An open apology to Patrice Vigier.
Patrice, I know this is long overdue, & I should've done it by now, but I believe I owe you an apology in regards to the whole tremolo fiasco I caused several years back (Regarding the ball-bearing Floyd Rose). I love the fact that you did me a favor, & I'm quite impressed by how well it stays in tune & all. I know you'll probably never give me another chance at buying one of these from you again, & I don't blame you. Like you said, it's too much trouble. If, however, you would be willing to give me a second chance, I promise I'll never complain again. I'm sorry, Patrice. I insulted you way back when when I complained that it didn't stay in tune on my Ibanez Iceworld Guitar when I really should've kept my mouth shut (Kicking myself now! Ugh!)! All I'm asking for is your forgiveness. Nothing more, nothing less. I know you're probably sick & tired of me bugging you about it & probably just wish I would go away (As do probably all the others on this forum. Sigh!). Once again, I don't blame you for being mad at me & all, I'm just a guitarist who's quite impressed with your innovation on the Floyd Rose tremolo & thinks you've got a gold mine on your hands when it comes to the tremolo wars. You, Patrice, alone singlehandedly solved the one problem that's been plaguing Floyd Tremolos from day one: Knife Edges wearing out & I commend you for that. I understand it's probably not a goldmine you wanna mine & all (As you said, your main bread & butter is guitars, not tremolos), but believe me, there are plenty of guitar players who would beat a path to your door if you were to give the whole "ball bearing Floyd Rose as an aftermarket replacement part" a second chance. And what with guitarist/inventor Geoffrey McCabe & Kahler about to come out w/ his/their ball bearing tremolos in June (Not to mention all the other tremolos flooding the market) just think of all the money you could make on your version of the Floyd alone. (Sigh!) But alas, I'm probably just making you madder by even being here after you already told me "No." once. Anyway, it's your company & who am I to tell you how to run your business (I'm not!). All I'm trying to say/go by is the old saying, "If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.", & your ball-bearing Floyd Rose, Patrice, is that mousetrap. After all, I believe in this product, Patrice, & most importantly, I believe in you as well as your company. You're probably wondering, "Well, why don't you just buy one of my guitars, then?" The problem is (And please don't get mad or take this as an insult when I say this; I certainly don't mean it that way, alright?), I don't have the money (And trust me, in this economy, we all know that feeling!). Let's just say I'm a musician on a budget. I love the tremolo but can't afford the guitars. I know he's w/ another company, but why not show Steve Vai one of your ball-bearing Floyds? I'm sure he'd love it! Best thing to come along in years! And you, Patrice(Along w/ your continuing innovations & company) are the best thing that's happened to the Floyd Rose (As well as guitars) in years, bar none! Best wishes, Patrice (And btw, not to freak ya out, sound "stalkerish"[Don't worry, I'm not!]or anything, but I finally got to see what'cha look like not too long ago on a YouTube video from this year's January NAMM show. Cool guy!), & talk to ya later! Cya!
Sincerely,
Van Miller (aka Van Alexander[My stage name])
Birmingham, Alabama USA