Subject: It Arrived
Gail,
I don't know where to start. I'm sitting here completely stunned and
dumbfounded. I don't know how to describe to you what I feel and still be
cordial and respectful. I'll start by saying this is completely NOT what I had
envisioned at all, and from the work I saw you post on the mandolincafe.com, I
chose you out of a few luthiers that I would've trusted with my mandolin. When
you got my mandolin, if you didn't think you could've done the job properly, I
wish you would've just told me and sent me back my mandolin. Oh how I wish that
is what you would've done.
I'll try and make a list of the things I have so far found that I'm COMPLETELY
unhappy with:
1.) The binding DOESN'T MATCH at all. There's a huge difference in the black
stripe on the back as to what is on the front, I was told this is what delayed
the work on the mandolin for 3 weeks while you waited on some binding matched.
2.) There's glue run out on the finish in the scroll and completely not level
3.) The binding at the heel is recessed on one corner and looks completely out
of character
4.) The binding is NOT SMOOTH at all, looks like it was put on and tried to be
leveled with a knife
5.) The headstock binding channel chipped at the little scroll and not sanded
or filled
6.) There's a huge finish dent or divot on the back of the headstock that
wasn't there before (by the GG DD tuner)
7.) The binding at the headstock large scroll doesn't go all the way into the
binding channel that was routed for it
8.) Glue run out on the headstock that wasn't cleaned up
9:) The binding on the headstock is not the same thickness on each side
I don't know where to go from here. I just can't believe you'd allow something
like this to come from your shop.
Jim Watts