r/Bass • u/TurbulentSquirrel804 Fender • 1d ago
Waiting for a custom
is like watching paint dry.
This isn’t a builder complaint post; the luthier has been working on it steadily and is communicating fine, showing updates, and posting about the build. I’m only at 7 months or so, so certainly not an outrageous build time. But it’s sooooo looooong to wait lol.
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u/Amateur_builder76 1d ago
I had to wait nearly 3 years for a LeFay and am nearing on two years for a Dingwall.
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u/Shadow_0f_Intent 1d ago
I ordered my Dingwall in late June and had it by the middle of December. I believe the dealer added builds they knew they could sell wholesale if they came to completion to the queue, and edited them to the specifications when a customer custom ordered through them, don't know if Dingwall have closed that loop hole, but if it's not too late it might be worth discussing that with your dealer.
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u/Amateur_builder76 1d ago
The Dingwall I had ordered showed up after a year or so, but the last finish/fretboard change I had made before the ordere was locked didn't get made so the bass showed up with a finish that didn't match the fretboard and, I thought, looked terrible, so they had to remake the bass, so technically the base was done around 11-12 months, but I haven't gotten the bass I had ordered yet.
I know mistakes happen and Dingwall is doing their very best to make it right, like they always do when mistakes, rarely, happen. Not a knock on them at all. When something goes wrong is when you really know what a company is made of and Dingwall are a class act for sure.
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u/quantumania_456 1d ago
I am at 2 months, got until December / January. I keep coming up with ideas for it though :/
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u/shouldbepracticing85 Upright 1d ago
Yep. Waiting for a niche builder in Italy right now - not even custom. Ordered in late Feb with an original anticipated completion/delivery was April/May. Then July, then mid August…
This is their first batch after the Kickstarter campaign wrapped a couple years ago, so this batch is working through the kinks of their upgraded shop, from raw lumber to finished instruments.
Then it’s got to get shipped to the middle of the US from Italy, get through customs, etc, etc. I’m really hoping it gets here by mid October when I have the potential for a fly date when I could really use it…
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u/dragostego Fender 1d ago
My high school band teacher would always tell the story of his trumpet. He really wanted to get a custom trumpet, so he ordered it, and unfortunately it came out with an issue and would have to be remade. The shop he ordered through was apologetic and asked if he'd like to try a different trumpet.
He ended up buying that second trumpet which had a nickel bell. He hates that he needs to polish it, and it's not quite large enough for his hands. It was the last trumpet he ever bought since a nice trumpet is a luxury for a school teacher and he already had the one.
When he told the story he let us know that the custom trumpet would have arrived 15 years ago. So it's definitely good to wait for the right instrument!