waiting list regrets

[wcdurand]

All the bows I ordered, I paid the full amount on ordering. Heard that it might not be such a good idea because guys who stii have to pay the balance might be moved faster up the list because the bowyer already received my funds. With the loss of the value of our currency it just made sense to pay the whole amount. Still waiting on some bows!

[Danny Rowan]

Never had a problem with a waiting period, allowed me to get the bow paid for before the build.

[Bladepeek]

Originally posted by Danny Rowan:
Never had a problem with a waiting period, allowed me to get the bow paid for before the build.

Worked well for me too. I ordered my Java Man Elk Heart at the Trad Expo last year. It was finished just before the show this year. I had the money all saved up and parked in a money market account so it wouldn't get spent on small stuff. If I didn't have a bow I enjoyed shooting it would indeed have been a long wait. Since I do have a couple I like, it was not a necessity, but a treat to look forward to.

Gregg has since turned full-time maker so the wait will not be so long, but I don't regret the wait. I was also convinced (and still am) that I needed one of Gregg's bows and never did feel the desire to cancel.

[Doc Nock]

Once a person finds a bowyer that will listen and build what is desired, provide good workmanship and top performance, it always seems like "good things take time".

The artistry and hand work that goes into building a bow is pretty incredible... and these artisans who provide our toys have a lot going on trying to please the multitudes, keep their head's above water and turn out a quality product.

Buyer's remorse might be more of a personal issue with some folks. Like Charlie, I tend to research well, ask questions and try, try, try...once a decision is made, after all the work related to shall we say, dating, well, one just has to belly up to the bar and wait their turn...

Hopefully, expectations remain reasonable and the honeymoon doesn't end once in hand!

[Bowwild]

I've never had a bowyer treat me with anything other than a friendly tone.  

I doubt I've ever ordered a bow that I had completely figured out what I wanted the woods to be. The bowyer always lets me know at what point everything had to be decided.
The only dicey thing is when a rare wood is involved that might have to be bought special and very early to make sure it was "ready" for the bow to be revealed within it.

I don't get that selling a spot thing either. Of course had I been in the shoes of someone who changed their mind or someone who was desperate to jump the line....maybe?

[kat]

I have a couple on order at present. To say I am not patient is an understatement. I hate waiting, but the anticipation is a fun part of the experience. Being a lefty with a 30" draw, there are few times that a bow comes up in the classifieds that I am interested in that falls within my desired weight.

I know a guy a couple of years older than me that bought a 50 pound Super Kodiak when they first came out.  He used just that one bow.  One day he decided that he wanted a new bow, this was in the 90s.  He came over and checked out my bows, most of which were heavy longbows and few recurves.  he shot every one that he could draw.  After 6 years of deliberating he bought a new 50 pound Super Kodiak.  He always said about Howard Hill, "I bet that guy has a lot of bows that he doesn't use."  It got me thinking I know Hill had his specialty bows, but in the later 50 and 60s how many bows that he had that were active on a weekly basis and how old were those active bows?

[Goshawkin]

I bought out a spot on David Miller's list last year. Guy put a $250 deposit down and then had some issues and decided he couldn't afford the bow. We checked with David and he said it would be fine. I gave the guy $250 and the $250 he had already sent David went towards my bow. I got the guy's spot in line and it knocked 8 months off my wait. Got the bow now and couldn't be any happier with it, Miller Hawk

[ESP]

I think anything over 16 weeks is uncalled for.  If a person has my money to perform a task, I am not patient and can be down right rude.  I do not know how some people are on lists for over a year.  If your product is in that much demand raise your price.  But then again what do I know?  

[Bowwild]

The waiting time is known going in with every bowyer I've ever dealt with, save one.  You either agree to it or don't.

Of course most brands can be bought in the classifieds if one does a WTB or just waits long enough.  No wait time there except for the USPS.  

That "said", at this time I have only one bow that I bought used. The others are builds for me. Just the way it worked out because I've sold about a dozen over the past two years to get my number more manageable.

[TradBowyer]

Lol really esp? You know how many posts hit the Internet complaining about the current price of bows? If bowyers raised their prices to match your wait time a lot of guys would never be able to afford a new bow. So let me ask you. ..what do you do when you have a bow practically done and a splinter happens? What if you pull the tape off and there's a glass defect and have to start all over? Do you have any idea what that does to your 'wait time'?

[jess stuart]

I dislike waiting list. I never fell comfortable having someones deposit for more than a 3-4 months.  I have started using a list and contact the oldest name on the list when a slot comes open.  This allows people to rethink buying a bow for a time.  The majority still order when their time comes up but, some have changed their minds and that is okay.  I couldn't imagine having someones deposit for years.  This works well for me and hopefully for my customers.

