I just had a guitar shop tell me they won't work on my guitar...

[jdjonsson]

Just thought I'd warn you all. Intermountain Guitar and Banjo in SLC is too busy to work on your "inexpensive" acoustic guitars.

 

He basically said he doesn't have time for my lowly Garrison G20, but he'd give me "Advice."

 

I said, well, you know my money is green last time I checked....

 

F*** them right in the ear.

[Freeman Keller]

What needs to be done? Maybe we can help you do it your self.

 

Also, according to Garrison's site, there are four dealers in Utah - contact one of them.

 

 

Acoustic Music

Contact: Hardin Davis

857 E 400 S

Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Phone: (801) 531-7066

 

Bill Harris Music

Contact: Kevin Harris

312 S. University

Provo, UT 84606

Phone: (801) 374-1440

 

Boothe Brothers

135 N. Main

Spanish Fork, UT 84660

Phone: (801) 798-7650

 

Local Music

Contact: Tom Middlen

774 East 800 South

Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Phone: (801) 539-1439

eMail: tmiddlen@xmission.com

[jdjonsson]

I did contact Acoustic Music, and they are going to work on it.

 

It's got a horribly buzzy bridge. I think as a result of a previous saddle replacement done by a guitar tech who shall remain nameless, but works inside a big national chain store, and can do work on electrics and acoustics, but probably specializes in neither...

[caseykey118]

a local guitar shop has actually done that to me. I said i would want a professional setup on my epiphone les paul and he went on and on about how epiphone is crappy and he dosen't want to work on it. I was pretty pissed because well personally i don't have the money to finance a gibson or prs or jackson or dean hardtail or even a schecter, but i told him nicely to {censored} off. I replaced the pickups with seymores and all i wanted was for him to give me some low action. Some shop owners are assholes. It was actually pretty funny because a fellow guitarist who gives lessons there (ironically) was argueing with the shop owner about how it was the best guitar i could buy, and at least i'm into guitar enough to lay down 100 bucks to improve my 350 dollar guitar.

[theGOOCH]

 

Originally posted by caseykey118 a local guitar shop has actually done that to me. I said i would want a professional setup on my epiphone les paul and he went on and on about how epiphone is crappy and he dosen't want to work on it. I was pretty pissed because well personally i don't have the money to finance a gibson or prs or jackson or dean hardtail or even a schecter, but i told him nicely to {censored} off. I replaced the pickups with seymores and all i wanted was for him to give me some low action. Some shop owners are assholes. It was actually pretty funny because a fellow guitarist who gives lessons there (ironically) was argueing with the shop owner about how it was the best guitar i could buy, and at least i'm into guitar enough to lay down 100 bucks to improve my 350 dollar guitar.

 

 

You should have given him a Les Paul to the head.

 

How do these people stay in business? I used to be into target shooting and gun shop owners are the same way. They must get their customer service training at the DMV

[Hudman]

Some guitar store owners treat young guitar players lot crap. I'm 37. I started playing guitar when I was 15 years old. I can still remember being treated like crap and or ignored at several different guitar stores. There wasn't much competition. There were 3 guitar stores in my area (prior to the Guitar Center / Sam Ash - chain store domination). All 3 stores treated me like crap.

 

Now store owners are losing a lot of business to the internet. There are too many options available online. Customer service has never been more important than it is today. Too bad many of them don't seem to realize it judging by this thread.

[Queequeg]

Originally posted by jdjonsson I did contact Acoustic Music, and they are going to work on it. It's got a horribly buzzy bridge. I think as a result of a previous saddle replacement done by a guitar tech who shall remain nameless, but works inside a big national chain store, and can do work on electrics and acoustics, but probably specializes in neither...

your signature is "-- Jeff (Who has a bad nickname)"

 

bad nickname???

 

bad nickname???

 

I got to tell you, you have the scariest avatar I've ever seen, Jeff (Who has a bad nickname)

[TheSmizartFool]

Originally posted by Hudman Some guitar store owners treat young guitar players lot crap.

