MJT Quality Issues?

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ryandennis
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MJT Quality Issues?

Post by ryandennis » Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:14 pm

Hey all, I have had MJT building a Jaguar for me since early this year and it finally arrived! I'm sad to say but I have ran into a few issues already just at first glance :unsure:. I know several people on this forum have worked with MJT on their builds so I had a few questions about the quality I should be expecting.

For reference, this guitar was built under their closet clean option (no relicing of the paint) with their full kit option (hardware included by them).

Straight out of the box the body seems to be damaged from shipping. I know this isn't necessarily their fault but it is sad to see.
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It looks like the pickup covers weren't aged at all with the pickguard.
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I was sent what I believe to be a fender bass control plate for the bottom right and am missing the top left control plate completely.
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There is a small white line going down the majority of the fretboard, I believe this to be the tape line for spraying tinted nitro on the neck as the edges of the frets are tinted golden.
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The tape lines on the headstock are a bit messy. The line from the fretboard doesn't look entirely straight (exposing a little headstock wood and primer) and the paint goes over the edge of the headstock on to the side of the neck in areas.
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The included tuners (which seem to be not completely installed yet in areas) are chipping nitro off of the back of the headstock.
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Seems to already have a small dent in the back of the neck, might can be removed by me or them with steaming?
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I'm probably going to return the body to be corrected so I was wondering if the other issues here should be addressed or if they are usual. I understand that MJT nitro is a delicate finish and I do want honest wear to happen over time, I just take really good care of my instruments and some of this almost strikes me as negligence. There is a chance I may just be being picky, but I spent around 1k on this guitar and really had high expectations. Thank you for your time!
Last edited by ryandennis on Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by YALCaster » Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:35 pm

I’d send the neck back too so there’s no chance of color difference in the headstock

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by Telliot » Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:51 pm

That’s disappointing to see. Mark’s done great work for me in the past, I wonder if this is a result of higher demand/faster turnover, or something else. Those pics do a great job of telling the story. Have you spoken to him about it?
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by ryandennis » Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:01 pm

YALCaster wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:35 pm
I’d send the neck back too so there’s no chance of color difference in the headstock
Thanks for bringing this up, I hadn't thought about that happening. This would be a great time to have the tape lines cleaned up as well.
Telliot wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:51 pm
That’s disappointing to see. Mark’s done great work for me in the past, I wonder if this is a result of higher demand/faster turnover, or something else. Those pics do a great job of telling the story. Have you spoken to him about it?
I'm not certain, I placed this order back in early February if I remember right. I got my package in Friday and sent them an email, I'm sure Monday they will get back to me. I've seen what I thought as awesome work from them on forums so I was a bit confused myself thinking either most people aren't as picky or I got a one-off type of situation.
Last edited by ryandennis on Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by HNB » Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:02 pm

I haven't ever had those issues, but I always look for heavy relic so that sort of stuff wouldn't have been noticable. The pickup covers and plate deal is super weird. I have only sent them parts once and they returned them to me in a little baggy. No mix ups like that for me. I also didn't notice any neck issues, but to be fair I have only had two necks finished by them.
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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by YALCaster » Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:13 pm

ryandennis wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:01 pm
YALCaster wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:35 pm
I’d send the neck back too so there’s no chance of color difference in the headstock
Thanks for bringing this up, I hadn't thought about that happening. This would be a great time to have the tape lines cleaned up as well.
Telliot wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 4:51 pm
That’s disappointing to see. Mark’s done great work for me in the past, I wonder if this is a result of higher demand/faster turnover, or something else. Those pics do a great job of telling the story. Have you spoken to him about it?
I'm not certain, I placed this order back in early February if I remember right. I got my package in Friday and sent them an email, I'm sure Monday they will get back to me. I've seen what I thought as awesome work from them on forums so I was a bit confused myself thinking either most people aren't as picky or I got a one-off type of situation.
Mark retired and stepped away. He no longer does any of the work

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by Telliot » Sun Jul 24, 2022 6:11 pm

YALCaster wrote:
Sun Jul 24, 2022 5:13 pm
Mark retired and stepped away. He no longer does any of the work
That could explain a lot.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by CROSS_guitars » Sun Jul 24, 2022 6:26 pm

All of those imperfections would annoy me.
And that control plate mishap is just stupid.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by JSett » Sun Jul 24, 2022 10:43 pm

Yeah, I'd send the lot back and ask it to be redone, quickly and properly.

Even I can tape a headstock off neater than that. And even if not, that could/should have been scraped clean before lacquering to lessen the mess.

Sorry to hear of your woes...that's a long time to wait for a load of disappointments.
Silly Rabbit, don't you know scooped mids are for kids?

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by Jaguar018 » Mon Jul 25, 2022 5:55 am

This topic has come up quite often here and over on The Gear Page. I had MJT do a 'Closet Clean' Mustang done a few years ago with a matching headstock and it came out GREAT. More recently I had them do a Closet Clean Strat body and there were some serious QC issues. Scratches, dings, cracks, etc. . They did tell me about the stuff and I decided to keep it 'as is.' They do have some wiggle room in their description that lets them get away with a few flaws but it was a bit much.

Their QC has gone down in the past few years, and I wouldn't be surprised if all of the Covid-orders had them pretty slammed. I am forgiving to a fault about things like that, and realistically I am just going to be noodling with my Strat in my basement.

I probably would not recommend MJT to anyone who wants a pristine nitro-finished guitar. For me, their 'Closet Classic' is really more of a 'Light Relic' finish. If it's something that is going to bug you, quite understandably, send it back and hope for the best.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by RIORIO » Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:07 am

The last few things I had done by them had horrific QC and took forever. I’ll never use them again.

Conversely, I had a few of their bodies/builds about 6-7 years ago and they were PERFECT.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by Fiddy » Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:30 am

RIORIO wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:07 am
The last few things I had done by them had horrific QC and took forever. I’ll never use them again.

Conversely, I had a few of their bodies/builds about 6-7 years ago and they were PERFECT.
Dang it, thanks for the warning, I was recently looking at your for sale post. :D

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by RIORIO » Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:16 pm

tribi9 wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:30 am
RIORIO wrote:
Mon Jul 25, 2022 8:07 am
The last few things I had done by them had horrific QC and took forever. I’ll never use them again.

Conversely, I had a few of their bodies/builds about 6-7 years ago and they were PERFECT.
Dang it, thanks for the warning, I was recently looking at your for sale post. :D
LOL- the finish on the burgundy JM is really nice IMO. I was referrring to a custom-ordered Dakota Red Jazzmaster body that I had to send back TWICE. I guess its just hit or miss.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by JVG » Mon Jul 25, 2022 9:42 pm

I’ll echo the earlier responses here, i.e. i have had great experiences with them in years gone by, but not in recent times. It’s a shame.

They are usually super nice people to deal with, which is great on one hand, but can almost make you feel guilty about sending stuff back.

However In your case, i’d send it all back - there are too many things wrong. Sucks though, especially with the long wait times these days.

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Re: MJT Quality Issues?

Post by Ret Samzzaj » Mon Jul 25, 2022 11:17 pm

Sending out an order like this to a customer is a complete insult.

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