Damage caused by guitar techs

Brize

John_A said:

Took a very high end Fernandes superstrat, ex iron maiden, and hardly played, but had one damaged fret, in to a local got to get the fret replaced.  When I picked the guitar up, he'd replaced one super jumbo Dunlop 6000 fret with a medium fret and stoned the other 21 down to the same level!  I was livid!!

Wow, that's a particularly egregious example.

ATB_Guitars

Brize said:

Can anyone recommend someone to drop fill this little ding so my thumb doesn't catch it?

Have you tried Andy in Corsham Brian? Or is he one of the ones on your list of disasters..!

John_A

Brize said:

John_A said:

Took a very high end Fernandes superstrat, ex iron maiden, and hardly played, but had one damaged fret, in to a local got to get the fret replaced.  When I picked the guitar up, he'd replaced one super jumbo Dunlop 6000 fret with a medium fret and stoned the other 21 down to the same level!  I was livid!!

Wow, that's a particularly egregious example.

It was his attitude as well, it was a case of 'I'm the Luthier,  I know best, you'll accept whatever I tell you'  he even charged me extra for the 'additional work'

Brize

ATB_Guitars said:

Brize said:

Can anyone recommend someone to drop fill this little ding so my thumb doesn't catch it?

Have you tried Andy in Corsham Brian? Or is he one of the ones on your list of disasters..!

Thanks for the suggestion Mike. No, Andy's not one of the offenders!

bazxkr

Do techs have insurance etc to cover expensive screw ups. How do you stand legally on stuff like this happening ?

Touch wood I've never had a problem with any work done for me, and long may it stay that way. But I remember a great interview with Ritchie Blackmore. You know how he loves his scalloped fretboards (by his own hands in the old days). He gave his no 1 strat to a tech for a refret and the guy did it but when he brought it back said the frets were so worn and grooved he had planed the board flat for him too at no extra charge, So had removed the scalloping and left the fretboard so low it was unplayable. Would like to have been a fly on the all at that encounter. Wonder if he got a Marshall Major thrown at him LOL

So it can happen to anyone !!

ATB_Guitars

Brize said:

ATB_Guitars said:

Brize said:

Can anyone recommend someone to drop fill this little ding so my thumb doesn't catch it?

Have you tried Andy in Corsham Brian? Or is he one of the ones on your list of disasters..!

Thanks for the suggestion Mike. No, Andy's not one of the offenders!

Well he is very good and does most of my guitars. He also does Vintage & Rare's plus Robert Plant's mob and lots of others. You usually have to wait 2/3 weeks but it is worth it. I'll DM you his details.

hotpickups

I don't think I'm that precious about my guitars but a ding in the neck would annoy me for the same reason

Brize

hotpickups said:

I don't think I'm that precious about my guitars but a ding in the neck would annoy me for the same reason

Yep, if it was on the body I wouldn't have cared as much.

Guitar_Slinger

Blimey. I have a "nearly" tale after buying a Rothwell Hot Little Knob (f-narr f-narr) and taking it to a luthier in Denmark Street. The bloke had done work on two of my guitars before and I was happy to use him again.

He farmed the job to one of two apprentices, but I didn't worry because the other had fitted a rails pickup to another Strat, so it did exactly what I wanted. All good. When I went to collect the guitar with the Hot Little knob, I was told it would cost an extra fiver because some routing needed to be done, to stop the knob sticking out more than the other two. This predicament could have been nasty if I wanted to keep the guitar (a 1977 lawsuit Strat copy) in original condition, especially as I had provided him with fitting instructions. But my first thought was (and still is) good thinking for tucking it away, as I wanted the HLK to be unnoticed... a "secret weapon".  I've got no plans to sell it and IMHO, the guitar's a tool to do a job...  practicality first.

As some of you have mentioned, it's important to say exactly what you want, and also what you DON'T want.

rivercider

Brize said:

I have virtually the exact same ding in the same place almost, on my strat.  Did it myself with the tip of a guitar cable about a month after I'd bought it new :-( 
That has the tell tale signs of being from the same thing!  It annoys me as I always feel it but I didn't think much could be done about it to be honest so have been putting up with it. 

Modulus_Amps

Do guitar techs get trained anywhere or is it on the job training.

John_A

Guitar_Slinger said:

Blimey. I have a "nearly" tale after buying a Rothwell Hot Little Knob (f-narr f-narr) and taking it to a luthier in Denmark Street. The bloke had done work on two of my guitars before and I was happy to use him again.

He farmed the job to one of two apprentices, but I didn't worry because the other had fitted a rails pickup to another Strat, so it did exactly what I wanted. All good. When I went to collect the guitar with the Hot Little knob, I was told it would cost an extra fiver because some routing needed to be done, to stop the knob sticking out more than the other two. This predicament could have been nasty if I wanted to keep the guitar (a 1977 lawsuit Strat copy) in original condition, especially as I had provided him with fitting instructions. But my first thought was (and still is) good thinking for tucking it away, as I wanted the HLK to be unnoticed... a "secret weapon".

As some of you have mentioned, it's important to say exactly what you want, and also what you DON'T want.

Agree to a point, but before doing anything irreversible that wasn't specifically asked for I think they should call you and ask how to proceed.  Like my example above, I didn't  ask them not to stone half the height off 21 new frets, but dont think I should have had to

ICBM

Guitar_Slinger said:

Blimey. I have a "nearly" tale after buying a Rothwell Hot Little Knob (f-narr f-narr) and taking it to a luthier in Denmark Street. The bloke had done work on two of my guitars before and I was happy to use him again.

