jbone
331 posts
May 28, 2010
4:18 AM
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wife brought up the Harrison B-Radical harp the other day and asked if i wanted one. due to the expense i never even considered asking for one and never told her about them. she found Brad's website on her own and saw a video of someone playing one and was hooked.
yesterday i went ahead and ordered a D, engraved, and pre-paid for it! now the hard part- a 5 to 6 month wait......
but Christmas is coming!
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Joch230
152 posts
May 28, 2010
4:53 AM
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I'd order one in a minute if they could get it to me in a reasonable time. I'm hoping they have it figured out by SPAH and they bring a few to sell. I'd love to have a Bb or an A.
-Johm
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saregapadanisa
203 posts
May 28, 2010
5:01 AM
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Jbone, would your wife marry me ?
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ness
215 posts
May 28, 2010
5:40 AM
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Jim,
I'm curious what the source of your statement is. Do you know what their back order queue is? Is your comment about the equipment based on anything other than gut?
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John
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saregapadanisa
204 posts
May 28, 2010
5:48 AM
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Harrison Harmonicas website, today :
"We are currently taking orders for our innovative B-radical harmonica for delivery in 5-6 months."
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jim
66 posts
May 28, 2010
5:58 AM
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and the comment about equipment is based on their own video, and Brad's own words from it: "we were sitting here all night trying to figure out how there machines work". Not the exact phrase, but watch it - he says that.
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www.truechromatic.com
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Buzadero
408 posts
May 28, 2010
6:44 AM
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Well, your wife is a wonderful woman.
Last weekend, whilst you folks were whooping it up in the upper South at HCH, Harrison Harps own Michael Peloquin was enjoying a triumphant return to the SF Bay Area as the prodigal son home from the salt mines of Rockford, Illinois.
In spite of his whooping it up for his big milestone birthday, he managed to get me the first of my B-Rad's (Key of A).
I spent last evening in my office at the end of the pier out over the water seeing what the fuss and hype is all about.
Once he drags his old ass out of bed this morning, I promised I'd call with my impressions. But, the short version is that it is a very easy thing to make work. Very gracefully designed, smooth to play, etc.
Don't get me wrong, I love me the 'customized' harps I've treated myself to. But, this B-Rad is a very promising bridge 'twixt off-the-rack and customized. You'll be very pleased.
Oh, and that Buddha dude is absolutely correct (as much as it pains me to say that); in spite of what certain contrarians claim, you really can hold a sustained overblow on Hole 1.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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Pluto
71 posts
May 28, 2010
7:01 AM
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jbone,
be patient.
I ordered mine in November and there is no sign of me ever getting it.
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Tuckster
558 posts
May 28, 2010
7:50 AM
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Been waiting since November,too. Just the other day I decided I wanted an A instead of the D I ordered., I e-mailed them and received a response within an hour. No problem!
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bluemoose
204 posts
May 28, 2010
9:11 AM
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I've been waiting for 2 b-rads since last June. I've had at least 3 "we'll be shipping it next month" e-mails with the last teaser being "some time in April".
It's now the end of May. Don't hold your breath.
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LIP RIPPER
227 posts
May 28, 2010
9:52 AM
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Well, Buz, I guess it's who you know. I ordered mine in the key of "A" 339 days ago. Yes, 6-23-2009. Last I heard I was going to receive it in April 2010. What month is it?
LR
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Buzadero
412 posts
May 28, 2010
9:55 AM
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Mine was way back when as well. They are currently doing "A" harps now.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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barbequebob
865 posts
May 28, 2010
10:31 AM
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Brad's factory has a total of 6 people in it, wheras a company like Hohner has several hundred or several thousand if you count their other factories that are in China and the Czech Republic as well and they spit out a minimum of 1,000 harmonicas in an hour and Brad is putting out less and with obvious far fewer employees, but unlike the major manufacturers, there's a lot more time being taken to make sure things are shipped right wheras the larger companies that spit out a lot of harps in an hour, there are always gonna be dogs in them no matter who the manufacturer is.
