Experience/opinions on Richards Guitars?

[lemonstar]

I'm in the market for an acoustic and have been watching a few of these videos

 

[EdwardMarlowe]

This is the guy in Stratford upon Avon, isn't it? I've watched a fair few of his videos on the Vintage brand guitars. His take on those is that they are excellent value for money, they have their shortcomings, but law of diminishing returns and all that... Always seemed to be to have a very fair and balanced take on the more affordable guitars and their qualities, without the OTT "THIS IS BETTER THAN FENDER CUSTOM SHOP AND ONLY TEN POUNDZ BARGAINZ!" kind of hype you can sometimes see online. 

Will have a look at this one later, can't look at video where am now... 

 

[FrankAtari]

How much would you like to pay? I mean, what is your budget more or less?

[lemonstar]

@FrankAtari

@EdwardMarlowe

I didn't think I was going to get any replies - GC didn't seem that active last time I looked. 

 

I just took the strings off my 20yo Seagull S6 - a soft cedar top - and OMG - I haven't changed the strings for ages and seen how worn the frets and fretboard are - I'm thinking about not bothering with new strings - actually it plays fine. I actually wanted 2 guitars so I could keep one for messing about in alternative tunings - I might use the Seagull for this now. It's a lovely guitar - more suited I always think to fingerstyle which is something I do a bit more of but it's not something that comes as naturally as I'd like - I do choose guitars on how they feel in my hands - I'm not totally wedded to the idea that the sound is everything - I have friends that have bought expensive guitars and just fell out of love with them quite quickly - sometimes for sound and sometimes for playability - so the feel in your hands does matter a lot IMHO. I previously had a Yamaha that I really loved -  solid rosewood back and sides with sitka spruce top - what I liked what the dynamic range - it handled me thrashing a chord out much better than the Seagull. TBH - it took me quite a while to warm to the Seagull - it has a lovely neck - slightly wider than the Yamaha but I'd prefer to head back to the sound of that Yamaha. 

 

Moneywise - well - I have the money to buy whatever grabs me - it could be £1k - or as much as £4k - I don't normally spend this much on anything - I just have some cash put aside for this - it's been there for several years - Covid etc got in the way, partly... the thing is I don't hanker after new things and I don't like paying over the odds for name brands - I'm a pretty cynical guy - I never wax lyrical about anything. So Richards Guitars - I'm prepared to take a look at but I'm not of the mindset that thinks I'm going to find the holy grail - it's just another way to sell guitars - I have time to arrange a visit now - I was interested in the experiences of other people that have been there and ideally, bought something. I'm very open to a second hand guitar - it's like second hand books - the best ones are the ones that look like they've definitely been read IMHO.    

 

21/1/23 - 2pm

PS - What I don't spend on my next guitar is available to be spent on another acoustic, another electric or another bass or... something for my music.  

Edited January 21, 2023 by lemonstar

[lemonstar]

I've given my Seagull S6 a stay of execution - I don't want to string her along - next time - my axe is getting axed. It was a £200 guitar 20 years ago - how much does a refretting cost and would it be worth it?

Edited January 23, 2023 by lemonstar

[Dad3353]

You've had 20 years of loyal service from this guitar, and it shows. It's time for putting the clocks right, and re-fretting, with a fingerboard redress whilst the frets are out. It'll come back ready for another 20 years, and is well worth the £200 or so this would cost. Not just a figure plucked from the sky; Our Eldest does this kind of stuff, and that's what he estimated from the photos. Disclaimer : he also has a Seagull, from about that time too, and it, too, is on the the waiting list to be fettled..!
Get a quote from a reputable luthier you trust, and get it sorted; you won't regret it. I've not much opinion on adding another guitar to your stash; it's a very personal thing, depending on how and what you play. It's not really a question of money; the right instrument will 'speak' to you once in your hands, so, if you go down that route, try as many as you can within your budget, whatever that budget might be. Getting the Seagull revamped may well quell the urge to change, too; they are very good guitars, even well beyond their price point. Just my (our...) tuppence-worth. 

