Dave Porter Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 On 9/20/2021 at 2:08 AM, yeeshkul said: Oh, i actually did take a picture. Instead of fixing the bridge pickup, they lifted the bridge. Next one. This is not a new problem with 61’ reissue SGs with a vibrola. I purchased a used 2012 61’ SG reissue a couple of years ago that had the same tilted bridge pickup issue. I thought that relatively simple adjustments could correct the problem, I was wrong. The pickup routing was cut incorrectly such that the high end of the pickup was hitting the wall of the routing causing the tilt. I had a local luthier recut the routing and the pickup was moved back into the correct place. In my case I had the batwing pick guard so the recut routing could not be seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Uh... next time give your screwdriver a try. You do know that the pickup height is adjustable, right? I see why they refunded you. On 9/20/2021 at 1:08 AM, yeeshkul said: Oh, i actually did take a picture. Instead of fixing the bridge pickup, they lifted the bridge. Next one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Oh, and regarding the fret ends, that also isn't any kind of big deal. The wood shrinks a bit in some cases, usually because of humidity changes. You have the frets filed down and then the problem is gone forever. This is common across all guitar makes. I have no idea what the "butchered with a knife" thing is, but I think that Thomann was right in refunding you, your inability to use a screwdriver to adjust pickup height, your inability to understand how frets and wood works and your hysteria about whatever happened with your tremolo unit probably told them that you would never quit complaining. I would have refunded you and moved you on to be someone else's problem also. I don't think you should buy a Gibson guitar. Buy something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, Larry Mal said: Oh, and regarding the fret ends, that also isn't any kind of big deal. The wood shrinks a bit in some cases, usually because of humidity changes. You have the frets filed down and then the problem is gone forever. This is common across all guitar makes. I have no idea what the "butchered with a knife" thing is, but I think that Thomann was right in refunding you, your inability to use a screwdriver to adjust pickup height, your inability to understand how frets and wood works and your hysteria about whatever happened with your tremolo unit probably told them that you would never quit complaining. I would have refunded you and moved you on to be someone else's problem also. I don't think you should buy a Gibson guitar. Buy something else. C’mon…. Buying a Guitar shouldn’t require the purchaser to be a Luthier… That’s absurd! A USA Gibson is adjusted to Spec at the Factory.. You know that… Usually a String change should make a new USA Gibson play & sound great! A little Relief maybe as desired but not much more for that level of New USA Gibson Guitar….. Thomann could’ve maid the same recommendation to him over the Phone that you maid. They could’ve discounted the Price to cover the cost of a good Set up.. The Customer is always right.. My perception of Thomann is now questionable.. Especially since I live in the USA. I have a Hofner Verythin Bass from Thomann on Reserve as they are back ordered.. Not so sure now… Edited October 14, 2021 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 Lowering the pickups isn't something that required a luthier or that kind of skills, it hardly warrants the whole guitar being labelled defective. And the fret ends again isn't an issue. It's made in Montana and shipped by boat to Germany, it's very likely that the wood of the neck might have shrunk a bit during that time. It's going to happen at some point, it's it? It's not really something that a guitar maker can really account for, they just fit the frets in at the factory and then adjustments to the instrument happen over the course of the instrument's life. This is true with all instruments. My point is, if the guitar seems otherwise to be good, then it's pretty reasonable to expect someone to lower the pickup with a screwdriver, right? Instead this guy is screaming on social media about something he could have adjusted with a screwdriver and God knows what he's saying to Thomann. The customer isn't always right, especially when they can't figure out how to use a screwdriver but can figure out how to complain on social media. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 On 9/20/2021 at 1:08 AM, yeeshkul said: Oh, i actually did take a picture. Instead of fixing the bridge pickup, they lifted the bridge. Next one. Because it doesn't seem to have occurred to this person that this stuff is adjustable. They didn't "lift the bridge" instead of "fixing the pickup". What they did was provide a guitar that has adjustable pickup and bridge height with the assumption that people would either figure out how to use this stuff but I guess that in the 50's when they came up with this stuff they didn't anticipate how bellyaching on social media would be far more popular than simply setting up your guitar. I mean, we are discussing things that can be adjusted with a screwdriver, so we aren't talking about extreme maintenance here. What a nothing complaint. What a waste of everyone's time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 It was made in TN not the Dental Floss state. I think his problem with the frets was he just didn't like the feel of them. Five minutes with some steel wool and some painter's tape for the pick ups could have done the trick. I don't think it was fret sprout as the ends are covered with binding. Take the enclosed Gibson multi tool and adjust the pick ups and you're all set. I agree, here's your money back and buy something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) 22 hours ago, Larry Mal said: Lowering the pickups isn't something that required a luthier or that kind of skills, it hardly warrants the whole guitar being labelled defective. And the fret ends again isn't an issue. It's made in Montana and shipped by boat to Germany, it's very likely that the wood of the neck might have shrunk a bit during that time. It's going to happen at some point, it's it? It's not really something that a guitar maker can really account for, they just fit the frets in at the factory and then adjustments to the instrument happen over the course of the instrument's life. This is true with all instruments. My point is, if the guitar seems otherwise to be good, then it's pretty reasonable to expect someone to lower the pickup with a screwdriver, right? Instead this guy is screaming on social media about something he could have adjusted with a screwdriver and God knows what he's saying to Thomann. The customer isn't always right, especially when they can't figure out how to use a screwdriver but can figure out how to complain on social media. Does shipping a