Exactly! Google "Darrin Huff." For me, this thread is the fourth result. If this thread goes quiet, it will go down the search results.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
WARNING: Darrin Huff Basses / Zeller Guitars
- Thread starter Fuzzbass
- Start date
-
- Tags
- custom bass
- Status
I am unfollowing this thread. I have no interest in being involved in this discussion. Apologies if I offended anyone...please do not tag me in this thread.
Closing this for now, until someone has new relevant info, in which case they can write me or another forum mod.
Edit: reopening because a would-be customer @slowburnaz wanted to provide more info. Hoping we can stay on track and keep this open a while.
Edit: reopening because a would-be customer @slowburnaz wanted to provide more info. Hoping we can stay on track and keep this open a while.
Last edited:
slowburnaz
Commercial User
- Mar 27, 2002
- 1,362
- 1,931
- 4,891
- 51
- Disclosures
- Owner, Turner Pickups
Just wanted to add this bit of info:
To me, this looks like he's taking orders again.
Who knows if this means he's actually taking money from new customers or not, but at the very least, this certainly seems like it would be a distraction from completing orders that are creeping up on 2 decades old.
So, if you're a new potential customer stumbling upon this thread, just know that you may be in for quite a wait.
To me, this looks like he's taking orders again.
Who knows if this means he's actually taking money from new customers or not, but at the very least, this certainly seems like it would be a distraction from completing orders that are creeping up on 2 decades old.
So, if you're a new potential customer stumbling upon this thread, just know that you may be in for quite a wait.
It seems like this thread might need its own Facebook page now.
AFAIK, my order is still nothing more than a list of specs.
To recap the image slowburnaz posted:
To recap the image slowburnaz posted:
- Scroll bass: what we've been waiting for since the early aughts
- One MW Bass exists: as noted in MatchFive's post, it was a unique custom build (over a decade ago?) that he's apparently going to put into production
- The Roy bass was his first bolt on design made semi-famous because one was played by Gabe Nelson when Cake appeared on "Live on Letterman" close to a decade ago. At one point DH promised that all wait-listers would get a Roy bass in addition to their scroll bass as compensation for the long wait -- but that seems to have gone the way of all other DH promises
- The hollow bass is post-Zeller, a brand new thing not ordered by anyone on the wait list (I assume the same is true for the MW and Roy)
He's offering a payment plan after the bass is completed. I'd be tempted to order one, then string him along on payment for 20 years.
Yeah, I just realized the payment plan part. Huff will send them a pic of one he made 20 years ago and when it's paid off Huff will send you a print out of the picture.
As anyone following this saga knows, Darrin is an amazingly creative and outside-the-box thinker when it comes to avoiding delivering product, so everything must be taken with a large grain of salt. But one way of interpreting what we've seen over the last few months, in terms of the CNC investment/work and the announcement of product lines, is that he's figured out that (a) luthiery is probably what he's best at, and his other career options involve even more work, and (b) that by his "traditional" methods, he's just not able to build enough to ship enough to sell enough to live, so instead of just taking money and running, maybe he needs to figure out how to deliver faster, using best available tools and techniques. Now, *if* that's all true - a very big if - appropriate tactics for the historical stakeholders are subtle. Warn everyone away, and the business collapses again, which may be what Darrin deserves, and it may save future victims, but it doesn't help those who paid and would really like to see one of those basses out of it. If he's able to ramp up to a production of N basses per month, and has a going business out of it, (a) he has something to lose again, and (b) he might be persuaded that maybe 1 out of those N per month needs to be earmarked for the "early adopters who believed in him", as it's good for his commercial reputation, keeps him out of court, and if N is significantly greater than 1, he could afford it - maybe even make it look good for tax purposes.
slowburnaz
Commercial User
- Mar 27, 2002
- 1,362
- 1,931
- 4,891
- 51
- Disclosures
- Owner, Turner Pickups
IMO, that's most likely what's happening.
I really think that actually completing some scroll basses would be the best thing to do first. That may actually build some confidence, both for him AND existing and potential new customers.
Instead, I can't help but think he's once again going to take new orders, start work on them because he needs the money from completing them (as he did with his guitars), and the waitlisters will continue to... wait.
I sincerely hope it's different this time, but you know...
Last edited:
I think everyone who has succeeded in making a living as a custom luthier, or even tried to, would say it takes a consistent work ethic and astute business skills. It doesn't matter if Darrin has the latest nifty tools if he isn't in the shop for long hours every day. None of us know the reasons, but he has never been capable of doing what it takes to make this work.
I hear you, gin1955, but where CNC, and a few other little things like using third party hardware instead of home brew, could actually make a difference is in how much Darren can achieve in one of his work spurts. And that, in turn, can make a difference in both his production and on his mental state.
Oh, he's taken plenty of other peoples that he doesn't need to take yours too...
I'm fascinated to know why a customer would change their order from an in-progress scroll to the MW model. If that scroll order is not already in progress, then why is it suddenly available to the public?
Fact is, Darrin has sold a number of scroll basses outside of the waiting list -- three that I know of, possibly more. Reasons given:
- Customer canceled order and was given refund (LOL at the refund)
- "Personal bass" that no one knew existed
- "Demo bass"
I have paid in full and would love to get my Huff bass while I'm still able to play it, but given everything I noted just above, I think it's far more important to warn everyone.
- Status