Edited January 23, 2023 by Dad3353

[lemonstar]

The top is unvarnished cedar - it's very soft as you can see from the damage around the sound hole - it's a sweet sounding guitar and I chose it for the neck profile and how it felt in my hands- front to back on the neck is quite slim so nice for gripping the bar chords and getting your thumb over the top to hold the bottom E on some open voiced chords. I'm going to get a quote - I really don't mind the battle scars. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by lemonstar

[Strum Mental]

@lemonstar , I only joined here today but can say from personal experience that Richard's Guitars provided me with excellent customer service last year when I was looking for a new acoustic guitar; one at the lower end of your price-range.

Jon, a guy in the sales team, really listened to me and to what I was looking for.

I also met Richard briefly, whilst visiting their showroom, nice guy too.

I had to make an appointment, and then they only allowed 1 or 2 into their showroom at a time, dunno about now. It is literally just across the road from the train station too, also parking outside.

 

BTW, I have no affiliation, other than buying an acoustic guitar through them. I just speak as I find.

 

Hope this is of some help, although you seem to be going for a rejuvenation project of your Seagull.

 

[lemonstar]

@Strum MentalI'm definitely doing both - I want a second acoustic anyway - I'll use the Seagull for more experimentation with alternative tunings - I wrote one song using an alternative tuning - without a 2nd guitar once it's in that tuning you have to stick it out until you have the song finished - and I was determined to finish something - but with only one guitar it was a pain - I started with various tunings you can look up but ended up with quite an odd one I found myself. I made a big mistake of not writing down either the chords or the tuning at the time and one I'd tuned it back to standard I left it far too long before realising I couldn't remember it. It took me 7 years to work it out again from one low quality recording. 

There are 3 nearby campsites I can park on - probably more if I look harder - all about an hours walk/3m in to the guitar place - 2 aren't open until the start of April but I want to go sooner. I know I have to ring and arrange a time. I don't really fancy driving my campervan into town - it's not as small as your typical VW T6's. Annoyingly one of the sites that's closed is right next to the park & ride - I was thinking it would be good to take my Seagull in for a side by side comparison - it's easy to forget how good your own guitar sounds and feels. 

[Dad3353]

7 minutes ago, lemonstar said:

... I don't really fancy driving my campervan into town ...

 

It must be easier to park up out of town and get a bus in, or even a taxi, no..? Have you no amenable neighbours or family that could offer a drive-in..? I'm supposing that you have the necessary case for carrying a guitar..? We live thirty miles from the nearest music shop, but, if I couldn't drive there myself, there's several other methods, albeit less convenient. If your only option is a camper van, I'd look at buying a bike..! Just sayin'.  

 

[lemonstar]

@Dad3353The guitar shop is about 2hrs drive away - I just didn't fancy driving there and back in a day in my car so thought I'd use the van - I have to make an effort to use the van in the winter months so - it's an excuse really - I have an electric bike but like most if them - it's big and heavy - possible I could squeeze it in the van when it is clean - no so keen once it's covered in crap - I haven't got a carrier and probably won't get one unless my wife gets a bike too - they just invite problems with gits trying to steal stuff. We have thought about getting a little folding Brompton but they aren't cheap either. I'll go - I just want better weather for walking, a close campsite and maybe plan another couple of nights at somewhere else to make a bit of a trip of it - the aim of the van was never to drive for hours or for miles and use a load of fuel up - it was to explore places. I haven't been to Stratford for years. I prefer to take my time and to look and try different guitars - it's a very personal thing - I'd say most if the guitarists I know (not many in real life) just order guitars without ever having tried them - there's no way I'd ever do that - that might account for why most of them buy and then end up selling guitars - I run all of mine into the ground - nothing lasts forever. It's got a bit harder now because so many small guitar shops have closed down and many really don't hold that much stock - I'd have to head into big cities like Manchester and Birmingham and I really hate doing that - one of my daughters lives in Sheffield and I know there are a couple of places there with a decent amount of stock.  

