WARNING: Oscar Prat Basses

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#262
Chace90 said:
Would like to add my voice here.

I own 1 Prat bass and have sold another. Without getting crazy specific, the bass I sold was solid. Playable, good tone, etc. It did have to have some fret sprout dealt with, but that's not unusual for the Colorado climate. I sold it because it wasn't a great fit for me and I felt confident I wouldn't be passing on a lemon.

The instrument I still have has a severe neck stability issue. I custom ordered it in 2014, got it in March or April 2015. A popular build style for him at the time. See pics. 33" scale, pickup ramp, 28 frets, etc. When I was using it for gigs, I would frequently have to tighten or loosen the truss rod at least once a gig, and sometimes more. During the gig! That's how much it would move. Setting aside the woods chosen (mostly highly-figured flame maple), no guitar neck should ever move that much IMO. And it's a 5 piece neck! It seems to respond evenly to the truss rod, so (last I checked) I can still make it playable for a time. No bumps, ramps or twisting have occurred that I've noticed. I also don't play it anymore. It's become wall art.

When I asked Oscar about this, he said: "The neck is a 5 pieces neck, very strong, but it will move till is stable, because is new, in around 4 to 5 months." My opinion of that statement aside, that definitely hasn't been the case. It's as unstable as ever, 3.5 years later. My last attempt at correspondence with him about it was Feb 2016.

To be clear, I haven't made any true attempt at getting him to make it right. I brought it up a handful of times and basically just got excuses. I should have been more forceful, but it's clear from this thread and @lowendmafia's thread, as well as other stories, that it's unlikely I'd ever get help from him directly.

So there it is. People can PM me if they want more info. I hope @benjobass and whomever else get their instruments or money back, whichever they prefer.

View attachment 3228455 View attachment 3228456
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Old thread, being in Colorado you could have gotten a Surine bass, made in Denver
 
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#263
benjobass said:
WARNING: Oscar Prat Basses

What started out great has now gone completely and horribly wrong. I want to post a warning about working with Oscar Prat on anything. I really, really, wanted my experience with him to go differently than lowendmafia’s, but it unfortunately it has not. I am quite sure there are more of us in the lurch and I encourage you to post publicly here so we can have a collective voice. Here’s a summary of my situation (heads up: lots of dates and details…I want an accurate representation of my experience and how it has felt being strung along):

I reached out to Oscar in Feb 2017 to inquire about a build. Oscar’s communication was stellar at the time. We talked back and forth about woods, measurements, electronics…after agreeing on a price and build time (complete and delivered by December 2017) I paid the down payment (half up front) to get the ball rolling.

After a month he had the master drawing complete and by the very end of April 2017 he secured the top wood for my bass. Then, I didn’t hear from him for 3 months (July 2017) despite emailing him regularly asking for an update. Crickets. I then tried reaching him through Facebook Messenger and had some success. He said he was remodeling his workshops and hadn’t been able to do any work. He was also waiting for new CNC machine parts. We are now into August of 2017 with no work being done at all. Then September 2017 rolls around, with no work done, and he’s still waiting for parts. At the end of September 2017 he said the parts arrived and he’d begin work.

He ignores my emails/messages for October 2017 into November 2017 when he finally resurfaces to tell me he had pneumonia. Okay, that sucks, but again…some form of communication would be professional. It feels super weird working with someone who has a big chunk of my money and doesn’t have regular and timely communication. End of November rolls around and he says he actually hadn’t done any more work because he had to order new parts for the CNC and that he had gone through some personal stuff. He offers to send me a temporary bass he has “housed in USA” whatever that means. I explained I didn’t need a bass, I wanted my custom bass which was now never going to be delivered to me on time.

Another month passes and he ignores my emails/messages. When he resurfaces at the end of December 2017 he says he moved to Madrid and began renting a workshop. He promises to get to work on my bass: “I'm giving you my honor word. If your bass is not finish in march, I will refund you everything.” As you might imagine, he did not and he has not.

February 2018 rolls around, now a full year since the process began, and after more ignoring he sends me a picture of, again, the top of my bass. Then a month of ignoring and finally he sends a pic of the neck. Then another month of ignoring he sends a pic of the neck attached to the bass. Then a month of ignoring and in May 2017 he sends a pic of the pickup cavity routed and we have some back and forth good communication about pickups and electronics again. Then more ignoring for June 2018 other than he needed to order the pickups and would finish the bass so when they arrived he could “send it ASAP”. Still no frets, no hardware, no electronics, no oil finish...

He’s been ignoring me for July 2018 and now into August 2018. I’ve asked several times for an update. I’ve been more than patient with his personal situations. And he continues to have terrible and unprofessional communication and still no estimated completion or delivery date.

