Jeffrec
New member
Re: Ed Roman?
With the size he was, I'm, not sure how Unexpected it was :lmao:
God rest his soul anyway
With the size he was, I'm, not sure how Unexpected it was :lmao:
God rest his soul anyway
Ed Roman?
- Thread starter Miget Kotla
- Start date
jmh151
Active member
Re: Ed Roman?
What happened years ago was as follows. Eddie Van Halen liked the Steinberger Transtrem that he had on his Steinberger. When Eddie Van Halen was with EBMM,Ed Roman got word of this, and built a guitar for Ed- basically an EBMM Music Man model, headless, with the Steinberger Transtrem, and lower bout cutout for the Transtrem. Ed Roman claimed EVH got the first one, but EVH was never photographed with it. Ed Roman started making alot of these, until Ernie Ball threatened to sue Ed Roman over copying the design (Sterling Ball owned the rights to the guitar shape, which even EVH was mad about when he decided to go to Fender). So rather than proceed with the lawsuit further, a contract was reached where Ed Roman agreed never to produce that body shape again that resembled an Ernie Ball design.
Years went by, and eventually a pic appeared on Ed Roman's web site of a John Petrucci model with a Wilkinson trem. Ed Roman made a few replacement bodies for Petrucci models, and this was an EBMM Petrucci Model but with an Ed Roman aftermarket body. Just like Fender does with Warmoth, you need a licensing agreement to do that sort of thing. Since there was already a contract in place, Sterling Ball immediately went after Ed for violating the agreement.Ed issued an apology for making the replacement bodies, but did not admit to making an entire guitar that can be viewed as counterfeit.
Also, for years Ed Roman was taking $300 OLP Music Man Axis models, and for an extra $350, he would install a Floyd Rose, Duncan Pickups, do a complete grind and polish, and sell it as the poor man's Axis. It wasn't a counterfeit, but that violated the agreement as well.
before all of this, he also bought the entire stock of BC Rich Body Blanks when Class Axe closed down, so for years, when BC Rich was out of buisness, he would build a completed guitar from the body blanks.
It's not exactly building fakes and counterfeits as everyone alleges.
What happened years ago was as follows. Eddie Van Halen liked the Steinberger Transtrem that he had on his Steinberger. When Eddie Van Halen was with EBMM,Ed Roman got word of this, and built a guitar for Ed- basically an EBMM Music Man model, headless, with the Steinberger Transtrem, and lower bout cutout for the Transtrem. Ed Roman claimed EVH got the first one, but EVH was never photographed with it. Ed Roman started making alot of these, until Ernie Ball threatened to sue Ed Roman over copying the design (Sterling Ball owned the rights to the guitar shape, which even EVH was mad about when he decided to go to Fender). So rather than proceed with the lawsuit further, a contract was reached where Ed Roman agreed never to produce that body shape again that resembled an Ernie Ball design.
Years went by, and eventually a pic appeared on Ed Roman's web site of a John Petrucci model with a Wilkinson trem. Ed Roman made a few replacement bodies for Petrucci models, and this was an EBMM Petrucci Model but with an Ed Roman aftermarket body. Just like Fender does with Warmoth, you need a licensing agreement to do that sort of thing. Since there was already a contract in place, Sterling Ball immediately went after Ed for violating the agreement.Ed issued an apology for making the replacement bodies, but did not admit to making an entire guitar that can be viewed as counterfeit.
Also, for years Ed Roman was taking $300 OLP Music Man Axis models, and for an extra $350, he would install a Floyd Rose, Duncan Pickups, do a complete grind and polish, and sell it as the poor man's Axis. It wasn't a counterfeit, but that violated the agreement as well.
before all of this, he also bought the entire stock of BC Rich Body Blanks when Class Axe closed down, so for years, when BC Rich was out of buisness, he would build a completed guitar from the body blanks.
It's not exactly building fakes and counterfeits as everyone alleges.
Shadow1psc
New member
Re: Ed Roman?
Not that there's any reason to not believe this, but I can indeed confirm this. I was in Vegas in December, and had fond memories of checking out Ed's shop with my dad back in '05ish, maybe '04. I wanted to look it up again and go there myself, perhaps buy something, but indeed the showroom no longer exists, and calling the number on their site gave me a rather confused fellow who told me they were pretty much an internet order only shop at this point.
