MJT Quality Issues?

[ryandennis]

After going back and fourth with MJT and UPS for over a month they finally came and got the package on Friday (8/19). MJT was very cooperative about reaching out to UPS and trying to figure out what was going on. I do have to say for as messed up as the situation has got they have been responsive and polite. Turns out UPS slapped a return label on someones TV that was delivered on their porch and shipped it to MJT. I wrapped everything up about 10x more than it was when it came to me and the box is stuffed so tight that I had to wrap the entire thing with tape but I wanted to make real sure the neck stayed safe. Hopefully it makes it to MJT in a few days and they can assess the situation .

[ryandennis]

Brief little update! MJT has been very cooperative in the repair process. They originally wanted to strip the headstock and repaint it to fix the tape lines and then go over the body once with the new paint to blend after doing a spot repair on the body dent. I told them that I'd prefer everything stripped and refinished to make sure I don't wear through the body and expose the old paint and to also ensure all of the other issues get fixed. They told me no problem and got it stripped down back into production. They also offered to change any of the configurations I picked in the finish choices, I decided to go with a deep Ocean Turquoise instead. I think what I originally thought to be sherwood green was aged ocean turquoise, their sherwood green in person was a lot more silvery green than a blue green. I'll keep the thread updated as things go along.

[HNB]

That is cool of them. I have always had good experiences with MJT. They are painting a custom Jag-Stang for me currently. It is almost to the wear stage where I get pictures.

[Embenny]

Glad they're doing right by you. Like HNB, I've only had good customer experiences with them.

[ryandennis]

What a mess, I finally got the "repaired" guitar back in the mail today. There are a couple new issues and some of the old issues are still there...

I sent many emails to MJT telling them that I don't care how long it takes to finish the guitar, that I just care that it is done RIGHT. I requested they repaint the whole guitar to make sure that the body and headstock match. I even bought and shipped them a gator case to ship the guitar out in to make sure that the guitar doesn't get damaged in shipping back to me.

The bad:
Somewhere along the line the nut was removed and put back in and there is a chunk where the chisel must have slipped or something.



The headstock paint line still isn't straight, no idea how this is such a hard concept to follow. Honestly all the tape lines are bad in this picture.


The fretboard has scuffs along it, this is right out of the box. I tried polishing the scuffs out with lemon oil after I took this picture and no luck.


The hardware they sent me is STILL wrong/missing. The pickup covers are still unaged, there is a bass control plate, and I'm missing the top plate completely just as I initially was.


There is a part on the headstock that looks to be missing paint altogether like someone stuck their finger on it or put it on a guitar stand and the nitro burned through.


There are still nitro paint lines on the sides of the rosewood, the frets, and the clay dot markers.

The not as bad stuff but still annoying for paying so much for a guitar:
Neck seemed to have arrived over tightened, stress cracks from it. I know it is nitro and the whole guitar will crack eventually but still aggravating.



The tape lines on the headstock are a little low leaving the top line of the headstock unpainted:


Body already has some dings on the back:


Super disappointed altogether, especially after pointing out these issues to them and the only issue that really got fixed was the original shipping damage.

[finboy]

Yeesh, unfortunate as MJT had a pretty good value prop a few years back. I’ve had my issues with them but it seems like a company that just can’t figure out how to scale up a great idea.

[JVG]

How very disappointing.

MJT are becoming increasingly inconsistent with QC. The good ones seems to be in the minority these days.

And yet they are super friendly to deal with. I don’t get it.

[ryandennis]

The most frustrating part about the project is that I actually reminded them to look over the original issues whenever they do the quality control after they told me it was going over there to be checked and packaged. I also caught the crooked lines in a picture they sent me and pointed out that issue before it even left their shop. They assured me that quality control looked it all over and everything is great lol.




They say that they don't do perfect finishes, that they are meant to be vintage correct instead. I would understand if it was nitro checking all over the place or maybe the occasional paint flake or something on arrival but lack of attention to detail is a totally different situation.

[Unicorn Warrior]

Idk man. There’s a wealth of info on their QC out there. At the end of the day, you’re not the only one. And those details that you’re complaining about are probably something others would never bring up. They’re not detail oriented and they’re mass volume at this point with being up to their eyeballs in jobs. I gathered as much with my build as well. At the end of the day, I was happy with my end result, but I wasn’t looking for perfection either.

The finish on my guitar has checked a lot more and has aged and dinged so much since I got it. Maybe a year and a half ago? Its what their guitars do. It would be nearly impossible to keep it factory finish looking, unless you barely played it. It’s actually developing a really cool character which is what I wanted. But again, your request just seems too attention to detail for what they’re willing to do obviously.

