Epiphone Casino question

Carmenrago30 · #1 05-03-2016, 01:55 PM

Hey all, I think this is my first post here. Can't remember. I lurk tho, in the shadows lol. Creep alert....

Anyway, I have a few questions for you wise gentlemen here.

1.) I bought a Gary Clark JR, black and blue casino with bigsby. I just got it and it's a mess. Normally I order my guitars from sweetwater if I'm buying online. This I bought from musicians friend and it came in with the action super high and a seriously dirty fret board. I fixed the action no problem but after playing for about 30 mins my fingers were black and kinda sticky. So, what do you guys recommend for this? Brand new guitar with a dirty fret board. I have half a mind to send it back. This is the second guitar I ordered from them. The first was a g and l ascari with 3 humbuckers that came in dented in places and with a nice chunk out of the top and side. *******s. Anyway, what do you recommend?

2.) Also, the frets on the casino are dirty, first bends I did felt like they were grinding the on the fret. After a couple on each fret it started getting smoother. Is that common with epiphones? This is my first epiphone experience and any I've played in store were not like this so idk.

3.) Grover humidifiers for acoustic guitars. The ones that have the sound hole cover and the long green latex tube with the sponge inside. How do you rate these? Normally I use the packets that go near the headstock and in the sound hole with that thing that rests on the strings. I bought a bunch of fret rest guitar hooks so that I can display and have easy access to my collection but I'm not sure if I should hang the acoustics or not. I bought a couple of the humidifiers that I mentioned above. Would they be sufficient in your opinions? So that I can place them inside the sound hole with the cover and then hang them?

Thanks guys!!! Any help will be greatly appreciated.

MikeBmusic · #2 05-03-2016, 02:02 PM

1) Send it back. No reason that your fingers should be turning black from the fingerboard wood (assume its not old black strings). You could use steel wool and try polishing it up, but its supposed to be new, right?
2) Epiphone quality is supposedly getting better and more consistent.
3) Do you have a hygrometer in the room? A soundhole humidifier won't do much in a very dry room - the moisture will be escaping out into the room. You need to use a whole-room humidifier if the natural humidity level in the room is below desired level (40-60%, 45-55% is the best).

Carmenrago30 · #3 05-03-2016, 03:23 PM

You know how old strings will turn your fingers black and give that stickiness type feeling? It's like that but worse.

I'm gonna buy a humidity reader thing. I've been meaning to and I just haven't yet. Idk how to post pics but the humidifier I'm talking about actually has a black plastic dome that sits on the top but under the strings so that the pressure from the strings presses the plastic dome down flush on the top. It's not air tight but as close as u can get I guess. My other concern is sliding the plastic across the top over and over when I want to play. I don't want to scratch or rub off the finish.

Yeah, I am gonna send it back. Brand new guitar should come "new". It's pretty messed up that this is twice now from them they sent me crap.

clintj · #4 05-03-2016, 04:10 PM

MF could be a little hit or miss at times. No telling if a guitar went out, got returned after a day or two, and went back into the warehouse to be resold.

Any guitar I buy, regardless of brand, gets the same treatment when it comes in. The factory strings go in the trash immediately. No telling how old they are. Next, the fretboard gets a quick scrub with steel wool and a light oiling. Third, the frets get polished if needed. I use either 8000 grit paper or a Dremel with a buffing wheel. Tape off the fretboard first if you use the latter. Then a full setup gets done. Epiphone fretwork is pretty decent, but lacking compared to the American built Gibsons and Fenders. Taking the time to hand dress and polish the frets takes time and skill, and would raise the price a good bit.

The above is just my ritual. If you don't like it, by all means send it back. They have a good return policy.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

wizardb · #5 05-03-2016, 04:35 PM

I would send it back. I just received an Epiphone Hummingbird Pro from Musicians Friend and it played great right out of the box. Packed well, clean and all the aspects of a brand new guitar. Had to tweak the tuning on it but that was it.

brad2001 · #6 05-03-2016, 05:12 PM

I've used naptha on my guitars to clean the fret board, it was recommended to be by a professional, worked great. He also gave me the hint of using the edge of a credit card to clean up against the frets. I used 2000 grit paper to put a polish on the frets themselves, again recommended.

________________________________

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Carmenrago30 · #7 05-03-2016, 07:10 PM

So, what steel wool should I buy? What sandpaper should I buy? And what should I use to oil the fretboard and polish the frets? I've heard naphtha mentioned before is that what works best? Also, when I think steel wool I think washing dishes at various restaurants as a young man and I feel like that would take chunks out of the wood. I'm assuming there is finer (grit for lack of a better word) steel wool just like there is with sand paper.

rmp · #8 05-04-2016, 06:25 AM

ouch! that's a drag...

I don't use MF for anything beyond supplies and accessories these days.

I don't think they can't touch sweetwater in regard to the over all online purchase experience. I bought a J200 in March, had a defective anthem pickup, sweetwater had the problem resolved (a new "J" at my house) in under 48 hours from my first call back.

Guitar Honey from Gerlitz is a real good rosewood conditioning oil. I'd just use a piece of an old cotton t-shirt, rub the oil in, let it sit for a minute or 2, then wipe it down with a clean dry cloth.
http://www.amazon.com/Gerlitz-GGH-Gu...z+guitar+honey

usually 0000 steel wool is good for for fret polishing, I mask off the fretboard on each side of the fret I'm working on w/ blue painters masking tape, but you can buy fret board protectors (check amazon they are cheap). I have a few, they work ok too.

http://www.amazon.com/Fingerboard-Gu...fret+protector

there's also a planet waves kit you can get to clean/polish the frets, http://www.amazon.com/Planet-Waves-F...al-instruments

Carmenrago30 · #9 05-04-2016, 10:23 AM

Thank you rmp. Appreciate it. I agree, sweetwater has given me amazing experiences with buying. Excellent service. I bought my guild star fire 2 St from them. My Martin dc aura gt. My seagull artist dread. I have a tony iommi epiphone Sg coming tomorrow.

My Gibson LP studio I bought from GC and the bc rich mocking bird contour and the g&l ascari tribute from musicians friend.

My next purchase will be a Taylor 414ce. I love the neck and the punchy midrange from the ovangkol back and sides. I have always played dreads but this guitar just sounds and feels right.

The neck on my Martin took some getting used to, too thin. It's the modified low profile or low oval. Not a fan of that profile. I like a nice thick neck. But I love the sound and it actually works well for finger picking.

Thank you for the links and the advice. Sorry for the rant.

moon · #10 05-05-2016, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carmenrago30

So, what steel wool should I buy? What sandpaper should I buy? And what should I use to oil the fretboard and polish the frets? I've heard naphtha mentioned before is that what works best? Also, when I think steel wool I think washing dishes at various restaurants as a young man and I feel like that would take chunks out of the wood. I'm assuming there is finer (grit for lack of a better word) steel wool just like there is with sand paper.

The black gunk will either dissolve in water or a solvent like naptha. Rub away with a damp cloth until it's all gone.

You shouldn't need to oil rosewood since it's already quite an oily wood. A pack of micromesh is all you need for a beautiful, glassy finish. Work through the grades from coarse to fine giving the surface a few rubs with each grade.

Micromesh is also excellent for polishing frets. It's a special cushioned abrasive which is really easy to get good results with and can be reused many times.