Ian Elson Guitars - AVOID!!

Fiddlesticks_

This situation should be made into one of them Netflix documentaries

andrewaward

It’s going to be a minefield now trying to buy a genuine Elson 

bertie

andrewaward said:

It’s going to be a minefield now trying to buy a genuine Elson 

you'd be better off with a minefield

CountryDave

This is sounding like the closing scenes from an episode of ‘Soap’.
Confused, you will be.

OilCityPickups

Sorry I got confused with Elsan ... 

scrumhalf

digitalscream said:

timmypix said:

Bennyboy-UK said:

Is it really the same guy? That’s crazy if it is.

Heres something from 2015 about the project.

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/20884456.norfolk-guitar-maker-hoping-kick-start-business/ 

His optimism (naivety?) in that article is almost tragic knowing what we know now.

As a slight aside...he mentions in the article that his guitars will never be more than £850-950. Even if you completely ignore the quality and design problems, that's a massive red flag right there - it's exactly what's been said by every luthier who ever started up, took too many orders they couldn't fulfil, then started paying for current builds with future orders and eventually went bust because their business was completely unsustainable.

£850-£950?

Misplaced decimal point, methinks. 

Benm39

bertie said:

andrewaward said:

It’s going to be a minefield now trying to buy a genuine Elson 

you'd be better off with a minefield

Put your guitars into a minefield and you'll end up with something indistinguishable from a genuwine bonafide Ian Elson guitarama...

Mr_Claw

boogieman said:

strtdv said:

At least he's learnt to put a string tree and use a Fender style nut on his guitars. Those neck screws look so close together though I can't imagine the neck being stable

Shame he carved the actual headstock with a spoon though. 

Legend has it he carved that from an even bigger spoon...

Bats_

This reads like an investigation from That’s Life. 

Just need Guar Gum to make an appearance.  

Philly_Q

Bats_ said:

This reads like an investigation from That’s Life. 

Just need Guar Gum to make an appearance.  

All the co-presenters from that show, where are they now?

GoldenEraGuitars

It’s a real head scratcher, this thread.

There is a pool of talent in Made In The UK, yet this guy generates consistent conversation in the Guitar section of the forum and ironically CANT build a proper functioning guitar.

I can see why a lot of builders across all aspects of the guitar world don’t bother uploading on the forum if someone like this gets more notoriety from producing a bad product. 

Maybe this is just an opinion held by myself, happy to be alone on it in all honesty. 

carlos

GoldenEraGuitars said:

It’s a real head scratcher, this thread.

There is a pool of talent in Made In The UK, yet this guy generates consistent conversation in the Guitar section of the forum and ironically CANT build a proper functioning guitar.

I can see why a lot of builders across all aspects of the guitar world don’t bother uploading on the forum if someone like this gets more notoriety from producing a bad product. 

Maybe this is just an opinion held by myself, happy to be alone on it in all honesty. 

Contrary to the popular saying, this kind of publicity is not good publicity.

TeleMaster

I think it's more a case of it's so bad you can't help but watch the ever increasing disaster unfold before your eyes. It goes away for a bit but when it comes back you're reminded of it all again and it's like a gift every time

Philly_Q

And I think it's a bit like the news.... most headlines are about bad stuff, rarely good.  You don't pick up the paper and see "the sun is shining, kittens are adorable and everything's lovely".

rossi

GoldenEraGuitars said:

It’s a real head scratcher, this thread.

More of a butt scratcher

Offset

Philly_Q said:

Bats_ said:

This reads like an investigation from That’s Life. 

Just need Guar Gum to make an appearance.  

All the co-presenters from that show, where are they now?

Dead or doing time.

Philly_Q

Offset said:

Philly_Q said:

Bats_ said:

This reads like an investigation from That’s Life. 

Just need Guar Gum to make an appearance.  

All the co-presenters from that show, where are they now?

Dead or doing time.

Similar... local radio and small business, it looks like.  I had to check my old acquaintance Gavin Campbell was still alive and well...

blueskunk

Bats_ said:

This reads like an investigation from That’s Life. 

Just need Guar Gum to make an appearance.  

Roger Melly would sort the job.  

blueskunk

Nitefly said:

blueskunk said:

  

I’m Ian Elson!

And so is your wife!

You are my wife. 

jumping@shadows

I’m puzzled as I’ve actually met ‘Ian’ IRL where he was trying to get people to play his guitars at jams, but I declined as a jam is one of the rare occasions I can roll out a cool old guitar, and I didn’t see anything in what he was offering which interested me.
What was he anticipating by using an alias right off the bat I wonder? That suggests foresight, self awareness and some guile, which otherwise  seems in short supply?