I paid money for this setup/installation and it sucks...

OneMoreRobot · #1 04-25-2009, 01:35 PM

Ok, so the Warmoth bass I was putting together is finally done.

I took it to Lays Guitar Shop in Kenmore Ohio (has a pretty good name) for the final stuff, like nut slotting and fret leveling and figured, if he's gonna set it up he might as well install the pickups since he'll need to hear it to give it a good setup (my thinking, let me know if I'm wrong).

Well I get it back, and I'm happy cuz this stupid thing is finally done and it's pretty.

I take it home and plug it in and play it, and.... The tone knob doesn't work right. It just cuts volume.

The graphite nut was not cleaned after it was slotted. So it pretty much looks like he went at it with a hacksaw and just slapped the strings on it. The fibers are still all helter skelter all over the place and there was powder all over the headstock. Not a matter of function, just a matter of "I paid money for someone who calls himself a pro to do this and it looks like crap."

AND I HAD TO SET IT UP WHEN I GOT HOME! I paid specifically for a set up, but any monkey would notice that it buzzed like crazy. It sounds like he didn't even play it or plug it in.

I don't want to be the jerk who's like "Um... the job sucked. I'd like my money back" but at the same time I do. This guy down the street from me is fixing it all for me (and all I have to do is mow his lawn

) and I actually trust him with my instrument. What would you do?

spigmu · #2 04-25-2009, 01:44 PM

I'd definitely stop doing any fixup on it and take it back to at least show them. I had an experience once, long ago and far away, where the work was very unsatisfactory to me, and I brought it back and it turned out they gave to the new kid because it was a simple job. But, as with yours, it was sub-par work.

There may be a simple solution like that in your case. Might be worth finding out before you have to mow too many lawns. : )

bgressman82 · #3 04-25-2009, 01:58 PM

if you haven't had it fixed yet, take it back and rub his nose in it. demand your money back at least for the set up and the nut. if the fretboard leveling was done right, let him keep that part, but do point out the poor job he did and get at least a partial refund. the reason you paid for it was to have it professionally done, and this doesn't seem professional.

HogieWan · #4 04-25-2009, 02:05 PM

if you fix it before you go to tell them what's wrong, they won't believe you

Mazatleco17 · #5 04-25-2009, 03:32 PM

Next time play the bass infront of him, see if there's anything wrong with it before taking it home.

wildhorse · #6 04-25-2009, 03:48 PM

Don't mess with it. Take it back.

The modifier · #7 04-25-2009, 03:56 PM

Why not use this as enough of a reason to devote yourself to learning how to do your own set ups ?

OneMoreRobot · #8 04-25-2009, 04:00 PM

Mazatleco17, Spigmu and HogieWan speak wisdom that I regret not doing...

The fret leveling was done well, though, so I don't have a problem with that.

But yeah. The thing is, I don't want to have him fix it. I trust the guy who's gonna fix it. He's done a stellar job on everything else.

I haven't fixed anything except the bridge, just so I could play the thing :P

Thanks for the input. I'll probably go into the shop monday and ask for the money - fret leveling charge back.

mkrtu9 · #9 04-25-2009, 04:03 PM

take it back

walterw · #10 04-25-2009, 06:10 PM

the right answer would have been to take it back and ask to have the issues corrected. asking for money back, especially after it's been messed with by someone else, will be hard to do, and rightly so, since proving the complaint would be impossible at that point.

the mis-wired tone pot and the dirty/raggedy nut are legit (but easily corrected) complaints, but sometimes a freshly set-up instrument can experience "neck drift", where a truss rod adjustment doesn't take its full effect until later. this is also easy to correct, and, along with the fact that the set-up he likes may not be right for you, is the reason you always check out the thing before you take it home. a good tech can tweak his set-up for your playing style in a few minutes.

OneMoreRobot · #11 04-25-2009, 06:15 PM

All you guys have good points.

I'm not gonna ask for my money back, mainly because I hate it when people return stuff where I work and it just seems like a dick move on my part.

I'll just have my neighbor fix it, since he's the ONLY person I trust with my instruments. Maybe after enough lawn mowings he'll build me a fuzz pedal...

Jim Breece · #12 04-25-2009, 06:16 PM

I'm with Walterw.

GBassNorth · #13 04-25-2009, 06:38 PM

I had a very similar experience in Cincinnati OH with a "Luthier"

named Steve Harrel. He had my bass for 2 months to install a brass nut, level and dress the frets, route the pickup holes in a pickguard and do a set up. When I got the bass back (after a few phone calls) it buzzed like crazy, the A string nut groove was too wide creating a buzz on open fret, the neck pickup (a precision) was installed backwards which resulted in no tone on certian strings and the bridge pickup was not connected. I paid over $400 for the hack job and ended up correcting everything except the A string groove myself.
Did I go back to him for a refund - nope. I don't do business that way. I used him on a single reference and had no history or other data so as far as I'm concerned it's as much my fault as his for not researching more than I did.

