dvavc, we're all entitled to our opinions. In my opinion, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Questionable service at Soundsmith
I sent my Benz Micro for a re-tipping. After they received my cartridge I get an email on how to check status of the job. Their website tells you retipping takes 8 - 14 weeks. Well that came and went, I did not hear anything. I checked the status now and then, nada. I started to worry because it's been about a year now. Finally, I decided to give them a call and find out what is going on. In my mind, I'm thinking, have they lost my cartridge? Did they misplace it? What? I couldn't get through, goes straight to voicemail every time. So I decided to email an address I got from their website to ask for help. I got a response that it will be done soon, they are really back logged. An hour later, I get another email from another person saying it was done and ready to ship. What?! Did they just do a rush job on my cartridge? Because I started to complain? That they've had my cartridge laying around for about a year! And here's the kicker, please pay $450 for the retipping. Nice.
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While to me this business don’t make any sense at all, even if they would fix it at no time. I mean money wise it’s ridiculously inadequate unless you got, for free, some expensive ($5000 and up) cart, then may be, but even then, how much it would cost to fix it and the parts are most likely are not original, result is unpredictable etc. With respect to Peter, I talk to him twice – the first time and the last time). The guy makes you listen to allot of his B.S., which he think makes sense, instead of giving short and specific answer to specific question, refuses to quote the price even when specific problem been indicated to him etc. Wants you to send him a cart and pay for his quote. While they all overpriced, and not exactly charming personality, this guy is is the worst out of bunch. |
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While I have not yet used the services of Peter at Soundsmith, I am 100% inclined to do so after reading this thread. Custom artisan work should be valued by people as it entails rare skills and a dedication to both the work and the pleasure of a customer when they enjoy the final result. There are complications with everything, and your return on an investment varies widely. Peter sounds like the kind of person I would enjoy more than a business transaction with. Peter sounds like a real person, a rare person ...witness the thread. |
@iopsrl, I think you’re correct. Several positive experiences with retipped vintage cartridges has convinced me that in most cases the suspension outlives the stylus. This makes retipping attractive and worthwhile, particularly in view of the upward spiral in prices for top new-production cartridges. My only quibble with SS(and it’s a minor one) is that the work doesn’t appear to be done on a first-in, first-out basis. While waiting for mine for over a year I have periodically read satisfied posters report that their work was done in as little as several weeks. Of course SS can run their business model however they like, and I don’t question the quality of their work. In the small world of cartridge rebuilders Peter is a committed artisan. |
SS backlog may be an unintended consequence of the vinyl resurgence. More people are turning back to vinyl, picking up old cartridges on Ebay etc, and looking for rebuild options. Mr. L's personal issues would (and should) take priority. He is essentially a victim of his own success. Kicking myself now for not sending in a cartridge 2yrs ago..... |
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Inna what kind of person would post such a nasty response . I am appalled beyond description . Peter , please do not stop posting due to the insensitivity of one obviously unhappy person . I have not sent a cartridge in yet but will and guess what , I have others to listen to while mine is being re-tipped . Under the demanding circumstances you are trying to work under I would wait for as long as it took , no problem . What is wrong with the world anymore ? Just how mean and nasty can a person be ? Peter there are many, many more of us who have your back vs one unhappy person saying hurtful things .. We appreciate you , Inna, if you don't like it , don't participate . We care , you obviously don't . I feel sorry for you . |
I got my delos back and one channel was not working. I took a picture of it hooked up to the meter and Andy was saying I was hiding something in the pic, or I doctored the pic or something!! The other had a collapsed suspension. Basically he refused to accept responsibility. I filed a paypal claim and lost. So at some point when I can stomach dealing with it I will send them both to ss. |
Dear Inna; I am sorry if I offended you - since someone before my response posted knowledge about some personal challenges, especially as it related to the thread, I did not feel out of line posting some short details. Maybe you didn't like my poetry either. At times, it is hard to know what will be or not be "of interest" or considered offensive on an open forum. I will gladly revert to my prior position of not posting here ever again, as that is the safest thing to do. I stopped posting here 5 years ago for similar reasons. Again, sorry to offend. Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith |
As a theoretical, potential customer I am touched and moved by hearing of Mr. Ledermann's life circumstances, shared on this open forum. I have a second, currently unused cart that could benefit from a refurbishing and am no less likely to avail myself of his services, and possibly more likely, because of it. |
