marine1896
275 posts
Jul 16, 2015
5:30 AM
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So, decided I would dip my toe into the custom harp world just for the hell of it and I contacted Sugar Cain harmonica customizer here in the UK, seemed a nice enough cat, we agreed a price and customisation details, all reasonable as well I thought, I said I would pay him by bank transfer and then next day he got back to me by email and said he was "having a little security browse"! And did I have a Facebook page so he could check it out??? I don't bother with FB not my thing, but I then offered to send him my harp and money upfront by signed mail gave him my mobile number and never heard from him again!!! Very strange don't know if anyone else has any experience with him?
I did not know a prerequisite for custom harmonica work involved so much security ;-)!
I was planning when I got it to do a little review thing on here and YT for it but there you go...weird thang!
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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SuperBee
2735 posts
Jul 16, 2015
5:47 AM
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Very odd ime. I've had custom harps made 3 times, from different makers. I paid a deposit, answered questions related to how I play, what I want...waited and paid the balance. That's it.
I used to be connected with sugar on Fb back when he was still 'car sick cain'. Seemed like a decent feller, in his quirky way. Has plenty of mates and his work draws good comments.
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GMaj7
721 posts
Jul 16, 2015
6:22 AM
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I've heard nothing but good things out Sugar.. and never heard of anything like this. This is strictly my personal observation.
One thing I would add, I generally don't accept advance payment for anything that isn't ready for delivery. I know there are others here that operate a little differently and maybe their reputation is such they can do it.
If I get hit by a train, I don't want my wife having to refund a bunch of money to folks. It is amazing how much more patient folks can be when you aren't hanging on to their money..
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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marine1896
276 posts
Jul 16, 2015
6:43 AM
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Well, he never really mentioned anything about money up front but from the way we talked on email I assumed it would be money up front... plus as all the reviews ect. online seem good I was not unduly worried at all! If I'm honest I just got the impression that if I did not have a FB page he could not deal with me, a bit odd I think since it was me who would have been paying up front along with the harp and I gave him my mobile number. But, you know it is what it is and as the Welsh say..."There's nowt so queer as folk".
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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harpwrench
1019 posts
Jul 16, 2015
8:44 AM
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Maybe the bank transfer spooked him; when a stranger asks me to do that I pass. Then your plan B email got lost on the way. That is a problem occasionally. As far as money up front; I definitely get why some don't like the idea. But a very select few of us do this for a living. I've been left holding the bag on harps with customers' name carved on the reed plates, unique setups, odd keys etc even WITH a deposit. Customers die too, others just vanish. It takes time away from what I'm doing and I don't get a paycheck for the work until deal with it. Deposits are part of the grease that keeps the machine working smoothly. Without them the only smart way for me to do business would be building popular models and only A-C-D-G keys with a buy-it-now.
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marine1896
278 posts
Jul 16, 2015
8:58 AM
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"Maybe the bank transfer spooked him; when a stranger asks me to do that I pass"
Well,I did offer that initially and he seemed fine with it and then afterwards I also offered cash with the harp by signed for delivery and I did send 3 further emails but no reply and also I'm pretty flexible and would have easily been open to any other suggestions he might have had.
My other thought's on this were that maybe what he quoted me was low and he had second thoughts because I thought it was pretty reasonable what he was offering but who knows.
I was looking forward to this since he did say on that talent show he was the second best harp customizer in the world after Joe F !!!! lol
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
Last Edited by marine1896 on Jul 16, 2015 9:02 AM
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harpwrench
1020 posts
Jul 16, 2015
9:04 AM
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I have my phone number on my site because email can be flakey sometimes, maybe Cain does as well?
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marine1896
279 posts
Jul 16, 2015
9:05 AM
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"Without them the only smart way for me to do business would be building popular models and only A-C-D-G keys with a buy-it-now."
Actually considering who you are that ain't such a bad idea! ;-)
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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marine1896
280 posts
Jul 16, 2015
9:09 AM
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"I have my phone number on my site because email can be flakey sometimes, maybe Cain does as well?"
Well, after 3 emails i'll leave it just now and put the cash together for a custom job from yourself or someone it was just very convenient to do it all here in the UK.
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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arzajac
1660 posts
Jul 16, 2015
12:12 PM
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Working on harps is hard. Building a business around it is very hard, too. The importance of *good* communication is not to be underestimated.
Even if something bad happens (delay, error, etc...) the very best way to handle it is good honest, prompt communication.
I kick myself every time I forget to answer an email ASAP. Email from my site is forwarded to two other email providers (Gmail and Yahoo) for redundancy so I never miss a message. I also have a toll-free (US and Canada) number and voice messages also get sent immediately to my email.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica Combs and Tools.
Last Edited by arzajac on Jul 16, 2015 12:13 PM
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Gipsy
163 posts
Jul 16, 2015
12:31 PM
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I've got a whole bunch of harps from Cain and they are superb. He is a young man and building his business slowly but steadily. Like very many young people he uses Facebook not only as a means of communicating with friends but also to promote his business. I happen to one know via his Facebook page that he has recently taken a well deserved family holiday, and that he expressly apologised in advance for possibly not being able to reply to communications as speedily as usual.
Can I suggest you might reconsider whether to place an order with him. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. If you are then I promise to buy the harp from you for whatever you paid. I notice we both live in the UK, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Just out of interest I've got over 40 of his harps! Various models and numerous tunings. For what it's worth I believe his Hohner Golden Melodies tuned to 19 limit just intonation are as good as it gets. Only one thing improves them, and that's mounting them on one of Azarjacs custom combs.
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marine1896
282 posts
Jul 16, 2015
12:53 PM
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@Gipsy; Well, I did email him back 3 times after going back and forth with detail's. So, ball's in his court I guess.
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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Kingley
3893 posts
Jul 16, 2015
1:08 PM
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Just a thought. It's possible that your emails have gone into his spam folder and he's missed them. I'd suggest either joining Facebook and sending him a private message via that, as he won't miss that. Or maybe ask a friend who is on Facebook to PM him on your behalf.
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marine1896
283 posts
Jul 16, 2015
1:30 PM
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Well, just checking my emails and there was a reply from Sugar Cain! So comms are re-established and I will still be going ahead with the original order so, thanks for all your comments and watch this space I guess!
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"Those British boys want to play the blues real bad, and they do"
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Popculture Chameleon
83 posts
Jul 16, 2015
5:25 PM
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glad to see things are back on track with Sugar- I have been watching his development on Facebook and you tube and have been quite impressed- I myself will be getting some harps from him when I get the cash. keep us posted
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