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the worse shop assistants ever

1

15000volts

Nov 17, 2009
397
0
Lisbon, Portugal
#1
I'm wondering if anyone else has a story about a dumb/incompetent/arsehole music store guy.

here's mine: Broke 2 G strings in 3 weeks in my jazz copy, right in the bridge saddle. I figured something had to be wrong with it, because I wasn't popping anyway near enough to break it, and the bass hadn't been to severe temperature/humidity changes. So I go to the store where I bought it. The guy takes it, starts going through the nut, the bridge saddles, etc. he filed the saddle and and adjusted the truss rod. Up 'till now he seems to know what he's doing, right? the guy then takes a tuner and starts tuning the bass. when he's done he says "you had it tuned an octave up, that's what was wrong with it"
Honestly, I was so stunned I didn't even say a word. Just walked out of there and went home. from then on, the only thing I dare to do in that store is buy strings.

so that's my story, how about your's?
 
#4
You don't really think the OP had the thing tuned a full octave up, do you? That's CRAZY tension, not just a little tension.

I strung up a POS bass (my first and, no, I don't miss it) A-D-G-C with super light strings and the tension was something else. Hey, maybe I'm wrong on this... :p
 
#7
You may think this is crazy but I've seen it. Back when I used to teach private bass lessons a new student came. First thing I did was check his bass. It was some short scale SG/EKO korean copy. It was strung with .030" gauge strings, GDAE tunning, but... IN THE SAME OCTAVE AS THE GUITARS. Thing is he had just started rehearsing with a 2 guitar band and just tuned by ear with them. The neck was SUFFERING but came around after some setup. He hadn't broken any strings (yet). Even today I still consider that bass incident the closest I've ever been to witnessing A MIRACLE.
 
#8
There's a music store that's been going downhill for the past ten years, I'm surprised they are still in business. I only go there when I'm short on time or need something basic. They do in shop repairs on a lot of symphonic instruments, I suppose the local high school bands keep them alive. Last time I went there, I smelled some smoke... saw through into the back room where they repair stuff, and the tech guy was walking around SMOKING A CIGARETTE IN THE SHOP while working on some poor kid's cello.

I don't know about you, but I would livid if my instrument came back smelling like smoke. Can you imagine some dude dropping ash all over your bass?? Not going back.
 
#9
I recently took a '62RI Jazz bass into a 'tech' for a pickup change. When I went in to pick it up, he said 'Someone left a piece of brass going from the bridge pickup to the bridge. I decided not to remove it until I checked with you'. :rollno:
 
#10
I once went into a a local shop as I was looking for an acoustic bass. Being 17 years old the shop assistant obviously thought I was in there because I had nothing else to do, and when I asked to try out a bass the response I got was: "realistically you're only in here because it's raining and you're bored so no". That's £600 down the drain. Haven't been in there since, and I swear I must have spent soooo much money there in the past.
 
#12
I bought an older Epiphone 6 string from a guy, just because I miss the old guitar days, or at least I'd like to dork around on guitar when I feel the need.
ANYWAY, I take it to this gifted local luthier, who is this older 50's hippie type guy. Just a very cool, very deep pot-smoker kind of skinny guy. Hes an awesome guy, but wow, after this time I dont know if I'll ever go back.

So I was described what I needed on this Friday afternoon (for what parts I need)as he was closing, he told me to come back the next day with the guitar as he makes no time to understanding what I needed for parts.
at 11am on Saturday I come back to him, only hes nervously pacing his front door (he lives there at his shop)
"Hi Miles, are you open, the signs not lit up"
"Does it look like Im open, Im here breathing aren't I"
(um......okay...... this is a bit awkward)
He was very frustrated slamming my guitar down on the carpet, ripping off the panels. I attempted to tell him the very short list of parts it needs. Very agitated he yells,
"LETS TAKE ONE THING AT A TIME OKAY!!!!??"
(now its very awkward). So okay, one thing it is. "I need this pickup selector switch...."
While hes fumbling with that, I ask;
"So, whats bothering you today Miles?"
He angrily states: "Oh I just have better things to do then work on old beat up guitars"
(REALLY? your a luthier?!!? this is what you do as far I know)
anyway, I ask for some string tuners after I buy the switch (the only other thing I need). and he tosses me a used bag of them, then storms up the stairs up to his room. "Um, how much do you want for these?"
"Just ****ing keep them!!!!!!!"
I just yell "Thanks Miles" and walk out....
The awkwardness in that place was a very tangible thing, holy crapcakes......
(what did I do wrong? honestly?)
I've never treated anybody to be deserving of that, ever....
 
#13
coldfoot_luke said:
...Last time I went there, I smelled some smoke... saw through into the back room where they repair stuff, and the tech guy was walking around SMOKING A CIGARETTE IN THE SHOP while working on some poor kid's cello.

