The Price of Neglect

Chickee · #1 09-25-2018, 08:42 AM

I've been enjoying the return to acoustic guitars so much this last year I had completely neglected my two good electrics. When I pulled them out of their cases strings were rattling and buzzing all over the necks. Argh, my babies are sick! So off to Raritan Bay Repair Shop in Freehold we go. As expected, I got a lecture from Kyle(Jersey shore guitar guru, master luthier and all around great guy!)about regularly scheduled guitar maintenance. He just recently dialed in my Epiphone dread to playing magic, so I can't wait to see what he does with this Jazzmaster and Strat.

Bob Womack · #2 09-25-2018, 08:53 AM

Glad you are getting them pulled back together.

Ah, fun memories of Freehold from 1980: The first night of our honeymoon was at the Sheraton Freehold right by the racetrack. I understand it is gone now.

Bob

Chickee · #3 09-25-2018, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Glad you are getting them pulled back together.

Ah, fun memories of Freehold from 1980: The first night of our honeymoon was at the Sheraton Freehold right by the racetrack. I understand it is gone now.

Bob

That was my honeymoon year too Bob!
A lot has changed down there I'm sorry to say. The Freehold Circle is gone, replaced by five traffic lanes in each direction. Even the historic RaceWay Park closed suddenly this year. But the guitar repair shop is still there, so all is not lost.

Dru Edwards · #4 09-25-2018, 09:02 AM

I take it that it's just humidity related? Here's to some furn playing when they come back.

How long was it since you played them last?

Chickee · #5 09-25-2018, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I take it that it's just humidity related? Here's to some furn playing when they come back.

How long was it since you played them last?

Has to be at the least 6 months Dru. How bad am I? They were like little orphan guitars!

Steve DeRosa · #6 09-25-2018, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickee

I've been enjoying the return to acoustic guitars so much this last year I had completely neglected my two good electrics. When I pulled them out of their cases strings were rattling and buzzing all over the necks. Argh, my babies are sick! So off to Raritan Bay Repair Shop in Freehold we go. As expected, I got a lecture from Kyle (Jersey shore guitar guru, master luthier and all around great guy!) about regularly scheduled guitar maintenance. He just recently dialed in my Epiphone dread to playing magic, so I can't wait to see what he does with this Jazzmaster and Strat.

He's been my go-to guy for a few years now, and IME you'll be more than satisfied...

Mr. Jelly · #7 09-25-2018, 04:56 PM

It seems to me that guitars are negatively impacted by not being played for long periods of time. It's one reason I have a personal rule that I will not own a guitar that is stored in a case and not used.

Jaden · #8 09-27-2018, 05:23 AM

I have a Tele Deluxe Squier I paid all of $300 new 4 years ago and it’s my only guitar that never went to my tech for a set up due to super low action all the way up the fretboard. I’ve never had to try to adjust the truss rod as the neck relief hasn’t budged the whole time, perhaps due also to 9-42 strings/ lower tension. Even still, action at the first fret isn’t as soft as it could be. My tech would file the nut slots ever so slightly and the action up the fretboard would also be adjusted to be more usuable (not so low). I post this for the novice: have or find a good guitar tech who knows the fine art of nut slot adjustment.

Chickee · #9 10-05-2018, 12:43 PM

I picked up the Jazzmaster Wednesday from Raritan Bay Guitar Repair and I have to do a shout out to the team of guitar techs there. This 7lb9oz rosewood board MIM Jazzmaster never felt so good or played so easily in the time I have owned it. The gang at the shop dressed the frets and contoured the fret ends, adjusted the relief and touched up the nut on two strings. They dialed in the action and installed a BuzzStop to get rid of those pesky string vibrations behind the bridge. The guitar plays as easily and feels as smooth along the edges of the neck as the much more expensive American made JM's do. I get the strat back some time next week and can't wait!

rockabilly69 · #10 10-05-2018, 03:15 PM

I love contoured fret ends as I live in Utah where many guitars due to our low humidity develop fret sprout (fret ends protruding from fingerboard due to wood shrinkage). The guitars feel so much better after having that done!!!

Song · #11 10-06-2018, 07:34 AM

Case Humidifier https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=case%20humidifier

Chickee · #12 10-06-2018, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Song

Case Humidifier https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=case%20humidifier

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockabilly69

I love contoured fret ends as I live in Utah where many guitars due to our low humidity develop fret sprout (fret ends protruding from fingerboard due to wood shrinkage). The guitars feel so much better after having that done!!!

The winters in NJ are brutal on guitars. Last year, for months on end, the RH in my home was 17% to 25%. I have the packets in the acoustic guitar cases, but I think this year I will be adding them to the electrics too.

Big Band Guitar · #13 10-06-2018, 02:22 PM

A couple years ago I took out my es175 that had been in it's case for about 10 years. It was almost in tune. A little musty but no other issues. New strings and a little polish just like I put it away.

rwmct · #14 10-06-2018, 08:34 PM

I have a MIM mid 90s Telecaster that sat in the gig bag untouched for at least seventeen years (maybe more). A couple years back I started up with guitar again, and began with the acoustic. After about a year on acoustic, I decided to see if the Tele was still good. I was a little afraid to look at it, to tell the truth. I figured it was probably a disaster.

I am lucky that there was not much gone wrong with it. My instructor tweaked the truss rod and adjusted the saddles a bit and it was good to do.

Chickee · #15 10-12-2018, 02:30 PM

I picked up the '96 Stratocaster yesterday from Raritan Bay Instrument Repair and had a few minutes(really more like an hour)playing last night. They repaired two string slots in/on? the nut, cleaned the volume and tone pots which were very, very scratchy, a little truss rod tweak, new set of D'Addario 10's, dialed in the pickups height an intonation adjustment and done. There is the slightest noise on one tone pot, but the guitar is 22 years old so no issue for me. The guitar plays like buttah! Crisp, clean, all around great sound. My Sonnyboy called from Boston and asked how it felt after the repairs and setup were completed. I had to say the guitar makes me a better player just by virtue of it being such a good guitar. I really should be playing it more often.