If there's anything I hate...

For help with setups and other technical issues.
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Embenny
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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by Embenny » Wed Mar 29, 2017 11:56 pm

I'm 100% with you on this. It's absurd.

One day, I went to my local (rather large) shop and asked for a setup on my bass. They said they were backlogged and wouldn't be able to get to it for 6 weeks. The guy suggested I keep my bass and they call me "when they can start working on it". I thought "what a great idea! Instead of them holding it hostage forever, they let me come in just when they're ready to work on it!"

So a couple of months later, I call them. They have no record of ever having had a conversation or of my request for a setup. They tell me to bring in my bass, and that it will be 6 weeks before they can get to it.

I get my bass back almost 3 months later.

Now, this was before I learned how to do this stuff myself. After learning the mysterious secrets behind setups, HOW THE HELL DOES IT TAKE THEM THREE EFFING MONTHS TO DO AN HOUR'S WORK? It truly boggles the mind. I agree that no other business would tolerate that kind of practice.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by StevenO » Thu Mar 30, 2017 2:17 am

I think the problem with Guitar techs is that they are also musicians, or at the very least guitar players, and musicians fucking suck.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by MechaBulletBill » Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:27 am

The couple of guys I have used have been generally pretty good, doing most of the work while I'm there hanging out in their shop.

I hear more horror stories about amp techs - gear kept for years, sold on to fund other projects, stored somewhere, forgotten and sold off by whoever was left with it under their roof - as though all that maths, solder fumes and electric shocks tips them over into another level of madness, beyond that of the musician luthier. Luckily, I have a guy who has always been prompt even if his labour costs are very, uh, honest... but that's the price you pay for somebody trustworthy.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by Pepe Silvia » Thu Mar 30, 2017 4:28 am

Larry Mal wrote:Oh, I also forgot to tell you all one part! So, the guy who has the Mustang, who I finally contacted four months into it, I sent him a message using the usual method, a text message. I could see by the read receipts that he'd seen it and not bothered to respond for a day or so, no real big deal. A little annoying, but I'm numb to it from guitar technicians.

But one morning I wake up and see his responses, and first among them is, "What is J 4?"

Well, the reason he asked that is because one of my kids got to my phone, and managed to fire off a message to the guy- he was at the top of my message list- that somehow said "You are J 4", which didn't mean anything (it was probably my two and a half year old), but it probably looked pretty creepy.

Maybe next I'll say, "You are J 5", then, you know, I'm coming to get my guitar back dude it's been half a fucking year.
You shold have said "you are now part of my revenge Bingo, it is called JERKS."

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Larry Mal
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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by Larry Mal » Thu Mar 30, 2017 5:15 am

MechaBulletBill wrote:The couple of guys I have used have been generally pretty good, doing most of the work while I'm there hanging out in their shop.

I hear more horror stories about amp techs - gear kept for years, sold on to fund other projects, stored somewhere, forgotten and sold off by whoever was left with it under their roof - as though all that maths, solder fumes and electric shocks tips them over into another level of madness, beyond that of the musician luthier. Luckily, I have a guy who has always been prompt even if his labour costs are very, uh, honest... but that's the price you pay for somebody trustworthy.
Yeah, that happened to me once, I had a Fender Princeton silverface that someone had taken out the vibrato stuff and put in some Mesa-Boogie high gain circuitry. So, I wanted to have it be put back to stock, which I thought would be doable, right? A year later I went to collect it from the guy, it had sat there for a year, finally he said he didn't think he could do it. He didn't think he was up to the challenge.

I would say "it took him a year to figure out he didn't have the skills" but that wouldn't be accurate, it just sat there for a year while he never looked at it.

I mean I really don't know how someone can work like that. Wouldn't it just bug you knowing that you had a backlog of work? What kind of person goes to work every day for a year just walking past someone's property and commission?

That situation depressed me so much that I ended up selling the amp on, making some trades and finally ending up with a G&L Legacy that I really do love. Still, that was a great amp. I'd certainly like another one.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by jdr1014 » Thu Mar 30, 2017 6:15 am

Both of Larry's cases totally unacceptable for sure. I am a very patient and understanding guy..........but don't tolerate incompetence masquerading as "expertise", poor communication when in the business of taking money for "service"........and lack of good 'ol consideration even less.

So......unless something is very valuable (or potentially dangerous) I freuquently try to learn how to do it myself. As for spray finishing, an auto paint shop may be an alternative for paint work. Good luck!

