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< Music Gear ~ Guitar Repairs rip-off |
| Frodijr |
 Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 12:35 pm |
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Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 330
Location: Rathfarnham
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Not sure if this should go in Gear or Off Topic, feel free to move it:
I recently started having some problems in my ESP Ltd. M-250 and discovered some buzzing around the frets and a dent in the 17th fret causing notes around the B string to cut out. I brought it to Derrick Nelson who quoted €275.
That's a bit pricey so I went to Guitar Fix on Exchequer Street, they quoted me €60 so I left the guitar in with a receipt. I called in a week lated to check up and they told me it was on the bench, only for the next call to come a week lated asking for the tremolo bar and tuning locks so they could start work on it.
I went in and he did his work, I paid for it Saturday and brought it home to discover the 17th fret was still buzzing and cutting out even though I mentioned it to him over a million times......
So I'm left with my guitar still having problems and €60 out of pocket (and a bag they accidentally threw out). Just wondering if anyone else has a had problems or if I have any rights in this situation? Cheers for any help. |
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| blahblahbleh |
| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 4:13 pm |
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Joined: 30 Jul 2005
Posts: 2552
Location: Bangor
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| Take it back, demonstrate the problem is still there. Ask them to call you when it's ready. If they give you any hassle, remind them they lost your bag and charged you not to fix the fault. I'm sure they will sort it. |
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| Locks |
| Posted: Sun May 13, 2012 5:22 pm |
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Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 929
Location: Dublin
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| from my experience guitar fix are a joke! had loads of problems with them too, i will never pay upfront for guitar repairs again! |
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| drawnacrol |
| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:16 pm |
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Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Posts: 81
Location: Meath
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Search "Guitar repair/tech" on boards and you will see post after post of unhappy customers. A lot of Guitar Techs in Dublin are terrible. The Guitar Workshop and GuitarFix are meant to be the two worst ones.
Derek Nelson is meant to be really good so I'm going to visit him soon about some serious upgrades that I wouldn't trust with anyone else so I'll post back here when its all done. He's quite pricey but everyone recommends him.
Gerry who operates under Haze Guitars is really good with 6 string setups. He will give you a good price and time estimate aswell as contacting you about any problems or upgrades to make sure your ok with spending more.
http://www.hazeguitars.com/ |
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| Juggz |
| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 3:31 pm |
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Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 1196
Location: Under A Lesbian Moon
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The last job I had Derrick Nelson do was a refret and, to be honest, I don't think he did a great job at all, especially for the price.
I've heard good things about yer man Haze, if I ever need anything done again I'd probably call him, though refrets are about all I don't do myself these days.
Frodijr, go back to guitarfix and demand your money back. He hasn't fixed what you asked him to fix so why would you pay him? Take the money and buy a diamond fret crowning file from www.stewmac.com, some fine sandpaper and some ultra-fine steel wool. It sounds like you just need a fret level. It's actually quite simple to do, there are plenty of online pictorial resources and youtube videos which cover it in great detail. |
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| drawnacrol |
| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 8:00 pm |
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Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Posts: 81
Location: Meath
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Juggz wrote: The last job I had Derrick Nelson do was a refret and, to be honest, I don't think he did a great job at all, especially for the price.
Damn, how is is with setups? I need a new nut installed, full setup and a pickup swap. |
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| moose |
| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 10:25 pm |
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Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Posts: 899
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Also worth mentioning for quality work are Frank Tate and John Moriarty, both in the city centre too.
http://www.franktateinstruments.com
http://www.archtop.ie/
If it's pick up swapping anyone needs done (or another other electrical work for that matter) feel free to give me a shout. My main work is effects pedals but have a done a lot of guitars over the years too. |
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| electriceye2012 |
| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:05 am |
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Joined: 13 May 2012
Posts: 7
Location: Santry
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The guys in the music outlet in Swords are pretty hand with repairs. They fixed a dodgy neck and some serious tuning problems on my les paul with a set up restring for €40. Its never played a good as this even from new. Highly recommend them. They even suggested some mods to the bridge to keep make it play better but hadnt the cash at the time so once I have it, I'll bring it back.
