Hack Tech Damaged Fretboard...

[dtsamples]

Recently, I've been a little unhappy with my action. It was all right, but a little high past 8. After playing a buddy's bass (a J like mine) that had been set up by a local guy, I decided to drop mine off for a set-up. The instructions on the ticket were fret level, lower action, set up.

I dropped the bass off last Sunday and said I needed it by Wednesday night for a show on Thursday. I went to pick it up last night and the total was $60 (I had already supplied the new strings).

I pull the bass out of the bag and there are deep gouges on the fingerboard. Not one, not two, but 6 or 7. It looks like this guy had never done a fret dress before and rammed the corner of his straight edge into my finger board. I could understand one gouge, but you think he'd be careful after that. The guy just didn't care. Now, my bass isn't the nicest you've ever seen, but it is an MIA Std. J V that was in dang near mint condition. Well, after showing the guys at the shop they didn't want to charge me, so at least I wasn't charged for the set-up. I then go to practice...

The bass plays exactly the same. Still high past 8. I don't notice any difference with the frets (they aren't super shiny now or anything) but I know he must have done something with the frets unless he just went crazy with a flat head screwdriver for some reason. So now I have to shim the neck myself to get the action where I'd like it. He's also got the saddles pretty much laying on the bass, so you'd think he'd notice and think to put a shim in. Maybe I'm being too particular.

So what should I do? I'm pretty ticked-off about the whole thing. Techs out there, if you did this to a customer's instrument, what do you think would be fair? In his defense, the damage is just cosmetic. In my defense, I never would have left it with him if I thought all I was going to get was a string change and a set of craters in my rosewood. I've seen guys on TB that have defretted basses with pratically no damage to the fretboard; it can't be that this is acceptable.

Sorry for the crappy cell-phone pics; I know I'm violating TB's rules, but they're all I had time to take on my way to work this morning. I'll replace them with higher-res and in focus photos when I get a chance. This is just to show you that they're too deep to be sanded out.

I want to ask him to buy me a new neck. Is that unreasonable? Needless to say, I wouldn't trust him to put a new board on. In the mean time, I want to shim my neck, but is it a bad idea to mess with my bass at all before this is resolved? Just wanted some informed opinions.

Thanks.

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All right. Here are the better pics. Note that in the first image there is also a deep gouge under the fret itself at the top of the screen between the D and G.





and the coup de gracie:

[JMac4strngr]

IMO- That looks pretty darned unacceptable. Like You, I would be highly upset about the damage to the fretboard and the lack of doing what You had asked him to do. I don't have any idea on how to advise You on the next course of action on the matter, but I am curious myself on what steps one could take to make things right (fretboard repaired or replaced whatever needs to be done to repair what the guy screwed up). I find it rather disturbing at the fact that a lot of people now days just simply dont take pride in their work. If the guy flubbed up, He at least should've gave You a call and given You the heads up on what he did, and offer some solution as to getting Your bass back to as good as or better than it was when You brought it to him.
Good luck, and I hope some other Guys here can point You in the right direction on the next step in what You could do to get the bass fixed up without You having to foot the bill.

[tmax]

As a professional repair tech at a retail store I can tell you that the marks on the fret board are unacceptable, and that the store is responsible for making the situation right. I highly doubt that you will get a new neck unless they are a Fender dealer, and even then, doubtful. What should happen is that the neck should be de-fretted, the fretboard planed, and then re-fretted at no cost to you. I doubt that this tech does fret work based on the amount of damage to your board from a simple fret levelling. Bring it to a competent luthier (after the store agrees to all of this), and afterwards they should re-imburse you for the bill.
My take. Good luck. tmax.

[MNAirHead]

This isn't just a single knick.. looks as if they tried to cut corners..

I do tons of setups and will not fret dress (other peoples) because of this.

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Suggestion.. get a refund.. have them compensate you for the damage.. oil the board and live with it.

