Lowering tailpiece damages finish?

[SoundMaster]

Original post deleted by author.

[PB26]

Well, talked to my dealer -- no issues at all. I can exchange it for another one. That's how you turn an annoyed customer into a loyal customer, which is good for them because I have no mouths to feed and a voracious appetite for new gear.

[BobF_]

glad to hear it's working out

[capmaster]

Well, talked to my dealer -- no issues at all. I can exchange it for another one. That's how you turn an annoyed customer into a loyal customer, which is good for them because I have no mouths to feed and a voracious appetite for new gear.

This is fine, nice to hear about it.

[SoundMaster]

Original post deleted by author.

[PB26]

Thanks guys, I'm super pleased about it. Appreciate all the advice and insight.

[capmaster]

Thanks guys, I'm super pleased about it. Appreciate all the advice and insight.

You're welcome, PB.

 

Here's a final advice from me, considering you're thinking about Tony Iommi pickups: Due to not knowing what may happen, it is recommendable delaying any mods until the break-in period is over. Running the risk of voiding the warranty is just unreasonable.

[PB26]

You're welcome, PB.

 

Here's a final advice from me, considering you're thinking about Tony Iommi pickups: Due to not knowing what may happen, it is recommendable delaying any mods until the break-in period is over. Running the risk of voiding the warranty is just unreasonable.

 

I didn't think of that -- great advice, thanks!

[Jimi Mac]

Well, talked to my dealer -- no issues at all. I can exchange it for another one. That's how you turn an annoyed customer into a loyal customer, which is good for them because I have no mouths to feed and a voracious appetite for new gear.

 

I'm glad that's all resolved!

 

Just such an issue obviously evokes very different and very deep reactions all over the spectrum.

 

Many folks myself included can be very OC about their guitars and the way they look.

 

At the same time I like to think that my guitars are for playing instead of looking-at. I accept scars and unique markings as character, especially if I've put them there...

 

I also know how it's much harder to accept when they are put on the guitar by someone other than ourselves. I can accept my own mistakes much better than someone else's with my stuff.

 

Sometimes we also have to take a step back and take a breath and refocus on a solution as opposed to the problem. In such a case I might have simply reamed the finish as L5Larry suggested and gotten some Gibson touch-up paint and applied it around the hole after reaming and I suspect that would have been quite satisfactory.

 

Everyone has the prerogative to make that decision for themselves. For myself if it played and sounded like a dream, I've be rather reluctant to hope that the next one will be just as good...

 

To each his own, it's all good!

 

Glad it worked-out!

[Bender 4 Life]

I thought paint chipping over bushings was fairly common on the newer white guitars regardless of string gauge or tuning......seen this come up several times in the past few years......maybe the search engine on this website can bring some older threads about this back up for the OPs reading pleasure.

[capmaster]

I thought paint chipping over bushings was fairly common on the newer white guitars regardless of string gauge or tuning......seen this come up several times in the past few years......maybe the search engine on this website can bring some older threads about this back up for the OPs reading pleasure.

To my experience, no standard setup will call for screwing the tailpiece posts all the way down. Top-wrapping is a different story though.

[rct]

To my experience, no standard setup will call for screwing the tailpiece posts all the way down. Top-wrapping is a different story though.

 

All of my stopbar/tunermatix have always all been all the way down. Always. All of them. Since early 1970's. I don't top wrap, the strings may or may not touch the back of the bridge, but they don't know either way, and neither does anyone else. It's never been a problem, and was never an issue until the internet revealed that every other guitar player on the planet has a "luthier" that told them not to do it.

 

rct

[BobF_]

All of my stopbar/tunermatix have always all been all the way down. Always. All of them. Since early 1970's. I don't top wrap, the strings may or may not touch the back of the bridge, but they don't know either way, and neither does anyone else. It's never been a problem, and was never an issue until the internet revealed that every other guitar player on the planet has a "luthier" that told them not to do it.

 

rct

 

Your strings know. They just aren't telling you, the mischievous little imps that they are. It's also possible they've told someone else. But hey, denial is everyone's protected right!

[rct]

Your strings know. They just aren't telling you, the mischievous little imps that they are. It's also possible they've told someone else. But hey, denial is everyone's protected right!

 

B4st4rds. I knew something was up.

 

rct

[capmaster]

All of my stopbar/tunermatix have always all been all the way down. Always. All of them. Since early 1970's. I don't top wrap, the strings may or may not touch the back of the bridge, but they don't know either way, and neither does anyone else. It's never been a problem, and was never an issue until the internet revealed that every other guitar player on the planet has a "luthier" that told them not to do it.

 

rct

Your strings know. They just aren't telling you, the mischievous little imps that they are. It's also possible they've told someone else. But hey, denial is everyone's protected right!

B4st4rds. I knew something was up.

 

rct

Strings will tell in case they just slightly touch the rear bridge edge. This will cause buzz, usually perceivable as such on wound and making for a "sizzling" attack sound of plain strings. If the breaking angle and thus downforce is sufficient, it may even improve tone since the frequencies of the resulting very short string portions are much higher and their vibration will die much faster.

[SoundMaster]

Original post deleted by author.

[stein]

WoW. Actually taking it out of the case and playing an hour a day will do more damage than that in a month. I wish that was all that was wrong with some of mine.

 

rct

I like this- THIS is more of the reality here I think.

