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Dan Millheim · 09-20-2006, 09:44 AM

Hello Everyone,

I had an odd "sitch-e-ation" this week. I pulled my much beloved Getzen Genesis out of my case and noticed the beautiful bead blast finish was spotted all over the inside and outside of the bell. Really weird since I play it daily (well sort of) and all of a sudden it gets this problem? I tired cleaning it with mild soap and water and could not remove the blemishes.

So, I call Getzen not knowing how they would handle my concern and was pleasantly surprized to recieve wonderful customer service...I mean world class! Two different associates called me and I even was contacted by Brett Getzen! I know Brett is a busy guy but he sent me three different e-mails in less then 24 hours detailing how he personally was going to make sure my horn was replated at their expense. I was blown away!

So what caused the problem? Well, at first they were telling people online that the spots on their custom horns were caused by glue vapors in their deluxe wood cases. Say what? Now it appears the spots have been determined to be silver leaching through the gold then tarnishing into darker spots.

Here is what Brett wrote.

"Through some testing with our plating supplier, we have found that there was only about 5% as much gold deposited on the horn as there was supposed to be. Simply putting the correct thickness of gold on the horn will correct the problem. Once we are all setup, we will make your horn right..."

It would be interesting to know who their plating supplier is/was. Who other then Anderson is out there for large scale work?

Getzen is purchasing their own plating tank in the next month or so to improve their QC and fix this finish issue. I really appreciate the expense they are going through to improve their product! I asked Brett when this would take place and here is what he wrote:

"I actually just finished going through the final equipment quote. Everything should be ordered by the end of this week. It is then 4-6 weeks for delivery and installation. Once we are certain everything is right, we will start running horns."

I write all of this to report that this is a great company that really is making ever effort to build quality instruments at the highest levels. My Getzen Genesis is one of the finest horns I have EVER played and I have played a bunch. It is also very impressed that a great horn is backed by great customer service. Brett doesn't post on this forum, to my knowlege, but is very active on TH. I'll close with an additional quote from him concerning his company that you've got to love.

"I often say that the name on the horn is much more than just a brand name to us and that is true. Every horn that leaves the factory carries my family name and that is something I take very seriously. That's why I am so passionate about doing things right the first time and making sure that, if things aren't 100% right, we do everything we can to correct it."

I'll keep everyone posted on the follow though, and IF/when I get the new finish, I will post pictures.

Finish Well,

09-20-2006, 09:44 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dan Millheim Pianissimo User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Fort Worth ,TX Posts: 236	Gold Finish on Getzen Genesis Hello Everyone, I had an odd "sitch-e-ation" this week. I pulled my much beloved Getzen Genesis out of my case and noticed the beautiful bead blast finish was spotted all over the inside and outside of the bell. Really weird since I play it daily (well sort of) and all of a sudden it gets this problem? I tired cleaning it with mild soap and water and could not remove the blemishes. So, I call Getzen not knowing how they would handle my concern and was pleasantly surprized to recieve wonderful customer service...I mean world class! Two different associates called me and I even was contacted by Brett Getzen! I know Brett is a busy guy but he sent me three different e-mails in less then 24 hours detailing how he personally was going to make sure my horn was replated at their expense. I was blown away! So what caused the problem? Well, at first they were telling people online that the spots on their custom horns were caused by glue vapors in their deluxe wood cases. Say what? Now it appears the spots have been determined to be silver leaching through the gold then tarnishing into darker spots. Here is what Brett wrote. "Through some testing with our plating supplier, we have found that there was only about 5% as much gold deposited on the horn as there was supposed to be. Simply putting the correct thickness of gold on the horn will correct the problem. Once we are all setup, we will make your horn right..." It would be interesting to know who their plating supplier is/was. Who other then Anderson is out there for large scale work? Getzen is purchasing their own plating tank in the next month or so to improve their QC and fix this finish issue. I really appreciate the expense they are going through to improve their product! I asked Brett when this would take place and here is what he wrote: "I actually just finished going through the final equipment quote. Everything should be ordered by the end of this week. It is then 4-6 weeks for delivery and installation. Once we are certain everything is right, we will start running horns." I write all of this to report that this is a great company that really is making ever effort to build quality instruments at the highest levels. My Getzen Genesis is one of the finest horns I have EVER played and I have played a bunch. It is also very impressed that a great horn is backed by great customer service. Brett doesn't post on this forum, to my knowlege, but is very active on TH. I'll close with an additional quote from him concerning his company that you've got to love. "I often say that the name on the horn is much more than just a brand name to us and that is true. Every horn that leaves the factory carries my family name and that is something I take very seriously. That's why I am so passionate about doing things right the first time and making sure that, if things aren't 100% right, we do everything we can to correct it." I'll keep everyone posted on the follow though, and IF/when I get the new finish, I will post pictures. Finish Well, __________________ Eclipse Custom XLR (Beyond beautiful 24k scratch) gold (05 Eclipse Contest Horn) Getzen Genesis (Beautiful 24k scratch gold) Wiseman Double Case (10% discount code: T624) Monette/Harrelson B1-1 prana custom one off. Horns/MPC Cryo'ed at Cryo-parts.com