Guitar from a warmer dry climate to a cooler more humid climate cause neck shrinkage? Hmmmm…… No… There is no law saying a Musician needs to be Luthier or Guitar Repair Tech.. If I buy a new Car I don’t expect that I need to repair anything that’s wrong with it.. Same with a New Refrigerator, Computer or any other New purchase I make.. The same is expected with a Guitar.. People have got to a point where they settle…. A lot of guys buy cheap Indonesian Guitars that are complete POS. Then they justify spending almost as much as the USA version modding it… Nothing wrong with that.. I guess.. But, if it’s brand new, why should you have to… A new Guitar should be in brand new excellent condition & the burden if something isn’t is on the Seller & Manufacturer.. Not the guy who spends his hard earned money expecting a brand new Instrument without any issues that he can plug-in & play… Edited October 17, 2021 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 (edited) But this is not a repair. It's part of setup. Using a screwdriver to lower the pickup so you can put the action where you want it to be is no more a repair than adjusting the seats on your brand new car and putting in the radio station you want to listen to. Come on, man. I know you know a lot about guitars and I know that you know that there is no way Gibson is going to get the pickup height and bridge height to be perfect for everyone and that's why guitar makers make this stuff adjustable in the first place. Every electric guitar maker does this on every guitar. There's a reason they do this. If you are telling us that this person should have gotten a guitar in which the bridge height and pickup height is set perfectly for the buyer, what is that guitar, Lars? Can you tell me what guitar I can buy that will arrive with the pickup height and bridge height set exactly the way I want it to be right out of the box, Lars? Because it would sure save me some time once you tell me what that guitar is. And yes, shipping a guitar from any climate to any other climate will cause the wood on the guitar to change to some degree or the other. And you are also not acknowledging that it's not just one climate to another, the guitar also goes through any number of other climates on the way, including the artificial ones that are air conditioning and forced heating. As long as we are speaking of shipping, though, this character found it appropriate to ship a perfectly good guitar back to a seller because this person couldn't be bothered to learn the most basic fundamentals of guitar setup nor consult with anyone who could have provided basic guitar setup advice? And you support this? In an era of global warming, you really think it's appropriate to ship a perfectly good guitar back for virtually no reason without having even had a local expert give it a look over? I mean, thank God Thomann kicked this customer to the curb, I would have absolutely done the same. All this complaining from someone who doesn't understand the most basic aspects of the product they spent two thousand dollars on? Very sad. How do you satisfy a customer like this? You can't. A person this ignorant of the product they bought, that can't even be bothered to notice that both the pickup height and bridge are adjustable, well, you can't work with someone like that. There's probably a setup manual right in the guitar case that this person could have read. Like the person above mentioned, Gibson send out the God damn tool you need to do this work that all guitars need. The tool and the information are right there in the case! Instead it's right to social media complaining. My God. There's just not a foundation of basic knowledge to build on, and the incredible self-entitlement and anger just means you are going to be devoting staff resources pointlessly. End the sale. Make this person be someone else's problem. To the original poster, get a screwdriver. Get a basic instruction book on the electric guitar. Or better yet, just pay a professional and accept that person's advice, quit the complaining, quit using social media to air your meritless grievances and get on with it. Quit wasting everyone's time. Because I sure don't want to have to sit through the insufferable complaining and whining when this character discovers that his guitar has a truss rod. Edited October 17, 2021 by Larry Mal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) An average Guitar Player should be able to buy a new USA quality Guitar & be able to play it right out of the box without issues.. It’s known as Set up to Factory Specs.. Most Guitars come with the initials of the factory guy who did the Setup to Factory Specs on a hand written checklist included in the Case Candy as to what they are…. An expert Guitar Player might want it Set up to their perfect particular requirements…. Even though it played pretty darn good out of the box without issues other than being to their desired personal preferred Jeweler like tailored nuances…. I just got a new USA Epiphone Casino.. It played great right out of the box.. I was all set to make adjustments, had it on the bench, tools out & found it was just about perfect.. It was pretty much the same with my Gretsch George Harrison Duo Jet, my Gibson Memphis Blacktop ES Les Paul, my Ric 360 6 string & some of my other Guitars… If one doesn’t have the desire to treat their Customers with respect they’re in the wrong business…. They definitely don’t deserve my Money.. I’ll happily go elsewhere & pass along my Review… Edited October 18, 2021 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Mal Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 Yes, but again, the reason you had it on the bench with tools out is because you, unlike the person who posted this miserable thread, understand that you should expect to do a setup on all new (or used) guitars. I'm glad you were happy with your Casino, but if you would have had to lower the pickups on it (which is hard to do on a Casino) I'm sure you wouldn't be whining about it or sending it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted October 21, 2021 Share Posted October 21, 2021 3 hours ago, Larry Mal said: Yes, but again, the reason you had it on the bench with tools out is because you, unlike the person who posted this miserable thread, understand that you should expect to do a setup on all new (or used) guitars. I'm glad you were happy with your Casino, but if you would have had to lower the pickups on it (which is hard to do on a Casino) I'm sure you wouldn't be whining about it or sending it back. Yes, that is true… I’m just remembering when I didn’t know how to do much other than change Strings… But, having more Guitars than sense forced me to Learn… LOL! Still there are some things I will prefer 2 of my expert long time Luthier friends to do.. At some point I do want to build an Electric Guitar.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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