 

 

I'm 17 I remeber when I was shopping around for my classical guitar in order to get any service I first had to plug an acoustic into an acoustic amp and play (well) to show I wasn't some teen looking to get his kicks by playing guitars beyond his means. Sigh....

 

I took my 2grand to another store

[Big Blue]

A good shop will tell you about the limitations of the instrument and the effectiveness of the work your asking to have done. Too often though people just dont hear the advice and expect a miracle. I think some shops just stop doing certain things to certain brands because the bad rep of the dissatisfied customer is a big hurdle to overcome. Imagine spending 100 in upgrades to a 200 guitar. Then showing it to your friend who says "doesnt sound any better to me...Ill never go there!"

[theGOOCH]

 

Originally posted by Big Blue A good shop will tell you about the limitations of the instrument and the effectiveness of the work your asking to have done. Too often though people just dont hear the advice and expect a miracle. I think some shops just stop doing certain things to certain brands because the bad rep of the dissatisfied customer is a big hurdle to overcome. Imagine spending 100 in upgrades to a 200 guitar. Then showing it to your friend who says "doesnt sound any better to me...Ill never go there!"

 

 

 

A good business owner should know how to say that without being rude. If he had said "I'm sorry, but I just don't think this guitar can be made to do what you want it to do" That's different than going on a tirade and offending the customer

[Big Blue]

AGREED. No excuse for bad customer service or relations. I agree w/ you 1000% gooch.

[numbthumb]

 

Originally posted by jdjonsson Just thought I'd warn you all. Intermountain Guitar and Banjo in SLC is too busy to work on your "inexpensive" acoustic guitars. He basically said he doesn't have time for my lowly Garrison G20, but he'd give me "Advice." I said, well, you know my money is green last time I checked.... F*** them right in the ear.

 

 

Just clarify something here: They sold you the guitar and now won't help with a set up, or you bought the guitar elsewhere? There's a big difference in these two scenarios.

[ebgdae]

I've had people bring in a $50 instrument that really needs $100 of work and it'll still be crappy. I don't think I have ever offended anyone in explaining this, and I sure never try to sell them another instrument. (Very tacky-looking, even if sincere.)

 

Often I have taken time to explain how the owner or a more confident friend can do a half-assed repair (not on those terms) which will work out okay, and for free!

 

In the case of bad nut slots on a really cheap instrument, I recommend filling each slot with a drop of Hot Stuff or other krazy-type glue, then gently filing new slots only as deep as half the string diameter (a nail file is a free substitute for the expensive fret files, and okay if used carefully.)

 

Amateur Action Setting: I tune the instrument lower than pitch, usually a minor third (three frets) and play the heck out of it. If there's no buzz, I take another hair off the nut and bridge. Repeat. When you start to hear a buzz tuned low like this, it'll disappear when you tune back up, and that's as low as you can take the action without buzzing.

[Rickkkk]

 

Originally posted by ebgdae I've had people bring in a $50 instrument that really needs $100 of work and it'll still be crappy. I don't think I have ever offended anyone in explaining this, and I sure never try to sell them another instrument. (Very tacky-looking, even if sincere.) Often I have taken time to explain how the owner or a more confident friend can do a half-assed repair (not on those terms) which will work out okay, and for free! In the case of bad nut slots on a really cheap instrument, I recommend filling each slot with a drop of Hot Stuff or other krazy-type glue, then gently filing new slots only as deep as half the string diameter (a nail file is a free substitute for the expensive fret files, and okay if used carefully.) Amateur Action Setting: I tune the instrument lower than pitch, usually a minor third (three frets) and play the heck out of it. If there's no buzz, I take another hair off the nut and bridge. Repeat. When you start to hear a buzz tuned low like this, it'll disappear when you tune back up, and that's as low as you can take the action without buzzing.

 

 

... Hey - cool advice. Thanks. That last bit of info (action) is especially interesting.