Advice on how to not annoy the amp builder

[MadAsAHatter]

I'm getting a custom amp built and I'm starting to feel like that pain in the ass client who wants to change the entire design after the final specs are approved. I don't want to be "that guy"

Basically I'm struggling to understand the circuit design and what it all does sound wise. Because I don't understand enough I think I may and thrown too much stuff at him that may be unnecessary and a hassle to put in. I don't want to be a bother with more dumb questions or bring unneeded additions or changes because my feeble mind can't comprehend everything.

Asking to the general RT community but especially to those who build and mod for clients. What's the best way for me to reassess the things that are actually needed to get what I want with him and keep myself in check from this point on so I don't piss off the builder?
The other way of asking... what are the things clients do that drive you nuts so I don't do that?

 

[Monkey Man]

I think telling him that you don't want to be "that guy" and have been hesitating to ask questions 'cause you don't want to waste his time would be the optimal place to start.

Customer-service oriented people generally love to help peeps with such an attitude. It's the ones who don't consider the vendor / supplier / builder's workload / feelings who're the PITA customers and these guys can spot them a mile off.

The "Tech Corner" sub-forum's always there too if you want to seek feedback from members who know about that stuff.

 

[Mikeyboyeee]

It's your money. Make sure you get what you want. Let him know your a pain in the ass, but aren't trying to be one.
If he has a problem, take your hard earned $$ somewhere else.

 

[JTyson]

Ive done a bunch of them. Lots of modders across a nearly 40 year span of time...
Know what you want before you call him or you will wish you knew more before you called him...
Read up online about the stuff you think you want, watch vids of the mods through something that gives you a halfway decent point of reference, not your cell phone. If you have doubts, get more than you thought about, Ive wished I would have done more, but rarely wished I would have done less, I just don't use that option as much as I thought I would. Nothing will piss them off more than for you to change your mind mid-stream. At that point they are already drilling and laying out harness sections. When they pick spots to add things, they will usually go for spots that will be less likely to be noisy, if you throw a monkey wrench into that equation, you just created a problem for him and yourself. Once you turn him loose on a mod, don't bug the shit out of him, you may need his services later.... You need him to be happy to hear from you, don't eat up huge spans of his time on the phone, his wife is probably standing there tapping her foot because dinner is already on the table. If the guys wife knows your name, you likely have a big problem...
Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...

 

[JTyson]

I only say all of that because Ive been "that guy" more than once

 

[stephen sawall]

I guess I am lucky. The couple builders I know are long time friends and know what I like. I just tell them I trust their ears and ask how much do I owe.

Then I get it home a few weeks or months and might ask for changes. I expect to pay again for any additional changes I ask about.

I guess it is all about communication and not having expectations. Expectations is almost as pathetic as self importance.

 

[ClintN667]

I'm thankful that most of the guys I get my amps from I have done enough business with them that they know what I like but I would start go get annoyed if you were making a ton of changes. A couple here and there at the start is ok but some people go too far worrying about every component that it gets to be obnoxious like where a particular resistor comes from , is it metal film? Etc etc.

Nobody that is building an amp themselves want to build a shit product. that's done by nameless drones in the mass production brands. Most builders want you to be happy but sometimes you have to trust their ear/instincts

 

[Bro KV]

I think telling him that you don't want to be "that guy" and have been hesitating to ask questions 'cause you don't want to waste his time would be the optimal place to start.

Customer-service oriented people generally love to help peeps with such an attitude. It's the ones who don't consider the vendor / supplier / builder's workload / feelings who're the PITA customers and these guys can spot them a mile off.

The "Tech Corner" sub-forum's always there too if you want to seek feedback from members who know about that stuff.

This. The worst is “that guy” who loves to tell you how much he knows.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Okay, I'm feeling better that I haven't crossed into the realm of being a pain in the ass. I'm not being nitpicky about about each and every little component. I feel like he's the circuit designer so he'll know what works best to achieve the right sound. I try not to hold him on the phone too long. I keep the short things to text or email and really only call when it's easier to say something in words than type. I realize I don't know much about this stuff so it's more of me asking if my understanding of this is correct than me telling him what I "know"

We haven't done the purchase/build agreement so the most work I think he's done so far was sketch out some schematics to show me with different options. So at least it wasn't changing things right after he had the chassis cut and components lined out. We were moving in the direction of including a few specific additions then I threw the curve ball of I'd like all of the above please. And can you make it all footswitchable?

He said it would most likely need a major change to the layout and some other stuff to fit all the relays for footswitching and would look into all the details to see how feasible doing that would be. I felt like I was all of a sudden asking for too much and becoming that jerk client who is wanting the impossible and wanting it now.

I did get a chance to talk to him earlier today. He called me to give an update on the transformer situation. The Edcor he was getting for my build fell through. I made sure to say I felt like I threw too much in the mix and didn't want to be that guy. I felt better that he said he's dealt with some extremely finicky people before. He was able to talk me through my requests and which would take some more time to work out. It was mainly the relays for footswitching causing the layout to change. So I decided to downsize that to what I needed to switch on the fly and take out the ones that were more for convenience. That got it back to not having to change layouts. All the other items on the list were kept.

I'm getting everything I want, I don't feel like I'm asking the impossible. So I just need to confirm the changes with him then sit back and let him do his thing. Thanks for the advice. I'll keep all of it in mind as we move forward on the build so I don't become a thorn in his side.

 

[thegame]

I'm getting a custom amp built and I'm starting to feel like that pain in the ass client who wants to change the entire design after the final specs are approved. I don't want to be "that guy"

Basically I'm struggling to understand the circuit design and what it all does sound wise. Because I don't understand enough I think I may and thrown too much stuff at him that may be unnecessary and a hassle to put in. I don't want to be a bother with more dumb questions or bring unneeded additions or changes because my feeble mind can't comprehend everything.

Asking to the general RT community but especially to those who build and mod for clients. What's the best way for me to reassess the things that are actually needed to get what I want with him and keep myself in check from this point on so I don't piss off the builder?
The other way of asking... what are the things clients do that drive you nuts so I don't do that?

I can only surmise you've picked this unnamed builder because you've tried his amps and or heard clips and liked them enough to order. Cramming last minute research into what your initial perception of what may or may not make an amp tick will lead you nowhere fast. Trust the builder, don't overthink it (that's his job) and just say "that amp of yours I tried or heard, make it sound like that".

 

[romanianreaper]

Back around 2011 or so I talked to Dave Froedman about a Marshall mod he was doing for me. I tried to let him do his magic and not annoy him too much and keep things brief. He was always super cool and helpful.

 

[HarryCooter]

Unless you are asking them to make significant change to channel structure after things have already been soldered up you're probably good. Like adding or removing channels with switching and stuff like that.

 

[BesaMoogie]

I guess I am lucky. The couple builders I know are long time friends and know what I like. I just tell them I trust their ears and ask how much do I owe.

Then I get it home a few weeks or months and might ask for changes. I expect to pay again for any additional changes I ask about.

I guess it is all about communication and not having expectations. Expectations is almost as pathetic as self importance.

I agree with that. In the end you will only know, after you played the amp with your guitar, your PUs and your cab. So theres a good chance of coming back to the builder after the honey moon phase and ask for further tweeks.

 

[BeZo]

Don't ask for a kazoo amp.