I don't know about you, but I would livid if my instrument came back smelling like smoke. Can you imagine some dude dropping ash all over your bass?? Not going back.
Click to expand...
:eek:
Not cool! I'd be pretty p*ssed about that (since I don't smoke and non of my stuff smells like smoke already). The other crazy thing is all the flamable chemicals that they use in those shops. Guess that guy isn't the sharpest too in the shed...er, uh...shop.
 
#14
15000volts said:
I'm wondering if anyone else has a story about a dumb/incompetent/arsehole music store guy.

here's mine: Broke 2 G strings in 3 weeks in my jazz copy, right in the bridge saddle. I figured something had to be wrong with it, because I wasn't popping anyway near enough to break it, and the bass hadn't been to severe temperature/humidity changes. So I go to the store where I bought it. The guy takes it, starts going through the nut, the bridge saddles, etc. he filed the saddle and and adjusted the truss rod. Up 'till now he seems to know what he's doing, right? the guy then takes a tuner and starts tuning the bass. when he's done he says "you had it tuned an octave up, that's what was wrong with it"
Honestly, I was so stunned I didn't even say a word. Just walked out of there and went home. from then on, the only thing I dare to do in that store is buy strings.

so that's my story, how about your's?
Click to expand...

so hang on....
the guy fixed your bass, and identified the problem that you caused. how is he a bad shop assistant?
 
#15
15000volts said:
...Honestly, I was so stunned I didn't even say a word. Just walked out of there and went home. from then on, the only thing I dare to do in that store is buy strings...
Click to expand...
Sorry, not trying to pick on you but I don't understand. Were you just embarrassed about it? Is that why you don't feel comfortable going back there?

He fixed it adjusting the bridge and truss, gave it a proper tune up...and then...what? :confused:

Well, if you've been in the habit of tuning to a guitarist DON'T. Use a tuner and tune it properly from the tuner. :)
 
#16
My worst experience was from a shop owner, not assistant. I took in an old tube amp I wanted him to go over and make sure everything was within specs and for him to change it to a three prong power cord. I called on the phone first, told him what I had and asked him how long it would take, he told me about a week. I took it up the next day and told him I wasn't in a rush for it but I really wanted it done before my birthday, 3 weeks away which is two weeks more than he quoted me. So 10 days goes by, I hear nothing from him so I call and he tells me he hasn't gotten to it yet but will get to it before the weekend. Another 10 days goes by, still no word, I call back and he tell me again "sorry, didn't get to it yet" and tells me he has been busy with band rentals for school. Hey, thats all fine and dandy but my gear was in there first and should have been done in the order it arrived for repair, not put on the back burner.

Long story short, it wasn't ready for my birthday, it wasn't ready 3 months later, it wasn't ready a year later when I went in with my claim check and asked for it back. He never did a thing to it except store it and give me excuses as to why he didn't get to it even though I was calling and checking on the status, reminding him that I wanted it fixed and that it was way past the date it was promised. All he did was string me along and keep making promises about when it would be ready and then doing nothing. I won't even buy a set of strings in his shop any more. If he can't keep his promises I don't trust him for anything, not even a pick.
 
#17
There is a a shop that I "used" to go into since he carried allot of Fender parts, pups etc. It was nice to have a shop to get bridges, etc when i was modding basses. I bought a set of 62 RI pups off him and never had an issue with customer service.

The old shop was ratty and they moved into a bigger nicer, pretty shop in a busy area of the city were they are now. I go in one day looking for some replacement knobs for a P bass. This was the first time I had been in the "New" store. I asked him for the knobs and he brings out one small box of diffrent knobs but nothing like he used to have and nothing I needed. I said "Do you still have Fender parts" He snaps "Look," I dont have time to stand here and go over all these parts anymore" "We won't have Fender parts or any other from now on." "I have better things to do like wait on my customers than to stand here while some guy looks at 10 cent screws all day" "I said... Yea? Well that 10 cent screw and the fact that you had it and those other parts is what kept me coming in. I guess I wont be coming back and you can get right back to all those customers"

BYW..I was the only person in the store :eyebrow:
 
#19
Bass Dept. Sacramento Guitar Center:

July 07 I bought a new MIM Fender Deluxe Active Jazz (my first bass), took it to a local luthier to do a setup, at factory spec, lots of string buzz G and D Strings 7th fret and below. Luthier said neck looks warped. Took the bass to an approved Fender tech, sure enough, warped neck, Filled out paperwork and and got a RMA from Fender.

Rather than wait for a long return thru Fender, I just returned the bass to GC, gave them copies of the RMA from Fender. They hung the same bass back on the wall, at full retail price until it eventually sold.
 

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