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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > Bushman Harmonicas Belly Up?
Bushman Harmonicas Belly Up?
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kham
106 posts
Apr 25, 2017
4:33 PM
I heard from a few sources that Bushman is in deep trouble. Not sending orders and not returning phone calls... Anyone else know about this? They were pretty solid harmonicas formt he 2 that I owned. Sad...
florida-trader
1123 posts
Apr 25, 2017
5:23 PM
I haven't heard anything. I will say that a customer sent me two Bushmans several years ago and I thought they were very good harps. I had read a lot of praise leading up to that time and my expereince confirmed what I read. I am almost certain that at that time, Suzuki was making the reed plates for Bushman. The Delta Frost is/was identical to the Suzuki HarpMaster.

Fast forward to today and it is rumored that Bushman is now having plates made in China and the word on the street is that the quality is not as good. When I came out with custom combs for the HarpMaster I had a customer who was having difficulty getting a set of Delta Frost plates to sit properly on the comb. I had him send it to me. The plates were so warped that they were useless. I don't know if they were Chinese plates or not but I just gave the customer a set of HarpMaster that I had to replace the warped plates.

If indeed they started using inferior plates, it might have cost them their customer loyalty and is the beginning of the end. Hope it isn't true though.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
 photo BMH Banner resized for email signature_zpseilpcgeo.jpg

Last Edited by florida-trader on Apr 25, 2017 5:24 PM
shakeylee
633 posts
Apr 25, 2017
7:21 PM
Well,here is a quote directly from John hall:

Bushman is doing great! We just logged the best 4 months of business that we've done since 2006. We're very excited about the new phosphor bronze that we're using in our Delta Frost reeds. We did have a big challenge getting in our first shipment of the new reeds, but we've solved that now. We'll be busy building harmonicas and shipping any outstanding orders over the next couple of weeks. All Harmonica of the Month Club members will be receiving an extra set of plates for free since they had to wait on us while we were waiting on our reeds to arrive. As always, thanks for your concern, but now is a great time to buy a Bushman Delta Frost Harmonica!



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www.shakeylee.com

Last Edited by shakeylee on Apr 25, 2017 7:23 PM
Jaybird
307 posts
Apr 26, 2017
3:33 AM
Read about John Hall
Jaybird
313 posts
Apr 26, 2017
4:07 AM
Re: John Hall quote

I don't believe a word of it.
The Iceman
3098 posts
Apr 26, 2017
4:27 AM
I've had personal experience with John Hall, dating back to when I was convention director for SPAH and he was a vendor.

What John says and what the reality is has been two different worlds, IMO.

One has to be careful when dealing with Harmonica Vendors. They portray themselves as one thing while experience with them may prove something completely different. Beware the ones that get into long winded explanations or debates regarding customer concerns.

Personally, I like Rockin' Ron. He lets his actions speak loudest.

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The Iceman
OldGeezer
42 posts
Apr 26, 2017
7:46 AM
If Bushman is out of business, then I say good riddance.

Like Iceman said, Rockin' Ron is the best. I also like Eezyreeder.
Wayne17
5 posts
Apr 26, 2017
9:13 AM
Tom, that story about the reedplates sounds familiar.... LOL
nacoran
9442 posts
Apr 26, 2017
10:34 AM
Bushman has a long history of shipping problems, and a long history of people liking their harps. I've talked to him by email a couple times. I don't know what is causing his shipping issues. I haven't played one of his harps, but I've heard enough people I trust saying they are good harps to believe that.

Ron's carries Bushmans. If you like them, buy them from Ron. He'll only sell them to you if he's got them in stock, which means you'll get your harp almost by the time you can walk down to your post office box. That eliminates the risk.

I haven't done any business with Eezyreeder, but I think I read some of his articles on what harp to pick when I was starting out. Good stuff.

Don't rely on the Bushman part of the supply chain and you should be alright with them.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009
florida-trader
1124 posts
Apr 26, 2017
12:27 PM
Was that you Wayne17? Gotta be careful about the stories you tell. You never know who is listening.
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Tom Halchak
www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
 photo BMH Banner resized for email signature_zpseilpcgeo.jpg
Joe_L
2693 posts
Apr 26, 2017
4:21 PM
I was wondering why I got a couple of comments on that blog entry. A few years ago, John Hall called me a a couple of times offering to give me free harps in exchange for removing that blog entry.