Whenever you see a production date on anything, especially with harmonicas, the 4 digit code breaks down to this: the first two numbers represents what week of production it was made and the last two is the calendar year it was actually made, and so if you see, as an example, 1209, this does NOT mean in was made in December 2009, but the 12th WEEK of the year 2009, meaning on that week of the year, if it was a reed plate of the key of A, as an example, was being produced.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Todd Parrott
28 posts
May 28, 2010
11:36 AM
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Bob - is this also true for Hohners? I've never seen anything by Hohner where the first 2 digits are a number higher than 12?
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barbequebob
868 posts
May 28, 2010
12:28 PM
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As far as I know, it is, but what I'm telling you is generally the standard for manufacturing regardless of the product line and that's from someone I know who used to have a factory job as a machinist.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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ness
217 posts
May 28, 2010
12:49 PM
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I'm aware of his video in which he talks about being up all night trying to figure out the machines. I thought maybe you had some current information on that or the number of orders.
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John
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Buddha
1879 posts
May 28, 2010
12:52 PM
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the four digit number on hohner plates are month and year.
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***
"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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MP
343 posts
May 28, 2010
12:53 PM
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thanks for the info bob and buddha. but whos info is correct?
once i found a MBD harp where the year on the top plate was '03 and the bottom '00.
wierd huh?
Last Edited by on May 28, 2010 12:56 PM
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Todd Parrott
30 posts
May 28, 2010
1:14 PM
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I have a GM in the key of B like that. Top plate is from 2004, bottom plate is from 2001.
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harpwrench
278 posts
May 28, 2010
1:21 PM
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The date code (mm/yy) only tells you when the reed plate was stamped. It doesn't necessarily coincide with when the reeds were made or installed. I've had lots of MB Classics with a spread like that on dates. Have never seen a MBD with a date older than 2005 though, the year they came out. The MBD plates are stamped differently to accommodate the coverplate bolts. Maybe it was a prototype!
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MP
346 posts
May 28, 2010
1:28 PM
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@ jbone.
iv'e been looking for your wife all my life.
@Todd,
makes you wonder what goes on in dere, don't it?
by the way, you are an excellent harp player, and i'm a picky son of a bitch. oops, i said the b word! don't tell jbones wife. i want to make a good impression.
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MP
347 posts
May 28, 2010
1:45 PM
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@HARPWRENCH,
OOPS! it was an 1896 not MBD.
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oda
334 posts
May 28, 2010
2:20 PM
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Oh wow, is it really 5-6 months!
I ordered a Bb B-rad 2 weeks ago. I thought it'd be 1-2 months max. That's quite unfortunate.
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I could be bound by a nutshell and still count myself a king of infinite space
OdaHUMANITY!
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jbone
332 posts
May 28, 2010
7:05 PM
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guys, sorry but Jolene is a one man woman and i'm it apparently. at least for the past 6+ years. but feel free to lurk and hope.
the custom mb's i once made a deal for- like 10 years ago- the guy told me it would be when he had time for a side project, so i understood that it would take time. at one point i had to send him my new address a state east from where i9 had been living. and i sort of gave up after at least 6 months. but one day i got a package in the mail and it was 2 great customs! so don't give up.
to me the whole harrison idea is a huge development not only for harmonicas and players, but as a new business model that could conceivably be a form of salvation in this stagnating culture. we've become a service society where we once were the greatest manufacturing culture on the planet.
people- me included- cry about the foreign badly made crap we find at wallymart, and how badly made a lot of cars and homes are built these days, but we all participated in the descent of quality and it's being replaced by bigger, shinier, more poorly made products. we used to see 50's american cars on the road in the 70's and 80's. think we'll see many '10 model cars around in 25 years?
brad has the right idea here. it's worth the wait to me.