Keep fighting the good fight, Peter and my best to you and your family. It's been a few years since we've had the opportunity to catch up and I always value our time spent together. Our strengths as artisans can also be construed by some as a weakness. In this day of "click to add to shopping cart", we're all accustomed to instant gratification. Amazon Prime ... want it in 24 hours? Click here. And yet, the reason why people gravitate to the Soundsmiths, Schroeders, Galibiers and the like, is exactly because of a desire to go well beyond the "shopping cart experience". Since I manufacture on a smaller scale than you do, it's simpler for me to involve my customers in the creative process of their new Galibier - to keep them informed of the progress of their new baby. The challenges of education the customer are similar, but I have the benefit of doing it at a smaller volume level Cheers, Thom @ Galibier Design |
In the custom musical instrument industry people can wait years for a product from. master craftsman like Peter. I hope he is able to pass on his amazing knowledge and skill to someone before he retires. On a completely other note, I have heard some new studies in cancer research that seem to indicate our gut flora is responsible for our immune system and fighting cancers. I recently started taking a serious pro biotic called bio k. My best to Peter's family. |
I appreciate folks coming to my defense; we are still in business because of you. The reality is that I have 15 employees to manage that I have personally trained in manufacturing, in classic service and classic audio sales, administration, shipping, and phone assistance. We get well over 200 Emails with questions (related to our business, or general audio questions) and many phone calls of the same, each day. It is a lot to manage, and occasionally, mistakes happen. We appreciate the courtesy of most all our customers who understand this IS an artisan business, and not like Amazon - who has spoiled us all (including me). There are other artisan folks like my good friend Frank Schroeder, who has had very long wait times for his tone arms (1-2 years in the past). Most folks understood these kind of lead times for hand-made items. Frank has since changed some of his business model by having a few designs made by others. I am proud to say that after knowing him for 10 years, he has now trusted Soundsmith to make a unique arm design for him - the Alto, which will be available this year. Some of the few artisans that are left in this industry are trying to accommodate the rebirth and resurgence in vinyl as best as we can, without compromising on quality and service. Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith |
Unless someone has experienced what Peter has and is going through they have no idea . I've been there , I know the pain , reading this has placed me back in that room , waiting , praying for something that never came . The final breath of a loved one, the exhaustion, the numbness , crying until there are no tears to cry ........ Peter thank you for sharing and answering , I am so sorry that you or anyone has to go through this . As far as a wait for a cartridge , in these circumstances please be forgiving . Someday , we will all be there . Someday you too will understand . |
Thank you Peter for taking your time to answer this thread--your explanation of your family and the medical conditions brought tears to my eyes--I am a pensioner with tests regularly for the Conditions that may come up.May I wish for your time of need to be short and the outcomes with dignity you would so be deserving. Who like myself that has always been welcomed into your Rooms at the Shows can forget the affable and friendly manner you always accord with style and warmth Stay strong and brave Des Williams |
I think Soundsmith is great. I've had my Grado Statement 1 retipped by Peter twice and just recently he repaired a Benz cartridge that had a bent cantilever. Considering the retip from Grado is a $1,000.00 I think $450.00 is very reasonable. Also, his retip uses a better stylus than Grado and the Benz I had done. They even sound better. I can wait 14 weeks and a little longer. They've always turned around my cartridges in that time period. So sorry for your losses Peter I have gone through cancer with my partner and my sister. Luckily they have both survived and are cancer free so far. They and I have been very blessed. Keep up the good work! Sometimes things just happen and I'm sorry the person who started this session had a difficult experience. |
This is direct from the Soundsmith website. "Q: How long does it take to get the work done? A: That depends on the number of customers who sent in work ahead of yours. Our services are in high demand world-wide. Repair queue is typically in the 6-12 week range. Each and every customer gets the full measure of my 40 plus years of experience and skills." Common sense tells me that one should call Peter first to get a real-time estimate for how long the repair will take. It states the queue is typically between 6-12 weeks but this all depends on the number of customers already in the queue. Clearly, this could stretch beyond 12 weeks especially when the guy is taking care of his ailing family. |
Thank you for that post - I would very much like to have your RA# to see what happened. It is NOT typical or usual. Soundsmith (unlike ALL other cartridge companies) values its customers and rebuilds all our own designs for 20% or LESS. Our designs can be rebuilt many, many times. They get priority - 2-6 weeks. It may have been that your cartridge was placed in regular rotation for non-Soundsmith designs by one of my staff in receiving - by accident - which has happened on occasion. Even so - that seems along time, even for a non Soundsmith design, unless it had special issues. Please feel free to Email me the details - [email protected] - I will be more than glad to investigate. Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith |
Unfortunately I had a bad service experience too. It took over 6 months to get my Soundsmith cartridge retipped. I called frequently and emailed often and eventually got it done. It sounds great, but I think they should let you know they are really backed up when you send your cartridge in to set your expectations. It seems Peter is the only one who can do a lot of these, and is schedule is too busy for him to devote the adequate time to repair the cartridges. I would definitely recommend a backup cartridge if you send one in for repair. |
Witness Witness 1 Unreliable for the defense Unreliable for the prosecution Unworthy receiver of events unaware of the miracle of an arrangement of atoms infinite observing itself Unwitting witness God’s small window on the world in each of us Witness 2 Small room. Nice. tubing dripping slowly red poison and clear premedication for my wife to not vomit up the world I count the pills keep track of time tell her only 7 more times just count backwards from 8 but nothing I have as a witness helps the defense the sentence has been predetermined If I had not witnessed this before then it would not be so vivid red this time around Witness 3 You think you are a voice the eyes and ears of God But it is not your agenda you are tracing it is just the agenda of someone who is empty and filled themselves with power If you would know God’s will then find yourself some hill and spend an entire day interrogating a daffodil not mowing the innocent down (only March has the right to torture the snowdrops Witness 4 I pray for peace both without and within The feeling of loneliness is measured as the distance from God Where is the voice the real witness of time beauty and cleverness to distill it down to something that can be whispered in my ear if I can put down my agenda long enough to be your witness even for just for one moment each day Gift enough against all that above and those who do not witness your grace . . . . Peter Ledermann 12-15-15 |
Your words are muchly appreciated; I lost my brother a year ago to an orphan cancer, my first wife to cancer.....and my son not so long ago. Now......my wife has cancer, and one other close family member to care for......Your thoughts are appreciated. No one knows what its like till you have to care for, watch with grim detail, and become mostly helpless to ease the suffering and passing of those few who are close to you. Personally, I plan on driving off a cliff when the time comes. But I will get caught up with cartridge repair work before I do, for those who are now reading this and worried. Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith |
I too think SS deserves his sacred cow status. He more frequently than not goes the extra mile when it comes to his business practices. He once repaired a Blackbird for me for free, nada, nothing! Turn around time was a weekish. Return time for you was a long 8 months and that’s a long time for most. However, waiting forever is also not a good way to insure a timely return. If you are too busy with your life to contact the repair guy for a year (8 months according to PL) then you have little to complain about when you don’t have said cartridge back when you want it. The customer does hold some responsibility especially when dealing with an artisan such as Peter. Sure, give him some time to do his thing but you need to follow up IMHO. As far as price is concerned, I think his top of the line retip is north of $350.00 last time I checked and $450 while expensive is within the ballpark when dealing with these type of products. It sounds like Peter did some extra work gratis and that you selected that price point for repair. Surely you must see you are responsible for at least part of what you are complaining about. |
Dear Mr. Viloria; I have researched your repair - RA15628. This Benz was received on 7/6/15, not "One Year Ago" as stated. I also see that you Pre-selected a repair level of $450, so that should NOT be a surprise. I looked up the particulars in this repair, and it took some extra time as I found some additional work that was needed. You were not charged for this work, but it does take extra time, as my time is limited these days for "free extra work". We did notify you of the slight delay - so please check you spam or junk mail. We also notified you that is was done, but that email may also have not made it to you as well. Apologies for the miscommunication to you that it was not done, as I have some temporary help in the office answering phones, as I am caring for two close family members who have cancer, and it does consume some of my available time. I do have your phone, so I will call you soon to discuss any remaining issues. Many thanks - Peter Ledermann / Soundsmith |
I won't get into the details of: your waiting time, "we'll check", "it's ready, please pay", although I direct you to lewm's comments above. I do want to comment however, that there's a reason Soundsmith is a "sacred cow" around these parts. It's because Peter ("the retipping guy") is indeed one of the good guys in the industry. I have quite a few customers to have received nothing but first class work. For the equivalent work from Dynavector (for example), your $450 would set you back about $2K. I won't debate your extended wait, but I don't get why you're grumpy about paying $0.25 on the dollar for equally exemplary work. It's clear to me that Peter is undervaluing his labor and he should align his pricing with that of the major manufacturers. This would bring demand into line and no doubt improve delivery times. Cheers, Thom @ Galibier |