At this point I just don’t even want the bass but since it’s past the 180 days PayPal allows for disputes I am completely out of luck getting my money back. The best I can hope is that someday he’ll actually fulfill his promise, send me a completed bass, and I can try to sell it and recoup my sunk cost.

This really bums me out. I wanted so badly to support an independent luthier but this behavior is just disrespectful and honestly...shameful.

Some links of interest…

Lowendmafia’s post from July 2017 with similar situation:
At what point should I just give up on a build? (Prat Basses)

Recent Thread from Jan 2018 with similar situations:
Prat Basses

SPECS (in case it comes up for sale elsewhere eventually):
  • Custom Prat M-BSV 6 bolt on
  • 33" scale
  • Ebony Gabon fingerboard, 28 frets (side dots), flat
  • Curly maple neck
  • Mahogany body
  • Curly redwood top
  • Curly redwood ramp
  • Custom Nordstrand DC pickups (2) - for 16mm string spacing, under ramp - Mike Pope Flexcore preamp
  • Curly redwood knobs, matching body
  • Hipshot A type (3D) bridge (16mm string spacing, black)
  • Hipshot Ultralite tuners (black)
  • Ebony nut
  • Oil finish
  • Case

/// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///


UPDATE - Aug 22
Just tried speaking with my bank as well, hoping they might be able to get my money back. Just like PayPal, they said too many days have passed for them to issue me a refund and compel Oscar to pay. They suspect he knew what he was doing, riding out the clock, keeping just enough communication going to string me along in order to ensure I'd not be able to get my money.

UPDATE - Aug 28
Received an email from Oscar letting me know he can refund my money, in small monthly installments, beginning in 4 or 5 months from now...really?...not convinced I'll see any of this money but we'll see if he can keep his word this time.

UDPATE - Aug 31
This one is a little strange...I heard from Oscar (finally) and he asked me to send him an invoice for the 1st of 5 refund installments to a different email address than I'd been using for payment/communication. The physical address attached to the payment he sent is also different than the one I'd had on file for him. Moving around...
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#264
Well, for what it is worth here, I have been following this situation for quite some time, did some research, etc. So I recently purchased one of his Basses, used online. It is very nice, probably the nicest Bass that I currently own. Since I follow this kind of thing on a daily basis, I have seen this one for sale before. I recently reached out to Mr. Pratt via his current web site, with just a general question, as in "Are you still building, or are you retired?"He replied he is still young, what did I need help with. Apparently he is in Spain. Whatever. So my bottom line here is, would I contract a build with this individual, NO. Would I buy something he had produced in the past, yep, if the price was right. Just some FYI stuff here, sorry to hear of all the problems.
 
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#265
It's amazing (and sad) how nobody here in Spain knows about this guy's "misadventures" and numerous unfulfilled obligations. Seems to still be doing business, altho' I seldom see any of his basses around (I know of only one shop in the whole country dealing them -IDK about wait times and other conditions-). Luckily the second result, if you do a search for "oscar prat basses" on google.es, is this thread. Guess I'm constantly underestimating the language barrier.
 
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#266
It makes me very funny to see how people who do not know me and that the vast majority have not even touched one of my basses, and that the vast majority have not done business with me, are criticizing something they do not know about an old problem I had with a couple of clients, problems that were solved in their day but that are still remembered here as if they were current ... guys, I have been in this for many years and I know how gossip works, especially in Talkbass .. this is in fashion.
I have hundreds of clients totally happy with their instruments, for many years I have been serving bassists all over the world, and I continue to do so (and yes, I am young and I have many years to build bass guitars). Currently I am working with practically the same clients as when I had to leave the USA due to personal problems (and I am also working with a much greater variety of nationalities).
As I say, the vast majority of comments here have no basis, they are based on an old problem already solved, but maybe one day they will give you a medal, who knows.
Finally, I hope you are all fine with the virus, stay healthy.
 
#268
Hi malthumb, I'm working with several basses right now! So I have a lot of deposits and payments :thumbsup: and working with normality, always contact with my customers. I have a very big bass that is delaying, sometimes it is normal with megabasses/super custom basses, but in a normal way, talking and regular contact with customers.

Today, a bass is shipping to Italy. Next week, 2 basses will ship to US... I think the guys are exited !!
 
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#269
You did not answer malthumb’s question.

Did benjobass—the gentleman who started this thread—ever receive the bass he ordered or a full refund?

It’s a very simple question, and should be a very simple answer.
 
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#272
Here’s the benjobass post:

benjobass said:
At long last, I woke up to an email from PayPal stating I'd finally been paid back in full (well, sort of...fees cut into what I actually paid him...): "After this payment I do not owe you anything, and our business relationship ends here." Yes Oscar, yes it does. At long last and good riddance.