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Rubes
35 posts
May 28, 2010
7:21 PM
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Look at it this way, all that waiting time gives us a chance to think about ordering some more....!
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Todd Parrott
33 posts
May 28, 2010
8:32 PM
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The B-Radical is a great harmonica, and I think Brad's done a great job at trying to advance the instrument altogether.
As for the comment in his interview about sitting up all night to learn how to use the machines, he is referring to the protoyping machines which are shown in the interview. This was about a year before he teamed up with PHD's from Northern Illinois University's engineering department to build the current reed machine. I think the fact the he would devote as much time as he has to trying to advance the instrument is applaudable. (To take his comment out of context without determining the facts is unfair in my opinion.) It's also nice to have a harmonica manufacturer who will listen to ideas and suggestions from the harmonica players.
Despite the wait times for the B-Radicals, I do hope Brad is successful in this venture to create a harmonica, as well as a harmonica company, that will raise the standard of harmonicas are made. Hats off to you Brad.
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rabbit
96 posts
May 29, 2010
12:10 AM
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If I had the bread I'd be delighted to pay for one (or more) and wait.
This is an important endeavor, period.
Still, I ain't dead yet, so in time...
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jim
67 posts
May 29, 2010
12:34 AM
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Seydel is 18 employees total in production. So staff number is not am excuse. The fact that they are so much late with their paid orders screams of non-professionalism. Imho.
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www.truechromatic.com
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Ryan
283 posts
May 29, 2010
2:39 AM
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jim,
Comparing the quality of harps that Harrison is producing to the harps that Seydel is producing, and the amount of time it takes each company to produce thier harps, is ridiculous. The B-Radical is essentially a custom harp. If you compare an out of the box Seydel to an "out of the box" B-Radical, the Seydel harps are simply not even in the same league. The B-radical plays almost perfectly throughout all 3 octaves, you can easily overblow and overdraw all the notes with out any adjustments. The only way this is possible is that each and every harp has had a skilled technician spending large amounts of time tweeking each reed until it's perfect. The Seydel factory only spends a small fraction of time procing each harp. That's why the playability of their harps out of the box is very much inferior to that of that Harrison harps. I don't mean to bash Seydel, they do make very good harps, but they simply are not in the same league as the B-Radicals. So comparing the production times of the two companies and concluding that Harrison Harmonicas is unprofessional is a completey ridiculous and ignorant thing to say.
If Seydel were a brand new company and were producing harps that matched the quality of the B-Radical, which would require having skilled technicians spending large amounts of one on one time working on each and every harp, they also would be producing harps at a much slower rate.
Last Edited by on May 29, 2010 2:44 AM
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jim
69 posts
May 29, 2010
3:01 AM
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And you're not right here either...
It takes several hours to make an out-of-the box harmonica at the factory.
And it takes me as a customizer several days to have it tweaked to the most professional level. Days, not months. If you have a hard time processing orders, don't take new orders. Hire new people to customize them... And finally clarify on the website that it's a CUSTOM made instrument, because you obviously may be mislead into thinking that they serially produce them. Right now their position is of an upstart. They claim to have the best serial produced harps in the world, but in the real life they fail to meet the deadlines of a custom-produced harp. That's like if you ordered a car in 2010, and would have to wait until 2012 to have it made and shipped.
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www.truechromatic.com
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Ryan
284 posts
May 29, 2010
3:58 AM
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"It takes several hours to make an out-of-the box harmonica at the factory"
Yes but they're not being produced one at a time, and they don't have someone spending a large amount of time working on each and every harp to make sure it plays perfectly, like the B-Rad. It may take a couple hours for Seydel to produce a finished harp, but the fact is it's a part of a giant bunch that are all being produced at the same time, and each harp recieves very little individual attention, unlike the B-Radical.
"And it takes me as a customizer several days to have it tweaked to the most professional level. Days, not months."
