Members JA2112 Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 So here's the premise: '98 MIM Strat (my #1), tired of the stock vintage frets and wanted to go to true jumbos. The neck is one of the best Fender necks (MIM, USA, or otherwise) I've ever played, and the only reason why I didn't just buy a Warmoth replacement neck instead. So I decided to take the Strat to a local guitar shop mostly known for the repair work they do (they've been in business for many years and have a clean BBB record). They outsource stuff like this is an independent repair guy, but I figure they will back up the work regardless. It took about a week and I got my guitar back today. I was ready to pummel someone when I took it out of the case. Half of the frets weren't properly seated to the fingerboard (gaps), half of the frets were mounted at an angle (not true perpendicular to the board), and the worst part - there's something strange going on with the back of the neck. It looks like finish cracks behind the 3rd fret but I don't know of the stock satin finish on these necks would crack like that. It almost looks like the guy sprayed some cheap finish over the stock finish and it didn't dry properly. Need less to say they are giving it back to the guy to fix. I want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but if he was willing to give it to me in that condition the first time, I don't have a good feeling about what I'll end up with the second time. I'm thinking about just having them pay for a replacement neck for me (like a Warmoth or USAG), but then the original neck (with serial #) now is useless, making the guitar worth nothing (I know it's a MIM Std but it's still worth *something*). Should I then just pack it and ship it to someone else (not sure who?) and have them fix it right and give the bill to the local shop? What would you ask for to make it right? I know there are MIM necks all over Ebay, but I don't know that I would find one as nice as the one I have.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Send it to atrox....after you get at least a partial refund.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members magentaplacenta Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Let's see some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrjones Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Get a full refund and the neck back, and send it to someone else. You shouldn't have to pay one red cent for a job that has to be completely redone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoredGuitarist7 Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Have them refund AND pay you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HanSolo Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Have them refund AND pay you! ... for a replacement neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tincob Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 Send it to atrox....after you get at least a partial refund.... I exchanged some PM's with atrox recently about a refret job. He's not taking any refret jobs at the moment. Too bad there aren't more luthiers like atrox that you can trust to do the job right. I have a nice acoustic that needs a total refret but I haven't found anyone who would do a good job at a decent price. I guess I could go all the way into Manhattan to get it done but then I think it'll cost too much when compared with the guitar's cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members illinismitty Posted December 23, 2008 Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 I would not be concerned about the serial and value of a MIM strat. Not having the original neck will not render it worthless and MIMs will likely never be collectible. Plus, if you love that guitar so much- value should not be an issue because you will never sell it...right? Now the feel and playability is a totally separate issue. If that's your perfect neck, then try to get it repaired. You may spend more time trying to hunt down another perfect neck vs just laying down frog skins to get it right. What's it worth to you? That's what you need to decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JA2112 Posted December 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 The shop has already told me that I wasn't going to pay for the job (even the regular workers there noticed the bad fret work). Like tincob mentioned, it's hard to find a luthier who actually have some integrity in their work no matter what they are working on. Now the guy that did the work says he can't look at it until next week because of the holidays (bad timing). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JA2112 Posted December 23, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 23, 2008 I would not be concerned about the serial and value of a MIM strat. Not having the original neck will not render it worthless and MIMs will likely never be collectible. Plus, if you love that guitar so much- value should not be an issue because you will never sell it...right? Now the feel and playability is a totally separate issue. If that's your perfect neck, then try to get it repaired. You may spend more time trying to hunt down another perfect neck vs just laying down frog skins to get it right. What's it worth to you? That's what you need to decide. I hear what you're saying, but I disagree to a certain extent. A Strat's external serial # is marked on the headstock/neck. Replace the neck, and you no longer have a Fender Strat, you have a mutt guitar with no identifiable markings. It's no different than someone putting a Fender decal on a replacement neck and calling the guitar a Fender Strat. Regardless of how you personally feel about the guitar, it no longer has street value as a Fender Strat. The same can be said of any guitar maker that uses a bolt-on neck. I realize that a MIM Strat is not the same as an original '62 Strat, but I think you get where I'm going with this... Fretwork can be fixed, and I'm sure whatever is wrong with the finish on the back of the neck can be fixed as well, but after it's all done who's to say it will feel/play the same? I'm just not sure if it's worth it to pursue getting this stuff fixed or just replace the neck outright. Either way it won't be the same guitar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catsandstrats Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 You know I grew up in Nashville, and I always thought that if you take a guitar to ANY shop, you would get great work and it wouldnt cost that much...... So I moved to GA 4 years ago, and I havent even found a shop to do a setup since I left. I learned to do most of the stuff myself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashtray Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Parts-Strats are still worth money - especially with a quality neck (stamped on the heel with the logo of neck maker). It might no longer be a true Fender, but you can sell a MIM Strat body loaded with a Warmoth neck for about the same exact price as a regular MIM Strat would sell for - sometimes even more. As for the refret - yikes! If the frets were in at an angle (???) then there would be divots left in the fretboard after they were removed and put in correctly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 You could always pm forum member Mind Riot.He does beautiful,meticulous fretwork.I also doublt changing to another quality neck is going to hurt the value of a MIM strat