WARNING: Darrin Huff Basses / Zeller Guitars

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#41
EvoMan said:
Please post an update as this continues. The BBB is, as far as I understand, really powerless to do anything but prod the business and act as a mediator if needed. They cannot force Darrin to enter into a legally binding judgement (that's what a court case is for!).
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Not true! For a small fee, which is much less than lawyers and courts (only $80) they offer mediation which is legally binding.
 
#43
Greevus said:
I would love a one-of-a-kind instrument too, but is it really worth the $$$, anxiety, and stress?
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Greevus,

I can absolutely understand where you're coming from. But, I wouldn't let stories like this one shy you away from reputable builders. I have dealt with many "boutique" builders, and Darrin was the only one that has let me down (to put it lightly).

For those interested in boutique basses, just do your homework, and look on forums for stories like these. There are plenty of builders with impeccable histories that have proven themselves capable at delivering as promised. It just so happens that Darrin Huff is not one of them, as you can see from the above stories.
 
#44
It's also a good idea to get a boutique bass through a known dealer. That way, if the luthier fails to deliver in a reasonable amount of time, it's the dealer that is responsible for returning your money. Most of those dealers won't deal with builders that don't deliver consistently either.

I'm also curious how cheap Greevus' Civic was, as even a decked-out Roscoe six-string will usually cost less than $4k :D
 
#47
What a sad thread. I went over to the forum on his site's forum and the sheer number of excuses he's written there has been remarkable. The worst is that he asked people not to bad mouth him a month ago because "I do have some very sensitive feelings" :rollno:

I talked to him on the phone back in 2003 and he seemed like a very nice guy, and I came close to ordering one of his basses. I'm more than glad I didn't now as I'd still be waiting for it- being a good luthier doesn't compensate for being dishonest and a failure as a businessman. Someone on the forum was very (sadly) accurate in saying that if he worked on their basses for only 20 minutes a day, they'd all be done by now.
 
#48
Paid $5 grand for the Honda Civic. Yeah, it was a deal, but I was exaggerating to make the point that these basses are outrageous. I would def have to play a boutique model before slapping all that dough down. I just don't really need a boutique I don't think. I've played for 20 years with thousands of bassists, gigs, etc, and some of the best tones were the cheapos. The hands of the players still matter most. I'm intrigued by lutiher's skills also, and I respect their abilities. However, I am in agreement with Mike Watt-boutiques just aren't necessary for lots of us. My primary bass is now a Washburn Taurus 5 string that is supposedly ripped from Jerzy Drozd. I'm amazed at the quality of this "stock" guitar. I love mine. I even wrote on Jerzy's forum and he was very cool about it. I just think the $350 I paid for mine, which included a Badass V upgrade & a Gator hard case was fantastic. I'm pulling for you guys that put the money down. I really am. I am just shocked at some of your horror stories.
 
#49
Unfortunately I'm also in this boat :(

I traded my Cliff Bordwell 4 string to a member here for this bass which was paid in full but yet to be completed by Darrin. I was initially told it would be completed mid-April and it appears that to this date not even a minute of work has been spent on it. I've been in contact with Darrin and I keep getting figures like "2-3 weeks or so," and have continually gotten this type of response for months, with no apparent change to the unfinished bass.

Darrin's website's forum is a flurry of other stories similiar to this one. I feel bad cause he seems like a nice fellow over the phone, but it's getting to be a bit old...

Edit: Just talked with Darrin on the phone, he has posted progress pics of the bass he's currently working on and is expecting it to go out over the weekend at the latest. He told that "realistically, i'm hoping to get your bass out within 30 days," I'll keep others in this thread posted (since my account on his board has yet to be activated, so I can't post).
 
#50
miskha said:
Just talked with Darrin on the phone, he has posted progress pics of the bass he's currently working on and is expecting it to go out over the weekend at the latest.
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I really hope this occurs. However, it did take 5 months for this bass to get from the left picture to the right one. This bass will be done on the weekend you were told? OK, let's see.

I would love Darrin to shut us all up with a few shipped basses this month.

Picture1.gif
 
#51
Unfortunately I am in this boat as well. Two & half years ago I was promised a bass in 6 months, I paid for it in fool.

I was very nieve back then. Yes, I still would love to get my bass.


Lesson learned.
 
#52
The most frustrating aspect of the whole thing is that his work looks INCREDIBLE, as the pictures of the bass above show. No other luthier's instruments have spoken to me personally as much as Darrin's (with the possible exception of Marchlewski's work).

Knowing how close he gets to having a completed instrument without delivering almost makes me think that he is afraid to deliver the instrument. Like perhaps he is phobic about a customer not liking his work? From any other luthier you'd expect the unfinished bass above to take at most a couple weeks to be ready for delivery, and that's on the conservative side. I'm with Charles, I hope that Darrin can get a few basses out the door soon and give those with basses still on order some hope.
 
#53
mbulmer said:
Knowing how close he gets to having a completed instrument without delivering almost makes me think that he is afraid to deliver the instrument. Like perhaps he is phobic about a customer not liking his work?
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I doubt it- he's pretty far from completed on a lot of them.
 
#54
mbulmer said:
After the repeated promises that something, anything, would be done by [fill in date], and/or I'd receive updates on [fill in day of the week] - I eventually lost my patience and requested my money returned. Darrin asked for more time - I agreed on the condition that I receive updates at least every other week. (One simple shot of the overall progress - nothing detailed). He agreed, yet was unable to produce the updates week after week after week. I reminded him repeatedly of our arrangement. Each time I was given a story - My grandmother is sick, my wife is sick, my dog is sick, I'm sick, my wife's grandmother's 2nd cousin in law's stepson's fiancee's dog is sick, etc. We've all gotten them and know the extent and cyclical nature of his excuses. At one point I got a picture of the neck of my bass in the same rough state it was in when I was originally show it 2.5 years earlier. At that point it was obvious to me that I was never getting a bass and I demanded my money be returned (around the end of 2006). It was returned to me in full. I must give him credit for honoring the terms of our arrangement, though it seems that other have not been as fortunate in their attempts to recoup their own investments.
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My story is similar enough to yours, except as follows: when I finally got sick of the endless excuses, I told Darrin that I wanted either my bass or a refund in 6 months, which would make the deadline April 2006, the 3-year anniversary of my order. Darrin said that I was being more than fair to give warning so far in advance... I'd get my bass or the refund by then. The deadline came up: I got more excuses, and begging for extensions. Three months of extensions later with no refund and no bass, I got tired of wasting my time and trolled the forum. It has been over three years since the deadline I gave him... still no bass, still no refund.

At one point Darrin announced that basses would be done in batches for efficiency's sake. I was originally told I was in group one. Somewhere along the line, with no explanation, I fell out of group one, and I have absolutely no idea where I stand in the lineup.
 
#55
Mark Wilson said:
Wow.
I know a friend who was talking to Darrin about having a bass built. I'll be sure to tell him about this thread.
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Please do.

I know he's in a crappy situation: he needs money, but can't realistically expect much from his existing orders, which are paid by half if not in full. Still, he needs to get those old orders out. Folks have been waiting 6, 7 years.
 
#58
EvoMan said:
Hi - can someone from the DHuff forum please send me an email or PM with the email address that he posted if you want to wait or you want a refund? I just went back to copy them down and he has removed the entire forum and locked everything so that only moderators can post. Thanks.
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It looks like the forum is back up. If you still need the e-mail addresses, PM me.
 
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