Not that there's any reason to not believe this, but I can indeed confirm this. I was in Vegas in December, and had fond memories of checking out Ed's shop with my dad back in '05ish, maybe '04. I wanted to look it up again and go there myself, perhaps buy something, but indeed the showroom no longer exists, and calling the number on their site gave me a rather confused fellow who told me they were pretty much an internet order only shop at this point.
jmh151
Active member
Ed Roman?
Custom Shop Gibsons always have a stamp on the back of the headstock identifying it as Custom shop. If he, or anyone else, represents to the buyer that the guitar is a custom shop when it is not, then it is a fake. Over many years I've never seen that representation.
The Kramer guitar thing I'm nor too aware about
Custom Shop Gibsons always have a stamp on the back of the headstock identifying it as Custom shop. If he, or anyone else, represents to the buyer that the guitar is a custom shop when it is not, then it is a fake. Over many years I've never seen that representation.
The Kramer guitar thing I'm nor too aware about
aleclee
Major General GAS
darthphineas
New member
Re: Ed Roman?
shared this before, but it's always worth sharing again.
a pal of mine in FL knows a fella that when he heard of the news, he'd call the shop and ask for Ed. they'd tell him Ed's passed away (or dead, or however they actually said it). he'd wait a bit and call back and ask for Ed. they'd tell him again that Ed had passed. he'd keep on calling, and they'd start to recongnize his voice, to where they finally just flat out told him that they've already told him that Ed had died... to which he replied that he knows, but he just likes hearing it.
but my direct experiences with Ed Roman go back to around '99-'00. the few conversations I had were flakey enough so that I didn't do business with the guy. the more stories that have come out over the years makes me glad I didn't.
shared this before, but it's always worth sharing again.
a pal of mine in FL knows a fella that when he heard of the news, he'd call the shop and ask for Ed. they'd tell him Ed's passed away (or dead, or however they actually said it). he'd wait a bit and call back and ask for Ed. they'd tell him again that Ed had passed. he'd keep on calling, and they'd start to recongnize his voice, to where they finally just flat out told him that they've already told him that Ed had died... to which he replied that he knows, but he just likes hearing it.
but my direct experiences with Ed Roman go back to around '99-'00. the few conversations I had were flakey enough so that I didn't do business with the guy. the more stories that have come out over the years makes me glad I didn't.
Re: Ed Roman?
maybe it's a REPEAT BUSINESS thing - if you get stainless, that guitar ain't never coming in for another refret??
maybe it's a REPEAT BUSINESS thing - if you get stainless, that guitar ain't never coming in for another refret??
Re: Ed Roman?
RIPOFF TOO
Lol guys, you can find plenty of medium-end COMPLETE GUITARS and HI-END NECKS with SS frets for less than that. And those frets weren't teleported into them necks by santa's army o' elves now, were they????
Btw, it's exactly the "tool wear" that's the issue... it's more like "gotta have & risk using EXPENSIVE REAL TOOLS". sorta like you need a diamond to cut a diamond... you gotta throw hi-end steel or titanium tools at a steel fretjob. And if the tools are harder than the steel type used in frets, ain't nothing gonna happen to them. AT ALL. Can't scratch a diamond with a rusty nail, remember? Same crap here.
Now, if they've got a sweatshop operation with some illegal foreign kid with an Ikea toolkit in the back slaving away for pennies, they've gotta either entrust several hundred bucks (or more, maybe thousands even) of tools to him, or dirty their own hands.... Cuz throwing junk alloy tools at stainless just won't do anything at all. Except to the tools, lol.
Might also be a matter of NOT OWNING a proper German/Japanese/maybe USA-made set of really nice steel tools and not wanting to admit that they use crap from walmart, while trying to pass themselves off as pros... Perhaps the $400 surcharge is the pricetag of retooling?
RIPOFF TOO
Lol guys, you can find plenty of medium-end COMPLETE GUITARS and HI-END NECKS with SS frets for less than that. And those frets weren't teleported into them necks by santa's army o' elves now, were they????
