Tele Woes - Light, Muttley, Guys

[32-20-Blues]

Yeh thats right. From your description I assumed you are talking about a gap between the fingerboard and the bottom of the fret where the tang is being exposed. It's actually not uncommon to see a gap between the bottom of the slot and the bottom of the tang even on slots cut by cnc. Fret wire tolerance is not that high!!

As long as the fret sits flat on the fingerboard your normally OK. if you can snag the bottom of the fret with a fingernail or even something thin like a piece of paper you may have problems because there is no way of telling that the fret was seated correctly to start with. Check both sides of the fret because I have seen fret wire that sits flat on one side but high on the other. I send it back. I doubt some of the big guys would even notice some times.

Cool, thanks for that. I couldn't check the bottom of the fret against the fingerboard, because there looks like a build-up of finish. The finish definitely laps up against the fret, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, it'll all be sorted tomorrow, one way or the other.

 

[muttley600]

Cool, thanks for that. I couldn't check the bottom of the fret against the fingerboard, because there looks like a build-up of finish. The finish definitely laps up against the fret, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, it'll all be sorted tomorrow, one way or the other.

Yep the finish would be on a lacquered neck. The finish can and does come up as well in really bad cases. Don't think thats your problem tho. Likely just needs setting up correctly in the first place which means getting the frets level and crowned with the correct relief. Good Luck and let me know how you get on.

 

[32-20-Blues]

Rang the shop. The guy who is working on it is 'out' for the day. The other guy says the guitar isn't finished. Told him I'll be in tomorrow one way or the other, and we'll talk then.

 

[mrface2112]

this sounds like a whole mess of hassle. much more hassle than i'd be dealing with, especially for a new mexican-made guitar. especially with what seems to be a bunch of knucleheads at that shop working on it.

i'd get my money back. that is, assuming that you're not completely and totally in love with this guitar.

if, as you said, it hasn't been right from the start, i'd cut my losses and take my money and business somewhere else.

you don't want a guitar that's been "fixed" by bozos who can't be bothered to lay a straightedge on the frets as part of their initial buzz diagnosis.....do you?


cheers,
wade

 

[MCI2424]

So my Nashville Deluxe Tele hasn't been right from the get go. The action was high from the shop, checked neck relief by capoeing at the third and fifteenth; it was fine, so went about adjusting it at the bridge.....E and A strings are buzz central, so worried it was a high fret. Changed the strings (9s, as the Nashville is shipped with 9s) just to make sure it wasn't a bad case of store-soiled strings, but the buzz persisted.

Took it back to the shop, explained to them about the relief - the guy said that capoeing at the third and fifteenth and splitting the difference was 'just a myth' and the correct way to check relief was to look down the neck.

Got a call a few hours later, saying that my guitar had been restrung with 9s which was contributing to the problem - the guy says Fender ship it with 10s. I checked the Fender site just to make sure I was correct, and yes, Fender do ship the guitars from the factory set up with 9s. I told the guy at the shop who changed his story, he says that the shop swap the strings for 10s because 'Telecasters more used more by rhythm players'.

Anyways, he basically said getting a low action on the nashville neck is nigh impossible with 9s. I'm heading back in tomorrow and saying he either sets it up right with 9s or I get my €870 back.

Your thoughts?

All things can check out fine, but if the neck angle is wrong, it will have high action. You have to go down the list in adjusting a guitar. I have fixed some Fender Strats with improper neck angles. When you build enough custom guitars (from parts I mean) and set them up, you learn all the little things that kill you.

Neck angle is the most overlooked adjustment for newbies and the factory does not always get it right.

 

[TelePaul]

All things can check out fine, but if the neck angle is wrong, it will have high action. You have to go down the list in adjusting a guitar. I have fixed some Fender Strats with improper neck angles. When you build enough custom guitars (from parts I mean) and set them up, you learn all the little things that kill you.

Neck angle is the most overlooked adjustment for newbies and the factory does not always get it right.

