John Hall?

[NikNik]

32 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

And they're pretty much spot-on.

Hall can't really be faulted in terms of his company's operational strategy. It's one of many possible approaches that will produce different outcomes and if he's happy with the outcome he's chosen then fair play. It's also true that he enjoys quite good relations with individuals and publications who are satisfied with his products and his approach to business.

On the other hand, Hall can be unacceptably rude and dismissive to those with whom he is at variance, even to customers with genuine cause for complaint. Moreover, some have at times pointed out that the basis for some of his litigation might be without foundation. I recall his abusive treatment of an individual on the Rick Resource who during the Janglebox affair had correctly and politely observed out that - under US law -  one may copyright a circuit diagram but one cannot copyright a circuit.

For me, the defining moment came a few years ago when Hall tried to bully not only BassChat but also the Admin here with whom he was in personal correspondence. Hall basically got a bloody nose then trotted off to a Ric-friendly forum and presented events in such a way as to place himself in a good light with his obsequious sycophants.

So, Hall may possibly be an astute businessman but he is also, in my undoubtedly biased opinion*, not only a gaping prolapsed rectum but also a waste of useful cubic footage that might more usefully be occupied by a hot drinks vending machine.

* Basically: My BassChat, right or wrong.

You wrote so eloquently and in a manner that I could never possibly do when discussing JH.  Well done. 

[skankdelvar]

2 minutes ago, NikNik said:

You wrote so eloquently and in a manner that I could never possibly do when discussing JH.  Well done. 

You're really far too kind. 

TBPH, it was a framework designed to lend support to my proposition that he's an utter cockwomble.

Edited May 9, 2019 by skankdelvar

[Ricky 4000]

Yup, this thread serves to separate the man from the instrument. Although there are those who would like to insert the offending instrument into that man... with good reason I might add.

[Teebs]

38 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

So, Hall may possibly be an astute businessman but he is also, in my undoubtedly biased opinion*, not only a gaping prolapsed rectum but also a waste of useful cubic footage that might more usefully be occupied by a hot drinks vending machine.

* Basically: My BassChat, right or wrong.

Beautiful use of the English language.

Evocative & delightful!

[Teebs]

2 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

Yup, this thread serves to separate the man from the instrument. Although there are those who would like to insert the offending instrument into that man... with good reason I might add.

Ps. I don't have a sister

[Ricky 4000]

 

3 minutes ago, Teebs said:

Ps. I don't have a sister

Well, if you did...

 

(actually, phew - was hoping I didn't do a "Danny Baker" back there 🤒)

Edited May 9, 2019 by Ricky 4000

[Teebs]

3 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

(actually, phew - was hoping I didn't do a "Danny Baker" back there AGAIN 🤒)

Fixed 👍

[skankdelvar]

4 minutes ago, Teebs said:

Beautiful use of the English language.

Evocative & delightful!

I like to think of myself as the A E Housman of my generation. 

Reviews

'Charbing, utterdy charbing' - Melvyn Bragg
'Perfervid but in a good way' - JK Rowling
'Gripping stuff' - Lee Child

[Teebs]

5 minutes ago, skankdelvar said:

Reviews

 

'Charbing, utterdy charbing' - Melvyn Bragg
'Perfervid but in a good way' - JK Rowling
'Gripping stuff' - Lee Child

 

By Ricky4000

Edited May 9, 2019 by Teebs

[Billy Apple]

Bra’s! Bottoms! Toilet Seats!

[skankdelvar]

2 minutes ago, Teebs said:

 

By Ricky4000

I shall reverentially place this review in the bijou enamelled casket wherein repose my most treasured possessions.

(Stifles a manly sob, puts kettle on).

[skankdelvar]

3 minutes ago, Billy Apple said:

Bra’s! Bottoms! Toilet Seats!

Knickers knackers knockers!

[Ricky 4000]

13 minutes ago, Teebs said:

Fixed 👍

I know, I like to think of myself as the stupid scorpion of chat!

(from the story about the tortoise and the scorpion)

[Teebs]

18 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

I know, I like to think of myself as the stupid scorpion of chat!

(from the story about the tortoise and the scorpion)

Why - can you not swim?

[Muzz]

2 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

I like to think of myself as the A E Housman of my generation. 

Reviews

'Charbing, utterdy charbing' - Melvyn Bragg
'Perfervid but in a good way' - JK Rowling
'Gripping stuff' - Lee Child

Others, I am not the first, 

Have been by John Hall's comp'ny cursed:

If in the breathless night I too 

Shiver now, 'tis nothing new.

 

There is, however, in the first draft, a note pencilled in the margin which would seem to support the 'separating the man from the machine' thoughts above. It reads:

'Though I'd happily torch Shrewsbury to get my hands on a minty Mapleglo 4001 with chequered binding'

Edited May 9, 2019 by Muzz

[NikNik]

41 minutes ago, Muzz said:

Others, I am not the first, 

Have been by John Hall's comp'ny cursed:

If in the breathless night I too 

Shiver now, 'tis nothing new.