The above will most likely be your ultimate outcome - just trying to save you the stress

[bassbully]

That is some real bad work you had done there WOW! I agree with you they should repalce the neck or pay a qualified shop (not theirs) to refinish the fretboard. Why would someone do work like that and have the stones to shove it back in the case and charge you ...for what?. He damaged the fretboard and didnt even do the setup right.

That shop needs to have that person stop doing work or close its doors. It is not doing a quality job and IMO is a rip off.

[Jack Gretz]

I have been repairing guitars and basses along with factory authorized repair for over 20 years.
The marks appear to be from the techs attempt to crown the frets. The file slipped off of the fret top and damaged the fretboard. I do not believe it warrants a new new neck but in most cases the dings can be fixed, He simply did sloppy work!.
Ask for a refund or ask for him to have the fretboard repaired, Do not go in with a attitude and start screaming as it just makes the situation worse. If you still have a problem ask to speak to the store owner, It should be resolved for you.

[dtsamples]

They said it's the first complaint they've had about the guy. I don't buy that at all. And you're right, JMac and bully, he should have called and definitely should not have thrown it back in the bag and tried to charge me for it. I thought I'd feel better about it this morning, but now I'm just more mad. Glad to know I'm not just being too picky.

[azureblue]

for fixing the damage he caused. So:

Take lots of pix of the damage and print out the best ones (on photo paper). If you can get pix of the frets that cause the rattle, do so- on a fret job, the filed frets should be shiner than the ones that were not touched. Ergo- no shiny frets, no work done.

IF you can, find another luthier who will examine the damage and write a statement saying to the affect that the damage was caused by bungled fret work (it should be specific, in this case, by a slipped fret file, or whatever, and have the wording framed in such a way that it is clear that you did not cause the damage yourself.) Also, get a statement from the luthier about him doing the repair work, and about how long it will take, including time to order a new neck, and for it to get to the shop then but put in, the fret work done if needed and the set up.

I would call Fender and ask them how much they would charge to fix the bass, and how long it will take. Get a statement from Fender and get the shipping costs.

Also find out how much it will cost for you to rent an exact model of your bass so you have something to play while yours is in the shop. It does not matter if you have another bass to play - you need to play the one like the one that was damaged. Rent for the repair time plus the time the bass is in transit or in the shop, plus two days. Get a written quote.

Make copies of all documents.

Be calm and focused-- go to the shop with your bass, the quotes and documents, and the pix, and talk to the owner if it is not the guy who messed up your bass. Be nice - hey, it's not the end of the world and nobody died, but they need to own up and fix what they broke. Get the names of the owner(s) and write them down. Stay focused on the facts- do not volunteer info, try to be chummy, or antagonistic- make it as simple in as few words as possible - show them the pix, then the bass, if they ask to see it, then tell them you want a new neck, installed, with a full set up, the work done within 30 days. Do not get mad at them, even if they deny or refuse to fix the damage. Do not let them try to blame you for the damage or try to tell you that you caused it. IF they refuse, then simply say, "I have reviewed the legalities of this matter- are you sure you want to refuse to fix the damage to my bass caused by your employee (or similar phrasing)?" THEN show them the repair quote from Fender and the luthier, and the rental cost. Do not say a word- let them read it and ponder for a moment. Then say, "My next step is court - are you sure you want to escalate this?" If they have any sense at all, they will see that their refusal could wind up costing them 4 times or more what the damages are, and they will change their tune.

IF you have to go to small claims court, you can claim all related costs- your time, gas, retail price of the neck and the repairs, rental, phone calls, etc. You can ask for your time, too, but some courts will not allow that. Document everything and keep receipts for everything. If you have to take time off of a paid day gig to do this, then document that, too. The key term here is "made whole" - how much will it cost, total for the bass to be made as it was before they ruined it, and cover your expenses while this is being done..

[FunkMetalBass]

Is there anyway those dings can be ironed out? They look a little deep and I've never tried the technique, but I've heard that it produces decent results.

