OLD YAMAHA L-5A dodgey repair job???

[nedgey]

Hi All,

I'm worried. Just received my old handcrafted Yamaha L-5A back from service/setup. The guy said the saddle is now sitting where it should etc, but when I actually got home and looked at it, 8mm is missing from the left side of the saddle, resulting in an an obvious gap I didn't expect.

Unless he broke it or something, I've sorta worked out that he sawed off 8mm from the right hand side and then shifted the saddle that distance so it is flush to the right - hence the 8mm gap on the left of the low E string... It looks ugly, i'm worried it might affect tone, and am upset he did not explain the job to me more, or ask me before doing that.

Furthermore, it was a high-end bone saddle with those little deviations in slope for certain strings - e.g. the G or B? - and now it looks like the wrong strings are on the wrong part of the saddle, if that makes any sense?

Please help. Is this a common fix? Seems to have corrected the action etc, but man, my saddle looks like a home job, whereas it used to be all in one piece and intact... Need to know whether to call him and make it an issue, or whether I can be comforted by the fact it seems to be the way it's done sometimes...

Warm regards and happy new year!
Jay.

[rangercaster]

how does it sound ??? that's what's really important !!!

[nedgey]

Had to go up to Sydney without spending enough time with it, so not sure.

In any case, my ear may not be sharp enough to differentiate with the new strings n all...

Never seen a guitar with part of the saddle missing. Wouldn't it reduce the amount of sound/vibration coming into the bridge, or something?

[chezdeluxe]

It does not sound as if the job has been done correctly.

Unless the saddle Compensation points (Deviations you called them ) were in the wrong place originally they certainly are now if the saddle has been shifted 8mm. I can't imagine such a problem on a quality Yamaha.

Can you ask a more experienced player to check it out for you? Where is the Guitar tech located? Does he enjoy a good reputation?

With such a nice Guitar if the guy has obviously stuffed up the saddle I would not be giving him a second try at it.

Find a real tech who knows what he/she is doing and get the saddle fixed (probably replaced) .A good investment in the long run.

[nedgey]

Thanks... Yeah I just spoke to him. He said it is not a common thing to do, but he fit in a saddle that did the job, even though it's 8mm short.

Fret not guitar repair told me it makes no sense whatsoever... I told him that, and he offered to put in a new one for me etc. So I'll probably do that when I get back to Melbourne...

It's just sh+t now that I have to be put out driving back there feeling guilty for getting him to re-do it!

Thanks again. J.

[chezdeluxe]

Some so called Techs really should be out herding cattle and playing with their six guns.

[nedgey]

Tell me about it.

Pretty unprofessional experience. He was just taking the easy way out, which he should have called and asked me about before doing the job.

Makes it worse that he has a condescending wanna-be-rockstar attitude. Pretty disrespectful, and now it's just going be awkward when I bring it back. Shame, as the guy who owns the store is super nice.

[sneakyjapan]

you are the customer...if it were my shop I`d make sure you were happy and you shouldn`t settle for anything less.