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Custom Music question

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 5:06 pm
by bort
Does Custom Music still exist, as a physical place that you can visit?

I am in Michigan this week, and just realized that I'm only a few miles away from them... if they exist.

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:43 pm
by Ken Herrick
Try: http://customtubas.com/" target="_blank

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 11:44 am
by bort
Email and phone, no answer.

No answer, no sale. Oh well!

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2018 9:57 pm
by Ken Herrick
bort wrote:Email and phone, no answer.

No answer, no sale. Oh well!
That doesn't surprise me too much.

C'mon,now that the Wilson has gone, what are you looking for?

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 12:21 am
by bort
the elephant wrote:I buy from them on eBay, but they are sort of sketchy sounding these days. It feels like it's just a couple of guys working out of a cargo container, selling down the last of the old stock via a cell phone and a laptop.

I can tell you that the fellow in there who does the eBay sales cannot operate a dial calipers as his measurements were off by .03", which is HUGE for what I was buying.

It is what it is.
You know, my one recent interaction with them (by phone) actually sounded like they were in a shipping container (speakerphone). I got several one word answers and that was all. I was so confused by the brevity of the call, I called back a few minutes later with some "tougher" questions. Still wasn't very satisfied with the results.

Not particularly upset that I didn't get to go there, but I am literally only a few miles from them this week.

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:07 am
by groth
The Indian gentleman who takes care of their eBay correspondence named "Sank" is easy to deal with. I suggest sending a message to their "shop" on eBay and that is who will answer your questions, at least I've had good luck with them in the past ordering mouthpieces and whatnot. There also seems to be a phone directory list when you call the phone number that will guide you right to Jeff and Neal's desks. They might have been off this week due to 4th Holiday perhaps? :idea:

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 10:42 am
by groth
the elephant wrote:
groth wrote:"Sank"
It is actually Sankit. I have dealt with him for several orders. He is a nice guy, but he sold several tubes that he badly mis-measured. Telescopic tubing is measured down to the thousandth of an inch, and the gap between them needs to be about .002" for them to work as intended. He measured some expensive tubing he was selling me and sent a photo to me of the dial on the calipers. Either he is using them improperly in the photo or his calipers are so out of whack as to be junk. If you sell this stuff and promise the measurement is accurate then it needs to be accurate. This Sankit is a very amenable fellow, but he cost me a lot of money and time due to his sending me tubing that was measured out completely wrong. It is useless to me, but not worth the cost of returning it. So lesson learned, and since I am such a nice guy I tried again later. Lesson unnecessarily learned a second time. Never again. Talking on the phone was a PITA as I could not seem to get his full attention and his answers were rather incomplete. So being a nice fellow who is amenable and willing to help you does not equate to good customer service or even sale of the correct item. Again, if you sell tubing like they are you need to know how to measure it accurately to within .001" of accuracy.
Hmm, never had this experience with him. He always spent ample time on the phone answering questions about what I was looking for regarding a horn once, and a couple mouthpiece plating jobs another time. If I was looking for exact measurements and tubing for a project, I would certainly go somewhere I knew they specialized in like Allied or Badger State who don't specialize in selling new horns and mouthpieces only and have an expert technician or competent parts person on hand who does that all day (just thinking out loud here).

"Sank" is his shortened and preferred name apparently as he signs his e-mails with it.

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 2:21 pm
by groth
"They used to be a top end shop that specialized in tubas, and using dial calipers does not require an expert. It requires that you understand how the blades are shaped and how the inside of a tube is shaped. It also requires that the calipers be accurate. They are selling these as new tubes, and they advertise a lot of *very* specific OD/ID numbers. These have been mic-ed out with numbers that are (again) *very* specific marked onto the tubes themselves. Someone measured every tube. Yet some of them are very badly off, and I bought some of this stuff. I even asked him to check it again before boxing it up, telling him what I needed. He sent me a photo and asked if that was accurate enough? Yes, what shows on the dial is accurate enough, but what arrived at my house (twice) is still off by three hundredths, which is an enormous error. As I said, these have to fit so there is a gap of about .002" or so. (.003" can be too loose, and .001" can require a LOT of lapping, so my term "or so" is meaning a variance in the ten thousandths range) and what I got both times was off by .030" or so. That is inexcusable for a place selling these as accurately measured tubing. Sorry - inexcusable. Niceness has nothing to do with knowing how to do your own business"

They should have refunded your money, then you go elsewhere, possibly Allied next instead of deal with someone you felt was incompetent. (At least I would have moved on and sought the parts somewhere else).




"Not disputing what you say, but I have over a dozen emails from him and he always signs it Sankit. He says it on the phone, too. Perhaps it is two different guys? I have never seen his name printed (or heard him say it) as "Sank". Your comments on this make it sound like you eat lunch every Tuesday with the man, HAHAHA!!! :lol: I don't think either of us know him at all. And I am saying his name is Sankit because that is what he says and signs, etc. to me. I was pointing this out to you. When I spoke to one of the managers on the phone he called the man Sankit. Call him what you want. I included the full name because it might help the OP to know this.

Any my observations on their phone skills is documented above by another person, so I am not in a vacuum on this. Remember that just because *you* had a good experience does not mean they have it together over there, especially if people tell you they had bad or sketchy experiences. This is not Fred's old company. It is a completely different animal nowadays. Again, my personal experience (multiple times) gives the vibe of a company that is now doing something else and is just selling off old stock. They have several NOS tubas, a lot of NOS mouthpieces, a lot of repair parts, and some brand new, top drawer bassoons and other stuff. I think they are shifting gears and no one there knows what is up with tuba stuff except to get rid of it. That is not a bad thing or an "accusation" but a simple observation."

I have called and e-mailed a dozen times and heard both his full name and "Sank" (his shortened name) being used by him and the receptionist. Just like Bill & William are the same thing. They do owe me lunch now that you mentioned it, considering the one horn I did buy once from them that ended up being a demo model they couldn't sell and I tried it. I've had (a guy I won't name) give me short answers when asking over e-mail but figured it was due to them being busy and getting right to the point which I didn't find too offensive. Not paid to plug them, just reporting my experience. I never heard of any negative experience until now, from you guys. Considering how much business they have done, that is not a good sampling overall though your experience does suck. It happens.

Re: Custom Music question

Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2018 5:43 pm
by groth
It's too bad they didn't double check the order. For instance, their eBay feedback rating is 100% perfect x170 or so. Looks like they excel "99%" of the time anyway. FWIW, they do a super fast turn around on re-plating mouthpieces. I seem to remember a gold plate job was back to me within 10 days of me sending it to them.