Commissions

Commissions for custom builds and circuit bending are currently open! See below for details/FAQs on the process.

• First off, how much does it cost?
  • That’s going to vary wildly depending on the project. But as a rule if your budget isn’t triple digits probably don’t bother asking? I appreciate the interest, and I’m not trying to be rude about it, but I have plenty of my own passion projects to work on and commissions are a way to fund those.
  • That said, I will work with you to figure out how to get the most out of your budget. So be open with me about your budget! If you have $700 to spend and tell me $500, you aren’t saving $200, you’re getting $200 less cool stuff. Which doesn’t bug me one bit, I’ll work with whatever you tell me; but you can shoot yourself in the foot that way.
• How do I know you aren’t gonna fry my cool stuff?
  • You don’t!
  • Not to freak you out or discourage you, but one of the realities of circuit bending and experimental mods is there’s a risk your cool thing gets cooked. There’s really no getting around that, so I think the best way to handle that is to be up front about it and make sure everyone is cool with exactly how we’ll handle it if that does happen (even though nobody wants it to).
  • First off, if it’s something I can fix I will. If I blow up a replaceable part, it seems only fair I should replace it. If that happens I’ll let you know immediately and we’ll sort out the specifics of getting it fixed.
  • If it’s dead dead and I have no idea how to bring it back:
    • You won’t pay me anything. I think that’s obvious, but just to be clear I won’t charge you for breaking your stuff.
    • If I ordered parts and there was an advance I’ll return any leftover advance money. Money I already spent on parts will be handled on a case by case basis, but if I can use those parts for other projects/return them I’ll refund those costs (this will be the case in most scenarios).
    • If you want it back, I will ask you to cover the cost of return shipping. If you don’t want it back you can ask and I’ll let you know if I’d be willing to buy it for scrap parts, but fair warning that price won’t compare at all to what a working one is worth. Again that’s only at your request, I’m not running a weird chop shop or something sketchy like that.
  • I’m open to other arrangements if you have concerns about this. My biggest thing is making sure we’re on the same page before I take any money from you. Hopefully it will never come up, but nobody wants to figure those details out after the fact.
• Okay I’m cool with that; so logistically how does this work?
  • First we’ll come up with an initial design. Give me any and all inspirations, asks, etc. Be as super specific or as vague as you want! We’ll figure out what we want to do and I’ll give you a quote based on that design.
  • When we settle on a design and a price, we’ll determine if there is an up-front cost for any parts I need to order. Once that payment is made I’ll put in any orders.
    • I try to avoid this whenever possible, but you’ll know about any exceptions to that rule up front. Since you’re sending me your gear I don’t want to take money too unless I absolutely have to.
  • If I’m customizing/bending a piece you already own, you’ll ship it to me (you’ll cover the shipping cost) after any parts I’m waiting for arrive (that way it’s not just sitting in my closet while parts are in the mail).
  • Once it’s done, I’ll get it packed up and see how much return shipping will cost. I’ll let you know and you’ll pay the remaining balance for the project, plus the return shipping.
  • Once payment is in, I’ll mail it off!
• How long will this take?
  • This also varies by project and we’ll talk about it when figuring out pricing. But to give an idea, assume 6-8 weeks.
  • I consider and treat this work as an artistic endeavor, so please be patient!
    • As a rule I will give you an update every 48 hours, or more often if I am hitting milestones or run into preference questions for you.
    • I try to be very collaborative with these projects so expect me to bug you a bunch! If we end up having to wait on parts or something you might not get an update for a few days, but you’ll know if that’s the case.
    • I will also keep you updated throughout on any issues etc. we run into and how they might impact the timeline.
    • And just as a heads up since I’m an impatient person myself and I feel like I would do this: don’t get frustrated if you see me posting other projects, videos etc. while working on yours. I tend to juggle multiple things and like to think I manage my time pretty well. I promise I’m not ignoring your stuff!
• Okay, I wanna do this thing! How do we get started?
  • First step is just to shoot me an email at [email protected] or DM on one of my socials to talk about what it is you wanna do.
  • If you DM me and I’m not responding it’s cause I’m bad at social media, not that I’m ignoring you. In that case, just email me.

