often. It's also kind of like you said about the inquiry you had on the cheap pickups, there is a point where it starts to be not fun. I like better the creative part of new stuff and trying to help someone get the tone they are after.

Stratz, you're right about the guitar shops, I haven't tried cold calling too many but one of my customers who has had a longstanding good relationship with a couple of them has tried to see if they might be interested in carrying my pickups, with not much enthusiasm back from them. They tend to stick with whatever they have been going with and don't seem interested in pursuing it. That may be because of the competition on repair work I suppose, like you say. Can't say as I would blame them, I might be the same way if the situation was reversed. I do have a recording studio/practice rooms kind of place over in Fort Worth that carries them in their pro shop.

[big_teee]

I received my B-Stock Rondo Strat Test Guitar today.
It is supposed to have some finish Blems, but I can't find them.
Pretty nice Ax for $69
The Parts are worth more than that.
I will test Righty Pick Guards with it until someone wants it more than Me!

T

[Stratz]

Stratz, you're right about the guitar shops, I haven't tried cold calling too many but one of my customers who has had a longstanding good relationship with a couple of them has tried to see if they might be interested in carrying my pickups, with not much enthusiasm back from them. They tend to stick with whatever they have been going with and don't seem interested in pursuing it.

Over the years I've found that some guitar builders are happy with buying Allparts type bodies and necks and putting their personal touch on them while others are very innovative with their own designs. One builder that I work with is nearly 100% integrated. He has his own bridge design nearly ready for production and when that's completed the only major parts that wont be of his design will be the tuners and the pickups. He just doesn't have all of the spare time required to learn how to build pickups so he came to me. While I do build them they have his company name on them but I suppose that they are technically mine.... still somewhat of a gray area though.

Rob.

[SonnyW]

I received my B-Stock Rondo Strat Test Guitar today.
It is supposed to have some finish Blems, but I can't find them.
Pretty nice Ax for $69
The Parts are worth more than that.
I will test Righty Pick Guards with it until someone wants it more than Me!

T

Those are not bad, I have done some setups on them. One customer, bought one -- the SX model, had me set it up for him, 2 weeks later he was back with another one like it, because his son made off with the first one. So I set that one up too. Then about a year later he got another one and had me put my pickups in it. So I did three of the Rondos for that same customer and all of them were pretty decent for the $.

Sold a second set of the '65 strat pickups today, brother of the original customer. Worked on finishing up those and some other ones that were hanging around unfinished.

[SonnyW]

Over the years I've found that some guitar builders are happy with buying Allparts type bodies and necks and putting their personal touch on them while others are very innovative with their own designs. One builder that I work with is nearly 100% integrated. He has his own bridge design nearly ready for production and when that's completed the only major parts that wont be of his design will be the tuners and the pickups. He just doesn't have all of the spare time required to learn how to build pickups so he came to me. While I do build them they have his company name on them but I suppose that they are technically mine.... still somewhat of a gray area though.

Rob.

I think that is a good line of business. I have worked with several builders that I met at guitar shows. One of them ended up going back to his original supplier on price. He makes mid range archtop types and I couldn't get my P.A.F. price low enough for him. Still working with the other one kind of off and on, because the particular model I'm working with him on is pretty unusual and doesn't move fast. He is on the higher end, and makes all his bodies and necks and has some cool designs.

[Stratz]

Sold a second set of the '65 strat pickups today

WhooHoo! 300% Price hike and waiting list .....NOW!