Is Stephen Sank a Crook?

Del-Uks · Post by **Del-Uks** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:24 pm

I just wanted to know if the same thing happened to one of you guys....

Michael Gregory Bridavsky wrote:I would say Stephen Sank [...] I sent him my two Oktava ML-15s and a Beyer 260, and he's had them for almost 3 months! He told me 2-3 weeks, and wont return my emails. When I call him he says hell get to them in a week.... every week.

Supposedly he's really good though. Maybe he has something against russian folk.

mtar

Del-Uks on the electrical.com forum wrote:Well... May I talk about my ML-52 prototype and a RCA BK-5 I've already paid him for...

He's holding them since fall 2004!!!

He doesn't answer my emails neither.
Last time I talked to him on the phone was last summer. He told me he was dealing with some problems and he apologized for the super long delay... he said I should not worry and get my microphones ASAP...
Well that was more than six month ago...

I've read lots of good things about his job on this forum, but I'd be pleased to know if Michael Gregory Bridavsky and I are the only guys being crooked by him.

Let me know...

MichaelJoly · Post by **MichaelJoly** » Sat Mar 04, 2006 4:51 pm

I've been refering people who want ribbon mic repairs to Marik - ribbonmic@comcast.net

He's a heavy hitter in the DIY mic scene, experienced ribbon mic theorist and builder, and an in-demand classical recording engineer. Oh, he's also Russian.

red cross · Post by **red cross** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 4:21 am

Clarence Kane at Enak Mic Repair isn't answering his emails either. Wrote to him twice since the start of the year, no reply. Anybody know what happened to him?

Recording Engineer · Post by **Recording Engineer** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 11:53 am

Hmmm....

I had Stephen Sank mod my 260 a few years ago and had no problems; plus I know many who've had the same experience!

Certainly NOT a "crook", but I don't know what's currently going on with him right now. It's not his usual self.

Mod stuff is tough... I've dealt with people that take a couple weeks. I've dealt with people that have taken 5 years! And I know people who've had the same experiences.

ulriggribbons · Post by **ulriggribbons** » Sun Mar 05, 2006 5:13 pm

Hey there,

I also have been re-ribboning microphones for people lately, so looks like there are a few more options opening up for people

Regards

ju

tonewoods · Post by **tonewoods** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 10:53 pm

I was in Tucson last week, and had a nice visit with Stephen Sank at his new shop...

He's been through a lot of changes lately, including getting married and moving from Albuquerque, so I guess that's why things were so up in the air...

Anyway, he had quite a few ribbons he was working through, and had a gorgeous B&O stereo mic on the bench getting a new set of ribbons...

I've been really pleased with the 5-6 mics that Stephen has re-ribboned or modded for me, so some of the stories I've heard have been disconcerting...

Anyway, things look like they're rolling right along at his new digs, and I'll be sending him a Western Electric 639a in a few days for a refurb...

Anyway, just thought I'd pass on the update....

ledogboy · Post by **ledogboy** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:43 am

FWIW-
I don't know the guy, nor have i had cause to use his services. However, there is a long topic over on the PSW forums with guys bitching about how Sank has had their stuff forever, etc. It did seem that maybe there was some resolution in the pipeline, but some of these guys had been without their gear for over a year. Crook is a strong word, but if a number of people told me that they couldn't even get a guy on the phone who they had sent their expensive audio gear to, I certainly wouldn't get in line to send some of mine. Tech work is expensive, customer service should be included... Cheers,
Ryan

gregnrom · Post by **gregnrom** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:44 pm

Why bother with the hassle? Send it to a reputable repair facility. Most of the original manufacturers repair their mics to spec. There are half a dozen places that will fix RCA or other, and respond to phone calls at the same time.

puls · Post by **puls** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:14 pm

I just received an email from Clarence at ENAK to inform me my mic is done. I sent it to him in July with the prior understanding that you don't send stuff to Clartence if you're in a hurry. It did take a couple of emails to get a response when I initially contacted him (he prefers the phone), but he's responded promtly since then. I don't know about any of these other guys, although I would like to see contact info for 'the half-dozen other places' that re-ribbon/furbish ribbon mics.

jwp

tonewoods · Post by **tonewoods** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 6:23 pm

puls wrote:I don't know about any of these other guys, although I would like to see contact info for 'the half-dozen other places' that re-ribbon/furbish ribbon mics.

Yeah, me too....

For instance, who you gonna call to re-ribbon a Shure?
I don't know if Dick Gardener is still doing them, and everybody else was avoiding them like the plague...

And the last time I had a Beyer re-ribboned by Beyer, it was well over 200 bucks, and that was 8 years or so ago...
I have no idea what they are charging now...

audiogeek1 · Post by **audiogeek1** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:55 pm

I have not dealt with Sank myself but we had a C12 go to Stephen Paul to repair it and he had it for more than 18 months. The only way we got it back was threaten a lawsuit. I think the mic had been used as a rental for them. It came back with a few dents that were not there before. I would document the mics body before you send it in for repair with anyone.

Mike

joeysimms · Post by **joeysimms** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:49 am

Sounds like, not so much crooks, but, people who have no idea how to run a business. There's no excuse for being so unavailable and out-of-contact.

Mark Alan Miller · Post by **Mark Alan Miller** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:41 am

audiogeek1 wrote:I have not dealt with Sank myself but we had a C12 go to Stephen Paul to repair it and he had it for more than 18 months. The only way we got it back was threaten a lawsuit. I think the mic had been used as a rental for them. It came back with a few dents that were not there before.

That is crazy, inexcusable behavior. If an auto repair place were to do that, charges would surely be filed.

On another note, I'm a little leery of the use of 'crook' - even if it was posed as a question - in the title of a thread. Immediately it makes me want to hear both sides of the story, and I'm not sure that's gonna happen. Maybe Mr. Sank will come in and defend himself, maybe not. And if he does, will he be taken seriously, given a chance to air his side? I would hope so. Sometimes things get a little crazy when one has a small business, with more work than one can handle, but not quite enough to be able to hire help to make it less crazy... just a thought.

Coco · Post by **Coco** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:10 pm

tonewoods wrote:
puls wrote:I don't know about any of these other guys, although I would like to see contact info for 'the half-dozen other places' that re-ribbon/furbish ribbon mics.
Yeah, me too....

For instance, who you gonna call to re-ribbon a Shure?
I don't know if Dick Gardener is still doing them, and everybody else was avoiding them like the plague...

And the last time I had a Beyer re-ribboned by Beyer, it was well over 200 bucks, and that was 8 years or so ago...
I have no idea what they are charging now...

Clarence Kane at ENAK in Pitman New Jersey. he re ribbons Sure, Oktava, RCA, Beyer, and probably a lot more.

rhythm ranch · Post by **rhythm ranch** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:06 pm

I know that a few folks have had issues with Stephen and that he seemed to be struggling for a while, but he's done quite a bit of work for me and I've never had any problems. In fact, I was really impressed with his quick turn-around time and the meticulous work.

In addition to re-ribboning RCA, Shure and Beyer mics, Stephen also did an incredible rebuild of an Eventide Instant Flanger and an AKG BX-10 reverb for me. I was disappointed when he left Albuquerque, where I could easily drop stuff off, for Tucson.

Not to discount anyone else's situation or issues they've had, but I've always been extremely happy with Stephen's work and his service.

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