 

There is, however, in the first draft, a note pencilled in the margin which would seem to support the 'separating the man from the machine' thoughts above. It reads:

'Though I'd happily torch Shrewsbury to get my hands on a minty Mapleglo 4001 with chequered binding'

Ace! I truly loved that. 👍

[skankdelvar]

1 hour ago, Muzz said:

Others, I am not the first, 

Have been by John Hall's comp'ny cursed:

If in the breathless night I too 

Shiver now, 'tis nothing new.

Oh nice work, Sir 

[Ricky 4000]

To be completely fair - I believe it's "chequerboard binding". Chequering is something different.

[Ricky 4000]

2 hours ago, Teebs said:

Why - can you not swim?

Woah, that's getting pretty deep with the metaphors, man..

[drTStingray]

8 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

I spent a lot of time yesterday sitting in waiting rooms for one appointment after another. As I had time to kill, I spent a lot of time on the RIC, RRF and TB forums, searching for posts made by Mr Hall. I did this to supplement the opinion of the man that I've formed from this and other threads on here.

Now, I've had no direct dealings with John Hall and certainly not the direct and aggressive interactions that Nik and others have had. I also recognise that some contentious material may have been deleted from forums so i am not looking at the total picture. And i haven't read every single post the man has ever written - there are thousands of them.

But I've read enough to build a picture and the impression that I get is of a man who has inherited a small (about 200 employees) family business and who is passionate about preserving the legacy that was handed to him.

I suspect he's not the easiest person to work for. I am sure that the factory production process could be more efficient. And, for sure, the products he makes have "character" (to put it kindly).

But the reality is that over the years of his tenure he has maintained a profitable, debt-free company which makes a niche product for which people are prepared to a) wait and b) pay a premium.

To do this, he's flown in the face of the generally accepted "best practice" of the last thirty years.

He has resisted the temptation to devalue his brand by moving some of his production to the Far East.

He has made small, incremental changes to his product range rather than continually chase new markets and growth at all costs.

He came through the worst recession of recent times with a profitable company and a larger workforce than he had when it started.

He protects his brand passionately and in doing so has avoided the fate of Fender and Gibson who saw their products' value being undermined by hundreds of clones of varying quality.

I've never met the man so i don't know if I'd like him or not as an individual. I suspect not. I think there are certainly character flaws and the apparent copying of the treble bezel appears to be a huge error of judgement at best, if not completely and idiotically hypocritical.

As an analogy, if Fender are the guitar equivalent of VW/Audi and Gibson are like Fiat/Chrysler then Rickenbacker remind me a lot of Chapman-era Lotus. A small company led by a flawed but dedicated individual producing a flawed but charismatic product that has a small but passionate customer base.

In a world of global mega-corporations all in thrall to their investors and the demand for continuous, unsustainable growth, there is room for companies like Rickenbacker - even if their CEO is a bit of an a*se at times.

(All of the above is personal opinion based on the reading i did yesterday. Others will have more knowledge than I do and yet others have had direct (and sometimes contentious) interaction with Mr Hall and i don't wish to contradict or undermine them in any way. These are just my opinions, nothing more)

An excellent post - the only point I would take issue with is comparing Fender to VW/Audi - that would require Fender to base its product on modern design and engineering, and have a highly developed customer focus (and be profitable), and (in the case of Audi and to a lesser extent VW) be an upmarket product. It's of course none of those things!! Maybe Vauxhall/GM is a better analogy. 

[drTStingray]

I do hope the handful of vitriol spurting contributors to this thread aren't smokers - there surely is an immediate and severe self-combustion threat...😧😧😂😂😂

[Ricky 4000]

8 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

I do hope the handful of vitriol spurting contributors to this thread aren't smokers - there surely is an immediate and severe self-combustion threat...😧😧😂😂😂

On a point of information: I don't think a naked flame is required for spontaneous combustion.

That's what's so f**king cool about it! 😃

[drTStingray]

6 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

On a point of information: I don't think a naked flame is required for spontaneous combustion.

That's what's so f**king cool about it! 😃

Indeed - for spontaneous combustion - however we're talking vitriol fuelled combustion - where a naked flame or heat sources is almost certain to cause catastrophic explosion 😀

Edited May 9, 2019 by drTStingray

[Ricky 4000]

3 minutes ago, drTStingray said:

Indeed - for spontaneous combustion - however we're talking vitriol fuelled combustion - where a naked flame or heat sources is almost certain to cause catastrophic explosion 😀

Ahh, I'm with you now... puts a whole new angle on "sparking up". 😮

[skankdelvar]

8 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

if Fender are the guitar equivalent of VW/Audi

If you mean Fender has a murderous boardroom culture, was accustomed to provide prostitutes for trade union officials and has falsified environmental testing then I'd have to agree.

8 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

Gibson are like Fiat/Chrysler

Until such time as recent changes may take effect Gibson have been more like British Leyland in its day. Living off old triumphs*, madly unpopular new designs, lamentable QC and a workforce terrified and resentful of a mad boss.

*Badum-tish