How do I repair this shoddy fretwork?

[Top-L]

Silly question, but have you tried simply tapping the fret and down with a small hammer and a block of wood to protect the fret? Always try the easy stuff first, sometimes you get lucky...

Yes, that made it playable, but I wasn't able to get the ends to go down and stay down. A fret press and glue might fix it. Or they may be stuck with the gap.

I can probably fix the neck skifting with some attention to the pocket. But cranking the screws doesn't hold it in place.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

I'd be interested if you find a way to fix it.

Two years ago, I got an Epiphone Les Paul Custom that had that same issue. I returned it, sadly. I feel like I should've put some effort into trying to fix it because the guitar was otherwise really pretty, sounded great, and I liked the neck profile.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Yeah, my Kramer Striker is pretty much unplayable for the same reason (neck aligned wrong in the neck pocket w/ the high E way to close to the edge of the fretboard. I can straighten it so the high E is where it should be but then it shifts again 'cause I can't get the neck screws tight enough to keep the neck in the right place.) Frets are fine though..great even. It's just the neck alignment that sucks.

I'd be interested to know if you find a fix...

 

[Top-L]

Look at this POS pocket. Looks like they used a chisel, not a router. I would estimate that there is only about 10% contact with the neck. This is why the neck won't stay in place even with screws tightened down.

I am going to try a warranty return/exchange with those FMIC bastards.

I think only way to fix this is to wood glue the pocket, but then the frets still need attention. I had no idea it could be this bad.


zz0.bgnrya95frizz

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, not a project worth what you paid, and certainly not worth putting time into. Make them make it right.

 

[Top-L]

Yeah, not a project worth what you paid, and certainly not worth putting time into. Make them make it right.

I'll see what I can do with warranty.

If I can't get a refund, I was watching videos on epoxy setting a neck. You use jb weld to fill in the gaps. its repairable, but the neck pocket, the frets, and another major bridge issue I had to deal with is not worth it.

 

[ICTGoober]

If I can't get a refund, I was watching videos on epoxy setting a neck. You use jb weld to fill in the gaps. its repairable, but the neck pocket, the frets, and another major bridge issue I had to deal with is not worth it.

For gawd's sake don't watch videos from the hacks. Because that's what you're proposing. You will take a bad situation, and make it worse. SELL THE DAMN THING and get something better.

 

[orpheo]

looks like Solar. I have a customer who buys cheap ass junk for me to fix. He pays me handsomly sure but I feel this is shaving years off my life.

 

[Mincer]

looks like Solar. I have a customer who buys cheap ass junk for me to fix. He pays me handsomly sure but I feel this is shaving years off my life.

I have never played a Solar...is it cheap ass junk, too?

 

[Top-L]

looks like Solar. I have a customer who buys cheap ass junk for me to fix. He pays me handsomly sure but I feel this is shaving years off my life.

It never occured to me to check the neck pocket before this guitar, but this is the world we live in.

This MII is now offically cheaper junk than the one MIC guitar I bought a decade ago.

The pocket carve is too deep on this one, which is the other problem, trem clearance. So the guitar really needs a shim too.

How would you go about fixing this? I was thinking a thin wood shim and some epoxy putty underneath to make a new pocket.

I will try first to get warranty return, but likely it will require shipping somewhere and an unsatisfactory resolution. And I don't want to dump this on some unsuspecting kid.

 

[orpheo]

I have never played a Solar...is it cheap ass junk, too?

Solar is just average Korean, nothing spectacular. They cut corners everywhere. I found the neck pocket to bee too small despite five screws. Neck is unstable. The hardware is fine but the pickups are lacking severely. The wirng is meh, the finish is abysmal but the fretwork is decent.

 

[orpheo]

It never occured to me to check the neck pocket before this guitar, but this is the world we live in.

This MII is now offically cheaper junk than the one MIC guitar I bought a decade ago.

The pocket carve is too deep on this one, which is the other problem, trem clearance. So the guitar really needs a shim too.

How would you go about fixing this? I was thinking a thin wood shim and some epoxy putty underneath to make a new pocket.

I will try first to get warranty return, but likely it will require shipping somewhere and an unsatisfactory resolution. And I don't want to dump this on some unsuspecting kid.

I'd route the neck pocket flat and glue a riser in place, or a shim if the angle is off.

 

[orpheo]

The only way to fix that neck right now is one of two ways.

Press the frets in but these are likely glued, so that might now work as well as you'd want.

Or, pull the frets, level the board, make the edge of the board fairly sharp so you know it's clean, then, break the angle just a touch, press in the frets, and bevel the frets further than that broken edge, done.

Takes 3-4 hours. Not that horrible I think. While you're at it, make it stainless steel frets. Just my opinion.

 

[Mincer]

Solar is just average Korean, nothing spectacular. They cut corners everywhere. I found the neck pocket to bee too small despite five screws. Neck is unstable. The hardware is fine but the pickups are lacking severely. The wirng is meh, the finish is abysmal but the fretwork is decent.

I suspect the target audience doesn't mind.

 

[AdrianSD]

Solar is just average Korean, nothing spectacular. They cut corners everywhere. I found the neck pocket to bee too small despite five screws. Neck is unstable. The hardware is fine but the pickups are lacking severely. The wirng is meh, the finish is abysmal but the fretwork is decent.

Are you talking about Ola Englund' Solars? I thought they were built in Indonesia? In Australia they're not cheap at all, they are in the same ballpark with the MIJ Ibanez RG Genesis or the Mexican Charvels. Haven't seen one in a store yet.

 

[ICTGoober]

Some are built in Europe. The budget line - S by Solar - is made in Indonesia.

 

[orpheo]

Are you talking about Ola Englund' Solars? I thought they were built in Indonesia? In Australia they're not cheap at all, they are in the same ballpark with the MIJ Ibanez RG Genesis or the Mexican Charvels. Haven't seen one in a store yet.

Yes, Englund's Solar. Perhaps I remembered Korea wrong, but surely, Asia. I haven't seen the European line yet,but the one I'm working on is just mediocre.

 

[Top-L]

Yes, Englund's Solar. Perhaps I remembered Korea wrong, but surely, Asia. I haven't seen the European line yet,but the one I'm working on is just mediocre.

I don't trust any brand anymore. There was an uptick in asian quality a decade ago, but it seems to have gone down, and dragged Indonesia and Korea with it.

Over the past few years I have bought and returned several guitars for neck alignment issues. I've been looking all over Sweetwater and see that neck alignment problems are common. Look through any of the asian guitars < 1500 and many of them are misaligned. And if they are neck through, nothing you can do about it.

Does anyone make a Floyd with moveable knife inserts?

 

[ICTGoober]

Does anyone make a Floyd with moveable knife inserts?

Yes, Ibanez.

And don't sneer, guys - Floyd himself said that Ibanez "do Floyds better than I can". He meant that he couldn't stray far from his patents and licenses.

 

[ehdwuld]

some of the Ibanez Edge trems do have replaceable knife edges
not all
the Edge III , that I have, does not
the ZR uses a ball bearing at the pivot
https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/ZR
the Low Pro and original Edge should
https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/Edge