He farmed the job to one of two apprentices, but I didn't worry because the other had fitted a rails pickup to another Strat, so it did exactly what I wanted. All good. When I went to collect the guitar with the Hot Little knob, I was told it would cost an extra fiver because some routing needed to be done, to stop the knob sticking out more than the other two. This predicament could have been nasty if I wanted to keep the guitar (a 1977 lawsuit Strat copy) in original condition, especially as I had provided him with fitting instructions. But my first thought was (and still is) good thinking for tucking it away, as I wanted the HLK to be unnoticed... a "secret weapon".  I've got no plans to sell it and IMHO, the guitar's a tool to do a job...  practicality first.

As some of you have mentioned, it's important to say exactly what you want, and also what you DON'T want.

Yes, but the tech should *always* check that this sort of thing is OK before doing it - even if that makes the originally agreed job impossible, the customer needs to make that decision and not the tech. All it takes is a phone call.

guitarfishbay

Yes I’ve had guitars damaged by techs. In fact I’ve had multiple issues with multiple local techs to the point where I’m feeling like I might as well do anything I can myself, even if I’m slow at it.

The only guy I’ve used that I actually trust to do what they say they’ll do in the time frame they set is a considerable drive away, but anything I can’t handle I’ll just take there.

ICBM

Modulus_Amps said:

Do guitar techs get trained anywhere or is it on the job training.

Both. I’m self-taught, as are many others I know, but I do know others who have done college courses.

impmann

When I ran a service shop, there were occasions where stuff got damaged. I had a policy that I wouldn't get angry over any damage *IF* the tech came clean and told me what had gone on, usually leaving me to have the awkward conversation with the customer...

Most customers are cool if you are honest and offer some kind of recompense (either the repair free/discounted or some kind of replacement).

However, there was one wanker (and yes he is a wanker - and I don't care if he now reads this and complains because I no longer have to be nice to him) who insisted on a brand new guitar to replace his (gigged, scratched, 2 year old) example and a letter of apology from the CEO of the company - he also suggested that the perpetrator be sacked for the damage... which was a scratch on the back of the guitar where the tech's screwdriver accidentally slipped out whilst it was being reassembled. The scratch was less than 3cm long...

He got his wish on the guitar - which he collected in person as he wanted to "give me a piece of his mind", which he did to my face saying that this was the "worst customer service he'd ever experienced". Like I say... a wanker but at the time, I didn't react, even though I rather wanted to shove the guitar up his arse sideways. I didn't sack the tech - he was mortified about it and offered to do the hand over, but as I knew what a tit this customer was, it wasn't fair to put him through that.

As I've always said, mistakes and accidents happen - its how you deal with them that set the good guys from the bad.

Philly_Q

@Brize is that your TV yellow Custom Shop SG?

Some proper horror stories on here.  TBH my guitars don't get played enough to need much work and if they did I'd be comfortable doing most things myself, short of fretwork (time permitting).  But it does give pause for thought reading some of these anecdotes, especially since I'm the sort of person who'd notice every new scratch. 

Something I really hate which too many people do - adjusting the mounting studs on a stop tailpiece or PRS stoptail with the strings under tension, so the plating around the slot of the stud gets chipped or chewed up and leaves sharp edges.  Argh!

Musicman20

Man this would drive me nuts!

Does anyone know a reliable, trustworthy and decent guitar and bass tech in Manchester?

Reminds me of my colleagues newish car that came back from having a proper valet with scratches all over every single window....she only went to keep her car looking fresh and came back with it much worse.

neonblack

wow to the original post!

I have two sad stories my self, one from a few years ago on a 2014 r9, took it to the "tech" for rewiring and the dude left few spots on the back of it on the nitro finish and acted like they were there from the start. And what a freaking mess he left around pots on the finish too...
Later he admitted the hot melted soldering wire somehow got on the finish and made a small holes through the nitro finish.

The other one got me really pissed, the guy is super talented and the best tech I ever met otherwise but.. 
I owned a super nice Momose Stratocaster (they are easily Fender CS guitars and beyond), I loooved that guitar to death and because on many occasions I'm short with time and I hate dealing with trems, I took it to this guy for a bloody restring and usual setup. Got it back without an original nut which was cut to perfection, made of bone but he changed it for some plasticky thing.  
I never asked him to do that and the guitar never felt and played the same again... and the worst thing, he threw that nut away! Momose do their stuff like Huber and/or Hartung and such if not better, the fretwork is pure perfection too, so sadly I had to sell it as there was no real love after that. It wasn't done bad but it just wasn't that good.
This one is still hunting me...

Check how Momose do it. I have a telecaster from them and it's out of this world lovely. 
The pic is not mine but the guitar is just like mine, same model and all... 

solar

I took an acoustic in to a local shop to have a strap pin fitted on the side of the neck heel, close to the body.

Me while dropping it off: "It's a left handed guitar, but it's non-cutaway so it looks symmetrical - make sure you put the strap pin on the correct side of the neck!"

Him: "Of course, no worries".

Me two days later, phoning him to check whether it's done: "Is it done yet?"

Him: "No, but it's next on my list! It'll be ready by the end of the day."

Me: "Don't forget, it's left handed, so please make sure you put the strap pin on the correct side of the neck!"

Him, slightly annoyed that I'd reminded him again: "Of course, I'm not an idiot".

10 minutes later my phone rings, it's the tech: "I'm so sorry, but I've drilled the hole on the wrong side of the neck".

Me:



He filled in the hole and didn't charge me for the job, but every time I play that guitar and see that little filled hole it annoys me.