[Stickbow]

I spoke with a reputable bowyer once and he told me his wait time was 7 month. I thanked him for his time and said I did not want to wait that long. Then he said he could get it in at 4 months because he was building the same bow at that time and would just do two at once. Bingo! Sent a 1/3 down and got my receipt that was marked 4 months. 5 months later I called and he acted like he didn't know who I was or the bow I ordered. 9 months later I get a call....he is done. I felt gutshot through the whole process.

[Muttly]

Patience is not a virtue that comes natural to me. I have learned it though,and see the value in it over and over. I like to do my due diligence with any purchase for long term use. Could be one of the quirks of being a long haul trucker for a long time, pondering, considering, and doing a lot of day dreaming about guns, bows, whatnot has always been a big part of the fun. Sometimes the reality of what you get matches expectations, sometimes it,s an expensive lesson that dead ends, and sometimes, as in the case of the two Wes Wallace long bows I have, the wait was well worth it and far exceeds any ideas I might have had.
The first one, I knew the expected wait time going in, towards the end of it every day was starting to seem like the day before Christmas.
Bought and paid for easily during the waiting period, which is pretty handy for a guy like me. Managed to dig myself in kinda deep in my younger days, got some bills I,m chippin away at..

Ordered up the takedown in June, it got here on Boxing Day, like it even better than the one piece, and it has made me a better shooter! Kinda gone over to the dark side unintentionally, mostly lost my interest in recurves...
Do have a hankering to get a stealth version of my takedown, odds are one day I,'ll be unable to resist.

As far as regrets go,been itching to get my hands on a Thunderchild, kinda wish I,d got my name on the list already... The only thing stopping me through is I,'ve been bugging a gal to marry me for a while, she finally got tired of me pestering her and said yes!! So gettin hitched this August, bit of a spending freeze going on for toys that aren't already in the pipeline!..
And getting hitched to a gal that likes bows, shooting, and wants to throw her name in for the local mountain goat draw...like the saying goes, marrying WAY outa my league!!..
Guess upon reflection, pretty happy with my waiting lists..

[Muttly]

[fatzboys]

How long does it take to make a bow? 1 week? From start to finish maybe? I would like to know. I talked to my bowyer since starting this thread and im going to shape grip and finish. The man has no problem warrenting it either unless i go to far with the sand paper ,lol

[McDave]

There are a lot of options for guys who don't want to be on the waiting list: buy a Bear or a Samick or some other production bow, buy used, buy somebody else's place on the list, buy a new bow from a custom bowyer who keeps an inventory of bows on hand, etc.  But to say you want a custom bow from a custom bowyer but don't want to wait for it, sometimes (usually, in my experience) for longer than was originally estimated, is like saying you want a Pope & Young buck but you really only have a weekend or two you can spare, and you really don't want to travel more that fifty miles from home to get it.  Neither of those are very realistic expectations.

Bowyers are just people, with all the same weaknesses the rest of us have.  Some will knock themselves out to get your bow to you when it was promised.  Some won't. Some of the ones who won't, still produce great bows.  Some don't.  Sometimes, $hit happens in people's lives, and you have to cut them a little slack.  More often, I suspect that a custom bowyer is just looking for the balance between work and life that we all would like to have, and your priority to get your bow on time is not as important to him as going hunting or doing something with his family.

But that's the way it is, folks.  If a bowyer wanted to always meet deadlines and make a lot of money, I'm sure he would have decided to pick a different occupation.

[damascusdave]

The bowyer I mentioned in my earlier post is no longer taking custom orders...glad I ordered mine when I did...there will be a very limited number of those bows

DDave

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Originally posted by fatzboys:
How long does it take to make a bow? 1 week? From start to finish maybe? I would like to know. I talked to my bowyer since starting this thread and im going to shape grip and finish. The man has no problem warrenting it either unless i go to far with the sand paper ,lol

It takes about a week, maybe two depending on the process... but then you have some people who do not have the best spray booth and have to wait for conditions to be right to spray.  My first custom bow was made in 1.5 weeks. It was finished about 2.5 months later.

How long does it take to make 75 bows?

What happens if you miss weight or ruin a bow with a bad cut.  I've known guys to accidentally have a  brain fart and cut the shelf on the wrong side.

Then you have the summer months of events and shows.  some guys need exposure. while they are on the road they are not building bows, and need stock bows as well.

Some Bowyers operate part time while other companies have staff making their bows.  It's not a one size fits all business.

That's why research is important before forking over your cash. It's not just about buying the bow you want but also doing business with thee bowyer and everything else.

[Jim Wright]

Waiting List? I have ordered and received quite a few bows from Dan Toelke over the last 8 years or so. I don't need to say much concerning Dan's reputation for quality and service. The longest I have waited on a bow from order to delivery was 29 days! Waiting List?