How can I get someone to sell me a set of Fralins

TeleGeir · August 6th, 2003, 05:28 PM

No, this is not a commercial post. I am not looking to buy here, I am looking to find a shop that can be bothered to sell to me. Here is the story:

For a certain project of mine I need a bridge pickup and a humbucker, 60s sounding is OK. Think Albert Collins. (Actually, it has got nothing to do with AC, but let us get back to that later.)

So after a bit of thinking and asking and reading other peoples postings here and on the Just Pickups forum, I decided a Suhr bridge and Fralin neck would be a nice combo. So I sent an email to Suhr, who most kindly replied and CC'ed to a dealer that could help me out. Only I never heard from that dealer.

Ok, I am not one to beg someone to accept my money, so I decided to forget Suhr. (A shame, but so be it.)

Instead I decided that going Fralins for both of them would be a good idea. Especially since their humbuckers get rave reviews. That way I could make sure the output of both was matched. Now Fralin seems to be too busy to handle individual calls, so I decided to go to a dealer. So a week and a half ago I send an email to Torres to ask their assistance in selecting and ordering a set. I chose Torres because it was the one on Fralins dealer list I had heard about.

No answer...

Wait a week, send a "did you get my email and please reply" on Monday. Two days later, no answer. I used the email link on their website, so I assume I had the right address.

So what am I doing wrong, since people don't want my good money??? Can anyone please direct me to a shop that will:
1. Apply common principles of customer service.
2. Accept international orders with PayPal or credit card rather than arcane payment methods. (Fralin himself only accept money orders.)
3. Know what they are talking about and be able to help me pick the right bridge/humbucker combo.

I already got one lead from Roel in a private message, to his Dutch dealer. Thanks Roel! But I'd hate to think I cannot find one in the US...

Geir :)

porklash · August 6th, 2003, 05:40 PM

I can recommend Harri Koski´s Custom -Sounds.
http://www.custom-sounds.com/ In Finland.

Harri has been a "no problem at all guy" to deal with.
Bought a Blues Special for my Strat.
He later E-mailed me and asked me how I liked it!
And I love it. So next time I going to get a Fralin again.

pEr

fullerplast · August 6th, 2003, 05:43 PM

not sure about overseas delivery, but I don't see why not.

MRK · August 6th, 2003, 05:57 PM

Torres Engineering in California, USA? You have to call them. I emailed them twice and got no responses. When I called them, I mentioned my emails and they said their email is messed up. They are there. I called them last week, Monday and today. They seem very friendly.

TeleGeir · August 6th, 2003, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRK

Torres Engineering in California, USA? You have to call them. I emailed them twice and got no responses. When I called them, I mentioned my emails and they said their email is messed up. They are there. I called them last week, Monday and today. They seem very friendly.

That would explain it. Thanks! But no email would be a problem, due to the time differences. (9 hours.) I am sure this one takes a bit of communication back and forth...

Then I have Holland and Finland. And Lew's Guitars. I'd almost forgotten him...

Geir :)

Silverface · August 6th, 2003, 06:37 PM

"check with lewguitar"

FYI, not a favorite with the management around here...or several other places on the net.

YMMV....

Caper · August 6th, 2003, 06:42 PM

Double post deleted

Caper · August 6th, 2003, 06:43 PM

Geir, I am quite surprised you couldn't find what you are looking for on ebay, given the super sleuth you are at finding geetars. My local music store is getting ready to begin dealing with Fralin but last week they told me as of then they still didn't receive any pickups. If they happen to come in soon I will let you know. In the meantime if there is ever something I can help you with from this side of the pond let me know.

Kevin · August 6th, 2003, 08:02 PM

Geir...

The guys at Fralin are really nice. Their shop is a couple of miles away from my office.

I've never bought anything from them, but when I was shopping for strat pups, I gave them a call. They told me to drop by, check out some of their pups, and talk to Lindy about what it was I wanted. That seems like good service to me.

If you have any trouble finding what you want, just PM me. You and I can take care of the ordering, I can drop by the shop on my way home from work to pick them up, and I'll send them to you myself.

TeleGeir · August 6th, 2003, 08:10 PM

Ok. I had pointers to Lew's Guitars on and off line, and warnings on and off line too. I do remember the incidents, Silverface.

But that is all water under the bridge, as far as I am concerned. And not really any of my business. I also remember people back then stating that he was a great guy to do business with.

So I just had a long and very pleasant chat with him, ending with me placing an order for the mentioned Fralins. He was patient, knowledgable and friendly. We discussed several options, including other pickups, we discussed my current guitars and how they would sound against the Fralins. He also were able to illustrate the consequences of my wishes, and lead me to the desired conclusion.