I sincerely hope the rest of you who are waiting for refunds and basses get some resolution sooner than later. And in the meantime, please continue to use this pinned thread to update us. Just because he's refunded me (only one of many in similar situations) does not mean his behavior should be dismissed. Others should remain as informed as they can be when considering whether or not to do business with this luthier.
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#274
Why are you thanking Goatrope? It's not like he's your attorney getting you off the hook for your shady business practices. You need to confess your misdealings here and now since you poked your head out the ground.
 
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#275
iggy said:
Why are you thanking Goatrope? It's not like he's your attorney getting you off the hook for your shady business practices. You need to confess your misdealings here and now since you poked your head out the ground.
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He thanked goatrope for digging out a response from a year ago.

Did you see that? He refunded the man a YEAR ago.

You make it sound like you have a stake in this. Tell us why Oscar owes you the time of day.
 
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#276
iggy said:
Why are you thanking Goatrope? It's not like he's your attorney getting you off the hook for your shady business practices. You need to confess your misdealings here and now since you poked your head out the ground.
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Hi Iggy. Welcome to the club! :thumbsup: like I said, I had a problem with a customer long time ago, and I don't own nothing to him, so what are my shady business practices? I had hundreds of customers in my 14 years of professional building, and sometimes, wherever are the reasons, you can't make happy to everybody. But I tell you what:
you need to speak for yourself, accurately, based in your experience with my business, if not, your opinion about my business is not valid at all.
It is like if I say (and this is just an imaginary example): Fender is piece of ****! .... And I never play a Fender in m live . .. pretty sure there are a lot of people that had problems with Fender dealers, Fender factory, Fender customer service... Like all business! So yeah, Fender needs to deal with the opinion of people that never buy or play a Fender... like you with Prat, you never play or buy a Prat, so your opinion doesn't have fundamentals... Anyways, I appreciate your opinion
I'm no proud at all what happened with benjobass, but it was not willfully, and I continue my business like always, trying to make my customers very happy, and normally people is happy with my basses and my business.
 
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#277
As mentioned before, I actually OWN and play A Pratt Bass. I will correct my earlier comments in regards to it IS the Best instrument I currently own. Also, I stated I would not contract for a build with Mr. Pratt, frankly I owe him an apology. Given the current circumstances I just might. What get’s me the most about the whole situation is that if a person were interested in one of his instruments, and did a general internet search, what comes up ? Stuff from Talk Bass no less. It’s almost impossible to find out much of any other type of information. Assuming that past issues have been resolved, and apparently they have, this garbage SHOULD have been REMOVED, in both places, PERIOD! This is almost interfering with a persons ability to conduct a business. People in general are human, unless you were born on another planet, and make some errors in judgment, that’s why they put erasers on pencils. Things happen. Do a deep dark soul search on yourself here. Problems with individuals, or companies should be worked out between those two parties, and that IS where the issue should stay. I will stand in Mr. Pratt’s corner since no one else seems willing to do so, give the guy a break. Notice not only have I thrown down the Gauntlet glove, but have turned the “SS Victory “ into the wind, full sail, lower canon bay doors open. If you are going to make a “shot across the bow” , make it a darn good one. C’Mon people, is this kind of thing really what we are all about ?
 
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#278
Gibson Victory said:
As mentioned before, I actually OWN and play A Pratt Bass. I will correct my earlier comments in regards to it IS the Best instrument I currently own. Also, I stated I would not contract for a build with Mr. Pratt, frankly I owe him an apology. Given the current circumstances I just might. What get’s me the most about the whole situation is that if a person were interested in one of his instruments, and did a general internet search, what comes up ? Stuff from Talk Bass no less. It’s almost impossible to find out much of any other type of information. Assuming that past issues have been resolved, and apparently they have, this garbage SHOULD have been REMOVED, in both places, PERIOD! This is almost interfering with a persons ability to conduct a business. People in general are human, unless you were born on another planet, and make some errors in judgment, that’s why they put erasers on pencils. Things happen. Do a deep dark soul search on yourself here. Problems with individuals, or companies should be worked out between those two parties, and that IS where the issue should stay. I will stand in Mr. Pratt’s corner since no one else seems willing to do so, give the guy a break. Notice not only have I thrown down the Gauntlet glove, but have turned the “SS Victory “ into the wind, full sail, lower canon bay doors open. If you are going to make a “shot across the bow” , make it a darn good one. C’Mon people, is this kind of thing really what we are all about ?
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Again, having no dog in this fight, I asked Oscar Prat a defining question. He answered it. His answer has held up to challenge. I’m good with it and wish him a successful and prosperous career. He made some mistakes. He’s owned them. Barring proof to the contrary, he’s remedied them. I think that’s all that can be asked of him.
 
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#279
Just a quick note to say that administrators/moderators are not removing past posts just because they have been resolved. It's okay for a potential consumer to have the information and make their own choice. We did un-stick the thread since there does not seem to be a great deal of present concern.
 
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