Mark A.

As a customer that has done business with Pat, I'd like to review Pat's business from two dimensions... Quality of work, and customer responsiveness. Had this review been solely about one or the other, the ratings would be drastically different. But as for quality of work? Pat's work on my instrument was absolutely flawless. I could see the outcome of an artisan that fusses over every aspect of a project in order to turn out a guitar that surpasses his customer's expectation... But that may account for the other dimension of Pat's business: The customer responsiveness. My Music Man Sting Ray bass repaint project was quoted as taking an estimated 14 weeks to finish, when in reality I waited nine months to receive it. What I found most objectionable about this was either non-responsiveness to my follow-ups on progress, or what seemed to be more than one make-believe commitment that it would be going out but never did. Pat ultimately did ship it back to me when it met his quality standard. My take on Pat is that he is a very talented guy who doesn't charge enough for his excellent work, so he takes in as much business as he can, and most likely aware that he is unable to ship work out as fast as work comes in. I'd love to see him do something about this, and for him to understand that a guitar is a precious, personal thing, and people soon develop anxiety that they are never going to see their instrument again, and that they have been ripped off. I do not believe Pat is a dishonest man. I believe he is a superb craftsman that cannot keep up with the demand his business model requires. So... My separate rating for Pat is as follows... Quality - 5 Stars. Customer responsiveness - 1 Star. I would recommend Pat to a potential customer only after making sure they were aware that the project could take months longer than expected.