Members bugly Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 My son's Scheckter C1 EA was taken into the local music shop to have a nasty hum rectified and the pickups replaced with SD Prails. Anyway the guitar is left with the shop - some 4 weeks later I get a little pissed off and go to the store to find out what the hold up was. When I saw the guitar I went a little ballistic. THe moronic tech thought the Piezo was the problem so he cut every freaking wire from the pickup at the saddle totally destroying the damn thing.I called the owner then next working day and had a very frank discussion about the quality of his guitar tech. To be fair they have provided over $1000 in discounts on new purchases I made since. I just do all my guitar repairs and setups myself now.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sc4589 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 I've also been told that you have to bring in a Floyd equipped guitar to be setup. It requires a tech's expertise, and special tools only available to techs and luthiers. Ideally, with a setup any guitar should be taken to the store, then they need to observe how you play so it can be set up how you like it. A blind setup is not dissimilar to setting the controls of a car for anyone, and hoping that it'll be alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ideally, with a setup any guitar should be taken to the store, then they need to observe how you play so it can be set up how you like it. A blind setup is not dissimilar to setting the controls of a car for anyone, and hoping that it'll be alright. Ummm, the point was that he was told that it wasn't possible to set it up yourself, you HAD to pay someone to do it with specialized tools that only a professional tech would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Flatline Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 When I first got my strat I took it into the local music shop for a setup. I was eventually going to replace the pickguard with a new one and asked them how much for them to install the new pickguard while they were doing the setup. I figured that they should swap it out pretty quickly while they were changing strings. I was quoted $65 for the non-fender generic pickguard and $85 for installation claiming that they'd have to resolder some of the wiring to install the new one. This was not including their $25 setup fee. I went home ordered the pickguard online for $20 and did it myself. I haven't been back in there since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sc4589 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ummm, the point was that he was told that it wasn't possible to set it up yourself, you HAD to pay someone to do it with specialized tools that only a professional tech would have.Ah. Gotcha. Allen keys... so specialist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members yell03 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Not a major failure, but....I went in to a local Music Chain store READY TO BUY either a Fender Am Std Strat, an Am Std Tele, or both.I had online price match & quotes from an online retailer (a division of the local chain) for $780 for each guitar.I brought in printed copies of the quotes and accessed my e-mail to show them the quotes.The manager saw these, said he would be willing to match the prices, but....He had to call and verify them and I think the online customer service was closed until the next day.He had one of the exact guitar I wanted and another that was close enough.I asked if I could leave the paperwork and they could call and verify in the morning and I would come in later, they said just stop back in.So, I walked out, went home, ordered a Custom Shop Strat online for basically the same money as both, sold another guitar, and ordered the Fender Am Std Tele online yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evh1984 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Went into GC today as I am looking to purchase a $2200 LP. Waited to get the staff's attention for ten mins but they were all too busy helping junior and their moms with their Squiers and Line 6 amps. What's wrong with helping kinds get their first gear? What's wrong with Squier and Line 6? What's wrong with moms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dougie.Douglas Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Went into GC today as I am looking to purchase a $2200 LP. Waited to get the staff's attention for ten mins but they were all too busy helping junior and their moms with their Squiers and Line 6 amps. Going back Tuesday during my lunch break, hopefully all the kids will be in school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ferdinandstrat Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 If I owned a music store, I would personally ask people what they knew about the inventory or train them myself. There are too many good owner-operators of music companys, like Peter Florance or Tom Short (pickup makers), who will ask you exactly what you need to tolerate lousy help. Any time that happens, ask for the manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Furtive Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ideally, with a setup any guitar should be taken to the store, then they need to observe how you play so it can be set up how you like it. A blind setup is not dissimilar to setting the controls of a car for anyone, and hoping that it'll be alright.I disagree. Some manufacturers provide factory specs for how a guitar should be set up. And those specs from Fender/Gibson/Ibanez/PRS can be applied to similar guitars from other companies.And like driving