Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

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Larry Mal
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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Larry Mal » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:03 am

I mean Woody is a nice enough guy, he called to straighten things out with me (although they didn't get straightened out).

Don't sell your Mastery stuff because of me! I would and have bought their stuff since then.

I looked through me email to see if I could copy and paste what I had written that day, but it's not where I can find it. It was a blunt complaint about their slow shipping- which is dreadful- and their total lack of communicating when one might expect the product other than a auto-generated message which at the time at least was so vague as to be meaningless.

I mean, I didn't swear or anything, it would have been professionally worded and all.
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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by PorkyPrimeCut » Sun Dec 03, 2017 10:04 am

JVG wrote:
Sat Dec 02, 2017 8:56 pm
What the fuck are they trying to prove? Do they think that a few celebrity users means they can treat the common customer like shit? Would they refuse to give Thurston Moore a replacement arm if he asked?
This thought crossed my mind too.

Ah well, as plenty of others have already said, Staytrem can do no wrong in my book - a solid product coupled with great customer service. Exactly what you'd hope & expect from an honest, small company filling a gap in the market.
You think you can't, you wish you could, I know you can, I wish you would. Slip inside this house as you pass by.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Pepe Silvia » Sun Dec 03, 2017 12:15 pm

Larry Mal wrote:
Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:03 am
I mean Woody is a nice enough guy, he called to straighten things out with me (although they didn't get straightened out).

Don't sell your Mastery stuff because of me! I would and have bought their stuff since then.

I looked through me email to see if I could copy and paste what I had written that day, but it's not where I can find it. It was a blunt complaint about their slow shipping- which is dreadful- and their total lack of communicating when one might expect the product other than a auto-generated message which at the time at least was so vague as to be meaningless.

I mean, I didn't swear or anything, it would have been professionally worded and all.
Already sold it. I don't want something with no spare parts support. Back on stock bridge. It works just fine.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by mekhem » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:08 am

So to clarify a little bit - I was not advocating the perspective of "protecting the quality products" however that is a common business theme for premium products. Anyone who uses an apple product is familiar with this.

Mastery makes some really great products and I own some of them - but they are not my preferred vendor because of things like this

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Mad-Mike » Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:30 am

This thread is making me glad I'm still throwing custom springs on my stock bridges and taking up metalwork on stock hardware.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Jaguar018 » Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:20 am

I have a Mastery Trem on one guitar, but I'm sort of indifferent about it. I like the bridges okay. I guess my boiling point is a bit lower than the OP. I would not tell someone to go fuck themselves about something like this. At one point my job involved answering phone calls from customers, many of whom were pissed off. It just wears you down. I more or less hate talking on the phone now because of that time.

Now we get a product hate thread pile on and everyone gets to share their stories and confirm their beliefs. Yuck. I'm not going to change my mind based on threads like this-- even when I totally agree that Mastery should sell replacement arms.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by brucer » Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:20 am

A bit of perspective from Mastery ... for what it's worth:
We absolutely sell replacement parts. Screws, springs, swivels etc. we mail out all of the time with just a $5 charge to cover the parts + shipping (and sometimes not even that for the really kind ones :) ) For anything larger like posts, vibrato arms, and saddles we will typically mention that "we don't usually sell replacement parts, but we will in this case," as years in the business have taught us that novice builders that file the saddles down (this is a big no-no) once will do it again if they are not cautioned. Likewise, we like to verify the original order with any substantial replacement parts, as we don't want anyone franken-bridge-ing our saddles onto other bridge parts or anything like that. Our products are designed to function as a whole unit and anything that isn't that misrepresents us. In the case of vibrato arms, we remind people to leave the arm in at all times - the only repairs we ever see are for customers who have taken the arm out between uses, allowing debris to get in and causing the unit not to function.
Lastly like any business, we reserve the right to refuse our service to anyone, and the only cases in which we've exercised this right involve really rude customers.
Seems pretty reasonable to me.
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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by andy_tchp » Tue Dec 05, 2017 6:51 pm

^ That matches my experience.
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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Larry Mal » Tue Dec 05, 2017 8:25 pm

I guess that last part pertains to me. I actually tried to find the post here that I copied and pasted my response to them in, but I deleted the thread as it was becoming something I didn't really like.

