Harrelson, and an apology to others here

[forrest]

Looks like I owe ldwoods and some other folks here an apology. Some time back there was discussion about Harrelson and delivery time on his horns. I stood up for Jason and suggested folks be patient.

I paid for one of his Bravura models on October 15, and then for all the upgrades on December 15, as soon as I received an invoice.

I was told January 12 it would be done the following week; on the 19th it would ship the end of that week; and then told on the 20th there was some confusion and it was going to be plated.

That was the last correspondence I’ve had with anyone at Harrelson. I’ve called weekly and sent numerous emails, but haven’t had a response from Jason, either Jen, or anyone else via phone or email.

I see horns listed on eBay and here in the marketplace all the time, and his Facebook postings and videos, but I can’t seem to get an answer back on the status of my horn.

Has anyone spoken with anyone at Harrelson in the last 2 months? I can’t figure out why I can’t get any sort of response back. I chided ldwoods about the “bad mojo” on one of his Harrelsons, yet now I know how he felt.

It may be the greatest playing horn in the world, and I hope it is, but I’ll never know until I receive it.

[Yammie]

I'm hoping you used a credit card to make paymnet, because if you did it's very straightforward to get your money back. If you didn't, I'd suggest looking into small claims court right away. There's simply no excuse to accept payment and then fall off the map for months.

Jason may make interesting trumpets, but after the eBay scam fiasco and now your data point, I can't imagine doing business with him.
_________________
6340S, Connstellation 36B, 38B, 38A, and 28A, Couesnon flugel, Blackburn C, Kanstul/Besson 920 picc, and a HUGE pile of Messina Covers gig bags

[Dale Proctor]

Look what was just posted on "another" site... I think he's still kickin'...

http://www.trumpetmaster.com/vb/f215/ebay-auction-harrelson-ht3-bb-trumpet-53495.html
_________________
"Brass bands are all very well in their place - outdoors and several miles away ." - Sir Thomas Beecham

[FDC05]

I am also waiting for a Harrelson, and here's what has happened with my horn...

I won an eBay auction mid-November. I paid, did my Skype consult, finalized details, and then waited. They said it would be about 10-12 weeks. I know they were mid-move into a new shop, so I gave them some time. Finally they got back to me and said it would be a while, but they do not like to give ship dates.

Then I got a message that they were getting a new CNC lathe, or some big machinery, and this would take time to install and delay everyone's order another 3 months. The email said it will be worth the wait because parts will be cut more consistently, tighter tolerances, etc.

So... I got a call just 2 days ago from Paul at Harrelson. He told me that the machine took longer than expected to install, but it is in. Now, they are inputting all the numbers into the computer, and once it's up and running and tested, they will call me back with a firm ship date. They said that call will be in about a week. They also said they will be updating their site to give clients the ability to follow the horns progress online, along with ship date and photos of the progress. This is not up yet, but that's what they said.

I was getting pretty frustrated with the lack on communication and customer service, but I thought the phone call with Paul was great. He was very honest with why things are taking SO long and gave me a bit of hope about when I might see the trumpet. So, hopefully I hear from him again in a week. If not, I'll be pretty upset.

At this point, I really hope I truly love this trumpet... I'm still going to approach it with an open mind once it arrives. The demo horn played GREAT so I can't wait. If it's not what I'm hoping, someone could get a great deal here on TrumpetHerald.
_________________
Mark

[swingshift]

I'm not going to say much, except that It took 6months to get my horn...it was worth waiting 6months....I had good communication with jen and jason and knew it would take a long time...I understand your frustration, but 6 mos. for a custom horn is still good turn around...and my summit is really awsome....hope you get it all worked out soon and again...I think its worth the wait....
_________________
"beneath my goodie twoshoes lie some very dark socks..." lisa Simpson
Carol 5000 ylt-slt
bach 229 c with MC 2 pipe
yamaha 631 flug
jin bao rotary piccolo trumpet
wedge 5BC 25 and 5DC 25 with heavyweight Barrel ML shank

[forrest]

Paul too called me - about an hour after I posted this thread.

He said there was a serious problem with the platers but the horn should be there Thursday and should ship to me early next week.

We'll see if it happens. I hope so.

swingshift - I've had horns built by Roy Lawler before, so I do understand the time involved.

But, I don't understand the complete lack of response to voice messages and email. There's no excuse for that, in my opinion.

Hopefully I'll feel better when there's a horn in my hands early next week as promised.

[swing95]

[dbleC]

My father is in the ranks of "still waiting". VERY POOR. Plus, I've called and emailed regarding trim kits during the "sales" several times and NEVER hear back. Again, VERY POOR.

[supportlivejazz]

I have wondered for a while how Harrelson can be booked for weeks and have all the horns for sale on Ebay. I always suspected that if I bought one of the Ebay horns, I'd be waiting or that folks who had ordered a custom off Ebay were being bumped because Ebay sales were taking precedent. I've not owned or considered owning one of his creations, but it always seemed odd when I read posts about his waiting time.
_________________
Conn 6B
1940s Blessing Artist
Olds LA Special Model Cornet






"I'm not apologizing, I am what I am. There'll be no compromising, I don't give a damn."

[EdMann]

I've hesitated to post here-- just don't like public catfighting-- but it's pretty clear that his present customer base loves his product while those who wait, like myself, get frustrated. To his credit, he informed me that wait times cannot be accurately forecast and that he puts just as much time and energy and materials into his eBay horns, which apparently are the majority of his sales and marketing to date, as any others he sells. His name is on them regardless and he knows that after one, two or more years, many of his horns will be up for resale and the quality will have to be there consistently regardless of the original sale price. His customers seem to have him in good stead (I played w/ one over the wknd, and his horn sounded great) and it's one of the reasons I selected my first "custom" built horn to be one of Jason's.

