Mechanical Expectations of the Retailer

[momanbilly]

Guitar forums reveal that many of us are willing to accept guitar reviews, if for example, there are many positive reviews about a guitar we are considering for purchase on line, sight unseen and never touched or played by me, the buyer. A guitar may be a great guitar, just what I wanted, but the set-up was performed by a novice or by someone who was in a rush, or who was not conscientious or fussy.

Does the retailer (from whom we might get the lowest price on line) play an important role? I recently played a fine Eastman AC 412 and the retailer said they had just completed a lengthy project of adjusting the action and of using some fancy machine they just got, for smoothing out the frets. The salesman said this particular guitar happened to arrive with very messy frets. My questions are: eek::

1. Is it commonly the responsibility of the retailer to adjust the action, check the intonation and check (and possibly smooth out) imperfect frets?
2. Are these activities what it means to do the "Set-Up" on a new guitar?
3. Should I expect that I will need to take any new guitar, to a local luthier for evaluation and adjustments, if I am quite fussy about the quality and playability of my guitar?
   
   Should the Eastman factory have found and fixed those frets before shipping the above described Eastan AC 412?
   

[Larpy]

I wouldn't say it's the "responsibility" of the retailer to do a set-up of a guitar before a sale, but it is one of the benefits of buying a guitar from a brick and mortar shop with the know-how and the repair facilities to do so. Not all B+M stores offer this service, of course, but many do (though you might have to ask about it). Most larger volume merchants (big box stores and the like) aren't really designed for (or all that interested in) this kind of service, though you might find a friendly salesperson willing to adjust a truss rod.

Having said that, Eastman guitars offer tremendous value, but they're not a boutique guitar. A nut slot cut too shallow, high action, imperfectly-finished frets--these are par for the course for most factory-made guitars, especially those made to compete in the sub-$1000 range.

If you find an Eastman that sounds terrific to you but has, say, a high fret or two, I'd say buy it and take it to a luthier or repair person and pay extra to have it set up just the way you want it. Given the margin on a guitar like an Eastman, I think it's unreasonable to expect a retailer to dress its frets as part of a basic pre-sale set-up.

Actually, I'd argue that even with an extra $200 spent on a thorough set-up, a good-sounding Eastman is still a good deal.

[Larpy]

I didn't respond to your final question:

Even well-regarded guitar companies ship new guitars out of the factory that have serious issues. Just a week ago, I picked up a brand new Martin 000-28 that had a terrible neck angle. The guitar sounded horrible, and part of the problem was that the saddle was shaved down nearly to the bridge, which resulted in poor break angle for the strings. This guitar needs a neck reset and it hasn't even had a single owner yet.

These things happen with Martin, Gibson, Taylor, (etc.) as well as Eastman. Should they? No. But in my experience Eastman isn't notably out of line given industry practice.

The truth (well, as I see it) is that if you're persnickety about fit and finish, either you need to teach yourself how to do a basic set-up of the guitars you buy or you need to spend the extra money and jump up to the next level of smaller builders--Collings, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois--who spend more time constructing their guitars. That time and attention is part of why you're spending more money.

[momanbilly]

Originally Posted by Larpy

I didn't respond to your final question:

Even well-regarded guitar companies ship new guitars out of the factory that have serious issues. Just a week ago, I picked up a brand new Martin 000-28 that had a terrible neck angle. The guitar sounded horrible, and part of the problem was that the saddle was shaved down nearly to the bridge, which resulted in poor break angle for the strings. This guitar needs a neck reset and it hasn't even had a single owner yet.

These things happen with Martin, Gibson, Taylor, (etc.) as well as Eastman. Should they? No. But in my experience Eastman isn't notably out of line given industry practice.

The truth (well, as I see it) is that if you're persnickety about fit and finish, either you need to teach yourself how to do a basic set-up of the guitars you buy or you need to spend the extra money and jump up to the next level of smaller builders--Collings, Santa Cruz, Bourgeois--who spend more time constructing their guitars. That time and attention is part of why you're spending more money.

Thank you, very informative and helpful responses. I should send you a consulting fee. Your information prepares me to move forward in my Eastman purchase, and that is exciting.

Actually, it would be exciting a bit, to take my new guitar to a local luthier, he is a small shack-attached-to-home) Martin warranty repair luthier who also builds guitars, including walnut b/s guitars.

I appreciate your help.

[Larpy]

If you like to tinker and are patient, there's nothing that complicated about doing your own set-up. I'd suggest buying a good instructional book like Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide and learning that way.

I have no formal training working on guitars, but over the years I've learned how to make my own nuts and saddles, dress uneven frets, and I've even ventured into lacquer refinishing. If you're the kind of player who (like me) wants his or her guitar to play and look just so, it's worth it to learn how to do these basic procedures yourself.