Man..... Ninth Circle of Hell Music has got to eliminate their service hacks right fricking now!
Here in Wichita, they got rid of the last guy who ruined half the stuff he touched. Now they have a new guy, and he's even more lacking in skills, abilities, knowledge, and tools than the last guy. This clown is a troglodyte, I'm telling you.
The victim: a newish Martin Shenandoah.
Client complaint: It's hard to play, and I let GC work on it first.
I eyeballed the thing, and the first thing I notice is frets 1, 2, and 3 are all much taller and wider than the rest. WTF?
The second thing I noticed is the bridge saddle is flat on the top - as in flat as a pool table. The middle two strings are on the frets, and the outer E strings are way too high.
I ask: "How does it sound plugged in?".
Client: "I can't hear all the strings".
OK, dismissed the client after picking out new strings, and put the poor thing on the bench to remove the old strings. The hack used epoxy on the 3 frets (which is fine), but it's still oozing out. Cleaned that up with a razor and some thinner. Spiffed up the whole fingerboard with some lemon oil.
There is a big epoxy run from the 1st fret dripping down the treble side. On the bass side, there is an epoxy run at the 3rd fret. I spot the GC hack's epoxy thumbprint right in the middle of neck behind the 5th fret. Removed all the epoxy, and lightly buffed the finish.
Leveled the 3 frets down to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, crowned them, polished them out. Took awhile, but it's cool now.
The bridge saddle is next. Why is it flat? OH. The GC hack installed the bridge saddle upside down in the slot! The curved top is sitting on the pickup, but it's been ground flat. I re-radius (from front to back), and install the saddle properly. Much better, I think.
Restring with new metal, and tune up to pitch. Adjust truss rod a smidge. Action at bridge measures great. Now for the nut... why is the action so high down there? OH. Because the GC hack put super glue in every slot to clear the tall frets he's installed. WTF AGAIN! Reset the action at the nut by filing out the super glue...
DAMN! This Martin plays great! Sounds good, too. My client will be thrilled, and I bet he never goes to GC again for service.
Guitar Center management, if you're reading this: Your service people suck, and that's why a lot of us hate you. Please die.
Signed, real service guy.
Here in Wichita, they got rid of the last guy who ruined half the stuff he touched. Now they have a new guy, and he's even more lacking in skills, abilities, knowledge, and tools than the last guy. This clown is a troglodyte, I'm telling you.
The victim: a newish Martin Shenandoah.
Client complaint: It's hard to play, and I let GC work on it first.
I eyeballed the thing, and the first thing I notice is frets 1, 2, and 3 are all much taller and wider than the rest. WTF?
The second thing I noticed is the bridge saddle is flat on the top - as in flat as a pool table. The middle two strings are on the frets, and the outer E strings are way too high.
I ask: "How does it sound plugged in?".
Client: "I can't hear all the strings".
OK, dismissed the client after picking out new strings, and put the poor thing on the bench to remove the old strings. The hack used epoxy on the 3 frets (which is fine), but it's still oozing out. Cleaned that up with a razor and some thinner. Spiffed up the whole fingerboard with some lemon oil.
There is a big epoxy run from the 1st fret dripping down the treble side. On the bass side, there is an epoxy run at the 3rd fret. I spot the GC hack's epoxy thumbprint right in the middle of neck behind the 5th fret. Removed all the epoxy, and lightly buffed the finish.
Leveled the 3 frets down to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th, crowned them, polished them out. Took awhile, but it's cool now.
The bridge saddle is next. Why is it flat? OH. The GC hack installed the bridge saddle upside down in the slot! The curved top is sitting on the pickup, but it's been ground flat. I re-radius (from front to back), and install the saddle properly. Much better, I think.
Restring with new metal, and tune up to pitch. Adjust truss rod a smidge. Action at bridge measures great. Now for the nut... why is the action so high down there? OH. Because the GC hack put super glue in every slot to clear the tall frets he's installed. WTF AGAIN! Reset the action at the nut by filing out the super glue...
DAMN! This Martin plays great! Sounds good, too. My client will be thrilled, and I bet he never goes to GC again for service.
Guitar Center management, if you're reading this: Your service people suck, and that's why a lot of us hate you. Please die.
Signed, real service guy.
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