I will report back once I've been. 

[lemonstar]

Holy sh!t that's a lot of guitars. Rich Tone - Sheffield. Walking distance from my daughter's place. Hopefully a link to images on google maps from inside the shop.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Rich+Tone+Music+Ltd/@53.3618996,-1.475239,3a,75y,52.07h,73.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sAF1QipP2we9_Ej6Z3ToW_ZKsrp4mXAZd9DVae9w-Fdpl!2e10!3e11!7i10568!8i5284!4m10!1m3!2m2!1sguitar+shops+sheffield!6e6!3m5!1s0x487982601890ae6f:0x66d65965d8ab2bb9!8m2!3d53.3618117!4d-1.4753088!15sChZndWl0YXIgc2hvcHMgc2hlZmZpZWxkWhgiFmd1aXRhciBzaG9wcyBzaGVmZmllbGSSARhtdXNpY2FsX2luc3RydW1lbnRfc3RvcmWaASNDaFpEU1VoTk1HOW5TMFZKUTBGblNVUnZialF0TFV4QkVBReABAA?hl=en-GB&authuser=0

 

[Strum Mental]

On 25/01/2023 at 19:14, lemonstar said:

I was thinking it would be good to take my Seagull in for a side by side comparison

It's most definitely worth taking your guitar along.

Oh, and Richard's Guitars is in Stratford Upon Avon.

[Soledad]

Need to chip in on this. Richard is clearly very enthusiastic, and the store is probably great if you are buying an item from stock. My experience was awful.

About a year ago I decided I wanted a Dowina hybrid (nylon-strung, single cut). They make a very nice one and I contacted them directly. Erika there is brilliant and I specced the guitar exactly to my taste. Minor changes really, delete all fingerboard markers, choice of inlay band down back centre, I'm sent pics of top and rosewood back etc. 

Erika sent me a build sheet, all exactly right. Then asked would I buy through Richards. That's when the trouble began.
Richard personally started interfering with the spec, talking me up to a different rosewood (not convinced it was any better), do I want to add electrics? (No!). They have a system where they publish your build spec online and you approve it and pay a deposit. My Richards build spec was very wrong and it took a lot of to-and-fro to sort it - back to how Erika had done it in the first place.

Finally paid a deposit Dec '21. By June '22 I'd heard nothing at all so requested a deposit refund. Richard then went ballistic, threatening legal action. His problem was he never confirmed receipt of the deposit and their terms clearly state they have not accepted the order until they email an order confirmation.

I used to get emails from him at 5 in the morning, 9 at night. he was clearly very stressed about this and his behaviour to a customer was atrocious.

I did get the refund of course.

 

I have huge respect for Dowina guitars, Erika Marinova at Dowina. But Richard has positioned himself as effectively sole importer of Dowina and that is a very bad move for them.

SO, buy off the shelf, but avoid any custom order through them.... in my experience.

 

Here's the Dowina I tried to buy! Still quite fancy one 

[lemonstar]

Thanks for posting that @Soledad even though it makes uncomfortable reading. I have arranged to visit this month. Frankly it would suit me fine to not try and customise anything - TBH WTF do I know about guitar construction and the impact on sound - I had a friend who worked in a hi fi shop selling top end gear - I’ve never heard so much cobblers talked about sound reproduction. The Dowina looks pretty but it’s not going to be long before I start inflicting wear on it so something more agricultural would suit me better - I couldn’t care less about fancy detailing. It will be interesting because the only time I visit guitar shops is when I intend to buy although I’ve been with a couple of friends who were looking which is a much better experience tbh. )

[Richards Guitars]

Hi forum people.  Richard here from Richards Guitars.

 

OK - So me and forums.... I have to put my hands up - they dont mix well.   Basically - its because I am not the greatest fan of lies - especially when they are aimed directly at me

 

I think what is really important is every person should take me on their own very personal experience.