Even at their slowest, when the machines aren't working correctly, H.H's are still able to produce at least a few fully finished harps everyday. It doesn't take them months to produce a single harp. The fact is they several orders to fill. So if you put in an order today, it will take months to recieve your harp, not because it takes months to produce a harp, but because there are several people who ordered before you who's ordered need to be filled first. So they can't make your harp until they've finished the other harps first. I can't believe I'm having to explain something that's so obvious.
"If you have a hard time processing orders, don't take new orders."
Would you rather have to wait for your harp, or just not have the option of ordering one at all? Almost all good harp customisers have long waiting periods. Should they all stop taking order? If they did that the only way you can place an order is if you are lucky enough to place an order quick enough when they start taking new orders. Because once they start taking new order, their orders will pile up quick and they'll stop taking new orders almost immediately. Personally, I'd rather be put on a waiting list and just accept the fact I'm going to have to wait several months. Most customisers give an estimate of how long you'll need to wait, but if you don't like that, then DON'T ORDER one. I could understand not taking orders if it was going to take 2 years, or something like that, to complete new orders, but that's not the case. 5-6 months is a pretty common wait period for a custom harp.
"you obviously may be mislead into thinking that they serially produce them."
You think they're misleading people? So people think it's a serially produced harp, and I assume what your saying is that if people think it serially produced they'll assume that means they are produced quickly and they won't have to wait long to recieve them? It says right on their website when you order that the waiting period is 5-6 months, so how is that misleading people.
"in the real life they fail to meet the deadlines of a custom-produced harp."
All the best harp customisers have waiting periods of at least several months. Sometimes some customisers have had wait periods that have gone over a year.
Last Edited by on May 29, 2010 4:11 AM
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Kingley
1211 posts
May 29, 2010
4:27 AM
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This thread is quite interesting.
If the B-Radicals are being made by a very small production team, then I don't really see how production can ever really be ramped up significantly. It would seem there will probably always be a fairly long waiting list for a B-Radical. Admittedly as they process the orders this lead time may drop, but it'll never be like getting an off the shelf harp.
So bearing that in mind, it would make more sense to me, to order a Joe Spiers or Chris Michalek custom harp. Simply because the wait time will not be that much longer and at the end of the day you'd get a full custom harp and the cost is not dissimilar.
The B-Radical whilst no doubt a good harp seems to be a kind of bridge between stock and custom. It can't compete with a true custom harp. I seem to recall that someone (Todd?) mentioned that they sent their B-Radical to Joe Spiers to have him work on it?
At the price point it's currently set at I can't see why someone wouldn't just order a custom harp. It seems like a no brainer to me.
I admire Brad for all his hard work and I really do hope that he finds a niche in the market for this product, but I currently can't see it. Hopefully I'm wrong.
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jbone
333 posts
May 29, 2010
4:32 AM
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this is a common phenomenon. something hits a market that is all the rage. orders pile up and the infrastructure gets stressed. a manufacturer has 3 choices at this point: continue on striving for the same- or better- quality, and let the orders pile up. add more skilled staff and expand the whole operation. or cut corners in the quality department and push more product out that ends up being inferior in the interest of increasing throughput and profits.
expanding has built in risks, to quality, and to the future of the business. letting quality slip has hazards of a damaged reputation and future loss of business.
i'm not a degreed pro but i have spent some decades in manufacturing, and in the school of hard knocks. i'm also not a builder, and barely a tweeker of harps. i want a really great product that is totally user-friendly. and i want follow-up service if i manage to flat a reed or have other issues. to me it sounds like this is what i will get, if i'm willing to wait for it. deferred gratification is a lesson i learned over a lot of years.
the wait may not be worth it to some. it is worth it to me.
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jim
70 posts
May 29, 2010
4:43 AM
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THey should have just made a new serial produced harp with a surcharge for the custom version. 60 bucks for the stock, 180 for the custom. That's how I would have done that.