at all.You like the neck you have and the store is obligated to make it right.The neck can most likely be fixed but probably not cost effective to do so.The store is going to want the cheapest way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hecticone Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Throw the neck in a box and send it to Chuck at Sound Logic. Does great work Phone number is 1-608-246-8742 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zbasstringer Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow, it took a week? Most the time, they let the guitar set for a week just to get it used to the climate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members louloomis Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Take them to small claims court. Get your money, never talk to that shop again, and tell everyone who will listen that they are incompetent. Act like a doormat and one will get treated like a doormat. Sorry, but I bend over backwards to provide quality service for people in my day job as a matter of personal pride and because of my work ethic. Therefore, I believe no one should settle for less than I myself would be willing to provide. End of story. LouLoomis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members captainobvious Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Take them to small claims court. Get your money, never talk to that shop again, and tell everyone who will listen that they are incompetent. Act like a doormat and one will get treated like a doormat. Sorry, but I bend over backwards to provide quality service for people in my day job as a matter of personal pride and because of my work ethic. Therefore, I believe no one should settle for less than I myself would be willing to provide. End of story. LouLoomis Wow..jumping the gun a bit arent we? I understand what you're saying, but the shop is having it redone, and he isnt being charged for the job now. They have had a good reputation, per the OP, for work until this point. Now, you can fault them for allowing the bad work to ever make it into the customers hands, but the owner may have had a lazy employee that didn't check it out properly...just saying you never know. There's absolutely ZERO reason at this point to take the owner to small claims court. And shouting to everyone that will listen that they are incompetent is low class at this point as well. I think you've gotta give them a chance to fix the mistake and see there position before any of that nonsense. I think the OP is playing it pretty cool for now until he sees how it pans out which is a good idea. No need to turn the dogs loose until you really have to. To the OP, I'm sorry to hear about the unfortunate mishap. Hopefully they will get you taken care of and get that neck back to you exactly as you expected it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Invader.CC Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Man what a F**k job. I would demand my money back and send it to someone else.Be prepared after this guy screwed it up the repair may cost more then the original fret job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members harold heckuba Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Take them to small claims court. Get your money, never talk to that shop again, and tell everyone who will listen that they are incompetent.Act like a doormat and one will get treated like a doormat. Sorry, but I bend over backwards to provide quality service for people in my day job as a matter of personal pride and because of my work ethic. Therefore, I believe no one should settle for less than I myself would be willing to provide.End of story.LouLoomis Sounds like a job for Judge Judy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JA2112 Posted December 24, 2008 Author Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow..jumping the gun a bit arent we? I understand what you're saying, but the shop is having it redone, and he isnt being charged for the job now. They have had a good reputation, per the OP, for work until this point. Now, you can fault them for allowing the bad work to ever make it into the customers hands, but the owner may have had a lazy employee that didn't check it out properly...just saying you never know. There's absolutely ZERO reason at this point to take the owner to small claims court. And shouting to everyone that will listen that they are incompetent is low class at this point as well. I think you've gotta give them a chance to fix the mistake and see there position before any of that nonsense. I think the OP is playing it pretty cool for now until he sees how it pans out which is a good idea. No need to turn the dogs loose until you really have to. To the OP, I'm sorry to hear about the unfortunate mishap. Hopefully they will get you taken care of and get that neck back to you exactly as you expected it. You've got it. I'm trying to be fair and reasonable right now. I know the guy screwed up, the store knows he screwed up - no sense in turning into the Hulk just yet. Like I mentioned before, considering what the guitar looked like when I got it the first time, I don't have a good feeling about what I'll end up with the next time. Thanks for the replies, it sucks being without your favorite guitar, especially when it's being repaired. I came across this site: http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/badfretwork.htm The picture of the rolled frets looks exactly like what I ended up with on 12 of the frets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alex W Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 There should be a sticky list of people on the forum who do this kind of work. If I needed guitar work done I wouldn't go to the local guitar shop because I have no idea as to the quality of repair work that they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcindc Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Jezz, the first refret I did was better than that. I'm not happy with it, mostly due to some slight tear out of the RW board, but still. It plays fine and doesn't look F'ed up. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mind Riot Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Show us some pics of this, let's see if it's fixable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tincob Posted December 24, 2008 Members Share Posted December 24, 2008 Mind Riot, you have a PM from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted December 25, 2008 Members Share Posted December 25, 2008 You've got it. I'm trying to be fair and reasonable right now. I know the guy screwed up, the store knows he screwed up - no sense in turning into the Hulk just yet. Like I mentioned before, considering what the guitar looked like when I got it the first time, I don't have a good feeling about what I'll end up with the next time. Thanks for the replies, it sucks being without your favorite guitar, especially when it's being repaired. I came across this site: http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/badfretwork.htm The picture of the rolled frets looks exactly like what I ended up with on 12 of the frets You could also send your neck to Marguerite. She's the luthier and owner of fretnot guitar repair that you got the link from. She does excellent work and did an amazing refret on my Les Paul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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