I may or may not use them again in the future.

[Embenny]

Idk man. There’s a wealth of info on their QC out there. At the end of the day, you’re not the only one. And those details that you’re complaining about are probably something others would never bring up. They’re not detail oriented and they’re mass volume at this point with being up to their eyeballs in jobs. I gathered as much with my build as well. At the end of the day, I was happy with my end result, but I wasn’t looking for perfection either.

The finish on my guitar has checked a lot more and has aged and dinged so much since I got it. Maybe a year and a half ago? Its what their guitars do. It would be nearly impossible to keep it factory finish looking, unless you barely played it. It’s actually developing a really cool character which is what I wanted. But again, your request just seems too attention to detail for what they’re willing to do obviously.

I may or may not use them again in the future.

I get what you're saying, but in fairness, that's a shit masking job on the headstock. I've refinished a grand total of one matching headstock in my life, and I got better paint lines than that. Neck pocket cracks seem inevitable given the fragility of their finishes, but bad masking lines and missing/incorrect hardware is just plain bad.

There's a reason I went to Guitar Mill for my most recent vintage partsmaster, after having had two bodies and a neck done by MJT in the past. MJT is basically a high-volume moderate-quality outfit now, for better and for worse. Their finishes are in their own category - they don't look or feel like vintage finishes, and they start falling apart immediately. So that's good if you want something that ages super fast and the finer details won't bother you. For higher quality work, you have to go elsewhere and pay more and/or wait longer.

[ryandennis]

Idk man. There’s a wealth of info on their QC out there. At the end of the day, you’re not the only one. And those details that you’re complaining about are probably something others would never bring up. They’re not detail oriented and they’re mass volume at this point with being up to their eyeballs in jobs. I gathered as much with my build as well. At the end of the day, I was happy with my end result, but I wasn’t looking for perfection either.

The finish on my guitar has checked a lot more and has aged and dinged so much since I got it. Maybe a year and a half ago? Its what their guitars do. It would be nearly impossible to keep it factory finish looking, unless you barely played it. It’s actually developing a really cool character which is what I wanted. But again, your request just seems too attention to detail for what they’re willing to do obviously.

I may or may not use them again in the future.

Even though we both went with MJT with different expectations I do respect this, I just would argue that some of this MJT situation is almost laughable. I was under the impression when I ordered from them that I would be getting this guitar that would compete with fender custom shop and be super detail oriented so I just feel let down by the lack of detail. I've painted a fender mustang myself with nitro on my apartment balcony and came out with killer results, a 20$ rattle can of nitro and a $3 roll of tape and I would have had this headstock straight as hell. I just figured the professionals could do a better job with a paint booth that I could and that's why I spent money. I was wrong though, somehow even in a paint booth there is more dirt in the finish than what I got from my balcony.

On the back of the guitar there is what appears to be a hair or something cleared into it. You can also see the dent above it.


The paint is very rarely flat no matter which way your turn the body, has marks like this all over it.



I want this guitar to check and age and develop character over time and there is a chance that the wear may hide a lot of these issues as time goes on, I just wanted it to have a clean start just as a vintage original jag would. I also don't understand why there is still incorrect and missing hardware not once but twice and how there is a thumbprint sized mark on the headstock with no paint altogether.

[DeathJag]

Man, I'm pissed for you. They shouldn't say they can deliver one thing when they can't. You were more kind than you could have been, and far more than I would have been. That crooked headstock paint would drive me right up the wall. No excuse. I'm so glad I (hopefully) paid more and sent my JM to Copacetic!

Despite the other comments, I don't understand anyone paying money for an imperfect refin that they knew would be imperfect! Those lines and bubble looking deformities would kill me. I'd never play that because it would make me mad. *I* want to make those marks, not someone I paid money to!

[hulakatt]

Looks like their painter was pissed about your complaints so he layered some pubes into the clear. Just like an arrogant chef.

[øøøøøøø]

Wow, a short-and-curly in the color coat.

I’m not the most meticulous about guitar finishes, but I’d be pretty unsatisfied with this result.

There’s “vintage” and then there’s “sloppy,” and this sadly looks more like the latter

[N0_Camping4U]

I used to have great luck with MJT. Then I began to hear more and more horror stories. I've since went to Copacetic Customs, who is on this very forum. Guy is better, cheaper, and even more of a joy to work with. Hell we BS and text eachother now. So I'm sorry to hear of your frustrations. The control plates and the aged pickup covers is beyond ridiculous. Especially after you emailed them about it.

The good news is... What color is that? It does LOOK stunning.