WARNING: BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR IAN HEIMBIGNER - CLAIMS TO BE WITH PREMIER GUITAR - Forums

I was contacted by this guy last week. He said he was with Premier Guitar and wanted to review one of my guitars for an article he was doing. After some back and forth I figured out he was full of shit. I checked with Premier Guitar and they had never heard of the guy. Following is a transcription of all correspondance on the matter:

Customer Name: charlestonchew@live.comCustomer E-mail: Premier Guitar review


Urgency:  High


Subject: High


Message:


Hello Josh, I am a reviewer for Premier Guitar and am looking for custom guitar companies to review. Next month we are going to have a custom guitar issue and would  like to feature one of you cigar box guitars. If you would like it featured you would need to send one in for review. This would be a wonderful chance for more business and it is a chance for you to get some awesome exposure. Please let me know asap if you want to do this. Thanks for your time. 
Ian Heimbigner

----
Sent from: 97.115.140.241

Date: Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:28:14 -0800
From: josh@smokehouseguitars.com
To: charlestonchew@live.com
Subject: RE: Premier Guitar review

Hi,

This sounds pretty cool.  The only guitars I have on hand at this time are ones that I own personally.  I have six that I'm currently working on for customers, each of which is being made by hand, so I'm pretty sure there is no way I could make one specifically to send to you in the time frame you are looking for (I'm stacked with work at least until into the May-June time frame).  There is an opportunity to send one to you, however I would need assurances in the form of some sort of signed agreement that I'll get it back in the condition in which I sent it to you.  I'll also need some way in which I can verify your identity.

Best Regards,

--

Josh Gayou
www.SmokehouseGuitars.com

All submissions will be returned within two weeks if requested. I can assure you that it will arrive back to you the same way it comes to us.

If you are interested let me know if you are not I have some people who would love to be featured. It is a great opportunity for you. If you choose to do it, your guitar will come back to you. We dont have room to store all the items we review. Some people do give them to us and that is cool but we are in no way going to keep it. Let me know if you would like to go with it. If so I need some history on Smokehouse Guitars. Thanks for your time, Ian Heimbigner

Of course I'm interested. Just need to make sure this is real. I'm sure you can appreciate that someone like me gets contacted by scammers all the time and it's made me a little weary.

I did some searches for several combinations of your name and e-mail address PremierGuitar.com to check out some of your articles but was unable to find anything attributed to you there. Also did a general search on the internet. Was able to find evidence of your presence out there in the form of some blog comments but that was all. Do you have some examples of articles that you've written that I could check out? Maybe just some links to a few of your reviews at premierguitar.com that I could look at?

Josh Gayou
www.SmokehouseGuitars.com

Hi Josh,

Following up on your recent email about a review inquiry…

I have never heard of the guy who wrote you that email. He is not affiliated with PG in any manner. Any contact he made with you under the auspices of Premier Guitar is fraudlent.

Have you had any further contact with him?

Best regards,

Joe

Joe Coffey

Editorial Director

Gearhead Communications LLC

Publishers of PREMIERGuitar & Guitar EDGE

Three Research Center
Marion, IA 52302
319-447-5550 Office
319-447-5599 Office Fax

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From: Joshua Gayou [mailto:josh@smokehouseguitars.com]
Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 6:14 PM
To: info
Subject: Request for info on a reviewer
Importance: High

Hi,

I have a guy named Iam Heimbigner (e-mail charlestonchew@live.com) who is claiming to be a reviewer for you guys. He wants me to send him one of my guitars. I did a search on your site and could find no articles that were attributed to him. Can you confirm that this guy is actually affiliated with your organization?

Thanks so much for your time.

No worries. I can't discuss details but you can all be sure that he's about to get his.

PAPA CHARLIE said:

Hey if yer too busy I'd be glad to build him one. Gimmee his address. I'll send him a box full of limburger cheese, itll be nice n ripe by the time he gits it. LOL

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.

Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY

Replies

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) October 18, 2010 at 5:14pm

This happened a while ago now. He tried this with me and one other guitar maker. I did have a subsequent e-mail from the director that I was copied on and addressed to the offender. It listed in no uncertain terms that they were nailing his ass to a board to the fullest extent of the law.

Dirty Roger said:
Jesus i can;t believe someone would go to all that effort. No disrespect to your skills but what a turd!
Dirty Roger October 18, 2010 at 4:57pm

Jesus i can;t believe someone would go to all that effort. No disrespect to your skills but what a turd!
Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) February 20, 2010 at 3:59pm

No worries. I can't discuss details but you can all be sure that he's about to get his.

PAPA CHARLIE said:
Hey if yer too busy I'd be glad to build him one. Gimmee his address. I'll send him a box full of limburger cheese, itll be nice n ripe by the time he gits it. LOL

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.

Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY
PAPA CHARLIE February 20, 2010 at 2:07pm

Hey if yer too busy I'd be glad to build him one. Gimmee his address. I'll send him a box full of limburger cheese, itll be nice n ripe by the time he gits it. LOL

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.

Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY
Roger Martin February 15, 2010 at 7:23pm

Dear Ian,
You may have noticed that I have a page listing my business as selling CBg's. It's all a lie , I dont really sell CBG's ,I just take pretty pictures cause I like all the pretty colors,,,,,,, May I suggest that you contact any big time guitar maker for free anything, as all the guys and gals here have to have real MONEY UP FRONT and By the way, we're not suckers, so go play in another sand box,,,,,,,,,,

Thank you
Roger Martin
Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) February 15, 2010 at 3:16pm

No, he knows already. I forwarded Joe's e-mail to him right after I got it. I'm really bummed, too, because I really like your idea.

Wes Yates said:
Or better yet, you want me to make you one..... <<grin>> Or send him my way unless he knows we're onto him.

-WY

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.
Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY
Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) February 15, 2010 at 3:15pm

That's true. He said he had checked out my site and loved all the stuff. He said that he wanted to thank this Ian moron for setting up the introduction.

Shane Speal said:
Joe Coffey is a great guy. He's stoked about all the action in Cigar Box Nation.
Shane Speal February 15, 2010 at 3:13pm

Joe Coffey is a great guy. He's stoked about all the action in Cigar Box Nation.
Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates February 15, 2010 at 3:04pm

Or better yet, you want me to make you one..... <<grin>> Or send him my way unless he knows we're onto him.

-WY

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.
Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY
Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates February 15, 2010 at 3:02pm

10 minutes tops. he he.

Josh Gayou (SmokehouseGuitars) said:
Heh, if I wasn't stacked to the gills with orders right now I might do that. As it is I don't have the time to do so.

Wes Yates said:
Of course Josh, you realize you can have some fun with him. build a guitar out of a shoebox, some string and paperclips for frets and duct tape. Send this to him and charge him $25, no $50 for shipping through PayPal. Easy $50. He can't go back to Paypal with that one.

<< Ain't I a stinker>>

-WY

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