Guitar Center Tech...just wow...

DocNrock

Master Member
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I'm sure we all go into Guitar Center on occasion.  Love them or hate them, they can be convenient for a few things.  Many of you probably know about "Guitar Center Garage," their tech service, where they will change pickups, level/crown/polish, etc.  Where I lived previously, in Redlands, CA, I never could find an independent tech/luthier for things that I do not do myself, like fret work.  The local Guitar Center, in San Bernardino, had a tech (Dustin) who was a pretty good guy and did decent work.  I've seen a bit better work, but his work is leagues beyond what I would be able to do, so I had him do my level/crown/polishes on any new necks I got from W.

Of note, I love the feel of stainless steel frets.  Properly polished, bends seem to have a lot less friction than with nickel frets.  Their long life, to me, is a bonus.  But life expectancy is not the reason I choose them for my builds.  From what I understand, however, they are a bear to work with when filing, shaping, polishing, etc.  One would expect that, since the stainless steel is much harder than nickel. 

That said, now that we have relocated to Sacramento, I went to check out the local Guitar Center the other day.  I found their GC Garage, introduced myself to the tech, and told him I was new to town.  To be kind, he wasn't the warmest individual.  I mentioned that I have done some hobby builds with Warmoth parts and that I have a couple still in need of level/crown/polish, and setup/intonation.  Then, I asked him how he likes working with stainless steel frets.  You'd have thought I just insulted his mother!  He went from being cold to aggressive, saying, "I've never worked with them and I never will!  There is no reason to ever use stainless steel frets!  Regular frets are designed to wear out over time and be replaced!  It protects your neck!  People who need stainless steel frets don't know how to play their guitars!  If they're wearing out frets, they're playing too hard and need to learn how to play!" 

Inside, I'm thinking "wtf?"  Outside, I just smiled and said, "Alright, thank you for your time." 

Obviously, everything he said was off, but regular frets"protect your neck?"  Seriously?  :dontknow:

Needless to say, I'll be looking into some of the techs recommended to me in the "Find a Guitar Tech" subforum. 
 
You must be a really nice guy. My response would have been more like: Thanks! Like I said I'm new in town. And already I know where NOT to go for repairs/service, and how much of a DOUCHE BAG you can be can be and STILL get hired by Guitar Center!
 
I think you should send your necks to Clinton Caverns Custom Guitars in Michigan. I understand the guy there is a human Plek machine, only better  :icon_biggrin:
 
Stainless steel frets eh? Here's my number one Stratocaster.

uHTjQVZ.jpg


Next year I'll have owned this from new for thirty years. I know every inch of this guitar, it's the most perfect Stratocaster I've ever laid hands on and I've told my family that this one's going in the ground with me.

After many fret dresses it needed a refret and ace local repair guy Ged Green put some big stainless steel frets in for me. The guitar was simply reborn, it plays great, it sounds wonderful, it's a pleasure to play. I know the guitar so well that if anything felt bad on it I'd have been furious and would probably have had the frets replaced with nickel silver. Instead I took him my Telecaster and another four Stratocasters for exactly the same treatment. And when I ordered a Warmoth replacement Telecaster neck I got one with 6100SS frets.

There is no valid argument against stainless steel frets.
 
YUP.  Very last time I went to GC was to look at a used ES335 that was the exact color I've been keeping an eye out for and about what I wanted to pay.  I stopped at my bank and got the cash, thinking I would be coming home with it.  Guitar had an obvious grounding issue, probably just with the jack.  I asked them to fix it before I gave them the substantial money they were asking.  Their tech said he didn't want to mess with it, "being a semi-hollow and all".  The idiot sales guy that was helping me just gave me a shoulder shrug.
Seeya.  Never again douchebags.
And btw, if any of those guys standing around all day would keep the guitars set up properly and remotely in tune, you would sell more.  Just sayin'
 
KaiserSoze said:
And btw, if any of those guys standing around all day would keep the guitars set up properly and remotely in tune, you would sell more.  Just sayin'

+10!
 
GilgaFrank said:
Stainless steel frets eh? Here's my number one Stratocaster.

uHTjQVZ.jpg


Next year I'll have owned this from new for thirty years. I know every inch of this guitar, it's the most perfect Stratocaster I've ever laid hands on and I've told my family that this one's going in the ground with me.

After many fret dresses it needed a refret and ace local repair guy Ged Green put some big stainless steel frets in for me. The guitar was simply reborn, it plays great, it sounds wonderful, it's a pleasure to play. I know the guitar so well that if anything felt bad on it I'd have been furious and would probably have had the frets replaced with nickel silver. Instead I took him my Telecaster and another four Stratocasters for exactly the same treatment. And when I ordered a Warmoth replacement Telecaster neck I got one with 6100SS frets.

There is no valid argument against stainless steel frets.

The reason so many of these guys spread lies about stainless is a combo of laziness and economics. The lazyness part is obvious. Yes dealing with stainless is more work. The economics part is that if everyone went out and slapped stainless frets on their git fiddles then their income from fret dressing, leveling, and refrets would plummet through the floor.

Luckily we have an honest Joe like Cagey who is willing to sacrifice his financial potential for the good of our necks.

God bless you, sir.
 
KaiserSoze said:
And btw, if any of those guys standing around all day would keep the guitars set up properly and remotely in tune, you would sell more.  Just sayin'

They don't hire guitar techs or luthiers to work the sales floor at those stores. They only pay a smidgen over minimum wage, so you get high-schoolers, 20-somethings and the unambitious who are waiting for their Big Break, which should be coming along Any Day Now.  It's definitely not the sort of place you go for advice or take instruments to be setup or repaired, unless you're not too concerned about the results. You go there for discount pricing on common production gear or to manhandle it in real life, and that's it. Also, a surprising number of people use it as a free rental outlet, as they have a 30-day return policy that lets you take home a Marshall Stack and a Les Paul for a month, then bring it back for a full refund.
 
Many years ago I worked at a decent sized local mom and pop music store and the owner taught me basic setups for guitars and basses.  You could pick up any instrument in my inventory and it was a pleasure to play.  He sold a lot of instruments over the years, and it was partially because of that.
 
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