So strange and heartbreaking. The guy used to put out premium work too.
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WARNING: Oscar Prat Basses
- Thread starter benjobass
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- oscar oscar prat prat warning
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Once I get this bass in the hands of a real luthier, I'll update the thread. I'm am holding my breath on the core build like the truss rods.
Seriously, I played a Prat 5 string and it was amazing. That experience was what allowed me to overlook this thread. A major mistake.
This is what he delivers after recently getting this thread unpinned... 
I'm so sorry to the people that got ripped off by Prat but damn I laughed so hard with that one
So update on mine:
I took mine (see post #139) to Sweetwater back in June to have it plekked, set up, and get a new nut. The nut was originally ebony, and there was a nice big gouge in the B's slot (on the side towards the E) where the B could slide around.
I eventually got an email from the repair center saying:
" ...[we] will not be able to PLEK it without regretting as the radius is too flat with how low the frets currently are in the bass. We can sand and polish the frets to get them smooth for playability, but if you would like a PLEK we would be looking at a full refret..."
Given how poorly intonated the neck has been (after a while you get used to the spots that are reliable and just play in that area), I told them to go ahead.
They had to plane the board and then sent me the attached picture. The side dots were put in with either the world's worst ruler, or they were just haphazardly drilled. None of them are even (similar to @JBYbassface) and they were starting to come through the top of the board. SW offered to redrill and fill the original spots with CA/wood dust, but I figured I can just do it on my own at this point.
When I got to SW to play it on Saturday, the C was buzzing like a sitar. I took it back to the desk and they confirmed there was an issue when they played 2 notes and the string popped out of the nut.
Oscar's tuning peg design makes it so there's a poor angle on the C string--it wants to pull out of the nut to the side of the bass. On my bass, he "remedied" this by cutting the C's slot closer to the middle of the bass. This resulted in excess fret board outside the C, and closer string spacing than necessary.
Sweetwater, not knowing how screwy this was, cut the nut where it would normally go. So the C won't stay in place now.
Thankfully Sweetwater actually cares about customer service--they're cutting a new nut and are shipping it back to me.
But just when I thought I was done with issues on this bass, they keep cropping up to haunt me.
I wish I'd saved the money for a down payment on something else :/
I took mine (see post #139) to Sweetwater back in June to have it plekked, set up, and get a new nut. The nut was originally ebony, and there was a nice big gouge in the B's slot (on the side towards the E) where the B could slide around.
I eventually got an email from the repair center saying:
" ...[we] will not be able to PLEK it without regretting as the radius is too flat with how low the frets currently are in the bass. We can sand and polish the frets to get them smooth for playability, but if you would like a PLEK we would be looking at a full refret..."
Given how poorly intonated the neck has been (after a while you get used to the spots that are reliable and just play in that area), I told them to go ahead.
They had to plane the board and then sent me the attached picture. The side dots were put in with either the world's worst ruler, or they were just haphazardly drilled. None of them are even (similar to @JBYbassface) and they were starting to come through the top of the board. SW offered to redrill and fill the original spots with CA/wood dust, but I figured I can just do it on my own at this point.
When I got to SW to play it on Saturday, the C was buzzing like a sitar. I took it back to the desk and they confirmed there was an issue when they played 2 notes and the string popped out of the nut.
Oscar's tuning peg design makes it so there's a poor angle on the C string--it wants to pull out of the nut to the side of the bass. On my bass, he "remedied" this by cutting the C's slot closer to the middle of the bass. This resulted in excess fret board outside the C, and closer string spacing than necessary.
Sweetwater, not knowing how screwy this was, cut the nut where it would normally go. So the C won't stay in place now.
Thankfully Sweetwater actually cares about customer service--they're cutting a new nut and are shipping it back to me.
But just when I thought I was done with issues on this bass, they keep cropping up to haunt me.
I wish I'd saved the money for a down payment on something else :/
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It seems like this is the way to go to end up with a solid instrument. I don't doubt that mine will be better off once I get it back from SW's shop, but we shouldn't have to do that to make it have a chance of living up to the expectations and money we've spent.
Man sorry to hear that man but I am hoping the repairs will be worth it for you.
Maybe have them cover up the name prat on the headstock so someone does not see you playing it and think of getting a prat themselves without first talking to you about it.
Good luck and I hope you get some satisfactory resolution on this.
Send the SW repair bill to oscar.
