Bob See makes some great points:
- it should be an issue resolved between Oliver and Alembic.
- it would be for the best if the rest of us refrain from speculation for a while.
- [it is sad] to see this even leak onto the boards, especially in an FTC thread.
But I'm going to jump in here anyway.
I agree, you really don't want to see this type of discussion in an FTC thread. More broadly, I tend to think that thread hijacking, while accepted in our club, should probably not be over-employed in FTC and Showcase threads. But here I am hijacking an FTC thread.
And I agree that we should refrain from speculation and that this is a matter to be resolved between Alembic and Oliver. But I do want to make a few comments that I hope will be helpful.
I have been focused much more than usual on work recently, and while I am now caught up on reading all the posts, I was lagging behind the past few days. I read the For Sale section before I read the FTC section. It was a bit of an eye opener to see this bass listed for sale. My immediate reaction was that Oliver didn't just wake up one morning and decide he was no longer interested in the bass; that something must have happened and that there might be more on the subject in the FTC thread.
So then I go to the FTC thread and find Val's post. My initial reaction was that the post was out of character for Val. Then I read Oliver's response that the bass was for sale. At that point it does appear that Oliver's sudden decision to sell the bass is an emotional response. And it does seem that Val's post, while detailing certain technical matters, was also an emotional response to email correspondence.
There are a lot of important issues here.
The people at Alembic have a desire to build custom high quality hand made instruments for their customers. They also have a desire to communicate with their customers in a manner that will ensure that the instrument meets the customer's expectations and that makes the whole process enjoyable for everyone concerned.
The customers have their desires too. And while these desires differ among customers, generally they desire to own a custom high quality handmade instrument built to their specifications. Often, this purchase is substantial economically.
The greater the desire, the greater the potential for frustration, anger, resentment, etc. In any endeavor, it seems helpful to keep this in mind. It is understandable to have an emotional reaction when things don't go the way we hope. In life, it will be the case that things will not go the way we hope. And it will be the case that we will have emotional reactions. There is nothing wrong with that, it's how our minds have been programmed by our life experiences to work. But it is also the case that often we don't have to react immediately. We can recognize the emotional response building and we can choose to breath. We can take a moment, and give ourselves the opportunity to treat ourselves and others with understanding and respect.
In the present case it seems from the context of Val's message that Val, and perhaps the Alembic staff generally, are expressing some level of frustration. The text of the message suggests that the volume and content of the correspondence being received by Alembic staff from Oliver had, in the overall context of a small staff running a business with lots of custom order customers, become overwhelmingly frustrating. It happens. You want to do a good job, you want to have great patience; but time is short, you're falling further behind on all your work projects. And there are difficulties inherent in communicating with anyone who, rather than being in the shop with you, is half way around the world. Sometimes you feel that you aren't getting through; and the frustration builds.
Anyone who has followed this thread and other related threads has a good idea of what this bass means to Oliver. His attachment to this project is very high. It is understandable that he would have an emotional reaction. He's very far from the shop and can't walk in and examine the construction. He's sitting at home second guessing all the decisions he's made in this project; inlays, the positions of the controls, etc. He has a strong desire to make sure the bass is everything it can be.
I tend to think that perhaps part of the reason that Val chose to make a post rather than an email in this case is that his message is not directed only at Oliver but to all of us. I think he is reminding us that it's a small staff, and there is only so much that can be accomplished in a certain amount of time.
I think all of us here in the forum have a great respect for the people at Alembic and the way they do business, the way they care for their customers. As has been discussed here before, electronic communication is not as easy as face to face in person communication, which is itself in many ways problematic. In the present case, Val seems to be saying - hey everybody, lets slow down for a second; there's only so much we can accomplish. And given that context and in the particular case - these multiple emails and posts aren't helping.
It's understandable.
And it is understandable that Oliver would have an emotional response. He has a lot of attachment to the project.
So, to Oliver and to Val, at this point I would suggest, just breath. Be understanding of and compassionate to yourself, your thoughts and actions. And be understanding of and compassionate to the other parties too.
As far as demanding an apology, it seems to me that this, in life, accomplishes little. It seems to me far more beneficial, in any situation, to open one's heart to the situation and be understanding and compassionate. Here on the internet we can't know what other events are happening to the people we communicate with on the net. We don't know what illnesses, family tragedies, economic hardships, etc. are happening at this very point in time to the people that we are currently communicating with. We can't know where they are emotionally. We don't know if they just got off the phone with someone who had very bad news. All of us suffer; and we are all deserving of understanding and compassion. It just seems to me that opening one's heart is a far more rewarding practice than demanding apologies.
It's a small shop, a small staff, and there are a lot of people with custom orders who are calling, emailing and posting about their projects. It is understandable that each of these customers is focused solely on their project, but it only takes a second to pause, breath, take a step back and take an overview of the situation. We all know that the Alembic staff takes each of our projects to heart and that they do care about their relationships with their customers. And we know that they have a lot projects going at once and that they are doing their best to accomplish them. Anger, indignation, and generally negative feelings will not improve a situation. Acting on negative feelings only serves to exacerbate a situation. It does seem to me that everyone should take a breath, open their hearts and get back to the rhythm.