The lads in Jimi's music store are good too. Got some rewiring done with them and they were a pleasure to deal with. Left it in on a Saturday picked up the next week in PWO. What a shame some scumbags robbed them on Friday night last.
Guitar workhop not good for me. Charged a fortune for a set up and new pickup and had the guitar for weeks, had to keep ringing about it. This was about 6 years ago and havent been back since. |
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| kranog |
| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 8:57 am |
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Joined: 17 Jun 2010
Posts: 122
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I've had work done by Derek Nelson - he's good but way too over-priced - reputation does a lot in this business I guess.
I then used to have guy (he used to work in Waltons) named Dave Travors - this guy was the coolest guy ever and always did great work - but he seems to have fallen off the face of the earth! 
So since, I've gone to Haze guitars - Gerry is a top bloke who does outstanding work with decent prices - it costs €50 for a full setup (including strings).
My guitar was like new when I got it back from him! |
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| Paddysclosed |
| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 8:47 pm |
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Joined: 26 Mar 2009
Posts: 95
Location: Dublin, Ireland
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| Derrick Nelson wasn't able to fix the intonation on my Warwick six string, I wouldn't bring anything to him. |
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| Frodijr |
| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 6:45 pm |
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Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 330
Location: Rathfarnham
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Update: I returned to GuitarFix demanding it be redone on the spot, which he did. I found out the two main reasons he failed on the first time:
Firstly: He couldn't count, when I asked for repairs for the 17th fret, he began on the 15th fret and I had to physically show him the 17th fret 
Secondly: One the key issues was the string cutting out when bended. He admitted he was a bass player so couldn't bend strings and wasn't able to see the full problem.
In the end, he simply started hammering down on the frets with a screwdriver and hammer combo, didn't fix it completely but it was as good as I was gonna get.
Overall: Never go to GuitarFix, useless and incompetent repairman who should learn his arithmetic, although his money counting skills seem strangely tuned.... |
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| Juggz |
| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 8:39 am |
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Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 1196
Location: Under A Lesbian Moon
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Frodijr wrote: Secondly: One the key issues was the string cutting out when bended. He admitted he was a bass player so couldn't bend strings and wasn't able to see the full problem.
Frodijr wrote:
In the end, he simply started hammering down on the frets with a screwdriver and hammer combo, didn't fix it completely but it was as good as I was gonna get.
 That's not how you level frets either |
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| Frodijr |
| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 10:22 am |
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Joined: 14 Aug 2009
Posts: 330
Location: Rathfarnham
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Juggz wrote: Frodijr wrote: Secondly: One the key issues was the string cutting out when bended. He admitted he was a bass player so couldn't bend strings and wasn't able to see the full problem.
That's a pile of shite for a start, you don't need to be able to play in order to diagnose and repair uneven frets.
Frodijr wrote:
In the end, he simply started hammering down on the frets with a screwdriver and hammer combo, didn't fix it completely but it was as good as I was gonna get. That's not how you level frets either
Had that feeling, the guitar isn't even properly fixed. The 7th, 8th and 17th fret still sound like shit and I'm seriously thinking of getting a new guitar cause of other problems I've been having (Sound, electronics). |
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| Black Dog |
| Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 11:10 am |
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Joined: 03 Nov 2011
Posts: 79
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| Had problems with Guitar Fix myself. Left my bass in there for a full setup, told me it would be finished in a week. Didn't hear anything for two weeks, thought it might over been an oversight on his part. Rang up, was talking to two different people before I got your man to call me back. Told me it would be done during the week and I could collect it. Went into the shop only to be told it still wasn't done, I told him I needed it as I was rehearsing that night. Said he would get it done in half an hour. Waiting nearly 3 weeks for something that only took him half an hour? He did an ok job, rushed job of course, so I had to make adjustments to the setup myself, not something worth 60 quid thats for sure |
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| Locks |
| Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 1:51 pm |
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Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 929
Location: Dublin
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just got my guitar back from Guitar Repair Centre on abbey street, it needed a truss rod adjustment and the frets filed to compensate for a slight twist in the neck.
i have to say he did a great job on it, i'm absolutely delighted with it, highly recommend!took just over a week, got a text to collect and all.
€107 bucks including new strings, intonation, fretboard clean(it was manky) and a general service, i was very happy with that! |
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