On the flip side, as a business owner myself, no email goes unreturned, no phone call ignored (unless it's AT&T!) so that end of his operation needs to get up to snuff, but you know, that's often the case in other cottage industries; there are only so many man-hours in the day and from what I hear of other boutique horn houses, they're not making a lot of money. It's not a high volume business and difficult to juggle, but like Buddy Rich said / played, Keep the Customer Satisfied.

I got my call from Paul over the wknd and I'm confident that they'll deliver as promised. If not, that's the great thing about forums like this. Can't wait to see that package at the door.

ed

[chuck in ny]

for those who enjoy zen, you may think business is business, but business ..ain't.. business.
there are a lot of 'normal' people who run businesses, who are actually businessmen, and you have another category of oddballs who are artists and have a business to pursue their dreams and have the freedom of not being dominated by some a/hole.
what you gots is some quirky behavior that isn't necessarily bad faith, which would be a serious matter. sometimes, business is not business. with someone like harrelson, i would be tolerant and give him the time he needs.
..chuck

[Winghorn]

Refusing to respond to legitimate inquiries for TWO MONTHS after receiving payment is arrogant and disrespectful behavior. It has nothing to do with artistry, quirkiness or anything else. If people want to accept being treated this way to get a horn they can't return if they don't like, that is up to them. I would think people would have more pride, though....

Regards

Steve Allison

[JetJaguar]

[tollaus]

[LittleRusty]

Assume that Jason's customer service is excellent. There are still people for whom Jason's business model works and people it doesn't work for.

Take me for instance, I personally wouldn't want to bid on a horn that will be built at some future date. Especially in an economy like this I just wouldn't be comfortable trusting that the business will be around in six months. YMMV.

I also like instant gratification.

I am also not sure that I would want the first few who recieved a horn after they went from being hand built to machine built even though I am sure that Jason and his staff will make sure they are as good as possible.

[ChuckNorrisOfTrumpet]

[Dan O'Donnell]

Jason was late on my 909 Modification and after several years of continued pleasure playing it...I can honestly say...the horn was well worth the wait!

There is no doubt that we ALL get excited when we pay a significant amount of money and then have to wait to have in our possession what might possibly be the best horn we ever played so, I too understand the frustration bleeding from this thread.

I think of it like this...

A Rose is considered a great flower therefore it brings a higher cost in the market - customer perception, supply & demand.

A Carnation is considered a good flower therfore it brings a lower cost in the market - customer perception, supply & demand .

A Rose has thorns yet a Carnation does not.

It seems that several people are experiencing the "thorns" of the "Rose" now...however, will enjoy the beauty and amazing frangrance of the "Rose" when it does arrive.

Instead, people who want a "Carnation" can just walk into any Music Store and buy a stock / mass produced horn (at a lower price) without the wait.

As they say..."Good things come to those who wait."

When it comes to Jason's horns, patience becomes a critical factor in the entire experience.

For those of you who are waiting...It is important to note that I've yet to meet, read or hear about ANYONE who owns one of his horns that are displeased as to the quality, sound, playability and looks of Jason's horns.

Although Monette tells you up front when you order a horn...at one time, I heard he had a (1) year waiting period for his horns.

Not trying to compare horns just wait times...a few months wait sure beats a year.

Once you recieve your horn, I hope you write back and provide the ending to your story which I know will be a great one!
_________________
God Bless,
Dan O'Donnell

"Praise Him with the sound of the Trumpet:..."
Psalms 150:3

[ldwoods]

forrest,
No apology necessary. I wish you the best of luck.

[ldwoods]

Dan,
I think you must have snorted too many roses or refuse to take the rose colored glasses off.

I respect you as a person and am glad to read your posts. However, glossing over real, legitimate issues based on your personal satisfaction with one instrument is not consistent with your otherwise sterling character and status.

You wrote:
For those of you who are waiting...It is important to note that I've yet to meet, read or hear about ANYONE who owns one of his horns that are displeased as to the quality, sound, playability and looks of Jason's horns.

If the above is true, then I am delighted to be the first on your list. I started to explain my ordeal with a C Bravura when posting an earlier reply, but decided to keep silent.

I think that is possibly the case with others who have had bad experiences with Harrelson. It's just not worth the trouble to explain and then have to defend in this forum. I think most of us are hesitant to air dirty laundry here, especially when this forum is populated with such staunch Harrelson defenders. I choose to NOT go into all the details at this time, but rest assured, there are people who own, or have owned Harrelson trumpets that are ...displeased as to the quality, sound, playability...
_________________
Larry Woods
LDWoods

[ChopsGone]

I'm not exactly displeased, but underwhelmed might be more like it. As the second owner of a Bravura that's not much over three months old, I'll give it credit for being a competent horn, appearing to be decently made. But as far as blowing away the competition, it doesn't. Comparing it to 1s/2, 1s/7, and R32 Calicchios, a Wild Thing, a Sonaré, and a large-bore Kanstul-made Besson Meha, it trailed every one of those horns in every way. And that's not even considering Olds Recording or Super Recording, which I know would rank among the very best - fortunately, I own at least one of each horn mentioned. They're all definite keepers. Sorry, but it's just not particularly impressive in any way. I'm not surprised that it was for sale at a reduced price by the first owner. I'm almost certainly going to do the same.
_________________
Vintage Olds & Reynolds & Selmers galore
Aubertins, Bessons, Calicchios, Courtois, Wild Things, Marcinkiewicz, Ogilbee Thumpet, DeNicola Puje, Kanstuls....