Off the wall set-up.

[Killer Canary]

I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this.
In the past few years, I've bought a new MIM Jazz and a new SR305 from Long & McQuade, about the only game in this town of 300,000. Both (off the wall) were set up badly; buzzing frets and high action. I was assured by the staff that they were properly set up. I levelled the frets on the Jazz and it now has what I consider to be a beautiful low action.
I measured fret heights on the Ibanez and they were all over the map. I gently tapped them down and once again, got a decent action. I've heard that basses manufactured in warmer climates can have the frets lift slightly from the fingerboard when exposed to cooler temperatures during shipping. Maybe L & M just ends up with everyone's B stock. When I need a giggle, I go in there and look at how high the strings are at the octave. Some are truly appalling.
On the bright side, I've become fairly dangerous at setting up my guitars.

 

[BazzTard]

I always marvelled at bad setups on guitars at shops.

Surely a well setup guitar has a greater chance of finding a loving owner than the crap I see in shops these days.

 

[Panther]

I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this.
In the past few years, I've bought a new MIM Jazz and a new SR305 from Long & McQuade, about the only game in this town of 300,000. Both (off the wall) were set up badly; buzzing frets and high action. I was assured by the staff that they were properly set up. I levelled the frets on the Jazz and it now has what I consider to be a beautiful low action.
I measured fret heights on the Ibanez and they were all over the map. I gently tapped them down and once again, got a decent action. I've heard that basses manufactured in warmer climates can have the frets lift slightly from the fingerboard when exposed to cooler temperatures during shipping. Maybe L & M just ends up with everyone's B stock. When I need a giggle, I go in there and look at how high the strings are at the octave. Some are truly appalling.
On the bright side, I've become fairly dangerous at setting up my guitars.

L n M don't end up with everyone's b stock ...rookie

 

[bobcruz]

Maybe offer L&M your services to properly set up their basses? Sounds like they need someone in that department badly.

 

[jaybones]

...On the bright side, I've become fairly dangerous at setting up my guitars.

Years ago when I was in a working band, I learned how to do my own setups by watching what the "techs" did at the couple shops I dealt with. The one I taught lessons for, and the guitar techs had no formal training, just had learned things over the years by asking questions, reading books, and watching other more experienced people do them.

When we'd play a gig, I would offer to do setups on the other band's gear, and usually found what they had been playing with was extremely lacking. I'd adjust the neck, measure the action with a capo and business card, adjust the saddle height and set the intonation pretty quickly and they'd ask me how much I wanted. I'd always say "Just pay my bar tab" and they'd agree. Now, I was a really heavy drinker back then, functional alcoholic who cold still play the gig when I was way over the limit.

The bar tab would usually run about $40-50 for an evening for me, and I'd throw a couple rounds on for the rest of the band, our sound man and hangers on who came to our shows. Plus any groupies, or GFN's (girlfriends for the night) that I thought would be an easier lay if they were sufficiently liquored.

Nothing rapey, like getting them passed out and passing them around, just enough alcohol to free their inhibitions.

Now that I've been sober nearly 7 years I still like the fact that I can setup and work on my own gear. Even put together a parts bass and a partscaster (all solid body parts that were previously finished). Next step is finishing a bass body (in the process) and eventually want to learn to use a router to cut my own bodies and necks. Also want to build an amp kit, so I'll know wiring and soldering (already have a good grasp on it, and have replaced pots on a PCB, with a solder sucker syringe type thing).

 

[Killer Canary]

I hope that you get to do more of it. Restoring and refinishing guitars is way cheaper than doing same with cars and bikes.
Here's a fiddle that I threw together from left-overs pretty much free. It has old EMGs and I painted it a colour similar to the one Bucholz played in the '70s-80s.

 

[Killer Canary]

"L n M don't end up with everyone's b stock ...clubfoot"
FTFY