Replacement Neck Advice

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Dazzle

Active member
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
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Location
Shropshire
Hi Guys

I have a sad story to tell and am after your advice.

I am the proud owner of a 1984 Goldstar Strat. :D The old girl was starting to show her age, her thin frets were very worn and was buzzing quite alot. So I decided to get her refretted by a local guitar repairer, who came recommended via a friend (now an ex friend!).

Well, when I got her back from I was shocked at the dire quality of the work. A few of the frets sit proud at the edge of the fret board, some have sharp edges, there are quite deep scuff marks across the grain of the wood as he obviously didn't mask the neck when filing and in at least three places there are quite deep gouge marks where he's slipped with the file. Frankly it looks like a blind elephant has done the work.

Now I'm not saying that the guitar was in mint condition but it was in pretty good nick for a 20year old.

Here's where you lot come in, what should I do to make the best out of this bad job - cut my losses and get a new neck fitted, get it re-re-fretted, stick it in the box and buy a new guitar?

As you will understand I am very nervous of taking it to another repairer, can anyone recommend somebody good - I live in shropshire, england, but am willing to travel into staffordshire/west mids/hereford/worcester to get the job done properly.

Cheers

Dazzle
 
you seem to be a lot more relaxed than I would be if I were in your shoes. Too bad about the neck... if it were me at this point I`d be thinking of ways of getting the teeth marks out of the neck... the repairman`s teeth marks after I beat him about the head with the neck.
Being in Japan I would just look for a cheap used Tokai and swap the neck... something I did with my 1982 Fender Japan JV strat that had neck issues. I`ll wait till I get back home for good the have the truss rod looked at. After reading your story it`s a good thing I didn`t take the guitar in.... or I may have been writing this from cell block number 9.
 
Hi loverockerUK

Tech thinks the quality of the repair is up to standard, he came up with some waffle about it not being a mint guitar, the fretboard being dried out thus being difficult to work with, it having a twist in it etc, etc, etc.

I've put it down to a bad experience and walked away, I'm not going to let him touch it again in an atempt to put right what he should have done in the first place. Might come back in bits.

The tech is the one who's lost out in the long run with his shoddy workmanship - I've got 9 other guitars that will sometime or another need a setup or repair (he won't be touching any of them), I no longer buy strings/accessories from his shop and he was teaching my girlfriend to play guitar, was being the operative word. So he's down about ?60 a month.

I'm sure your refret will be fine and I've just had a bad experience.
 
I've always had good experiences with a chap in Leamington Spa if you're willing to travel there. If I need anything done to my guitars I'll make the round trip form Cardiff to go see him about it. It's worth it for the peace of mind.
 
Give John Diggins (JayDee Guitars) a call on 0121 643 0107
Nothings irrepairable, he's a genius and I am sure he will give you options. I am sure the neck will not be scrap. You must have heard of JD ? Makes Guitars and basses for Mark King, Tony Iommi etc and based in Bham City centre.

http://www.jaydeeguitars.com/
 
have it refretted for sure. i had my old goldstar refretted by a pro (rene martinez) and its the best guitar ive ever owned. nothings ever so bad as to not be fixed, i snapped a headstock clean off a 68 les paul in the 80's and dan lenz in denver repaired it so well you could not tell it had been repaired with a magnafying glass. a good luthier can fix anything.
good luck
woof
 

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