 

IF you read something about me from a third party, please do me a favor?  Please consider that nobody EVER talks THEMSELVES down!  So no matter how in the wrong they are - if they feel they have been hard done by - they certainly wont come on to a forum and say..... "Oh Richards Guitars!  Oh yeh - I remember them!  I behaved like a complete pr*ck and really wound them up good and proper.   So....  what I can tell you is that I treat every single person with complete and utter respect.  My pleasure in life comes from making people happy.

 

Our dear friend who posted above about the guitar he cancelled....  Well...  Hes added a few embellishments for theatrical effect - but also omitted some incredibly important details which I find really sad.

 

The chap in question can pull me up if my memory serves me incorrectly but here goes on my best attempt to recall events!

 

 

Lets just put one thing to bed.  I HAVE NEVER in TWENTY SEVEN YEARS of selling guitars EVER "Sold someone up" or "pressured" someone to buy something they dont need or havent asked for.  EVER - Lets just get that straight.  It would completely  - totally - go against every single principal I have in life.  So where this chap gets this from is beyond me.  So thats the first pointer - Did I ask if he wanted electronics? I would be incompetent if I didnt ask the question.  Regarding the rosewood however?  Here is the bit he decided to ommit....

 

I dont think the customer has given the timeline of events correctly - I believe I was his first contact - from there he contacted Dowina directly (which is fine but that does then complicate communication - but its fine as long as we know).  Erika would have only "suggested" buying from me because she knew damned well I was the catalyst of his interest in the brand.

 

Here is the nugget, though!  To this day we do a model called the "rosewood deluxe".  It utilisies the very finest graded rosewood chosen by Stan.  Stan has chosen the rosewood specifically for its tonal properties but also when you look at it - the grain is super tight - So visually very striking too.  Now here is the funny (or ironic) part of the story.    The customer whose posted above went to SUCH lengths to explain that for him - it was ALL about the tone.  He wanted soething that was a TONE machine.  So for this reason - and this reason alone I went to great lengths to say to him - "If you want the "tone machine" that you so pressed upon me that you needed and that for you - its all about the tone - then you need this very specially selected rosewood that Stan has picked out specifically for this purpose.    This is ME following my passion - pressing the point to the customer that Stan knows his stuff - Stan has decades of experience - travels the World selecting tonewoods and you now have this incredible opportunity benefit from it.  

 

So I now read on a forum - all this time later - The same customer for whom I tried to give what I felt was the World - is slagging me off for being some kind of pushy salesman?  As I say - every 1 star review I get on Trustpilolt - which I urge people to browse through - says more about the customer than it does about me personally.  

 

 

So - back to the story.....  This chap makes a right song and dance about the specification - There never was an issue over the specification but he wanted it written very specifically on his order because he was worried that there would be a mistake - no problem - and I appreciate we probably didnt give it the focus as we didnt realise just how anxious he was about it.  Nothing was delayed - the order was already in - agreed - but he wanted his invoice to show the exact specs - ok so..... I believe he got upset about it.

 

What I love about the story though - is this customer - after putting us through the hoops - Telling me how important it was that he has this "perfect tone machine" (my words - but you know what I mean - massive emphasis on the tone of the guitar) this customer then cancels his order entirely because its taking too long.

 

So the hand made Dowina - that had woods selected from Stans personal collection of his favorite pieces - was cancelled out of hand - because this customer was quotiing all sorts of BS about his contractual rights and how we had broken our contract based on our estimated production time.

 

As I said to the customer at the time - It was a wonderful example of Karma in action.  This chaps jaded view on life - His cynical and demanding attitude (which he has continued to show on this forum) has only effected one person.  Himself.  He lost the opportunity to experience the exact guitar that he had so craved.   He was never able to experience the joy of having the guitar made for him - by Stan and knowing and appreciating the love and care that went into the guitar.  It was his loss - and his loss only.