a car, if you operate the machinery on a regular basis, you're better off learning how to do basic maintenance. I'm not saying that everyone needs to know how to do a fret level, but at least restring, clean frets, and tweak action a little.I learned about 75% of what I know of guitar work before getting online. The only thing that has changed since those days is the amount of information easily available.... youtube tutorials FTMFW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ummm, the point was that he was told that it wasn't possible to set it up yourself, you HAD to pay someone to do it with specialized tools that only a professional tech would have.Exactly Shop dude = FAIL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sc4589 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 I disagree. Some manufacturers provide factory specs for how a guitar should be set up. And those specs from Fender/Gibson/Ibanez/PRS can be applied to similar guitars from other companies. And like driving a car, if you operate the machinery on a regular basis, you're better off learning how to do basic maintenance. I'm not saying that everyone needs to know how to do a fret level, but at least restring, clean frets, and tweak action a little. I learned about 75% of what I know of guitar work before getting online. The only thing that has changed since those days is the amount of information easily available.... youtube tutorials FTMFW. They'll obviously differ due to scale lengths, radii and neck angle differences. I do still think it's best to see how someone plays guitar though. If they hit hard and play mostly chords, for example, they may want their action a little higher than normal to prevent some buzzing. I have quite a low action, but it feels perfect to me. I'm not a 'hard' player, so string buzz isn't really an issue.I totally agree that learning to do it yourself- it is much easier than most people think. I make a tidy amount of wedge setting up people's guitars in my area because they're too scared to do it. Never had a bad report yet, so I must be doing something right..!Agreed on learning new stuff too... my first fret-level was a nerve-racking experience. I managed it though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sc4589 Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Let me add on to the story; I was looking at a Floyd equipped BC Rich, I believe, and that's what he said to me as I was trying it out. Said they were super complicated, and should never be attempted by anyone less than a tech. WHY WERE YOU LOOKING AT A BC RICH?! I jest, I jest. I see where you're coming from now... ludicrous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longhair Posted February 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Mmmmhmmm.So the answer is NO, you did not call. Thanks for playing. One of the main rules of shopping for anything beyond a couple of miles from home is to call and make sure said item is in stock before going to store. If it is, and it's in short supply, asking them to hold it for you until you get there is also common sense.You failing to call the store and verify stock isn't a failure on their part. What if I did call, have the person say "we are too busy to check" and hang up on me? Does that make it any different than not calling? Your inability to read beyond the poster's name is a failure on your part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beckman Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 I actually don't mind GC. I have always been treated well (except once out of maybe 200 visits). I can't say the same for small stores. The closest store I can go to is so anal. I tried to work a deal out for lessons where I did not go every week. I have been playing for 25 years, but only took lessons for 1. The guys would not even work a deal out for me. What will my guy do the other days? I said, how about you guys contact me when there are cancellations, and I can come in and fill spots. He said that would be too difficult. Really? The same store will not let you take a guitar off the wall. Or, stand up and move to the next stool to try a different amp with out taking the guitar from you. They stand there, watch everything you do. Which is fine I guess, but not really how I like to do it. I like a few minutes to just noodle around, not having someone staring at me. I am almost 40. I am not some preteen kid banging the guitar around a store. I have been to plenty of small stores that let you pick $4,000 off the wall and plug them in. This J hole won't let me pick up a $300 Ibanez. /rant. Needless to say, I do not shop there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mutant_guitar Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 What if I did call, have the person say "we are too busy to check" and hang up on me?Does that make it any different than not calling?Your inability to read beyond the poster's name is a failure on your part. you obviously didn't call, so what's the point of asking "what if?" and great logic, btw, one store was rude to you on the phone, therefore ALL stores will be rude to you on the phone. we've got ourselves an intellectual here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 I do all my guitar needs shopping online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 What if I did call, have the person say "we are too busy to check" and hang up on me?Does that make it any different than not calling?Your inability to read beyond the poster's name is a failure on your part. Ummm an intelligent shopper would call first, especially if they knew it was a rare item that nobody else had. An intelligent shopper, even if they'd