Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I understand what you are saying but it has all the hallmarks of a Chinese knockoff

And it is so hard to believe the 5 year wait
And the Master just working his last customer

That just doesn't add up

Did he have a stroke and his 12 year old grandson finish it?

Unfortunately, this extreme story is the truth. I've seen the progress pics going back to 2015. George made it all himself. The entire guitar took a year to build but for some reason he had issues with the wiring and that took years and years. Eventually, the customer got sick of it and had it picked up by a family member who lives in the USA, in Los Angeles. George handed the guitar to the family member; the entire paper trail pans out. Also, all the logo's are 'correct' (inside the guitar as well as the headstock's front and rear).

Thing is: George is just a ****ty builder. This guitar is NOT a fluke! I wish.

This guitar is from 1998 and this should have been from his heyday:
https://reverb.com/item/116902-geor...ade-exquisite-incredible-inlay-extremely-rare

Or this one:
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...rodnitski-master-guitars-lets-see-em.1197401/

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I have to admit, I feel like we're not getting the full story. Something's not right here and it's not *just* the guitar...

Well, this is all info I had But I'll reiterate.

_______________________________________________________________________________

My customer ordered his guitar in 2015 because he wanted a premium instrument, unique, bespoke, with a custom design inlay and a magnetic pickup circuit + piezo. He stumbled upon George's brand and ordered. Paid the down payment. It took a year for the guitar itself to be ready, with photo documentation. Then, it took the guy another 3 years to get the electronics done despite many promises. The delays were due to circumstance: a long holiday, family troubles, the California Forest fires, you name it. Around the fall of '19, my customer got fed up with waiting and tried to have the guitar collected via his uncle who lives in the USA. My customer has been to the USA as well and asked George to ship the guitar to his hotel but George refused.

So, the uncle picks up the guitar and hands it over to my customer in early 2020 when he got back to our country (Netherlands). My customer was not really happy but George already admitted to having closed down his shop for retirement. The fretwork wasn't up to snuff, the nut wasn't OK, the electronics weren't working etc etc. So that's when my customer came to me and asked for my appraisal. And from there on, I took pics to document this horror show and showed you guys everything. I believe I told all of this before in several posts but not in 1 long, concise story so here you go.

This is not, just not, a Chinese knock off. There are too many details congruent with George's design. For example, the sticker in the F-Hole with his name, serial number and signature, the logo on the headstock and the back, the fonts, the way the neck is glued in (typical for George). I'll make more photo's today if I'm not too exhausted after a day at work and in the shop

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I understand what you are saying but it has all the hallmarks of a Chinese knockoff

And it is so hard to believe the 5 year wait
And the Master just working his last customer

That just doesn't add up

Did he have a stroke and his 12 year old grandson finish it?

Yes, it has the hallmarks of a Chinese knock off but NOT of this model. I have yet to see this model being copied (who in his right mind would set up a CNC program for this butt ugly guitar). Also, remember: the inlay is per the design of the customer! He designed this...

The Master delivered other guitars in between the ordering of this one and his retirement, or so the story goes (can't verify that unfortunately). But the wait, I can understand that. I have myself waited for three years on a guitar by Crimson Guitars. I documented that sh!tsh0w a few years ago. So a long wait isn't uncommon when ordering custom builds. It's how George (and by extension, crimson Guitars) approached the issues is what's so telling and aggravating.

About your last statement of his hypothetical grand son: no. Take a look at the other pics I posted. His finish issues are a structural issue with him, for years already.

 

[nexion218]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I have myself waited for three years on a guitar by Crimson Guitars. I documented that sh!tsh0w a few years ago. .

Do you have a link to that? I'd be curious (both for giggles and for learning), but the search function still doesn't work.

 

[nexion218]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I got interested in this George and found this:

https://reverb.com/item/6401337-mas...-gorodnitski-tvs-tele-style-boutique-electric

"This guitar says USA on it, but it may have been built in Asia and contracted by George Goroditski. Here is an email in his own words---
" I decided to start mass production of some of my electrics in China.
Since I know China very well, lived there for years, and doing business there for about 15 years, I knew all guitar factories there.
So, I chose the best one, which is, actually, american/chinese factory, with all american management, and they made about 60 guitars
for me, as a samples. American and Canadian wood, best korean parts, italian lacquer, only CNC and hand labor chinese.
I have one company in S.Korea, that make my pickups, I spend months there, teaching, how to make really good pickups,
and many people told me - their pickups are better, than Gibson or Fender. I brought these guitars to 2011 NAMM Show, and I sold all of them in the first 2 days." "

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Do you have a link to that? I'd be curious (both for giggles and for learning), but the search function still doesn't work.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/crimson-guitars-twin-45-rpm-a-closer-view

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=15835.0

Enjoy. These two are still in my collection, literally collecting dust. I use them to show others how NOT to set up a guitar. I'm thinking of redoing the fretwork because they're unplayable.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

I got interested in this George and found this:

https://reverb.com/item/6401337-mas...-gorodnitski-tvs-tele-style-boutique-electric

"This guitar says USA on it, but it may have been built in Asia and contracted by George Goroditski. Here is an email in his own words---
" I decided to start mass production of some of my electrics in China.
Since I know China very well, lived there for years, and doing business there for about 15 years, I knew all guitar factories there.
So, I chose the best one, which is, actually, american/chinese factory, with all american management, and they made about 60 guitars
for me, as a samples. American and Canadian wood, best korean parts, italian lacquer, only CNC and hand labor chinese.
I have one company in S.Korea, that make my pickups, I spend months there, teaching, how to make really good pickups,
and many people told me - their pickups are better, than Gibson or Fender. I brought these guitars to 2011 NAMM Show, and I sold all of them in the first 2 days." "

Bingo. My suspicions about the pickups has been all but confirmed by this. The woodwork, though, was done in the USA, going from the photo's I saw. Still... That can also be falsified if you really want it to.

