Reasonable/Unreasonable Repair Time?

guitarget · #1 10-21-2017, 03:32 AM

On August 7th, 2017 I turned a brand new doubleneck electric guitar in to a local repair guy for adjustments. I told him "take your time."

On October 9th, 2017 I sent an email politely requesting an estimate of when the guitar would be done, and (ballpark) how much it might cost. I got a 17:22 phone call tearing into me. He later wrote, "…it's a constant tension between get-it-done and get-it-right in my own head.”

In my own life, I have never said "take your time" to anyone and meant "take a couple of months." Haven't entire electric guitars have been built from scratch in less time than these so-called "adjustments"?

Is it me? Or is this really odd? I've been dealing with guitar repairmen since the 1960's, never seen anything like this - with no end in sight. (Could this be "the new norm"?)

Dru Edwards · #2 10-21-2017, 06:23 AM

Requesting a status after he's had the guitar for 2 months does not warrant him tearing into you. Actually, you shouldn't get a call like that anytime from someone who wants your business. I wonder if he had you confused with someone else?

What kind of adjustments did you want? If there was a 2 month waiting list he should have told you that before you sent it in.

Personally, I'd pick up the guitar today and find someone else.

YamahaGuy · #3 10-21-2017, 07:29 AM

I once was without an acoustic for 6 months. The two times I called (both a week after estimated times of completion) the guy had forgotten what he was supposed to do to my guitar. So in addition to repairing a crack, he leveled the frets and did a thorough setup.
As for an electric, doing just a setup--even on a double neck, two months seems like too long a time to me. I'd go get it and take it elsewhere.
As for the 17:22 phone call, when I was a mechanic, my boss would protect his mechanics from pestering customers who have to have their vehicle, and want to sit in the shop and watch every little thing being done and seeing what is taking so long, but it seems you are in now way being a pest, so that was not cool on his part.

Good luck.

DenverSteve · #4 10-21-2017, 08:15 AM

Two things; One you did say “take your time” which means different things to different people. Two, the fellow obviously has issues so, I would collect my guitar and take to someone who can provide a reasonable time estimate.

RustyAxe · #5 10-21-2017, 10:21 AM

Me? I'd go get that guitar and find someone else. Unless it's something difficult, and this guy is a "specialist" there's no reason to wait months for a simple setup or repair. So far, the recommendations are unanimous. And maybe learn how to do some of the setup stuff yourself. My guitars only see the shop when special techniques (I'm no luthier) and/or tools (I don't have) are necessary to do the job.

muscmp · #6 10-21-2017, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Me? I'd go get that guitar and find someone else. Unless it's something difficult, and this guy is a "specialist" there's no reason to wait months for a simple setup or repair. So far, the recommendations are unanimous. And maybe learn how to do some of the setup stuff yourself. My guitars only see the shop when special techniques (I'm no luthier) and/or tools (I don't have) are necessary to do the job.

rusty is right on with this.
i would never tell someone to take their time, since they will. but, that is me.

play music!

guitarget · #7 10-21-2017, 01:48 PM

"I once was without an acoustic for 6 months."

Man, I just knew someone would have a worse story!

To tell you the honest truth, I miss looking at it more than I miss playing it.

guitarget · #8 10-21-2017, 01:52 PM

"What kind of adjustments did you want?"

Your basic electric guitar setup - intonation, action, neck, etc. I used to do these myself - probably should have this time as well.

Thanks for the replies. I was shocked when he chewed me out for the 17:22, but I thought, maybe that's normal now. It obviously is not.

roylor4 · #9 10-21-2017, 02:17 PM

1) Never tell someone to take their time.
2) Someone that I was paying that called me back with a confrontational phone call would have a bad day and probably much longer, depending on how fast a healer they were.

Pick up your guitar. Roast him with a scathing review online - people DO read them. Other people deserve to know what they are getting involved with.

Wash your hands of this guy. When they are trouble to begin with it can't do anything but get worse.

Paleolith54 · #10 10-21-2017, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Personally, I'd pick up the guitar today and find someone else.

