Page 1 of 6

Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:49 pm
by tdbajus
I just got scolded by their customer support for having the audacity to ask them to sell me something they manufacture.

I sent them an email asking them to sell me a replacement arm for one that I lost- it fell out of my bag after a gig.

Their response?

"We do not sell them separately as we suggest you never remove the arm as per the instructions."

They offered to give me a "break", and just this one time sell me a new arm so I didn't have to throw out the $350 tremolo unit. That is, after I produced a receipt to prove that I:

1) owned the vibrato unit
2) bought it from them, and didn't get it second hand.


What, exactly, is the problem? Are they worried about the horrors that a middle aged man with an unlicensed tremolo arm would commit?

What if it came on a guitar that I bought from someone else?
Am I supposed to throw away the $350 tremolo unit and buy a whole new one?
Do they have a problem with selling the things they make for money? I sort of thought that was how business worked.

I don't know about you, but there is video out there somewhere of me literally breaking an arm right out of the trem live, which went sailing into the audience and nearly poked out someone's eye (sorry about that, Steve!) I must have purchased a couple dozen replacement arms over the last 25 years.

Weirdly, things get lost, stolen, misplaced, and broken. WTF?

I like their bridges OK, but I don't find the vibrato to be any better than the AVRI, fortunately, just different. I'll be perfectly fine with switching back- I only have the one, which I'm happy to sell to anyone in the Bay Area. I'm going to take it out when I change my strings tonight.

PM me if you want to buy an expensive replacement for something that works just as well. Without the arm, of course. I'll give it up for $200.

After such a ringing endorsement, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity?

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:55 pm
by Larsongs
tdbajus wrote:
Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:49 pm
I just got scolded by their customer support for having the audacity to ask them to sell me something they manufacture.

I sent them an email asking them to sell me a replacement arm for one that I lost- it fell out of my bag after a gig.

Their response?

"We do not sell them separately as we suggest you never remove the arm as per the instructions."

They offered to give me a "break", and just this one time sell me a new arm so I didn't have to throw out the $350 tremolo unit. That is, after I produced a receipt to prove that I:

1) owned the vibrato unit
2) bought it from them, and didn't get it second hand.


What, exactly, is the problem? Are they worried about the horrors that a middle aged man with an unlicensed tremolo arm would commit?

What if it came on a guitar that I bought from someone else?
Am I supposed to throw away the $350 tremolo unit and buy a whole new one?
Do they have a problem with selling the things they make for money? I sort of thought that was how business worked.

I don't know about you, but there is video out there somewhere of me literally breaking an arm right out of the trem live, which went sailing into the audience and nearly poked out someone's eye (sorry about that, Steve!) I must have purchased a couple dozen replacement arms over the last 25 years.

Weirdly, things get lost, stolen, misplaced, and broken. WTF?

I like their bridges OK, but I don't find the vibrato to be any better than the AVRI, fortunately, just different. I'll be perfectly fine with switching back- I only have the one, which I'm happy to sell to anyone in the Bay Area. I'm going to take it out when I change my strings tonight.

PM me if you want to buy an expensive replacement for something that works just as well. Without the arm, of course. I'll give it up for $200.

After such a ringing endorsement, who wouldn't jump at the opportunity?
Probably not profitable enough for them...

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 3:04 pm
by tdbajus
Larsongs wrote:
Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:55 pm
Probably not profitable enough for them...
I don't pretend to know what their costs are, but I would have been happy to buy a couple of arms for a reasonable price, rather than have to buy a whole new tremolo if I lost the 2nd one.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:35 pm
by Sonichris
I would not let that answer stand. You should start calling daily, until they agree to sell you one.

I guarantee they don’t make trems one at a time, 1 arm, one plate, one collet, etc They have a box full of that stuff at any given time.

If they don’t offer replacement parts for their stuff, they are worthless.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:38 pm
by Larry Mal
Careful, buddy. They catch you complaining, they'll ban you for it. No shit, I'm banned. I bet it's the same woman I talked to, and she will cancel your sale and you won't get your arm. They don't give a fuck.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:43 pm
by Sonichris
tel:612-616-5684 Or email Woody@masterybridge.com

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 1:57 pm
by mackerelmint
They should strike up an exclusive distribution deal though Angela's. Then they can both be a one stop shop for people who want to be abused by the people who are there to sell them things.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:06 pm
by Embenny
Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:38 pm
Careful, buddy. They catch you complaining, they'll ban you for it. No shit, I'm banned. I bet it's the same woman I talked to, and she will cancel your sale and you won't get your arm. They don't give a fuck.
We have some real personalities in the guitar world, eh?

There's "sometimes I don't exist, sometimes I do" ToneGuard, "I'm doing you a favour by selling you a $300 trem" Mastery, Angela "that'll be $30 shipping for your capacitor" Isntruments, and this guy (skip to 7 minutes and/or read his interactions with commenters if you want a fascinating view into the perspective of a man who thinks he's a gift from god).