Btw, it's exactly the "tool wear" that's the issue... it's more like "gotta have & risk using EXPENSIVE REAL TOOLS". sorta like you need a diamond to cut a diamond... you gotta throw hi-end steel or titanium tools at a steel fretjob. And if the tools are harder than the steel type used in frets, ain't nothing gonna happen to them. AT ALL. Can't scratch a diamond with a rusty nail, remember? Same crap here.
Now, if they've got a sweatshop operation with some illegal foreign kid with an Ikea toolkit in the back slaving away for pennies, they've gotta either entrust several hundred bucks (or more, maybe thousands even) of tools to him, or dirty their own hands.... Cuz throwing junk alloy tools at stainless just won't do anything at all. Except to the tools, lol.
Might also be a matter of NOT OWNING a proper German/Japanese/maybe USA-made set of really nice steel tools and not wanting to admit that they use crap from walmart, while trying to pass themselves off as pros... Perhaps the $400 surcharge is the pricetag of retooling?
Last edited:
aleclee
Major General GAS
Re: Ed Roman?
In the end, I paid a $60 upcharge for the SS frets. I have no illusions about the cost difference to the tech but it was definitely worth 20% more to have a fret job that'll last indefinitely. "A fool is the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
Okay, I'll play. Find me a complete guitar or even a nice neck with a 4+2 headstock for that kind of coin. Did I mention it's a solid rosewood neck? Oh, and nevermind that a Plek job without a refret will set you back well over $100. Even a fret level to get a new neck playing "right" isn't cheap.
In the end, I paid a $60 upcharge for the SS frets. I have no illusions about the cost difference to the tech but it was definitely worth 20% more to have a fret job that'll last indefinitely. "A fool is the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing."
Rockstar216
New member
Re: Ed Roman?
No wonder he went out of business that row of deans alone were probably over 5k and that was the whole line at the time of different variations on the color and paint scheme. Not to mention the other inventory. He couldn't of possibly moved that much gear even if he was the only game in town
No wonder he went out of business that row of deans alone were probably over 5k and that was the whole line at the time of different variations on the color and paint scheme. Not to mention the other inventory. He couldn't of possibly moved that much gear even if he was the only game in town
Re: Ed Roman?
DUDE... on good days, I've seen Fender American Standards (bought one, $380, fully working, decent-looking not trashed) and ESP Standards (missed em) for 350-400. Short of collectible vintage and boutique offerings, that's pretty top-shelf gear. Wasn't searching for SS frets specifically so don't know what has them standard-issue and what doesn't (don't care either), but if the world's most popular brands' flagship products can be had for 400 bucks if you're fast and lucky, then charging that much for restoring just the frets is simply wild & insane... Especially for bolt-ons.
As to 4+2 headstocks: that sh-t's rare and FUGLY. If that's the only stuff you'll play, well, it's your fetish and NOT my problem.... Solid rosewood? HORRIBLE choice, might I add. Unless you're talking about the fretboard, as in solid rosewood vs. laminated/compound/whatever rosewood? In either case, a rosewood slab = nothing to write home about. Ebony, maybe, maple, heeeelll yeah, but rosewood? Talk about common. And yes I DO know how manufacturers are running out of the stuff and have been since the 90s, but what's the used market for, eh???
Or did you perhaps misspeak and mean a 3-piece MAHOGANY, somehow people often misspeak and say one when they mean the other? Also not too pleasant, unless capped with a maple board (blonde never baked!), in which case it's an awesome toy. I'd even tolerate 4+2 on something like that lol!
PS a $60 upcharge ain't so bad - until you say that makes 20%... you paid 300, total, or 360 even? That's still one HELLA sweet guitar if you know how to shop. Or TWO-THREE hella sweet guitars if you happen to be me
DUDE... on good days, I've seen Fender American Standards (bought one, $380, fully working, decent-looking not trashed) and ESP Standards (missed em) for 350-400. Short of collectible vintage and boutique offerings, that's pretty top-shelf gear. Wasn't searching for SS frets specifically so don't know what has them standard-issue and what doesn't (don't care either), but if the world's most popular brands' flagship products can be had for 400 bucks if you're fast and lucky, then charging that much for restoring just the frets is simply wild & insane... Especially for bolt-ons.
