If your custom bow that had been on order for months came and wasn't EXACTLY the way you ordered it, what would you do?

I'm not talking about draw weight but placement of pieces of different color wood.

Would you keep it or endure the wait to get something EXACTLY the way you wanted it?

TBB

Multiple factors to consider here.

Is it hideous - to you?

How responsive is the bowyer?

Is the requested wood no longer available?

Was the original work order clear on this matter?

Have you even spoken to the bowyer yet?

If I did not trust a bowyer's judgment enough to give them some leeway on things like that I would not order from them in the first place...if you know more about how to put materials together in a certain way to get the best bow possible you should just build the bow yourself

DDave

I ordered a bow with certain woods and overlays. The bow came with no overlays at all. None on the tips or riser. I still really liked the bow so I kept it and said nothing. In the future I will ask for a written confirmation of what I ordered. If I did not like the bow I would definitely return it. I'm not sure what you mean by "not exactly the way you ordered it".

Written confirmation of all specifics is a good idea. Do any bowyers do this?

I've never bought one... make my own... I get what I want... usually :^)

I like the way Brandon Stahl does it with his Special Edition Rose Oak bow...Brandon is very clear that he needs the artistic license to make those bows the way they appeal most to him (with some input from the buyer depending on what he has available for material)..take a look at the pictures of those bows and tell me he is wrong...to me they are an expensive bow that is clearly underpriced...the only bow that I have ever really had built to my specifications is a Maddog...nothing was ever written down about the specs of that bow because a picture is worth a thousand words...the first thing I got from Mike was an image of the drawing of the form he was going to use...and it only got better from there, which is only one reason I will recommend Mike's work to anyone any time

DDave

did you contact the bowyer first. And ask him about the differences. Jeff F

If you're talking overlays I'd forget it. If it was a major difference in limb lamination I'd contact the bowyer.

I ordered a bow that had alternate layers of lams in the riser, dark-light-dark-light, etc. I didn't notice it for quite awhile but half way through the riser the lams were switched. I didn't contact the bowyer because I was already disgusted with the craftsmanship and figured it was just another nail in the coffin. I was never satisfied with that bow and eventually got rid of it. Frank

I have 5 custom bows waiting on the 6th one now. Every bow I have ordered I have a copy of what I wanted and from the bowyer were it was agreed and put to work. I have waited as long as 7 months for a bow , I'm sure some of you have waited longer. All that said to say yes if I was not satisfied with the bow , rather he didn't build it to our agreement or just plain out did not like the way it shot I would contact the bowyer . Sometimes mistakes happen.

Would not settle for something I did not order unless I liked as just much or more.

Yes, Bob Lee sends you a copy of exactly what you ordered.

I'd return it unless I liked it better than what I ordered.

and I agree it should go to the top of the list.

Id send it back. Just like folks would (and should) do when I was a custom fly tier and the flies weren't exactly what they ordered.

If I was clear in the beginning exactly what I wanted I might send it back unless i really liked it. Sometimes other peoples taste is better than my mind's eye. If the performance is as expected and it is "purty" I'd likely keep it.

I can't imagine any decent custom bow without at least tip overlays??Was it a glass bow?

It is obvious it bothers you or you would not have started this topic. I think it would have bothered me also.

Sending it back could save us all the same headache later on...and insist you go to the front of the line...and keep the current bow until he is finished.

Of course, I am assuming you were clear in what you wanted and the bowyer understood.

i'd call the bowyer. If he could replace it with the right bow withing a month or so I'd allow that. If not I'd insist on my money back and order a bow from someone who knows how to deliver the right bow as ordered. This is supposedly custom, that doesn't mean the bowyer can change anything he wants without consulting me. If I order a new blue pickup truck and they give me a white one I'm not gonna just keep it.

To many factors maybe to consider but probably send back. If the bowyer screwed up and they are willing to discount then thats another option they pay you to live with it.

You paid GOOD money for a hand crafted custom bow. You deserve to have it EXACTLY the way you ordered it! PERIOD. Send it back at his expense not yours. As for the wait he SHOULD make your bow a priority. Just MHO, Jim :)

Get your money back and make your own.

I have a number of 'custom' bows.. I talk to the designer and bowyer often..and sometimes our minds are changed a bit..I'm right there in his shop..Watch what he uses for design and materials and construction...

The ONLY custom bows I own & shoot are bows designed and made by me..personally.. Not good when you have a argument or dispute with yerself..:) Doublemindedness..Kinda like add.. I don't have that..:)or maybe I do?..:)

The rest are vintage longbows & recurves made by some very talented archer-bowyers years ago..