And as an added bonus, where most dealers I have looked at warned about long waits for Fralins, he had them in stock. Both the ones I ended up with and the alternatives.

Oh and Caper: Thanks for the offer to help. Main reason I didn't buy on eBay is I didn't know what I wanted. Also the ones I have seen hasn't really been much cheaper than dealer prices...

Geir :)

TeleGeir · August 6th, 2003, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin

Geir...

The guys at Fralin are really nice. Their shop is a couple of miles away from my office.
Snip...
If you have any trouble finding what you want, just PM me. You and I can take care of the ordering, I can drop by the shop on my way home from work to pick them up, and I'll send them to you myself.

What a great offer. If I hadn't already decided I'd certainly consider that. :D

Thanks Kevin!

Geir :)

Caper · August 6th, 2003, 09:12 PM

we'll be standing by for a report on how they sound.

Adam Waldron · August 6th, 2003, 09:39 PM

Geir,

Which Fralin bridge pick-up did you select?

The blues?

Cheers,

A

TeleGeir · August 7th, 2003, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Waldron

Geir,

Which Fralin bridge pick-up did you select?

The blues?

Cheers,

A

Yep! The blues special. Matched with a 7.5K Fralin humbucker. That was the main issue. We discussed both other buckers (like the Duncan) and stronger versions of the Fralin. But I wanted a reasonably balanced set.

The project is still waiting for most of the other parts to be completed, so it will take some time before I can report on the sound.

Geir :)

halouis · August 7th, 2003, 03:55 AM

Geir: you'll love the pickups. i have a custom wound tele bridge pup that i got for ridiculously cheap. its in my '64 tele with the original (also great) in a drawer.

he's also rewound old pups for me before and does great work. real nice guy too. but yeah very busy.

enjoy them.

TeleGeir · August 7th, 2003, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by halouis

Geir: you'll love the pickups. i have a custom wound tele bridge pup that i got for ridiculously cheap. its in my '64 tele with the original (also great) in a drawer.

he's also rewound old pups for me before and does great work. real nice guy too. but yeah very busy.

enjoy them.

Cool. Can't wait to hear them. Of course I won't have to wait that long, my silver sparkle tele has Fralins too, and that should be here next week... :D

Geir :)

0le FUZZY · August 7th, 2003, 04:05 AM

Onna vintage Fralin re-winds---- Un-beleeb-able work and sound from those that I haff had (threw mjtele) him dew fer me.
0.F.

weelie · August 7th, 2003, 06:38 AM

The Finnish dealer is a real nice guy, but I guess the prices are high... but I guess anythings cheap for a Norwegian, eh?! http://www.custom-sounds.com

(Totally unrelated to Fralins, this 1967 Cry Baby demo is freaking funny: http://www.custom-sounds.com/audio/crybaby.mp3
)

August 6th, 2003, 05:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
TeleGeir Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 1,998	How can I get someone to sell me a set of Fralins No, this is not a commercial post. I am not looking to buy here, I am looking to find a shop that can be bothered to sell to me. Here is the story: For a certain project of mine I need a bridge pickup and a humbucker, 60s sounding is OK. Think Albert Collins. (Actually, it has got nothing to do with AC, but let us get back to that later.) So after a bit of thinking and asking and reading other peoples postings here and on the Just Pickups forum, I decided a Suhr bridge and Fralin neck would be a nice combo. So I sent an email to Suhr, who most kindly replied and CC'ed to a dealer that could help me out. Only I never heard from that dealer. Ok, I am not one to beg someone to accept my money, so I decided to forget Suhr. (A shame, but so be it.) Instead I decided that going Fralins for both of them would be a good idea. Especially since their humbuckers get rave reviews. That way I could make sure the output of both was matched. Now Fralin seems to be too busy to handle individual calls, so I decided to go to a dealer. So a week and a half ago I send an email to Torres to ask their assistance in selecting and ordering a set. I chose Torres because it was the one on Fralins dealer list I had heard about. No answer... Wait a week, send a "did you get my email and please reply" on Monday. Two days later, no answer. I used the email link on their website, so I assume I had the right address. So what am I doing wrong, since people don't want my good money??? Can anyone please direct me to a shop that will: 1. Apply common principles of customer service. 2. Accept international orders with PayPal or credit card rather than arcane payment methods. (Fralin himself only accept money orders.) 3. Know what they are talking about and be able to help me pick the right bridge/humbucker combo. I already got one lead from Roel in a private message, to his Dutch dealer. Thanks Roel! But I'd hate to think I cannot find one in the US... Geir :) __________________ "This is a room in Paul's house."