As to 4+2 headstocks: that sh-t's rare and FUGLY. If that's the only stuff you'll play, well, it's your fetish and NOT my problem.... Solid rosewood? HORRIBLE choice, might I add. Unless you're talking about the fretboard, as in solid rosewood vs. laminated/compound/whatever rosewood? In either case, a rosewood slab = nothing to write home about. Ebony, maybe, maple, heeeelll yeah, but rosewood? Talk about common. And yes I DO know how manufacturers are running out of the stuff and have been since the 90s, but what's the used market for, eh???
Or did you perhaps misspeak and mean a 3-piece MAHOGANY, somehow people often misspeak and say one when they mean the other? Also not too pleasant, unless capped with a maple board (blonde never baked!), in which case it's an awesome toy. I'd even tolerate 4+2 on something like that lol!
PS a $60 upcharge ain't so bad - until you say that makes 20%... you paid 300, total, or 360 even? That's still one HELLA sweet guitar if you know how to shop. Or TWO-THREE hella sweet guitars if you happen to be me
Last edited:
DrNewcenstein
He Did the Monster Mash
Re: Ed Roman?
Yeah, well, that's about what I expected.
AFAIK, Jackson made 2 WarAngels - mine, and a hideous black one with turquoise binding and inlays, an EMG, and a knob for Fuller's. Fuller's got theirs about a week after I got mine. Ed bought that one after I called him, and that's what he uses as the template for the body.
I shoulda overpaid for the one from Fullers and burned the damn thing.
Yeah, well, that's about what I expected.
AFAIK, Jackson made 2 WarAngels - mine, and a hideous black one with turquoise binding and inlays, an EMG, and a knob for Fuller's. Fuller's got theirs about a week after I got mine. Ed bought that one after I called him, and that's what he uses as the template for the body.
I shoulda overpaid for the one from Fullers and burned the damn thing.
LReese
Sausage Gravy
Re: Ed Roman?
I'd happily pay $400 for a SS refret and PLEK - and not feel ripped off a bit. Don't know if I'd do it for an American Standard (it would have to very top shelf if I did). You tend to get what you pay for when jobbing out quality repair work. Good repairmen aren't cheap, but worth it in the long run.
BTW Baked Maple is is great stuff. Ask over at the Suhr Forum.
DUDE... on good days, I've seen Fender American Standards (bought one, $380, fully working, decent-looking not trashed) and ESP Standards (missed em) for 350-400. Short of collectible vintage and boutique offerings, that's pretty top-shelf gear. Wasn't searching for SS frets specifically so don't know what has them standard-issue and what doesn't (don't care either), but if the world's most popular brands' flagship products can be had for 400 bucks if you're fast and lucky, then charging that much for restoring just the frets is simply wild & insane... Especially for bolt-ons.
As to 4+2 headstocks: that sh-t's rare and FUGLY. If that's the only stuff you'll play, well, it's your fetish and NOT my problem.... Solid rosewood? HORRIBLE choice, might I add. Unless you're talking about the fretboard, as in solid rosewood vs. laminated/compound/whatever rosewood? In either case, a rosewood slab = nothing to write home about. Ebony, maybe, maple, heeeelll yeah, but rosewood? Talk about common. And yes I DO know how manufacturers are running out of the stuff and have been since the 90s, but what's the used market for, eh???
Or did you perhaps misspeak and mean a 3-piece MAHOGANY, somehow people often misspeak and say one when they mean the other? Also not too pleasant, unless capped with a maple board (blonde never baked!), in which case it's an awesome toy. I'd even tolerate 4+2 on something like that lol!
PS a $60 upcharge ain't so bad - until you say that makes 20%... you paid 300, total, or 360 even? That's still one HELLA sweet guitar if you know how to shop. Or TWO-THREE hella sweet guitars if you happen to be me
I'd happily pay $400 for a SS refret and PLEK - and not feel ripped off a bit. Don't know if I'd do it for an American Standard (it would have to very top shelf if I did). You tend to get what you pay for when jobbing out quality repair work. Good repairmen aren't cheap, but worth it in the long run.
BTW Baked Maple is is great stuff. Ask over at the Suhr Forum.
kramersteen
PowerMetalRaph
pzaxtl
Gibletsologist
Re: Ed Roman?
I'm thinking Ernie Ball gave the entire corporate staff a paid holiday to celebrate that dude's passing!
I'm thinking Ernie Ball gave the entire corporate staff a paid holiday to celebrate that dude's passing!
Similar threads