Bingo.

...meaningless characters added here because “bingo” is too short for the forum software to accept...

clintj · #11 10-21-2017, 06:24 PM

I also don't think I would leave my guitar there with him. Repair and service is a customer service oriented business, and he doesn't seem to grasp that IMO. When I get a repair in, I send periodic updates of the work as it progresses to my customer, with pictures if the medium allows (email vs text, for example). My work volume is really low compared to many others, though.

I have had one of my electrics take well over a month to have repaired properly, but there were several issues that appeared as work progressed. A very subtle crookedness to the neck not readily apparent to the naked eye, several loose frets requiring gluing, corroded hardware making setup difficult, and so on. My repair tech was up front the whole time, and the guitar was beautifully repaired and played great at the end.

guitarget · #12 03-10-2020, 08:00 AM

I do believe this breaks the all-time record - I just got the blue doubleneck back from the local "repairman." It's sitting in the bedroom, unplayed.

After a year went by with no satisfaction, I had just given up on the guitar, figuring he meant to keep it. What am I going to do, hire a $300 lawyer to get a $300 Chinese-made guitar back?

I could also not entertain any of the violent impulses that occasionally flashed through my mind, as he became more and more arrogant. My days of settling arguments with my fists are long gone. It just wasn't worth the trouble - so, I walked away.

And then he emailed me about a week ago. No charge for any of the "work" he did. I turned the problem over to my (saintly) wife, and she coordinated with this person and got the guitar back this morning.

No, I can't keep it. Way too many bad memories. Probably donate it to a local charity to raffle off. (Not a good guitar for anyone with large hands, anyway.)

roylor4 · #13 03-10-2020, 08:10 AM

Wow. Unbelievable.

Was the guitar actually worked on, or did he just put it in a corner somewhere and leave it out of spite?

Glad you got it back and I understand that it feels "poisoned" somehow now.

If he has any Google, Yahoo listings, etc. - I'd roast this guy big time. It's really your only recourse now. Of course, if you just want to let sleeping dogs lie that is understandable too......

3notes · #14 03-10-2020, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guitarget

I do believe this breaks the all-time record - I just got the blue doubleneck back from the local "repairman." It's sitting in the bedroom, unplayed.

After a year went by with no satisfaction, I had just given up on the guitar, figuring he meant to keep it. What am I going to do, hire a $300 lawyer to get a $300 Chinese-made guitar back?

I could also not entertain any of the violent impulses that occasionally flashed through my mind, as he became more and more arrogant. My days of settling arguments with my fists are long gone. It just wasn't worth the trouble - so, I walked away.

And then he emailed me about a week ago. No charge for any of the "work" he did. I turned the problem over to my (saintly) wife, and she coordinated with this person and got the guitar back this morning.

No, I can't keep it. Way too many bad memories. Probably donate it to a local charity to raffle off. (Not a good guitar for anyone with large hands, anyway.)

How do people look at themselves in the mirror in the morning.?? I'll never know...... I would put him out of business in one way or another. Jerk.

OP ... Carry on. Try hard not to think about it. When you do change the subject. In your head. What you went through is not the norm.

guitarget · #15 03-10-2020, 08:21 AM

(Work done)

Replaced both plastic nuts with bone nuts. The 12-string string spacing has been customized
Replaced the twelve-string saddles with custom-intonated saddles to allow correct intonation of the two courses of strings that share the same saddle. These pieces were custom-machined for me in Connecticut.
Replaced switches and some electronics
Adjusted and tweaked both necks for straightness
Adjusted saddles and bridges for best playability
Set up and intonated both guitars with the strings you provided

I did not replace pickups in the guitar as I didn't see the immediate need or likely improvement.

No charge.

The primary reason I walked away after a year was because he told me that I was frightening his wife - something he just denied, but...I still have the email.

"Poisoned" is a good word. If I never deal with this person again, it'll be too soon.

Might end up sending it to my sister in Georgia to sell. She's fallen on hard times, and could use a couple hundred dollars.