So much for the humor..:)

TALK to the bowyer and see what he says.. Good succinct communication on the front side of any transaction make a world of difference..Jim

If I were the bowyer and made a mistake, I would want to know about it. Give him the chance to make it right. If the lams were an upcharge, the least he can do is refund the difference if you decide to keep it. But he should be contacted and made aware to give him the chance to make it right

There is nothing about this question to say TBB even ordered a bow...I think it is a hypothetical question

DDave

Yep call the bowyer and talk with him. I would bet he makes it right.

When one of my customers orders a bow I have him send me an email with exactly what he understands he is getting. I even have them draw a riser with placement of the woods , type of inserts ect. They get exactly what they order and it keeps me from messing up when I do the build. I would not accept anything different unless it is agreed to before delivery. No overlays constitutes a breach of contract and I would email the bowyer and tell him exactly that.

God bless, Steve

Only had one come EXACTLY the way I ordered it in all respects. This was also the only flawless bow Ive ever owned upon receipt. HH Redman, Craig Ekin. Perfect.

Even though......I will still accept some artist license to be taken, afterall, they are the artist......and that's ok w/ me.

Thanks guys.

For the record, it is not my bow but one ordered by a friend. The tips do have overlays, but the wood combination in the front and back of the limbs was not as specifically ordered. It was one of those new style laminations where you have one color on the tip, then a break of another wood and a final color of wood for the rest of the limb. The problem was in the wood that separated the joint between between the two major woods, in this case cocobolo and maple. My friend wanted some ebony strips to divide the two woods, and the bowyer used cocobolo strips with very fine maple outlining it.

I think it looks very nice, but it's not my bow.

TBB

Sounds like a Blacktail to me with footed limbs...if Norm did it that way he had a very good reasons...there may be other bowyers out there who are his equal...there are none who do better work

DDave

When I order a bow I try to think of everything and all its options are then written down in the ordering process. If it turned out 'different' I would have to decide to say something or forever hold my peace. A fully documented order is a hard thing to argue against.

There are many among us that simple don't care or mind differences.....if I paid for a fully disclosed order and it didn't come through; more than likely the bowyer (or supplier) would hear about it.

When you ordered a bow from Jim Brackenbury he would send you a letter telling you all the details to make sure he understood exactly what you wanted. You can send a letter and still get wires crossed, if the bowyers sends a letter then you know if he's got it or not.

I had this happen awhile back the bow I ordered came in about 8-9 pounds heavier than I ordered and was the exact opposite woods. The bow I ordered was suspose to be osage and black dyamond wood it came mostly black dyamond wood with osage accents. The bow looked like crap had tons of white streaks in the limbs. I've never made a bow and would have been ashamed to send this one to anyone not to mention charging them a $1000 bucks. This was a well advertised bowyer. All of the details were hashed out on the phone where I took for granted he was writing them down. I called about the streaks and he said it was common on the lighter colored limbs. I have other light colored limbs that don't have white streaks. I'm going to learn to make my own and only buy from Widow or Robertson.

This is supposedly custom. Theres no reason or good excuse for changing anything without first consulting the buyer.

"Only had one come EXACTLY the way I ordered it in all respects"

I've never had one that didn't come out exactly as ordered except maybe being a pound or two off (I always tell em NOT to narrow limbs or thin glass to hit weight, I want the original design), but then I have never bought anything from the newer bowyers. Guys like Rocky MIller, Dick Robertson, Paul Shaffer, Jim Brackenbury, and a ton of others always gave you exactly what you ordered or called to tell you why they couldn't and discuss other options.

"Most" bowyers go out of their way to satisfy the customer and get things right. Not just Robertson or Black Widow. I would say 90+ percent would do it right. If your friend doesn't like it, then it's his choice. Right?

I haven't bought a custom bow since the 1980's but the ones I got then were very well done. I'm not one for picking out different color combinations, or other such foo-foo, so can't speak to that.

so only 1 strip in the tip overlay is wrong??????

Everyone is different. Depends on how the bow looks and how fussy the person is. Me, if it performs the way I want it to and doesent look bad, I keep it. Ive got friends that would throw a S*** fit and send it back on the first thing smokin'.

If you like it keep it, if not then have another one made and yes your bow should be his priority till your happy or gives you your money back. Always had a satisfaction guarantee with every bow I built for some one. No arguments

What I don't understand is in this day and age of instant communication, that you would have this problem. This ain't the 90's! With this day and age of the internet you can be virtually standing in the bowyers shop as its being built every step of the way. Bowyer snaps a couple pictures of the progress sends you an e-mail. Bowyer wants to do something different, same deal!

Would also like to agree with camodave about Mr. Stahl and giving someone like him a little leeway, the fellow has an eye! If this bow ain't something like that I'd probably send it back

I have ordered a couple customs and I just told the bowyer to make it like it was for himself. They came out beautiful.

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