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Jaybird
314 posts
Apr 26, 2017
5:13 PM
@ Joe_L

Did you remove your blog entry?
Did you get your harps?
jbone
2286 posts
Apr 26, 2017
6:31 PM
I did not get along with John Hall, whether it was my problem or his. I was not happy with some of his actions and especially compared to other vendors. He has had his share of bad press. You can make up your own mind. I left him behind some years ago when I found harps I liked better from a vendor I have never had a problem with.
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Joe_L
2695 posts
Apr 26, 2017
11:04 PM
I never removed the entry. After the experiences I had, I didn't want the harps. I just stuck with what I had.

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Sarge
599 posts
Apr 27, 2017
7:22 AM
I never had a problem dealing with John Hall. I really liked the Bushman Souls Voice harmonica and still have several that I play.
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Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
Chaz
27 posts
Apr 28, 2017
6:41 AM
My own experience with John Hall is, interesting. Just to try them out, I picked up a low F and an A (Delta Frost). The Low F was ok (as my first low tuned harp I really didn't know any better- in retrospect it was not that good) and the A was terrible. Not too far from the bluesbands I got my 7 year old. I mentioned as much on a facebook thread, in a group devoted to harmonica gear, where people were sharing their opinions about value priced harps. The guy kinda flipped out- aggressively messaged me, why didn't you contact me, give me a chance to make it right, etc. I admitted that maybe I was a bit quick to judge, gave him the benefit of the doubt. He told me (unsolicited) he would send me a replacement for the A that I would LOVE. MONTHS go by- now HE said he would send it, so just for kicks I go back to the original exchange and type "?". Many apologies, he's been crazy, got buried under some papers, etc. etc. Finally I get an A that sounds pretty good. I don't give him feedback right away and he messages me asking me what I think. I tell him I like it (I use it as a backup) and he proceeds to tell me that he customized it special just for me by putting MANJI reed plates on it. So there ya go. Not really a Delta Frost at all... so... make of all this what you will. It was all very strange.

Last Edited by Chaz on Apr 28, 2017 10:56 AM
Killa_Hertz
2297 posts
Apr 28, 2017
7:54 AM
Well I bought a bushman to try, sometime last year. And I was very unhappy with it. I bought it from Rons and Ron just so happened to read my post about being unhappy with the harp. (Even though in my post I didn't mention where I bought it ... he sure remembered.)

Anyhow Ron insisted that I get in touch with John to sort it out. Said John would make it right.

My gripe with the harp was that the gaps were so big it was nearly impossible to play ootb and even after attempting to fix it ... it still played like garbage.

Anyhow after talking with John on the phone for hours .... hearing alot of excuses .... John offered to send me another harp. Well a month or two went by ... no harp. So I call him back n finally sends me another. I assumed after all the talk about the poor action on the first bushman that this one would be a little better. Nope .... garbage.

John told me out of his own mouth that they switched reed plates . I can't speak for the old plates, but The plates they use now are garbage. Like I said, no matter how much work I did to them, I couldn't get them to play worth a damn. The playability reminds me of the bluesband. Or the piedmont. $5 harps. It's a shame because the comb is pretty comfortable. I let kids play with them. That's all their Good for.
The Iceman
3099 posts
Apr 28, 2017
9:07 AM
The common thread I see in some of the above posts in regards to John was the excessive amount of discussion, emails, phone calls and just plain dialog in regards to a simple issue which just needed resolving, not debating/arguing/berating.

There are a few other harmonica vendors - not many, but one or two in my experience - out there that subscribe to this same strange philosophy that John seemed to embrace.

I find that this type of customer service philosophy to indicate, in my mind, "avoid doing business with these folk at all costs", even if sometimes or even most of the time they do decent work.

There are plenty other high quality techs/vendors out there that do excellent work, offer great customer service and don't create issues or hard feelings along the way.

My top 3:

Rockin' Ron
Joe Filisko (if you can get in line - if there is an opening)
Richard Sleigh - one of the originals and willing to work on almost any harmonica - not just ones that he built to begin with.