That last line, 'many people told me ...' reminds me of Donald Trump, whenever he's about to spew a lie or say something very obvious that's already common knowledge

 

[piblock]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

This is like Tiger King of the Duncan forums.

 

[dzdandcunfsd]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Yeah this sounds more and more fishy..........especially if George handed the guitar off himself.....You might want to get your money up front from "the buyer" as well Might be a case of George getting even on some past shady deal.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

There was a green one on Squeebay yesterday.... Seller described it as NOS.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

It looks like the custom van of guitars. It really reminds me of some of the Kiesels they post on social media with all kinds of patterns going on everywhere, or component stereos of the 80s with a ton of flashing lights everywhere.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

sorry guys no photo's. I got back home from work and I kinda crashed.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Orpheo,

Regarding the electronics: in your original post you said they were not working, but NOT due to being wired improperly? What does that mean? i.e. each component was faulty, like a bad pot?

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/crimson-guitars-twin-45-rpm-a-closer-view

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=15835.0

Enjoy. These two are still in my collection, literally collecting dust. I use them to show others how NOT to set up a guitar. I'm thinking of redoing the fretwork because they're unplayable.

After reading the Duncan blog, I get the idea that you're pretty happy with the Crimson guitars.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Something I don't understand: at the time that the uncle picked up the guitar, wasn't the only payment made prior to that point, just the deposit? So when the uncle picked it up, he also had to pay the balance? And if that is correct, why was that payment made if the guitar had issues that were obvious from even a quick visual inspection? It's the responsibility of the purchaser to send someone who knows enough about guitars, to inspect it before accepting it and making final payment. That doesn't negate this builder from doing what he did, but the purchaser could have been in a relatively better position of being out just the deposit money - and sue over that if he wanted - than the entire purchase price.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

After reading the Duncan blog, I get the idea that you're pretty happy with the Crimson guitars.

That, my friend, is called editing and censorship. The guys behind the blog wanted to have an article about having guitars custom built and these proved perfect to that end. Unfortunately, my experiences weren't nearly as rosy as they were with Warmoth, for example, but all my gripes were redacted and censored because it was believed that any negative press regarding Crimson Guitars on the official Seymour Duncan blog might come across as an official statement by SD about Crimson Guitars, hence the choice to have my gripes redacted. My post on the Warmoth forum is more honest and almost unredacted

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Orpheo,

Regarding the electronics: in your original post you said they were not working, but NOT due to being wired improperly? What does that mean? i.e. each component was faulty, like a bad pot?

The piezo wasn't working because the preamp was faulty and the piezo saddles weren't connected properly; one of the lead wires simply wasn't connected. The magnetic circuit was connected, though.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Something I don't understand: at the time that the uncle picked up the guitar, wasn't the only payment made prior to that point, just the deposit? So when the uncle picked it up, he also had to pay the balance? And if that is correct, why was that payment made if the guitar had issues that were obvious from even a quick visual inspection? It's the responsibility of the purchaser to send someone who knows enough about guitars, to inspect it before accepting it and making final payment. That doesn't negate this builder from doing what he did, but the purchaser could have been in a relatively better position of being out just the deposit money - and sue over that if he wanted - than the entire purchase price.

From what I understood, the entire sum had to be paid before the builder would release the guitar. The payment was completed right before his uncle picked up the guitar. I do not know the fine print of this story, though.

 

[nexion218]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

That, my friend, is called editing and censorship. The guys behind the blog wanted to have an article about having guitars custom built and these proved perfect to that end. Unfortunately, my experiences weren't nearly as rosy as they were with Warmoth, for example, but all my gripes were redacted and censored because it was believed that any negative press regarding Crimson Guitars on the official Seymour Duncan blog might come across as an official statement by SD about Crimson Guitars, hence the choice to have my gripes redacted. My post on the Warmoth forum is more honest and almost unredacted

Wow... Just wow. Imagine if someone ordered a custom build from them based on that post and ended up having a ton of unwelcome trouble... I bet they are happy with their troubles knowing that there is no feud between SD and Crimson Guitars thanks to the editor guys doing their job, right? Honestly, based on the SD Blog I thought that you were more than happy with the instruments and they did a stellar job for you... If someone's not willing to publish the truth, hen just keep silent...

 

[orpheo]

Re: Sadness: custom guitar frustrations

Wow... Just wow. Imagine if someone ordered a custom build from them based on that post and ended up having a ton of unwelcome trouble... I bet they are happy with their troubles knowing that there is no feud between SD and Crimson Guitars thanks to the editor guys doing their job, right? Honestly, based on the SD Blog I thought that you were more than happy with the instruments and they did a stellar job for you... If someone's not willing to publish the truth, hen just keep silent...

Unfortunately, you don't always get to decide what to, or not to, write when you're employed by someone.

That being said. Crimson Guitars has stepped up their game and have pivoted towards classes and tools and less into 'developing' a brand perse so good for them. I don't always agree with their production choices or esthetics but there is clearly a market for them.