I also tried to find the emails, but I haven't so far. Not really to vindicate me or anything, just some perspective. If I find them, I'll put them up.
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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Jaguar018 » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:26 am

I have read a lot of threads like this where the thread starter is all mad about poor service or getting a bad deal-- and then later on they mention that at some point they said/emailed some nasty stuff themselves. It has made me realize that there are two sides to a lot of these tales.

Are there unreasonable asshole stores, sellers, companies, and shipping places? YES. Are there unreasonable asshole customers/buyers? Absolutely.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by Tidepoolbay » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:29 am

Many companies, mine included, may sell kits. But, they are not in the parts selling business.
Woof!

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by pscates » Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:11 pm

If it's an important, integral part of your product, you'd better be in the "parts selling business" a little. It's called customer/product support. Especially for something that's $180, with moving, detachable parts.

What does Mastery expect one to do...pull off a perfectly functioning tremolo and order a brand new one so it'll come with an arm? If you lose your earbuds, Apple doesn't make you buy a new iPod or iPhone. Toro wouldn’t expect you buy a new mower if your blade breaks.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by tdbajus » Wed Jun 13, 2018 12:35 pm

brucer wrote:
Tue Dec 05, 2017 11:20 am
A bit of perspective from Mastery ... for what it's worth:
We absolutely sell replacement parts. Screws, springs, swivels etc. we mail out all of the time with just a $5 charge to cover the parts + shipping (and sometimes not even that for the really kind ones :) ) For anything larger like posts, vibrato arms, and saddles we will typically mention that "we don't usually sell replacement parts, but we will in this case," as years in the business have taught us that novice builders that file the saddles down (this is a big no-no) once will do it again if they are not cautioned. Likewise, we like to verify the original order with any substantial replacement parts, as we don't want anyone franken-bridge-ing our saddles onto other bridge parts or anything like that. Our products are designed to function as a whole unit and anything that isn't that misrepresents us. In the case of vibrato arms, we remind people to leave the arm in at all times - the only repairs we ever see are for customers who have taken the arm out between uses, allowing debris to get in and causing the unit not to function.
Lastly like any business, we reserve the right to refuse our service to anyone, and the only cases in which we've exercised this right involve really rude customers.
Seems pretty reasonable to me.
Making someone produce the receipt in order to buy a replacement part is fucking nonsense. C'mon.

What if you bought a Jazzmaster with one of their trems on it?

Also, being snotty about people removing their tremolo arms so they don't wear out the springs in their tremolo or chew up their guitar cases is just ridiculous.

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by tdbajus » Wed Jun 13, 2018 12:38 pm

pscates wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 12:11 pm
What does Mastery expect one to do...pull off a perfectly functioning tremolo and order a brand new one so it'll come with an arm?
No, they just want you grovel.

I like the response too: "Well, we really will sell you the part, even though we say that we don't. We just want you to ask several times, and then keep you on tenterhooks as to whether or not we'll sell you a replacement to the replacement, should you take your guitar out of the house ever."

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Re: Why doesn't Mastery sell replacement arms for their tremolos?

Post by doctorock78 » Mon Jun 18, 2018 5:09 pm

I was told (by Woody) that I should stop using his product after (for the second time) I noticed chrome wearing off due to trem use (Jazzmaster) and wanted to buy a set of spare saddles. It is a shame, since I was a good customer (2 Mastery bridges) and had an honest issue. They did replace the first set to his credit, but when it happened again I basically was told to get lost and that "Sonic Youth" has had zero chrome issues. I take that as a compliment, because it means I abuse my trem more than Thurson and Lee. :)

BTW if anyone has a fresh set of Mastery saddles (saddles only...) I would love to purchase !!!!

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