Do a bit of due diligence, ask around for opinions and then make your decision on who you wish to patronize!
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The Iceman

Last Edited by The Iceman on Apr 28, 2017 9:08 AM
nacoran
9445 posts
Apr 28, 2017
11:50 AM
Short of corroborating evidence that Bushman has gone under let's not all pile on. There have been previous threads in the past where people got to air their grievances to the point where it bordered on harassment. I'll hit him up on FB and see if he has a comment, but in the meantime let's consider this closed.

Edit: Hall says Bushman is doing fine.

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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009

Last Edited by nacoran on Apr 28, 2017 1:20 PM
Goldbrick
1795 posts
Apr 28, 2017
2:14 PM
I bought my Delta Frosts a couple of years ago on Ebay for $25 each and they are very good harps

Maybe the old ones were better
Jaybird
315 posts
Apr 28, 2017
2:57 PM
shakeylee
635 posts
Apr 29, 2017
8:44 AM
----------I find the negativity very interesting.

Bad harps I've gotten from bushman: 0
Bad harps I've gotten from Suzuki: 1
Bad harps I've gotten from hering :1
Bad harps I've gotten from hohner :
6,547. ??

But seriously, I have never gotten a bad harp from bushman,I've never gotten burned in a transaction,except by coast2coast.

Yet I have gotten MANY bad harps from hohner ,to a point where I used huang.

I never see this kind of negativity directed at other companies.
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www.shakeylee.com
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SuperBee
4656 posts
Apr 29, 2017
4:20 PM
Can't agree with that shakey.

It's about the operation not the product. (Although now it seems to be about the product as well.)

I see a lot of negative comments about other companies, most of it unjustified or unreasonable.

But you don't see much which says hohner, Suzuki or seydel are utterly unprofessional and unreliable regarding customer service and supply chain. That's because they generally are pretty good at it. When they aren't, people complain.

The recent Hohner USA breakdown drew plenty of flak for example.

I can also think of examples where some 'innovative' harps have hit bumps in the past and drawn plenty of negative comments. But the merchant was an honourable trustworthy person and responded to his customers in a fair reasonable way, so when he brings out a new product people are still prepared to give it a shot.

It's very clear people have had bad experiences with bushman and they remember how they were treated. That counts more than the product sometimes.

I've had experiences buying microphones in the past, where things went missing. Maybe they were never sent. It was frustrating when there were long delays and I'd paid up front, but the seller always came through in the end, kept talking to me, gave me extra or better than I'd paid for to compensate. consequently we still deal. I know there might be problems because of his slightly disorganised approach but I also know he is honest and a fair dealer.

When the dealer doesn't communicate or just lies to you and there's no resolution, people are gonna resent it. I think that's completely understandable.

There are numerous very good operators in the harp business. No reason not to deal with those.
As Nate said above, if you buy bushman from Ron, you can avoid problems and let Ron, who has leverage, deal with bushman.
Arrick
37 posts
Apr 30, 2017
6:41 AM
I bought a Bushman harp from Sweetwater at Christmas and it was pretty much unplayable. I've been communicating with John about replacement reedplates for the past 4 months. He's slow to reply but not hiding. His cell # is posted on his website and he answers calls and texts. I'm hanging in there with him because I really like the way the harp feels in my hands and read great reviews prior to his reed supply problem. He's also a fellow Hoosier and I try to support local businesses whenever possible. I do know that he sent a group email out a couple months ago asking for financial investors. I offered my professional services (branding/design/marketing/sales) but never got a reply. Seems like a great guy who's trying real hard but has financial/supplier issues. Fingers crossed for him.

Last Edited by Arrick on Apr 30, 2017 6:54 AM
ted burke
551 posts
Apr 30, 2017
3:13 PM
I've been lucky with the DFs I've purchased over the years; in all the keys I have--d, c, Eb and F--they are well made, responsive, and produce a good tone. It's distressing to hear the quality has declined. For Jon Hall, I've been reading about him here and elsewhere for a few years now, and it seems that it's his habit to ignore mounting complaints about slow service or other problems, after which he produces emails or forum posts where he explains everything that's been going on with this business. He's done this a few times and I am leery of a man who has on answer for everything.
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Ted Burke

tburke4@san.rr.com
Blind Melon
73 posts
May 01, 2017
9:12 AM
Well, if Bushman Harmonicas is in trouble and goes out of business, there is always Harrison Harmonicas...

