Whole Lotta Love for.....

For help with setups and other technical issues.
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JVG
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by JVG » Fri Feb 02, 2018 11:16 am

Peter at Tonebomb guitars in Canada - fast response to emails, polite, willing to make an array of custom options, and very reasonably priced.

I havent actually handled any of their products yet, but recently ordered a body with a bunch of non-standard options. Here's hoping the final product is as good as Peters customer service.

Cheers!
J.

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JVG
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by JVG » Tue Dec 03, 2019 4:45 pm

.
Time to revive this thread and spread some love :)

In recent times I’ve been experimenting with strings - different types and manufacturers. This search led me to Newtone Strings, made in England.

Neil from Newtone Strings makes amazing strings, and the website (which looks like it was built in the 1990s!) has a ‘custom configurator’ option, where you can specify everything about the set you want - not just the gauge, but the material, length, and core type:

https://newtonestrings.com/shop/custom- ... figurator/

The custom Bass VI set he made for me was the clincher. I was able to get a round-core set in the gauges of my choice :)
To top it off the international shipping rate was extremely good.

Whole Lotta Love for Neil and his company, Newtone Strings! :-*

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JVG
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by JVG » Tue Jun 09, 2020 5:08 am

Time for another instalment (especially considering all the crap going on in the world lately).

James from James’ Home of Tone (in the UK).
Almost 2 months ago i ordered some bits from the Home of Tone, and....well they got lost in the mail. I think it might actually be the first time i have failed to receive a package.
I finally gave up hope today and emailed the shop. Got a quick and apologetic response from James (even though it clearly wasn't his fault), and prompt refund in full - no questions asked.

That’s customer service.

Disappointed i didn't get my stuff, but feeling better about humanity :)

Cheers!
J.

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jc808
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by jc808 » Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:34 am

Tim at Buddha pickups. Ridiculously affordable for the quality of his pickups and he’s very kind about answering questions. Got a pair of alnico II’s for a Mustang and they sound absolutely phenomenal.

Another vote for MJT. Asked him a couple questions about one of his guitars (second hand no less). I couldn’t believe how quickly he got back to me and how helpful he was.

Dave Barber at Barber pedals. Amazing builder and very cool about answering questions and also very reasonably priced. My Tone Press will never leave my pedalboard.

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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by HH1978 » Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:42 pm

I may have been lucky, because I've had mostly good experiences, as far as shops/manufacture/repair are involved. I can only remember two that offered poor service, I won't name them because it's not what the thread is about. Among plenty of goods, here are some that stood out :

- James Finnerty (Re-wind Electrics) : very passionnate about what he does, takes the time to read carefully the enquiries, and to detail his replies, fast communication, fast service... I have had him rewind a vintage pickup, and I also ordered one of his set. Fantastic service in both cases.

- Alex Vhrovec (Wizz pickups) : pretty much the same as above, a bit less talkative but equally great service and products. Having experience with both, choosing between Wizz and Re-wind depends pretty much on which side of the Atlantic you live. Same oustanding level of quality and service.

- Bryan Gunsher (BG pickups) : not very talkative, but always keeps his word on lead times, and has always been relatively inexpensive considering the quality of his products, especially the P90 and Pure90.

- Nick Sorenson (Rocketfire pickups) : been a long time since I ordered, but I remember the service was top notch and the pickups are incredible.

- Jaime (The Creamery) : it's also been a long time, but I remember the service was excellent.

- Sam Taylor (Southside guitars) : I've bought 3 vintage guitars from him, he was always careful to give me the all the details I needed to avoid bad surprises on arrival. He knows his stuff very well. Excellent service and good prices with possible negociation.

- Owen McQuail (Some Neck Guitars, Dublin) : I had a very nice trade experience with them.

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HH1978
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by HH1978 » Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:45 pm

I forgot to mention our own Rexter!

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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by MayTheFuzzBeWithYou » Wed Jun 10, 2020 1:27 pm

HH1978 wrote:
Tue Jun 09, 2020 1:45 pm
I forgot to mention our own Rexter!
Thank you. That's what I wanted to do next! :-)

Jon (Rexter) - as you all know, does great finishes and also re-finishing and aging jobs.
He listened to my idea of a rather complex double bound body build and he was all in to provide me with the best possible outcome.
As he built the whole thing himself instead of just having to spray an already existing/premade body it took a bit more time but the communication was great and he always provided me with great looking upgrades, some excuses, hell even a little something to reduce the waiting time and he was very kind and helpful throughout the process! From giving me a lot of colour and aging examples to helping me find/get some parts needed to finish the thing.
It turned out even more beautiful than expected and will be entirely finished very very soon! :-*
Hope we meet one day! Surfing or having a beer or picking up

Tiho (Q pickups) provided me with some slightly hotter grey bobbins Jazzmaster pickups for the guitar mentioned above! Great communication, fast work, for custom work - absolutely unbeatable price! And counted in km as "local" as a German pickup-winder would have been.

Oliver (Death By Audio) he was very helpful when I asked him about the Lipstick-pickups he uses and where to probably get them and logically also concerning questions about his pedals and when we (my band) were the first ones where the (old, now improved) mic-stand clip of the Echo Master broke.
And when A Place To Bury Strangers played in a city close to me, he put me and my girlfriend on the guest list and immediately came to us after the show and gave us a hug - as if he would have recognized us even if we only had contact via email... nevertheless - very nice guy!

Aleš aka livinlavidaloca (Surfadelic Soundwaves) builds great looking and sounding Fuzz pedals and was very helpful in tracking down a problem that occurred from time to time with his pedal.
He even helped me to organize a last minute show in Bratislava when another show got cancelled on our last mini tour last autumn. Nice chap! Hope we meet again!
And as the winner of one of his give aways he still patiently awaits a demo-video or something like that from me! I'm sorry but I really can't find my camera's charger since moving to our new flat! Maybe I get some kind of a mobile stative earlier!

Justin (gdayj) he did a great job with the anodized aluminum pickguards and brushed steel plates almost two years ago. Very helpful. Great communication - always provided something for me to check back with the guitar (changed knob alignment to fit bigger knobs aesthetically pleasing) - and I love and enjoy my Jaguar's new look since that every day!

Brian (Earl Pilanz on Ebay) the one who's providing me with pickguards when they don't need to be aluminum. Always easy to deal with and when the shop is open also very fast. Ain't no Spitfire Tort - but still way better than the ones on most Fenders and especially as the VM Squiers and for the other plain guards I don't see a reason why to pay so much more elsewhere.

Clemens (Die Klangwerkstatt) my go to luthier and amp wizard who takes care of my guitars since I care for my guitars! :-P
If you should be in Austria or close to Austria he's the man! He also builds custom guitars - but way outta my price league.

All in all I got very lucky so far and had great experiences with the people I worked/dealt with and can really recommend all of my list and some more that I've probably forgotten.

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HH1978
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Re: Whole Lotta Love for.....

Post by HH1978 » Wed Jun 10, 2020 2:20 pm

Brian (Earl Pilanz on Ebay) the one who's providing me with pickguards when they don't need to be aluminum. Always easy to deal with and when the shop is open also very fast. Ain't no Spitfire Tort - but still way better than the ones on most Fenders and especially as the VM Squiers and for the other plain guards I don't see a reason why to pay so much more elsewhere.
Agreed! I've dealt with him also and he's great.

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