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by ifallalot » Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:20 am

mbene085 wrote:I'm 100% with you on this. It's absurd.

One day, I went to my local (rather large) shop and asked for a setup on my bass. They said they were backlogged and wouldn't be able to get to it for 6 weeks. The guy suggested I keep my bass and they call me "when they can start working on it". I thought "what a great idea! Instead of them holding it hostage forever, they let me come in just when they're ready to work on it!"

So a couple of months later, I call them. They have no record of ever having had a conversation or of my request for a setup. They tell me to bring in my bass, and that it will be 6 weeks before they can get to it.

I get my bass back almost 3 months later.

Now, this was before I learned how to do this stuff myself. After learning the mysterious secrets behind setups, HOW THE HELL DOES IT TAKE THEM THREE EFFING MONTHS TO DO AN HOUR'S WORK? It truly boggles the mind. I agree that no other business would tolerate that kind of practice.
It's the same way with surfboards

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by sears » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:38 am

Larry Mal wrote:Oh, I also forgot to tell you all one part! So, the guy who has the Mustang, who I finally contacted four months into it, I sent him a message using the usual method, a text message. I could see by the read receipts that he'd seen it and not bothered to respond for a day or so, no real big deal.
you can tell if someone's read your text?
maskedsuperstar.bandcamp.com

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by beauzooka » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:08 am

I dropped off a Jag for a refin in early August. Still waiting - almost 8 months now. :mellow:

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by jorri » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:59 am

This is why i set up things myself, and have one main guitar despite owning more. Although a lot mentioned through the thread like fretwork i couldn't do, I'd go for a new neck rather than the hassle. That said i'm pretty vintageless, not owning any '62 jags or anything, but certainly for newer guitars without heritage value i wouldn't think twice.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by DesmondWafers » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:18 pm

I went through 5-6 techs before I found one that is an absolute master. It's crazy how so many guitar guys know less than most people on this forum. The guy I'm talking about is booked 3-4 months in advance, but once you drop it off the turnaround is less than 5 days. Even for my refret. Cremer's guitar works in the chicago suburbs. The man is a goddamn wizard, he's spotted high frets on my guitar just looking at it in the case. Cheaper than pretty much everywhere else, too.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by monsterdonkey » Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:37 am

I've had medium luck generally. One guy drilled and filled my Classic Player for a Mastery bridge with very little waiting. He told me the Mastery bridge was flawed and could not be intonated properly. The next guitar I took for a simple setup with a Staytrem bridge and he told me the Mastery was THE bridge for the JM. This was a year or so later. People change.

He was unavailable a few months ago when I needed my VM Jag setup asap. The first guy I took it to was old school I guess. He wondered why I would bother paying for a: A Squier guitar, b: an offset, c: a setup for such an abomination, and by the way this (Mastery) bridge looks like weird foreign unusable crap that he could "try" if I "paid him to" but otherwise I should maybe save up for a real guitar.

I found another guy at a nicer shop that sells Eastwoods and other weird things and he set it up with pleasure in an hour for like $30.

But yeah. One time I took a Peavey T60 to be properly wired with the Chip Todd weirdness and it came back wired as a straight Gibson so I sucked it up redid it myself. The guy came highly recommend and did work for snakeskin-boots rock godz but he got a bit snobbish with me and then didn't bother to rise to the challenge of something a little different. Oh well.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by joe1967 » Sat Apr 01, 2017 8:37 am

Man this is a scary read! Basic set up stuff can't be that hard right?

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by marqueemoon » Sat Apr 01, 2017 9:12 am

I think this kind of thing is common in nerd hobbies. I had a minor crash on a vintage road bike once and it took taking it to three different shops to get it straight again.

Painters seem to be the worst offenders. Maybe they killed too many brain cells.

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Re: If there's anything I hate...

Post by Larry Mal » Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:28 pm

sears wrote:
Larry Mal wrote:Oh, I also forgot to tell you all one part! So, the guy who has the Mustang, who I finally contacted four months into it, I sent him a message using the usual method, a text message. I could see by the read receipts that he'd seen it and not bothered to respond for a day or so, no real big deal.
you can tell if someone's read your text?
Correct, this was a message on Facebook, which does show when something is "read", or at least opened. But there are read receipts in text messaging, although you have to enable it. I have it on when I use my iPhone, so that my wife can see when I've read what she's written to me even if I don't respond to her.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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