had a bad experience calling a shop on a Saturday in the past, would STILL call before wasting hours travelling to and from a location. Your inability to think logically is a failure on your part. It's not the shop's fault that you expect them to bow down to you and not sell merchandise to someone else. If you're too foolish to pick up a phone before you travel all over hell and back, that's nobody's fault but yours. Any thinking person would have picked up the phone. Everyone else here realizes that, somehow the concept continues to elude you though. So tell me, why would you assume without verification that a small shop would continually update their online listings and that an item that nobody else in the country has in stock would remain in their inventory long enough for you to get there without first calling to verify stock status? Sorry, but any intelligent person would, knowing how rare the item was, call first instead of wasting their time. Hell, I have a shop that's only 10 minutes from my house, I call them to make sure they have the {censored}ing strings I want in stock before I drive over there whether it's Saturday, Sunday, or {censored}ing doomsday. It's not the stores fault that they did what stores do and sold merchandise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joekkl Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Precisely my point. Ummm an intelligent shopper would call first, especially if they knew it was a rare item that nobody else had. An intelligent shopper, even if they'd had a bad experience calling a shop on a Saturday in the past, would STILL call before wasting hours travelling to and from a location. Your inability to think logically is a failure on your part. It's not the shop's fault that you expect them to bow down to you and not sell merchandise to someone else. If you're too foolish to pick up a phone before you travel all over hell and back, that's nobody's fault but yours. Any thinking person would have picked up the phone. Everyone else here realizes that, somehow the concept continues to elude you though. So tell me, why would you assume without verification that a small shop would continually update their online listings and that an item that nobody else in the country has in stock would remain in their inventory long enough for you to get there without first calling to verify stock status? Sorry, but any intelligent person would, knowing how rare the item was, call first instead of wasting their time. Hell, I have a shop that's only 10 minutes from my house, I call them to make sure they have the {censored}ing strings I want in stock before I drive over there whether it's Saturday, Sunday, or {censored}ing doomsday. It's not the stores fault that they did what stores do and sold merchandise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kelly Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 "Will you be getting the new Eric Johnson Stratocaster in?"-me, a few years ago "Who's Eric Johnson?"- the salesman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longhair Posted February 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ummm an intelligent shopper would call first, especially if they knew it was a rare item that nobody else had. An intelligent shopper, even if they'd had a bad experience calling a shop on a Saturday in the past, would STILL call before wasting hours travelling to and from a location. Your inability to think logically is a failure on your part. It's not the shop's fault that you expect them to bow down to you and not sell merchandise to someone else. If you're too foolish to pick up a phone before you travel all over hell and back, that's nobody's fault but yours. Any thinking person would have picked up the phone. Everyone else here realizes that, somehow the concept continues to elude you though. So tell me, why would you assume without verification that a small shop would continually update their online listings and that an item that nobody else in the country has in stock would remain in their inventory long enough for you to get there without first calling to verify stock status? Sorry, but any intelligent person would, knowing how rare the item was, call first instead of wasting their time. Hell, I have a shop that's only 10 minutes from my house, I call them to make sure they have the {censored}ing strings I want in stock before I drive over there whether it's Saturday, Sunday, or {censored}ing doomsday. It's not the stores fault that they did what stores do and sold merchandise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 So tell me, do you ALWAYS blame other people for your failure to think and plan ahead, or are you just trying to do it this time to make yourself look less foolish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longhair Posted February 14, 2010 Author Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 So tell me, do you ALWAYS blame other people for your failure to think and plan ahead, or are you just trying to do it this time to make yourself look less foolish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members etawful Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 LMAO . . . So you DO always blame others for your failures. Well done. Let's try this again . . . how is it the stores fault that you didn't call to verify stock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beckman Posted February 14, 2010 Members Share Posted February 14, 2010 I don't know about that. Even though I don't like using the phone, I would have called if I had to travel a long way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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