 

We however - went on to produce a range totally inspired by this customer - because thats what I do - I take negatives - I take the worst moments - and I use them to fuel positivity within my life.   This customer didnt value the time and effort - the skill - the care - that everyone had invested in his new guitar - but the experience I had with this customer - opened the door to this beautiful new rosewood deluxe series of guitars so I remain truly grateful for the opportunity this customer gave me - and Dowina - to do what we love - to provide the most special of guitars to our customers.

 

For what its worth - here are Erikas comments on me - direct from her website.

 

https://www.dowina.com/richards-invaluable-contribution/

 

Like I say - my experience with forums isnt great - I cant help but great drawn to the negatives and sadly the most sour of people are always the loudest voices on forums.  I am obviously really grateful for the other people who have commented on their positive experiences.  So thank you to them

 

 

With regard to the chap who said he was going to visit soon - I have no doubt he would have been treated as we treat all our customers - with kindness, consideration, care and attention.  

 

For what its worth I will also mention I suffer with anxiety caused by ADHD which thankfully I had officially diagnosed this year - and its been quite life changing.   I now realise a common trait of ADHD is "people pleasing" - which is driven by a total fear of being disliked.  I hate the thought of someone disliking me - If I think someone does dislike me I try and "put it right" like some how I can "fix" the problem.   All I am saying is that I cant stop people disliking me - and someone generally disliking me is actually "ok" - but its when I read total crap about me - I find it really difficult to understand why / how people can sleep at night knowing they have written something that is a total contradiction to the experience we shared.

 

Oh the legal action?  LMAO..... omg - first of all the thought of me ever saying that to someone just makes me laugh?  Legal action?  For what?  Cancelling your order? lol .... omg....  (thats what I have named their new OM models btw!!! OMG!!!!)  But I DO remember you going on about legal stuff - solicitors - god knows why but I remember all sorts of nonsense over breaching  contracts and the like.  So once again it looks like you are simply mirroring your own actions - and implying they were mine!  Do let me know if I have mis remembered anything but one thing I can tell you is I know ME and I know how I respond to "normal" people and I dont yell and scream - I dont threaten legal action - I dont push people into buying things they dont need.  You are painting the picture of a total stranger - I dont know this person and it certainly isnt me!!!

 

Tea anyone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by Richards Guitars

[Dad3353]

Mmm... Tea...

[Richards Guitars]

PS.... Its my Birthday today!  51   OMG

 

So be nice to me

 

I would actually love contributing to forums - but every single time I have tried to participate I get targeted by someone - I closed my own lovely forum for the same reasons - always someone who wanted to stick the knife in.  Its a very small but toxic group - its like being out with friends but you know the guy who hates you is sat at the table listening to everything you say - waiting for any opportunity to undermine you.    Sooo....  I keep myself locked up in my little bubble /world of happiness at rguitars.co.uk and if people need me they can find me there.

 

If anyone wants to have a nice conversation about Dowina - wants to know anything at all - I am happy to contribute here or at my website on chat - but like I say please just judge me on what you experience  (or maybe the several thousand positive reviews you can easily find online) - not what a tiny minority say they've experienced - as there is always more to the story that they dont want to share.  

 

Really sorry to ramble on.....  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!!!!  

[Richards Guitars]

7 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Mmm... Tea...

  Ahhhh thats how you do it - Cool

 

[Crusoe]

51 minutes ago, Richards Guitars said:

PS.... Its my Birthday today!  51   OMG

 

So be nice to me

 

I would actually love contributing to forums - but every single time I have tried to participate I get targeted by someone - I closed my own lovely forum for the same reasons - always someone who wanted to stick the knife in.  Its a very small but toxic group - its like being out with friends but you know the guy who hates you is sat at the table listening to everything you say - waiting for any opportunity to undermine you.    Sooo....  I keep myself locked up in my little bubble /world of happiness at rguitars.co.uk and if people need me they can find me there.

 

If anyone wants to have a nice conversation about Dowina - wants to know anything at all - I am happy to contribute here or at my website on chat - but like I say please just judge me on what you experience  (or maybe the several thousand positive reviews you can easily find online) - not what a tiny minority say they've experienced - as there is always more to the story that they dont want to share.  