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www.truechromatic.com
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jim
72 posts
May 29, 2010
5:06 AM
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yeah, one more thing to think about.
Most modern overblow pro's CAN customize. So they 200% can make a better harp than the B-r., because they know better what they need.
I would buy the B-rad. Stock. $50 maximum.
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www.truechromatic.com
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Andrew
998 posts
May 29, 2010
5:06 AM
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Very interesting, perhaps a little sad, certainly a very sensitive issue.
Designing a perfect harp is one thing. Designing it to be reproducible by monkeys with machines is another.
I'm doing a course unit in Graphs, Networks and Design. It is actually the area of math that deals with optimisation of production schedules among other problems in combinatorics. Also "linear programming" will be important to Brad's venture. If his business manager is a mere accountant, it may be necessary to get someone more mathematically minded on the job, if that's what the problem is.
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Todd Parrott
41 posts
May 29, 2010
8:26 AM
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Yes, I sent my B-Radical to Joe Spiers for him to customize it for 2 reasons.
First, Joe was anxious to check it out, and offered to customize for me. Brad was aware and was OK with me sending it to Joe. Second, I wanted it tuned a little differently, and I wanted to eliminate some squeals on the overdraw bends (on 7, 9, & 10), not the overdraws themselves - they were fine. For the record, Brad did offer to do this for me.
This doesn't mean that it didn't play well out of the box. (The B-Radical I played in my YouTube video was before it was customized by Joe.) It was great, but I have to disagree that it is on the same level with a $350.00 custom harmonica. People forget what custom means. It's not a harp that's been tweaked or embossed, etc. It goes deeper than that. A true custom harp is customized for the customer, and by that I mean it's set-up very specifically, based on a number of things. When Joe started building my harps, he asked a serious of questions about how I did bends, overblows, how I wanted it tuned, how hard I played, etc. It was pretty detailed. Joe takes his work seriously and is huge on customer satisfaction. If something is wrong, he makes it right, and even offers a 2-year warranty. Chris Michalek, who is building some harps for me, also builds true custom harps, and will take time to study a customer's playing before building, in order to build a harp that will best fit their style.
Taking this into consideration, there is no way the B-Radical or any other out of the box harmonica can be a custom harp right out of the box (not the Manji, 1847, Crossover, etc.), nor is Brad making this claim about the B-Radical (though other players have). However, comparing the B-Radical to any other out of the box harmonica is no comparison - it blows them away. And lest I be misunderstood or misquoted, my statement on the Harrison web site says that the B-Radical "sounds and responds like a custom," which is true. But to compare it to a Joe Spiers stage III custom is an unfair comparison. Nothing beats a custom harp.
Though some may feel that the wait times and processes are unprofessional, I commend Brad for stepping out and trying to make a better instrument. We as human beings are quick to criticize, and to state how we would do things differently, etc., but I don't see anyone else trying to do what Brad's doing - advancing the instrument. I wish more players/customizers would consider starting a new harmonica company with higher production standards. If everyone feels so strongly about how things should be done, contact Brad and speak with him about it. He's great to talk to, and you may get a little more insight and see things from a different perspective when you're done. Don't get me wrong; I can understand why some feel frustrated about the wait times, but posting on this forum certainly isn't helping speed up anything, though Brad is aware of this post. I don't think those who don't know Brad understand how much he loves the instrument and is dedicated to helping advance it. His heart is in the right place. He's a great guy and it saddens me to read things like this in this post.
I can say this, Joe was impressed with the reeds of the B-Radical, and if you know Joe, for him to be impressed with something means a whole lot. According to conversations with Joe Spiers, Chris Michalek and others, for a custom harp the best results are achieved with a Hohner vs. any other brand, especially the NOS plates. And they've tried them all. Chris has been customizing since he was 16, and learned from the same teacher that taught Joe Filisko. So, I take their word for it - if you wanna dispute it, take it up with them, not me.