[dtsamples]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Is there anyway those dings can be ironed out? They look a little deep and I've never tried the technique, but I've heard that it produces decent results.

I've never heard of that technique. Also, does anyone think it is a bad idea to shim the neck myself in the mean time? I'm assuming I shouldn't do anything to it. Keep in mind, the guys at the store are friends of mine, know I take care of my gear, and have seen the damage so they know it wasn't me who did it. What if I take time-stamped photos and then shim? I don't know if there are any real qualified techs in Wilmington, DE or the surrounding area, but if anyone has a guy they really trust, please let me know.

[Benjamin Strange]

First red flag: only $60 for a fret level and setup? It takes my shop a good 2.5-3 hours to do a proper level and setup, utilizing a neck jig and everything. Methinks this guy is either seriously undercharging for his "expertise" and hard work, or he's severely cutting corners.

If you've had a fret level and setup done, your bass should play better than it ever has, period. Dings can be remedied, no problem - but ultimately they are cosmetic. If your bass still plays poorly, then something ain't right. This guy stole your money.

Unfortunately, the bar for techs is pretty low. There's thousands of people out there who claim to be techs, and most are complete hacks. I recently just had to fix a re-fret done by a guy at our local GC that was simply horrendous - and cost the customer $250. It took another $250 just to fix the butcher job he had done to this poor PRS guitar. Unfortunately, this kind of thing is more the norm than it should be. Anytime you're dealing with a new tech, research and vet them thoroughly before you take your instrument in.

As for how to proceed in fixing your bass, you have two options: fill the dings with rosewood dust and glue (which will be visible) and re-do the fret level, or: refret it (during a re-fret, the tech should true the board, which should mitigate or eliminate the dings).

[eyeballkid]

NEW NECK and REFUND. PERIOD.
if someone did that to my main bass I wouldnt be the only one in need of a neck repair.

[rkingly]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

if someone did that to my main bass I wouldnt be the only one in need of a neck repair.

RIGHT!

[Big B.]

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

Is there anyway those dings can be ironed out? They look a little deep and I've never tried the technique, but I've heard that it produces decent results.

Depends on the damage. A ding is a spot where the wood fibers get compressed but not broken. In this case it is SOMETIMES possible to use an iron and a couple drops of water to swell the fibers back away from each other and make a ding disappear. In your case it is most likely that the file actually dug in and cut the fibers of the wood. If that is the case you will have no luck steaming them out.

[ScottiNucs]

OP. I see you are in Wilmington as amI. I am in need of some neck work. We both know the total lack of music stores around here and I am wondering which shop did this to your bass. Can you PM me the name of the shop so I can avoid this tech? Unless, of course you want to publicly flame him. Thanks and very sorry to see the damage done. It is not acceptaple in any way and you should persue corrective action immediately.

[JLS]

"First red flag: only $60 for a fret level and setup?"

That was my first thought, too.

[dmusic148]

That's just.....really bad. Dude must have been drunk or something. When doing this work you're SUPPOSED TO tape up the fingerboard first, to eliminate this kind of damage. And/Or use a concave crowning tool instead of a 3 corner file, which won't slip off the fret unless you're an idiot. Sorry man. Ugghh.

[dtsamples]

Originally Posted by JLS

"First red flag: only $60 for a fret level and setup?"

That was my first thought, too.

I don't know, I was quoted $60-$80 plus the price of strings depending on the severity of the work. I read an article where Sadowski said he charges $75 plus the price of strings (It's in the sticky, don't know what year it's from) so I thought I was around fair market.

[Jjango]

Originally Posted by JLS

"First red flag: only $60 for a fret level and setup?"

That was my first thought, too.

Agreed – big red flag.

[bolophonic]

Originally Posted by eyeballkid

NEW NECK and REFUND. PERIOD.
if someone did that to my main bass I wouldnt be the only one in need of a neck repair.

Quote of the century.