Too soon?
Too soon?
DeltaFrostFan
8 posts
May 05, 2017
8:50 AM
Yikes!! as my name suggests i am big fan of the harps. interesting though you guys mention the newer ones seem to be inferior? mine are older so will be interested to see what my reed replacement options are when i start needing to fix.

omg this is a like a mini therapy group though!! I've spoken to John several times when orders seem to disappear. a bunch of excuses usually, and as i've said on another thread i still have an unfilled order from Novemeber. i am surprised they are still in business, i remember getting emails a couple months ago that they were looking for people to buy ownership into the company, so i assumed some sort of change (good or bad) was in the works.
the best advice is like you guys say, just buy from someone like ron or a retailer-- if then don't have in stock then just get something else. however, these comments about recent quality really get my attention. at the end of the day, i put up with john's nonsense because the product was great. if that is gone then time to move on. I am pretty excited to buy from this rocking ron person everyone talks about.
barbequebob
3414 posts
May 05, 2017
9:15 AM
The better stuff was the Soul's Voice original version, which was actually manufactured for them by Seydel and the original version of the Delta Frost, which were manufactured for them by Suzuki. They now use a company from China and it definitely may not be the same one that makes Easttop and most of the Chinese made stuff is a vastly inferior product. Bushman got rid of their harp forum about 6 months ago, so that may have been a sign.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Wayne17
10 posts
May 05, 2017
9:26 AM
Exactly what Bob said above. The originals were fine harps, they should be as they were made by Seydel and Suzuki. My experience with the new Delta Frosts is very bad. Terrible reedplates. The customer service is a completely different issue, my experience was awful there as well.

My suggestion is always if you like the feel of the Delta Frost, buy a Harpmaster.
DeltaFrostFan
10 posts
May 05, 2017
11:03 AM
good call!

What kills me was whenever they did a promo they couldn't fulfill the orders. This order of mine from Nov 30 was a couple of those mini harmonicas they advertised as stocking stuffers! I mean they sent the email out saying "hey buy these" so i buy them and 6 mo later still waiting with no communication.
several years ago they sold numbered, made in american limited edition harps. you got to pick your number 1-100, i was pumped, thought i was going to have a piece of history. instead they never brought operations in the USA 100% so that first run never happened. he did send me 2 delta frosts for the 50 bucks i pre-paid (i was stoked, faith restored) BUT he sent me the wrong key, twice! Total clown shoes! I will be checking out the Harpmaster for sure.
Wayne17
11 posts
May 05, 2017
11:37 AM
I think the continuous dishonesty is what ruined the reputation. I once waited 8 months for a set of reedplates that were coming "any day now." Yeah right.

He was never able to fulfill his orders, orders were fulfilled with excuses rather than honest information.

Anyone remember his harp mic that "he developed" and then all of a sudden NADY had the same mic? I think NADY still has them.

I wanted to like the "little" guy making harps in the USA, etc. but I called major BS and moved on.
Sarge
601 posts
May 05, 2017
3:45 PM
The forum is still going with most of the old regulars on it. It's no longer called the Bushman harmonica forum.
http://www.beanfestforum.com/

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Wisdom does not always come with old age. Sometimes old age arrives alone.
nacoran
9450 posts
May 05, 2017
5:51 PM
For what it's worth, BBQ, I've got an Easttop and it's a great harp. I think the days when Chinese harps were junk are over, and with their wage prices I suspect they are going to have a real shot at taking some market share.

That said, that's got nothing conformably to do with Bushman. We've had other threads where people complain and heap on and we've shut them down. People have said their piece. I was hoping, that with a little gentle nudging this thread might just go away. It's fine to criticize things, but this thread is going way beyond into wild speculation. I talked briefly to Hall by FB and he says the company is doing fine. Honestly I would have locked the thread right afterwards, since that was the central thrust of the thread, but I thought the thread would die on it's own. He's says the company is doing fine. Take that with whatever grains of salt you want but I'm going to lock this thread, not to do any favors for Hall (who I found quite disagreeable) but because I think at this point everything has been said and the speculation part of the thread is veering into areas that don't belong on the forum.


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Nate
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First Post- May 8, 2009

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