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:20 pm
by higgsblossom
What on earth may ever justify that price for a Jazzmaster Tremolo when I can have a Fender trem for $60? 😳

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:21 pm
by tdbajus
Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:38 pm
Careful, buddy. They catch you complaining, they'll ban you for it. No shit, I'm banned. I bet it's the same woman I talked to, and she will cancel your sale and you won't get your arm. They don't give a fuck.
Yeah, I'm banned.

Sort of surprised more people aren't complaining. Was it Amanda who banned you?

I understand it costs more for a small business to do these things, but we already pay through the nose for their well-made but pretty expensive products.

The thing that's crazy is why would they not want to sell as many arms as possible? Prior to being banned, they said they'd do me a one-time favor and sell me one for $35. Since AllParts sells arms for $10/piece, even if their cost per part is 3X what it costs AllParts, they are still making a tidy profit.

Don't want to have to deal with a million orders? Sell two in a package for $50.

I expect to be paid for my time; I expect to pay others for their time as well. I'm not asking for a free ride. I'm just asking them to sell me what they sell!

I mean, what if I wanted to buy a thousand of them to fill my bathtub? What's the harm in it? Why do I have to prove that I own one?

And if someone has bought three bridges and one tremolo unit, I would think that anyone who didn't have their head up their ass would think, "hm, this guy is a repeat customer. Each of his orders is larger than the last. Perhaps we should do him the favor of selling him the things that we sell!"

Whatever. Fuck 'em. I like the bridge. The tremolo is not even close to being worth it.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:24 pm
by mackerelmint
mbene085 wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:06 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:38 pm
Careful, buddy. They catch you complaining, they'll ban you for it. No shit, I'm banned. I bet it's the same woman I talked to, and she will cancel your sale and you won't get your arm. They don't give a fuck.
We have some real personalities in the guitar world, eh?

There's "sometimes I don't exist, sometimes I do" ToneGuard, "I'm doing you a favour by selling you a $300 trem" Mastery, Angela "that'll be $30 shipping for your capacitor" Isntruments, and this guy (skip to 7 minutes and/or read his interactions with commenters if you want a fascinating view into the perspective of a man who thinks he's a gift from god).
Oh! I remember his website with his rants about women and the abusive, mortifying shit he said about an ex whom he named and posted pictures of. He's a real psycho.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:25 pm
by higgsblossom
:fp: Tell me this isn‘t a joke. They actually don‘t sell you anything anymore? Is this some kind of religious... excommunication?

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:28 pm
by Embenny
mackerelmint wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:24 pm
mbene085 wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:06 pm
Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 12:38 pm
Careful, buddy. They catch you complaining, they'll ban you for it. No shit, I'm banned. I bet it's the same woman I talked to, and she will cancel your sale and you won't get your arm. They don't give a fuck.
We have some real personalities in the guitar world, eh?

There's "sometimes I don't exist, sometimes I do" ToneGuard, "I'm doing you a favour by selling you a $300 trem" Mastery, Angela "that'll be $30 shipping for your capacitor" Isntruments, and this guy (skip to 7 minutes and/or read his interactions with commenters if you want a fascinating view into the perspective of a man who thinks he's a gift from god).
Oh! I remember his website with his rants about women and the abusive, mortifying shit he said about an ex whom he named and posted pictures of. He's a real psycho.
You got it wrong. He's just a rare "alpha male", and all of us who respond negatively to him are worthless betas who are naturally fearful of the superiority of true alphas.

Don't remember where he went on that diatribe, but it was characteristically unhinged.

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:32 pm
by tdbajus
mbene085 wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:06 pm
There's "sometimes I don't exist, sometimes I do" ToneGuard, "I'm doing you a favour by selling you a $300 trem" Mastery, Angela "that'll be $30 shipping for your capacitor" Isntruments, and this guy (skip to 7 minutes and/or read his interactions with commenters if you want a fascinating view into the perspective of a man who thinks he's a gift from god).
Ha! It took me 6 months, IIRC, to get my money back from Toneguard after waiting 6 months without receiving it.


mackerelmint wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:24 pm
Oh! I remember his website with his rants about women and the abusive, mortifying shit he said about an ex whom he named and posted pictures of. He's a real psycho.
The Zachary guy (the video is pretty insane) or the Mastery guy?

Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:36 pm
by tdbajus
higgsblossom wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2017 2:25 pm
:fp: Tell me this isn‘t a joke. They actually don‘t sell you anything anymore? Is this some kind of religious... excommunication?
Well, in their defense, my response to their nasty high handed tone, demanding I prove that I bought one of their tremolo by producing a receipt, and scolding me for not leaving the whammy bar in the when I put the guitar back in my case was "fuck you very much, you can keep it".

What can I say? I don't like being scolded.

But yeah, I'm not allowed to horrify them with my attempts to give them money for things they manufacture and sell.