A question about Peach Guitars

TheOtherDennis

All of which backs up what I'd heard before, so I can only apologise again to them for having misunderstood and caused an unnecessary fuss.

I look forward to the Larrivee's arrivee* in due course.



*Yes, I did that deliberately, coat is already on.

pjf

TheOtherDennis said:

GoldenEraGuitars said:

It’s not possible to ask for a “setup“ when you haven’t provided any information for them to work from. As a retailer their QC is exemplary but I think it’s pushing it a little to ask for a “setup” with no detail as to what you prefer. Email them back with a few specifics and I’m sure Tom will do what he can for you. 

I've obviously said the wrong here, in the sense that I used a term incorrectly.

When I said set up, I meant will it be playable in a reasonable way, with a full personal set up to my specifics later on. Of course they can't do a full on "This is for you", I wasn't expecting that and didn't mean it.

I had an email from John Priest last night, who was quite upset about a couple of the comments on here, so I'll be getting back in touch with him to say sorry in a bit.

I apologise for clumsily stirring up a hornet's nest.

Your second para here is what I understood from your OP (although maybe I’m wrong as well!?).

Of course it’s possible to set a guitar up without tailoring it to someone’s specific requirements. The difference is between carrying out the set up on a ‘numbers-only’ basis and taking someone’s playing style and preferences into account. In the former scenario, you can’t blame a tech for erring on the side of caution, a prime example being (as someone else mentioned in this thread) by leaving the action slightly high as it’s easier to take it down than back up. But basic set up actions such as checking the intonation, neck relief, that the nut slots have been filed correctly, even ensuring that frets are level and properly crowned – I suspect these can be done on any acoustic without needing to know a player’s preferences. After all, who wants a poorly-intonated guitar?

You could consider the above examples as factory QC issues. I think that’s how Peach’s original response to you and the reference to “factory standards” has to be understood – ie, if the factory has missed set-up item X, we’ll fix it before sending.

Just to prod the hornet’s nest once more, I really doubt there is the huge variance in set up preferences that some have alluded to here. You can set a guitar up but leave the saddle high, and 90% of players will then take it down to as low as possible without buzzing.

DavidR

Bought my Martin OM28 from Peach in 2018. Great shop and staff. 

Sorry to sound like a testimonial but we badly need our big stores to stay open so this is an attempt to big them up! They deserve it too. Not only was I guided to my OM28, which I pretty much knew I was going to buy (and did) but I was left alone to give it a try out and then given a very nice tour of the shop by one of the senior sales staff and had a go on a couple of their resonators and their excellent selection of Lowdens. Great fun. 10/10 customer service.

By the way the Martin's action was on the high side but all Martins are shipped like that, the logic being that actions are quite easy to lower to individual choice but much less easy to raise. Nothing wrong with neck relief, just needed a little sanding off the bottom of the saddle which I know enough to do myself. A lot of guitars ship like that. With some acoustic makes you can almost assume they will be like that.

sunshinewelly

Peach to be fair are excellent and will do a set up if you ask them to. Obvioulsy there is no such thing as a generic set up unless they know exactly what you want. I have made 2 expensive aucostic purchases from peach in last 4 months and both were set up based on what i had asked for. Andertons wont do that for the customer. 

hollywoodrox

Their website states 

From meticulously inspecting each piece of equipment, professionally setting up each guitar, tracking every package, and delivering the best after-sales customer service, 

professionally setting up each guitar . I was considering buying a jem jr from them at one time 
and knowing how variable they can be in quality I was considering peach to get me a good one and set it up. I did t get one in the end. Still tempted though. I need a neon pink guitar 

if you go to their ‘about ‘ page it clearly states a setup like in the paragraph I copy and pasted above. 

hollywoodrox

You can set up a guitar to a Certain basic standard Like fender have a basic recommended list of settings if you get those Haynes manuals etc . 

A sort of setup as a great starting point leaving finer adjustments to a players preferences but making sure it is at least playable to an expected level out of the box . I know what I mean anyway 

hollywoodrox

This

LastMantra said:

I think a guitar should be 'perfectly playable' when bought new. Getting it set up exactly how you like it is a different kettle of fish.

Acoustics should probably have a high action because it makes more sense to be able to lower it than trying to raise it.

hollywoodrox

I’ve had to go and look at the jem juniors now, even though I’m skint at the moment .
  

pjf

sunshinewelly said:

Peach to be fair are excellent and will do a set up if you ask them to. Obvioulsy there is no such thing as a generic set up unless they know exactly what you want. I have made 2 expensive aucostic purchases from peach in last 4 months and both were set up based on what i had asked for. Andertons wont do that for the customer. 

I don’t want to sound like a smart arse but if they know exactly what you want, it wouldn’t be a generic set up – it’d be a player-specific one! 

Andy79

Smart arse

TheOtherDennis

Well as it happens, when it arrived, it was set up to perfection. It even included a checklist card which said it had been set up.

So we were all wrong.

It's a lovely thing, and I'd do a NGD thread but for two things. One, there's nowhere in my house to take pics that don't reveal my place to be an embarrassing tip. Two, my job may be on the line and it may have to go back due to financial emergency. I'll know more in the next few days.

Nothing's ever simple, is it?