 

Regarding L5LARRY and his comment: Ya'll need to understand this guy has some SERIOUS experience with some serious guitars. This guy plays and has played some very, VERY valuable and expensive Gibby's that most would put in the "vintage not-to-be-played" catagory as a matter of professional nessesity. And I don't think he is rich (although it ain't our business- just to say he ain't likely buying these guitars of his on loose change).

 

To put it in another perspective, some of his "player" guitars would suffer more in value from damage than the price of the whole guitar that most of us play.

 

We come for and ask questions of each other hoping to gain experience, to get advice from those with it and to share. I don't mean to belittle opinions, just to say it might be of use to consider the experience of the poster when also considering the answer.

[capmaster]

...

 

To put it in another perspective, some of his "player" guitars would suffer more in value from damage than the price of the whole guitar that most of us play.

 

We come for and ask questions of each other hoping to gain experience, to get advice from those with it and to share. I don't mean to belittle opinions, just to say it might be of use to consider the experience of the poster when also considering the answer.

Well, I think it also depends on one's personal attitude. There are scratches on the control covers of some of my guitars, on most of them not. Guess why - those with the scratches have been out for repair or modding.

 

My instruments are sanctuaries to me, regardless if it's an Epiphone on a budget or a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul, a Far Eastern or an American Fender. Some scars on their hardshell cases are unavoidable in real life, they have to take them for the instruments they protect.

 

By the way, it's the same for all of my electronics, too. That's what portable cases are made for.

[stein]

Well, I think it also depends on one's personal attitude. There are scratches on the control covers of some of my guitars, on most of them not. Guess why - those with the scratches have been out for repair or modding.

 

My instruments are sanctuaries to me, regardless if it's an Epiphone on a budget or a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul, a Far Eastern or an American Fender. Some scars on their hardshell cases are unavoidable in real life, they have to take them for the instruments they protect.

 

By the way, it's the same for all of my electronics, too. That's what portable cases are made for.

True- but I think mostly what HE was talking about is not really scratches or damage, but rather issues with repairs guys, and the nature of THIS damage itself.

 

I can't speak for him, but rather I just point out he has sent out and repaired himself more money in guitars than most folks, been in a lot of situations.

 

Here is MY experience:

 

This cracking of the finish in this area is a VERY common thing with a lot of Gibbys. It's a result of how the guitar is built, having the finish applied after the bushings are installed. Somtimes the finish will come off, sometimes it won't. But if you check this area on a lot of older Gibbys, I think most will end up like this. That's different than checking out every new one hanging in a store.

 

They are more noticiable on a white painted one, obviously. And also, many have a tendancy to drop the tailpiece closer which makes it harder to notice. If this is a surprise to someone, it's only because they haven't looked or noticed.

 

As for the "damage" or blame, I would have a tendancy to think that if it wasn't the repair guy in the store, it would have happened anyway regardless of who turned the screw. And, if somehow one has a tendancy to think it was HOW the screw was turned, (hard or soft, under pressure or not, etc.), if that was to have an effect, changes in temperature and age are gonna make it crack as much anyway.

 

So then, I think it would be better to turn attention more to a solution that involves more of a question of the guitar itself, such as would a dab of paint be more preferable to another identical guitar that doesn't sound as good (to the owners ears)? Exchange for one of a different color?

 

All of corse, more useful than blaming the guy at the shop who set it up, I think. And that's also good to know that if one takes to blaming the guy in THIS instance, what is most likely to happen (IMO) is that he is gonna end up doing it himself to his own guitar at some point and have no where to go and think the guitar is now worse off because of it.

[capmaster]

Never saw a Gibson with any finish crack close to the stopbar bushings, so obviously they all were treated well up to now. Just one of my Gibsons, my 1978 S-G Standard, came with shouldered stopbar bushings like contemporary Epiphones, and some of the others show finish overlapping the bushing edges. No cracks so far, and I would recommend taking care it will stay this way to every serviceman.

 

Hands off to everybody not knowing what to do.

[PB26]

This cracking of the finish in this area is a VERY common thing with a lot of Gibbys. It's a result of how the guitar is built, having the finish applied after the bushings are installed. Somtimes the finish will come off, sometimes it won't. But if you check this area on a lot of older Gibbys, I think most will end up like this. That's different than checking out every new one hanging in a store.

 

At the risk of reopening a matter that has long since been resolved:

 

It wasn't just the finish; the wood outside the bushing, i.e. beyond the circumference of the bushing/stud -- was hacked up. Looked like someone took an ice pick to it. A few people have suggested that the washer-like thing at the top of the stud was driven into the wood, then backed out. Whatever happened, it wasn't normal -- and that's a fact.

 

[PB26]

Hi PB any updates or new photos?

 

Yep, as mentioned, they didn't hesitate to offer me a replacement off the rack. Got the exact same guitar, but in black because they didn't have any in white.

[stein]

 

At the risk of reopening a matter that has long since been resolved:

 

It wasn't just the finish; the wood outside the bushing, i.e. beyond the circumference of the bushing/stud -- was hacked up. Looked like someone took an ice pick to it. A few people have suggested that the washer-like thing at the top of the stud was driven into the wood, then backed out. Whatever happened, it wasn't normal -- and that's a fact.

 

That's fair- I mean, I could be wrong about this because I only have the pic, as you have the guitar. I would tend to believe the guy with the guitar rather than the pic.

 

Of corse, I see you have it resolved, I knew that when I posted. THAT's the important thing. I figured it was more a debate for educational purposes as opposed to resolving this one instance. Everyone's happy! One thing I think most would have to agree on is both white and black SG's are classic.