What's neck angle? I'd say it would ahve been spotted (though maybe not commented on!) by the benders at the shop.

 

[ggunn]

Priceless, we must all watch our grammar when ggunn is on the prowl

Hey, I ain't no Grammar Nazi, me! But sometimes things I read just tweak my twisted sense of humor and my fingers seem to just leap to the keyboard of their own accord... ;^)

 

[muttley600]

All things can check out fine, but if the neck angle is wrong, it will have high action. You have to go down the list in adjusting a guitar. I have fixed some Fender Strats with improper neck angles. When you build enough custom guitars (from parts I mean) and set them up, you learn all the little things that kill you.

Neck angle is the most overlooked adjustment for newbies and the factory does not always get it right.

Its not the neck break angle. I'm certain that 30-20 has found the problem. Shimming the neck break is not going to cure selective fret buzzing in any case. Oh and all things do not "check out fine".

 

[32-20-Blues]

Hey Muttley, just thought I'd update you on how things have progressed over the last month...

Okay - first off, the shop blamed me for the problem, saying that by putting nines on it I had caused the buzz.

They rang back a couple of days later to say that nothing they could do would fix the guitar, and that it had to go back to Fender for a new neck. Told me it would be less than a week.

I agreed - under consumer law here you have to give the retailer an opportunity to repair a deffective product.

That week turned into two weeks - Fender in England apparently had none of the necks in stock, and were waiting on a shipment from Mexico.

After the two weeks, i got bored, and decided to go in to the shop for some face to face conversation. Got talking to the owner, who was very polite, very apologetic, and told me that it was probably the work done in his shop that had caused the problem. Told me he would ring me soon.

Nothing happened. I rang back, and they told me the Fender rep was due in the next day, and he would put everything right. Told them that I'd call back then.

Next day, nothing - the Fender rep was out sick or something. They told me it would be another week. At this stage, I just said no, and demanded a replacement...

...which brings us to today. Finally, after this guitar being with them for a month, they agreed to replace it with a brand new model. TelePaul picks it up on Saturday. The shop are bringing in an external luthier to discuss the new guitar with TelePaul, and make sure that it's to his liking. At this stage, they are doing everything they can for us, but it has taken time.

 

[Zaphod B]

Wow. It sounds like everything is going to work out, although I know it's been a hassle for you.

 

[TelePaul]

Hey Muttley, just thought I'd update you on how things have progressed over the last month...

Okay - first off, the shop blamed me for the problem, saying that by putting nines on it I had caused the buzz.

They rang back a couple of days later to say that nothing they could do would fix the guitar, and that it had to go back to Fender for a new neck. Told me it would be less than a week.

I agreed - under consumer law here you have to give the retailer an opportunity to repair a deffective product.

That week turned into two weeks - Fender in England apparently had none of the necks in stock, and were waiting on a shipment from Mexico.

After the two weeks, i got bored, and decided to go in to the shop for some face to face conversation. Got talking to the owner, who was very polite, very apologetic, and told me that it was probably the work done in his shop that had caused the problem. Told me he would ring me soon.

Nothing happened. I rang back, and they told me the Fender rep was due in the next day, and he would put everything right. Told them that I'd call back then.

Next day, nothing - the Fender rep was out sick or something. They told me it would be another week. At this stage, I just said no, and demanded a replacement...

...which brings us to today. Finally, after this guitar being with them for a month, they agreed to replace it with a brand new model. TelePaul picks it up on Saturday. The shop are bringing in an external luthier to discuss the new guitar with TelePaul, and make sure that it's to his liking. At this stage, they are doing everything they can for us, but it has taken time.

I don't think it's an external luthier - just think it's the one guy in the place that knwos what the fuck he's doing. So I get to sit down and play every fret, up and down, taking my sweet time, inspecting the action, making sure it plays right straight outta the shop.

 

[muttley600]

Glad it's worked out in the end. At least I hope it has. Sometimes I wish I could get away with some of the bullshit that some shops dish out!!