Strange thread regarding Rick Turner Guitar Company

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bearbike137

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I'm not trying to cause any trouble or taint anyone's reputation, but there is a thread over at thegearpage regarding the Rick Turner Guitar Company that is really strange and getting stranger:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=1511862

Please don't shoot the messenger. I don't have a dog in this fight. Because Rick Turner is a ukulele maker, I thought it was relevant to this group. Transparency/facts/truth are never the enemy of the "good guys"...
 
Recently a similar post was made here. I believe it may have even done by the same person. The details sound familiar.

Either way, Rick can fend for himself and anyone with access to Google should be able to make an informed choice of luthier.

I see no real benefit to bringing it here, though I understand your impulse.
 
I think the guy came here, joined the forum and made his accusations in his first post. SSDD
 
Sorry - I initially tried searching for any related thread and did not see it.

Placing an order with a builder is really an act of faith/trust. While I never want to see anyone's reputation unjustly sullied, I also don't believe that "truth" should get buried in the interest of politeness. Ever since the Fat Sounds debacle (when a minority of posters tried to raise the red flag on some questionable dealings at a music store owned by a widely-loved and active forum participant, but were shot down for doing so - and it ended up being a disaster for many people), I do support the notion of shining light on these things. Builders participating on forums generally benefit from that participation - but there is a reciprocal responsibility as well, I would think.
 
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I think the guy came here, joined the forum and made his accusations in his first post. SSDD

I don't know Rick Turner, and I don't think I have even read one his posts, but as people mention in the link, first post should make little difference.

There are two thoughts that come to mind.

The first is the silence speaks volumes.

Second, I completely understand not speaking publicly to or about anyone who says they want to take you to court.
 
I own a custom CR and my experience was the polar opposite of that poster.

There did happen to be a mistake on my order, but it was taken care of professionally and expediently.

And personally I didn't feel the need to defend Rick because, in addition to the fact that he can stand up for himself, the man's reputation in the industry speaks way more than that one person's post.
 
I own a custom CR and my experience was the polar opposite of that poster.

There did happen to be a mistake on my order, but it was taken care of professionally and expediently.

And personally I didn't feel the need to defend Rick because, in addition to the fact that he can stand up for himself, the man's reputation in the industry speaks way more than that one person's post.

I notice you list your ukes in your signature line as a tenor pineapple from r.t. and it was a kit. I am not familiar with the term CR (if not concert resinator) but that says both kit and pineapple.

it might be helpful to clarify.

Edit Is it the Compas rose ?
 
I notice you list your ukes in your signature line as a tenor pineapple from r.t. and it was a kit. I am not familiar with the term CR (if not concert resinator) but that says both kit and pineapple.

it might be helpful to clarify.

Edit Is it the Compas rose ?

Yes. The CR is a Compass Rose and I should probably change "kit" to build class.
 
Well, the whole thing has gotten so weird. According to the thread on thegearpage, the guitar in question arrived today from Rick Turner Guitars, and it was a USED guitar. There was an invoice in the case that described the guitar as an "interim guitar' - but no other explanation or note from the builder. There are photos and such, so I don't believe the guy is inventing the story.
 
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The OP had contacted me through a PM after I posted a neutral response in his original thread. I wished him well and hoped that his issue would get resolved to his satisfaction. All I will say is that he is real and I am reserving judgment on the whole issue.
 
Update: the OP just received the following email from Rick Turner guitars:

"Rick has not been able to build acoustic guitars since his best builder broke both arms in a motorcycle accident nearly two years ago. I think you can appreciate that not just anyone can step in and build a quality instrument like ours. Rick woud like nothing more than to go back into the shop and build instruments, but he also has to run the business. In the interim, he has sent you his own personal guitar for use until he can get yours built. And he has promised me that yours will be the first in line when he's able to resume making acoustics. We expect this to be soon. Rick's guitar is collateral for the $2K you sent us, but is worth much more than that! The $6,000 line item on the paperwork is for insurance purposes and was not an invoice.

Please bear with us and we'll do our best to get you the instrument you want.

As far as the pickup goes, I will see what we can do about replacing it.

Regards, Mike"
 
Update: the OP just received the following email from Rick Turner guitars:

"Rick has not been able to build acoustic guitars since his best builder broke both arms in a motorcycle accident nearly two years ago. I think you can appreciate that not just anyone can step in and build a quality instrument like ours. Rick woud like nothing more than to go back into the shop and build instruments, but he also has to run the business. In the interim, he has sent you his own personal guitar for use until he can get yours built. And he has promised me that yours will be the first in line when he's able to resume making acoustics. We expect this to be soon. Rick's guitar is collateral for the $2K you sent us, but is worth much more than that! The $6,000 line item on the paperwork is for insurance purposes and was not an invoice.

Please bear with us and we'll do our best to get you the instrument you want.

As far as the pickup goes, I will see what we can do about replacing it.

Regards, Mike"

Holy crap!!!

Rick's personal guitar is AMAZING! So much so that during a slack key guitar workshop taught by Daniel Ho (using Rick
s guitar), Daniel stopped mid-song to check out the instrument and then tell the class how truly amazing the guitar was. It was a pretty funny moment in the workshop.

Hope everything works out for both parties.
 
A couple points that I find interesting...

1. Which personal guitar? I would imagine that there are a lot of personal guitars but not all of them are that great.

2. If anyone bought a Turner guitar that was made in the last 2 years, how do you feel about the quality of it now?

John
 
A couple points that I find interesting...

1. Which personal guitar? I would imagine that there are a lot of personal guitars but not all of them are that great.

2. If anyone bought a Turner guitar that was made in the last 2 years, how do you feel about the quality of it now?

John


1. Just the one acoustic guitar (I've asked him before).

2. That letter states that there haven't been any acoustic guitars produced since John's accident.

3. Do you have any pics or sound samples of your ukes? I saw a couple of Ogata's at the Roy Sakuma Festival a couple years back and they were beautiful.
 
UU was just mentioned, and now as one person says they have another reason to hate ukuleles another poked fun at our "small instruments"...

Another dissatisfied person has emerged, pointing out he had a similar experience 5 years ago (prior to anyone breaking arms) and another has stated that the website does not mention they can not currently build.

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Honestly, I'm calling BS on this email. The experience I had with Rick was EXACTLY the same - took my money, went over twice the time estimate - stopped communicating with me, offered me his personal guitar when he learned the CC company refunded my deposit. I still have the emails. The only difference is he didn't send the interim guitar first. That was ~ 5 years ago. I call BS!

Rick can't build because he needs to run the business ? Is the business something other than building instruments ? (I honestly don't know)
 
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Well the thread was here, but shut down. If the same person is seeking to build ukuleles I think it might be diligent to post this information here. (information is not lame)
 
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