And for the record, the Seydel 1847 Silver is one of the worst out of the box harmonicas I've played in 20 years, especially considering the price. All I heard was about how great it was for overblows, etc. I think I'll give it away to a little kid or something. I do like the Blues Session harps though, especially the high and low keys. I wish all harmonica manufacturers made as many keys and tunings as Seydel, but I think all harmonica manufacturers have something good to offer.
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Kingley
1214 posts
May 29, 2010
8:53 AM
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Todd- Thanks for confirming it was you who sent it to Joe Spiers. I didn't doubt for a moment that it played well, although I did wonder as to why you sent it to Joe. Well know I now.
I wouldn't compare it to a Joe Spiers Stage III because that wouldn't be a fair comparison. It's in the same price bracket as a Joe Spiers Stage II or a Buddha Harp though.
Personally I'm not currently in the market for a harp at that price point (I customise my own Marine Bands). If I was though, I suspect I'd still go for the Stage II or the Buddha harp over the B-Radical, simply because they are custom harps for around the same price.
I'm sure the B-Radical will find it's niche but like I have said I just can't really see where that is right now.
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Todd Parrott
42 posts
May 29, 2010
9:11 AM
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Kingley, no problem at all - I understood where you were coming from. I was just responding to the post in general.
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barbequebob
870 posts
May 29, 2010
9:37 AM
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Todd, that is what I say to other harp players all the time as far as customs go and too many who've never bought them just don't understand it because they're so used to just take the stuff that's off the shelf that's tailored to the masses, whereas a real custom harp is tailored to the INDIVIDUAL, and that is so VEEEEEEEEEEEERRRY different.
There are plenty of guitar players who buy a $3000 Martin acoustic and have a luthier customize it for them, or electric guitar players who buy a $1500 Fender Strat and have a luthier do custom work on it. I know for a fact Muddy Waters had his '56 Tele customized with a considerably larger neck than what was stock because of the high action causing the neck tension, plus to accomdate his extremely large hands.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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harpwrench
279 posts
May 29, 2010
9:58 AM
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Actually my Stage II harps are only $100 for SP20's and Golden Melodies, and $135 for Marine Bands. They're intended for blues players, with a good 6 overblow, and no squealing bends. They're not advertised or intended to have fully chromatic overblow/overdraw capabilities like the B-Radical.
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Todd Parrott
44 posts
May 29, 2010
10:10 AM
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Joe, any harp you touch turns to gold.
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rbeetsme
271 posts
May 29, 2010
7:10 PM
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Jbone, I jumped on the initial bandwagon too, big discount, free shipping, free engraving, ordered 3 (no Bb) Nearly a year later Mike tells me he's hoping for July. Oh well, I'm just playing my other harps. I 'm hoping to have them at the 2010 Bean Blossom Bluesfest in August.
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jim
78 posts
Jun 02, 2010
3:14 AM
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A very interesting email I have received today...
I will not post it here, but I would like to clarify a couple of things.
1) I am NOT a Seydel employee. And they do not pay me for writing here or anywhere else.
2) Everything I write is my own point of view and my own reaction to what other people write about b-radical.
3) My contact email is in my profile and on my website. If you have questions/complaints, write to ME, no need to put other people in an uncomfortable position (especially when they have NO idea what you're writing about)
4) It's not you, Brad, who is supposed to be mad with my posts, but those people waiting more than 9months for the b-radical to be delivered. THEY are supposed to be mad at you (and I guess they already are)...
About my posts: I don't see anything that can be considered offensive. I just point out that you have a hard time keeping up with what you say. And you have a great chance proving that I am wrong by making the best serial produced harp. And I will be very happy if you prove that I am wrong.
Anyway, I officially apologize for my words. Again, I stress, this is MY opinion, that is not affiliated with SEYDEL in any way.
