Nashville Riff Co
Well-known member
I’ve been dreading posting this, but it’s time. It’s been a crazy year since moving to Japan. I don’t think one could understand to challenges in starting life over in a new country. Intentions were well and a significant effort was put into trying to keep producing the high output models with domestically produced parts. But, the reality is that Japan is really geared toward traditional classic spec’d gear. I’ve burnt through all the vendors I could find to try and replicate my models , but the quality just isn’t there for the thinner gauges used for high output pickups. The lower output, larger gauge wire for PAFs, neck pickups, Strat and tele pickups is phenomenal, but the smaller gauges used for high output is pure garbage. I’ve done cost analysis for sourcing US wire and once I figured in shipping and import duties in both directions, it just doesn’t makes financial sense. While I feel like I had some solid offerings, my whole intent was to offer some custom pickups at mass produced pricing. I don’t want to charge crazy money for pickups.
Additionally, even when I lived in Texas, winding was a side job. You don’t get rich selling hand wound pickups for $80. My day job paid the bills, fed the family and quite honestly subsidized the winding fetish.
I landed an engineering job with a US based company here in Japan supporting the US military before I arrived. That job has been extremely demanding, but at the same time I’ve made a huge impact. I’ve managed to fix things that no one else could in the last decade. In less than a year, I’ve been asked to take on the role as VP of Engineering. To be fair to my employer as well as being transparent to potential customers, I feel that I need to formally suspend production of pickups. It’s been a full year since I’ve fulfilled an order, but I’ve been prototyping.
At the end of the day I need to face reality and do what’s best for my family. The additional responsibility of a new position is going to require me to be available beyond the normal work week and be focused “all in”on the new position. When I was in Texas, my day job was a 4 day work week. Now it’s pretty much being available at all times and requires my complete attention.
I suspect that as I make pickups for my own personal use, I will buy stateside products and try to make small batches, but that will equate to listing some premade pickups and selling for cost in the classifieds, but processing orders just isn’t realistic.
I thank everyone for their support, orders, references, and kind words. You guys are awesome and I am immensely grateful.
To be honest, I am kind of relieved to be posting this, as I can go back to gear whoring and playing.
Again. Thanks to all!
Congrats on the new gig, sounds like you're making a huge impact, which is terrific.
If you do have some leftover inventory, would love to buy a pickup or two!