 

Really sorry to ramble on.....  HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!!!!  

Many happy returns. 

[Dad3353]

@Richards Guitars ...

 

[ezbass]

5 hours ago, Richards Guitars said:

PS.... Its my Birthday today!  51   OMG

A mere young lad! Happy cake day, Sir. 

[Richards Guitars]

Thank you both for the birthday wishes.  Very kind.  Life has been pretty crazy for

the past year or two one so many levels but  hoping my birthday signifies the start of a new chapter !  For the past 6 months I’ve been on an improving footing almost by the day - seemingly from ADHD burnout / chronic fatigue.  It’s the most extraordinary “thing” that’s very hard to explain especially as it’s not really very well understood.  I have an equal interest in psychology / anxiety / adhd / autism / Nero diversity these days as I do guitars - as I have certainly been experiencing many aspects through my life either through my own lived experiences - or through my children - as I have been playing guitar and running my business. 
 

My business is an extension of my passion in life - so it would be nice to share a space with like minded people outside of “work” if at all possible -  it naturally the two worlds are kind of one for me so it’s difficult. 
 

You’ll find when I write about guitars on my site - I’m often highlighting what may seem like completely unrelated topics because to me they are entirely connected !  So for example when I wrote a blog about buying an acoustic guitar under £1000 I ended up talking about “fast food reality” - a phrase I use to explain the ever shortening of our brains ability to concentrate on fact finding / learning new things - due to modern society / technology useage etc  

 

Anyway… I’m rambling .  Surprise!  Anyway - I will try and see if it’s possible to chat on here without attracting any negativity and don’t worry - if I do - I’ll stay away!  

[Dad3353]

@Richards Guitars...

 

I am one of several Moderators of this fine Forum; this task has been very simple for several years past, as the folk here are a great bunch. We enjoy the occasional bout of banter (whilst remaining civil, naturally...) between friends that are used to each other's little ways and foibles; nothing wicked or hurtful. If there is any doubt as to any posts here, there is, top right of every post, three little dots (...), from where it's easy to create a Report. Every Report is brought automatically to the attention of the Mods and Admin, and what rare issues that do crop up are handled with serious and diplomacy. Feel free to avail yourself of this function at anytime (this goes for all that read this, naturally...).

This site is an extension of Basschat.co.uk, which has been active for many decades now. Here, things tend to be a little slower-paced, but there is a healthy cross-over from one Forum to the other (many here are members of both...). This leisurely pace suits us fine, so don't be surprised if some replies to posts come only after a few days. I'm usually here sporadically several times each day, but then again : I'm retired, so...  Glad to have you aboard; meanwhile...

 

Have a wonderful day.

 

Douglas

Edited July 30, 2023 by Dad3353

[Richards Guitars]

That sounds cool.  By the way!  I owned this domain before you guys .

 

I was totally fed up with the nastiness and couldn’t bare looking most of the time as there would always be someone joining for the sole purpose of taking a pop at me .    People would click on my chat at my shop and blatantly bait me  saying they only visit for the fun of sticking the knife in but there would be no way of me connecting the person talking to me with the person on the forum .  
 

One forum owner literally had a meeting with a former member of staff - to discuss me - he made out he was looking at how he could get me back on his forum without upsetting his members .  I literally couldn’t believe  what I was hearing! The guy who he had the meeting with had only known me 6 months and left soon after as he had a fair few personal issues - I just cannot imagine what would possess a forum owner to go to such lengths to discuss me with a random employee.  - but this is my experience of forums!!! Basically they seem pretty mental and in no way representative of the lovely people I meet every day at work or the lovely people who I work with!

 

Bottom line…. Quieter, calmer, peaceful….  Sounds lovely to me so as and when I can I’ll chew the cud with anyone who fancies it - thank you so much for being so welcoming and helpful.

 

I promise i will be good