August 6th, 2003, 05:40 PM	#2 (permalink)
porklash Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sollefteå Sweden Posts: 236	I can recommend Harri Koski´s Custom -Sounds. http://www.custom-sounds.com/ In Finland. Harri has been a "no problem at all guy" to deal with. Bought a Blues Special for my Strat. He later E-mailed me and asked me how I liked it! And I love it. So next time I going to get a Fralin again. pEr __________________ Slicing eardrums...

August 6th, 2003, 05:43 PM	#3 (permalink)
fullerplast Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,017	check with lewguitar not sure about overseas delivery, but I don't see why not.

August 6th, 2003, 06:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
Silverface Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hermosa Beach CA Age: 56 Posts: 1,923	"check with lewguitar" FYI, not a favorite with the management around here...or several other places on the net. YMMV.... __________________ “No Chops – Great Tone” ©

August 6th, 2003, 08:10 PM	#10 (permalink)
TeleGeir Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bergen, Norway Posts: 1,998	Case closed Ok. I had pointers to Lew's Guitars on and off line, and warnings on and off line too. I do remember the incidents, Silverface. But that is all water under the bridge, as far as I am concerned. And not really any of my business. I also remember people back then stating that he was a great guy to do business with. So I just had a long and very pleasant chat with him, ending with me placing an order for the mentioned Fralins. He was patient, knowledgable and friendly. We discussed several options, including other pickups, we discussed my current guitars and how they would sound against the Fralins. He also were able to illustrate the consequences of my wishes, and lead me to the desired conclusion. And as an added bonus, where most dealers I have looked at warned about long waits for Fralins, he had them in stock. Both the ones I ended up with and the alternatives. Oh and Caper: Thanks for the offer to help. Main reason I didn't buy on eBay is I didn't know what I wanted. Also the ones I have seen hasn't really been much cheaper than dealer prices... Geir :) __________________ "This is a room in Paul's house."

August 6th, 2003, 05:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
MRK TDPRI Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New York City Posts: 60	Torres Engineering in California, USA? You have to call them. I emailed them twice and got no responses. When I called them, I mentioned my emails and they said their email is messed up. They are there. I called them last week, Monday and today. They seem very friendly.

August 6th, 2003, 06:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
Caper Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,169 7 Photos	Double post deleted

August 6th, 2003, 06:43 PM	#8 (permalink)
Caper Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,169 7 Photos	Geir, I am quite surprised you couldn't find what you are looking for on ebay, given the super sleuth you are at finding geetars. My local music store is getting ready to begin dealing with Fralin but last week they told me as of then they still didn't receive any pickups. If they happen to come in soon I will let you know. In the meantime if there is ever something I can help you with from this side of the pond let me know.

August 6th, 2003, 08:02 PM	#9 (permalink)
Kevin Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Terre Haute, IN Posts: 2,967	Geir... The guys at Fralin are really nice. Their shop is a couple of miles away from my office. I've never bought anything from them, but when I was shopping for strat pups, I gave them a call. They told me to drop by, check out some of their pups, and talk to Lindy about what it was I wanted. That seems like good service to me. If you have any trouble finding what you want, just PM me. You and I can take care of the ordering, I can drop by the shop on my way home from work to pick them up, and I'll send them to you myself.

August 6th, 2003, 09:12 PM	#12 (permalink)
Caper Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 2,169 7 Photos	we'll be standing by for a report on how they sound.

August 6th, 2003, 09:39 PM	#13 (permalink)
Adam Waldron Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 607	Geir, Which Fralin bridge pick-up did you select? The blues? Cheers, A

August 7th, 2003, 03:55 AM	#15 (permalink)
halouis Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,404 7 Photos	Geir: you'll love the pickups. i have a custom wound tele bridge pup that i got for ridiculously cheap. its in my '64 tele with the original (also great) in a drawer. he's also rewound old pups for me before and does great work. real nice guy too. but yeah very busy. enjoy them.

August 7th, 2003, 04:05 AM	#17 (permalink)
0le FUZZY Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Kolly-forn-knee-ya Posts: 10,001 6 Photos	Thumbs up Onna vintage Fralin re-winds---- Un-beleeb-able work and sound from those that I haff had (threw mjtele) him dew fer me. 0.F.

August 7th, 2003, 06:38 AM	#18 (permalink)
weelie Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Helsinki, Finland, Yer-up Age: 34 Posts: 1,957 12 Photos	The Finnish dealer is a real nice guy, but I guess the prices are high... but I guess anythings cheap for a Norwegian, eh?! http://www.custom-sounds.com (Totally unrelated to Fralins, this 1967 Cry Baby demo is freaking funny: http://www.custom-sounds.com/audio/crybaby.mp3 ) __________________ <- I don't need smileys, I'm smiling already.