However, I do make sure to mention his name (Steve Harrel) every chance I get to EVERYONE in the bass and guitar community so they can avoid the same mistake I made.
I could have taken the bass back to him and complained about the work and I might have gotten a refund (probably not) or he may have offered to fix the errors (more likely). But as far as I was concerned he touched the bass enough, and I didn't want him applying his "expert" level skills any further on my investment.
My advice, part ways and educate others about LAYS GUITAR SHOP so they don't make the same mistake you made.
PS - if anyone here has used Steve and had a really good experience -I'm happy for you - it probably was an exception.

OneMoreRobot · #14 04-25-2009, 06:45 PM

GBassNorth, I have decided on your approach.

202dy · #15 04-25-2009, 07:10 PM

That might be harsh punishment.

Have you ever made a mistake? Probably. How about have a bad day? Guaranteed. Did you perform to absolute best that day? Probably not. How about when you were sick? Or maybe you relied on an employee who was having all of the above? Any of that could have happened when they were doing the work on your guitar.

When you made a mistake did you want a do over? Of course you did. Before you decide to trash a business and take the bread out of the mouths of his children, don't you think it would be better to give them an opportunity to make it right? You would want the same courtesy.

You are not being fair if you've already had someone else fix it then turn around and condemn them. If the work has not been done, give them a chance. If they screw it up again or tell you to hit the road then you can lob garbage cans at their front door. Until then, ice is nice.

GBassNorth · #16 04-25-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 202dy

That might be harsh punishment.

Have you ever made a mistake? Probably. How about have a bad day? Guaranteed. Did you perform to absolute best that day? Probably not. How about when you were sick? Or maybe you relied on an employee who was having all of the above? Any of that could have happened when they were doing the work on your guitar.

When you made a mistake did you want a do over? Of course you did. Before you decide to trash a business and take the bread out of the mouths of his children, don't you think it would be better to give them an opportunity to make it right? You would want the same courtesy.

You are not being fair if you've already had someone else fix it then turn around and condemn them. If the work has not been done, give them a chance. If they screw it up again or tell you to hit the road then you can lob garbage cans at their front door. Until then, ice is nice.

You're much too nice and I respect that. However, as far as I'm concerned if I take something of mine to a "professional" and they do a hack job I don't go back - end of story. Kinda like a bad hair cut, you move on, get over it and find someone else you can trust.
Now if all that was wrong were a couple of buzzing frets that's a different story. Everyone has a slightly different playing technique, so I'd cut some slack if that was the extent of it. But in the OP case, for heavens sake they didn't even clean the filings from the nut off, not to mention the pickup problem. Nope, no second chance to screw things up even worse than they already did. In my case he got over $400 for about $100 worth of work - with rates like that I suspect his kids are eating ok.

mebrown20 · #17 04-26-2009, 11:48 AM

Wow, I had an experience almost the same with my Greco Thunderbird. I took it to Lay's to have a setup done and when I got it back, it seemed all they did was lower the bridge as low as possible, but it was not at all playable. They didn't even put on the new strings I had included. Really, I think they just lowered it without even playing it.

I had to raise it back myself and I am still not happy with it, but I don't know who to trust. Everyone in NE Ohio said Lay's was the place to go. Not for me. I live in Cuyahoga Falls. I did not take it back or report it, I just ate the cost and figured it was a lesson learned. Only the guys in my band know about this experience until now.
If anyone in the Akron/Cuyahoga Falls reads this and can recommend someone to take it to that will do a great job, please let me know. I would NEVER go to Lay's again or recommend them to anyone!

Codger · #18 04-26-2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 202dy

That might be harsh punishment.

Have you ever made a mistake? Probably. How about have a bad day? Guaranteed. Did you perform to absolute best that day? Probably not. How about when you were sick? Or maybe you relied on an employee who was having all of the above? Any of that could have happened when they were doing the work on your guitar.

All true. For me though, getting hosed by a repair shop is a bit like getting crap service or food at a restaurant, only worse because they can do real damage to your instrument. Whether you send it back or not (sending food back in a restaurant is a Bad Idea) you will never deal with that shop again and you will tell everyone that inquires about your experience. The owner should be made aware of this. It could actually change the way the shop operates and could protect future customers/victims.

Ekim · #19 04-26-2009, 08:43 PM

I can sympathize. I paid $75 for a string change and floating Ibanez/Floyd Rose trem setup. They did a completely awful job. I should have brought it back ASAP but I was dumb.

I have also had bad bass setups too. I really need to get a few more tools so I can measure and fix everything myself. I'd rather bang it out and learn to do it all myself at this point. Money is too tight to chance bad setups and I don't know any shop in Indianapolis with a good rep for doing them.

bassbully · #20 04-26-2009, 09:05 PM

Although i have not had allot of work done at Lay's i will say the small amount has been done quickly,affordable and mostly correct. I took in two basses in the last year my classic 50s for a new bone nut 30.00 it was finished in less than a day. There was some dust from the filing on the headstock and around the strings which i did think was tacky but nothing big. A few months latter i was changing the strings and found out who ever cut the nut filed into the finish on the headstock side of the neck leaving a sharp groove...tiny but only seen if the string was removed. My second nut job was done well. IMO i would at least call Dan at Lays. He is a very level headed nice guy and at least should hear your concerns and problems even if you dont go back. I have heard BTW some of their work gets passed off to less experienced 'new" employees who are not as good. Dan or his staff should be checking all the work that goes out anyhow as should you before you walk out of the shop.