FAQs

General Info

• How long will it take to get my stuff if I give you money?
  • The short answer is Yes, you will get your stuff.
  • The longer answer is that it varies. All items are handmade to order. The stock on my site indicates if I have the parts on hand to make it for you. But if it says in stock I should be able to get it in the mail in 2-3 weeks max.
  • Backorders mean that I probably have to order parts and that can take a while. This part varies quite a lot, but to be safe assume 1-2 months.
• What if I don’t want to give you money?
  • That’s a-okay! Most of my projects are open source and you can build ’em yourself. You might even improve my code! Everything is available on my GitHub.

Custom Orders

• How do custom orders work?
  • After you order a custom version, you will fill out a Customization Form that runs you through the options available.
  • You can look through these forms before ordering to figure out what changes you want to make, but you won’t be able to submit the form without an order number.
  • Please set aside some time for this. There are a lot of different options and I want to make sure I’m coding exactly what you want.
  • The Customized versions include the cost of programming. You must purchase the Customized version to request custom programming. I base the difference in cost between the Standard and Customized versions off of how many options there are for that device since that directly impacts how long it will take me to program one just for you.
• What if I want something weeeeird?
  • I love weird! You will follow the same process but in the Additional Bespoke Requests section tell me what you want!
  • If what you want is doable, but hard, there might be an additional charge. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and we will figure it out together via email.
  • You can also email me with your idea before ordering and I will get back to you ASAP about whether or not I can do it (but please read the customization form first to make sure it’s not something covered there!).
  • Worst case scenario, if you order a Customized device and I can’t make what you want, I will refund you.

Shipping

United States (including Hawaii and Alaska):

• Free Shipping is available on orders over $150!
• For all other orders, shipping is $3.50 + $2.50 for each larger item (like an interface) and/or + $0.75 for each smaller item (like a board or PCB)

International Rates:

Unfortunately shipping outside of the U.S. is extremely expensive. I hate it too, but sadly I have to charge the rates below for any international shipping:

• There is an initial minimum charge of $25.
• For regular sized items, the first item is included in the minimum and there is a $6 charge for each additional regular sized item.
• For small items, the first item is included in the minimum and there is a $2 charge for each additional regular sized item.
  • For orders with multiple sizes: the first regular item and the first small item are covered by the minimum, and any additional items are charged the same as above ($2 for small stuff, $6 for regular stuff).

If your country is not available at checkout, email me and I will see if I can get it added in. I set the list up myself and frankly I’m sure I missed plenty of places that I can ship to.

USB Power Banks/Chargers

• You can power any of my USB devices using a standard power bank, however you might notice it shuts off after a few seconds. What gives?
  • Arduino devices use such a small amount of power, some power banks think nothing is plugged in at all and auto shut down after a few seconds to conserve charge.
  • If this starts happening, just check the manual for your power bank/charger to see if it has an Always On mode. Switching to this mode will keep it from shutting off on you. Usually it’s something like turn it on, then press and hold the power button for a few seconds.
  • If your power bank doesn’t have an Always On mode, you can also just plug something else into it as well if it has multiple USB Ports to keep it from shutting down.

3D Printed Parts

• So, some of your parts are 3D printed. Will they melt in my car/won’t they break super easy?
  • Nope!
  • You’re right that that’s the case for a lot of 3D printed objects. That’s because the typical material for 3D prints, PLA, has a low glass point. While that makes it easy to print with, it makes it completely inappropriate for anything anyone should market to a musician (in my opinion at least).
  • Anything 3D printed I sell is made from ABS, which is the same material most commercial products use. It’s much more durable and heat resistant, so if you’re on tour and stow one of these in the car it’ll be fine.
• Cool! So you’ll share your 3D print files, right?
  • Nope!
  • This is just a branding thing. If you couldn’t tell I have some strong opinions about using 3D printed stuff for music gear and frankly I hate the idea of something that looks like mine being printed/assembled at a quality that isn’t up to my standards.
  • On the flip side, these are open source and I equally hate the idea of someone making an improved custom device themselves, but it looking like something I did.
  • So long story short, I am all for people building their own devices, which is why I make them open source; but it’s important to me that folks can easily tell the difference between one I made and one somebody DIY’d (DIYed?).