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www.truechromatic.com
Last Edited by on Jun 02, 2010 5:44 AM
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ness
218 posts
Jun 02, 2010
11:04 AM
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Jim,
I was wondering about your affiliation with Seydel too. I clicked through to your website, and it sure seems like there's some connection. Or do they offer @seydel.com e-mail addresses to folks who ask?
To me, your first post came across as being from someone in the know, i.e.:
"And the wait is so long not because they have so many orders, but because they are still figuring out how to use the manufacturing equipment..."
That implies you know their order status, and have info about their manufacturing, not just a casual observer armed only with what was said in an interview some time ago in which he was talking about getting the company off the ground.
These words could be considered offensive:
"The fact that they are so much late with their paid orders screams of non-professionalism. Imho."
So your affiliation with Seydel (which your lawyerly response above doesn't clarify) and your harsh words concerning Harrison Harmonica, their misleading website, unreasonable wait times, etc. raise questions.
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John
Last Edited by on Jun 02, 2010 11:09 AM
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pharpo
303 posts
Jun 02, 2010
11:12 AM
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I e-mailed Harrison Harmonica's weeks ago re: the anticipated wait time, if I ordered a harp. I never received a response from them.
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Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. - Charlie Parker
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jim
82 posts
Jun 02, 2010
11:23 AM
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I have good relationship with Seydel, thus my email and the True Chromatic project. But I am NOT working for them.
"These words could be considered offensive"
>>So you mean being late with paid orders' deadlines is professional???
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www.truechromatic.com
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Kingley
1226 posts
Jun 02, 2010
11:51 AM
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"I e-mailed Harrison Harmonica's weeks ago re: the anticipated wait time, if I ordered a harp. I never received a response from them."
That's not good.
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Buzadero
416 posts
Jun 02, 2010
12:01 PM
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I'll wade in with as little of my usual snidities as I can hold myself to;
"late with paid orders" on it's own is something less than professional. Yes.
However, we are a small market demographic. The guys at HH are trying to walk the rope between building a business at the initial formative stages; taking ongoing orders (and likely scared to turn any orders down); and attempting to gauge production against those new orders. It's a tough game, this entrepenuerialism. Thinly veiled or even outright criticism should be tempered with a bit of understanding of the overall situation.
I ordered two B-Radicals very early on in the evolution. I did so as much to see what the next-big-thing might be as much as to be able to say that I was a customer from the very beginning. When I began to hear the story of Harrison making a run at this endeavor, I appreciated the whole package of his trying to build a business from the ground, striving to make a domestic "all American" product, and hit a high bar of quality and performance. I read the motivations and I became a believer. I still am. Do I think the wait is unbearably long? Yes. Do I think those guys are lying bastards because they say they will try to get it out in one month and it ends up much longer? No. Do I think I should hold them to the same order-to-delivery tightness that I would expect from a harp company that has been established for considerably longer and with a much more polished process? No. I am one of the first customers of a new product. And, I am content to ride it out. Yes, I am impatient. But, I am understanding.
Caveat: I know Mike Peloquin and think the world of him. Does this make me tainted? Probably. But, the flip side of this is that I know his sincerity. He is trying, Brad is trying. The whole bunch is trying. It's a noble cause and these folks are doing the Lord's work as far as I'm concerned.
I realize that many folks are posting what is the manifestation of frustration (I'm patenting that phrase, I think), and it's perfectly understandable. The harsh tones I can do without. But that's just me. I tend to hit things like that head on, and hard.
My admontion, would be to ask for a refund if you can't take the wait. Or, just shut the fuck up if you don't have an order in and are merely sniping to further your own cause (or, merely like to kvetch from the gallery).
The term "professional" is applicable as much for sincerity and ethics as much as it is for simply meeting arbitrary deadlines.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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ness
219 posts
Jun 02, 2010
12:12 PM
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Well hell. No need to write what I was thinking Buzadaro because you said it right there. A lot better, too.
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John
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