Oscar offered to pay for any repairs I get done but honestly I wouldn't even try.
Maybe have them cover up the name prat on the headstock so someone does not see you playing it and think of getting a prat themselves without first talking to you about it.
Good luck and I hope you get some satisfactory resolution on this.
Send the SW repair bill to oscar.
Three, maybe four years ago I was in Nashville visiting and stopped by another builder that was in the same building that Pratt used to be in. Also in the building was the now closed Southbound Custom guitar finishing shop. There were several Pratt basses in limbo, finished but needed to ship out but that was the time there were major issues going on. They looked great, but still needed hardware and final assembly / setup. I hope those got to their owners.
JBYbassface, I understand you are not happy with the delay in time schedule, but you call the excuses suspicious... that´s no true and we are talking about serius stuff. I´ll explain:
-coronavirus make in Spain and other countries in Europe an exceptional state, it means there for almost 4 months people could not move from home by law. after this we had lot of mobility restrictions, too. I communicated this to you
-I have been infected with covid 2 times, admitted to the hospital and have not been able to work at all for almost 3 months, with serious consequences and finally diagnosed with persistent covid to date, although little by little I am starting to work again. I communicated this to you
-a Big add very reputable company delayed stuff for this bass by shipping for 3 monts because covid situation, so like you guys can see it can happen to any individual or company at these crazy times, and also I sent to you all emails between the company and myself, so could you check all progress and veracity.
- also my mother in law died suddenly from cancer and I had to take care of my wife and my children, she was admitted to the hospital for a week with great anxiety, depression, etc., delaying the last days of work on your bass and this was also communicated to you
Well, these are not suspicious excuses, these are reality in a very bad, global situation, only my mother in law was a out of covid tragedy. And you were informed of all this the whole time.
About the issues of this bass:
These are very minor, totally fixable and noting to do with the great instrument with great playability and sound (you told me the following: “plays great though”) The issues are provably the result of my phisical and emotional state due to the specific circumstances of this period, but the most important thing is: We had a conversation first day when bass arrived to your home (before you wrote in this thread), and this was exactly my response:
“If you want to fix anything you think is wrong, I can pay a local guitar repair in your zone, or I can pay a ship to me to fixt everything fast” , I think this is a very good customer service.
You asked to me about my official guarantee, I sent it to you before starting the construction of the bass, and it clear says that if there is any type of issue, it will be fixed in my workshop or in a workshop that I designate, but I offered to take it to any workshop of your choice ... but this is not going to happen, because your last sentence was the following:
“Lets follow up later”
then you post in this thead days later, no one world from you since then I was trying to fix and help.
The most interesting thing of all this is the actitude of the Administrator I was talking with. You guys stick again this thread without any conversation with me to corraborate everything. I´m member of talk bass for many years. I was explaining to the administrator pretty clear my very first intentions with my customer to fix any problem. But thread stills stiky.
Also inside the thread there are very offensive personal words and advances about my personal life and my work, things like “thief”, “heroin” and many more.
These offensive and unacceptable things have been reported to the administrator on several occasions, and I have not had any response in this regard, nor any reaction from the administrator that we remember should avoid such actions because these are, of course, against the forum rules.
Also, there are only 3 Prat Basses customers talking about my basses or their experiences in this thread, and there are a few with possitive experiences, too (but looks like these comments don´t exist, right?).
There was one customer in the thread he received his bass, pretty good comments from him I think. There is a customer in the thread, too, and I´m in contact to him and making his bass. Also, there is a customer I´m having right now that he delayed the building process for around 1 year because personal problems… nothing bad, this is life, no problem.
So I want to ask to administrator, to point out all those lots of posts from people who are dissatisfied with Prat Basses, not only in this thread, but in all the theads that talk about Prat Basses ... but of course, only from people who have had a customer relationship with the company . I also ask him if he knows how many basses I have sold since the company is legal and if he thinks it is logical to stick this thread for 3 or 4 bad experiences… Nobody is perfect, may be we are talking about 1% or 2%
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Why do people deal with characters like this. Im in the art business and I would never hang onto someones money as I dish out excuse after excuse. 'A fool and his money'....etc etc
You need to read my last post, no excuses and also I communicate all to the customer. It can happen to any kind of artist, Business man, worker or any person, including you. And the most important: customer has the product and more and more important I offered to fix any issue.
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