#4 with a buzz!

[ShortBuSX]

Let me start by saying I want to be somewhat vague, as I dont want to trash talk so much when I am being helped, the company and its employees in customer service are trying to make it right.

I also want to be as brief as I can, but there is some history.

I purchased an artist model hardtail 3 pickup guitar that wasnt available in any of my local stores, so I ordered online at MF. I heard of a price increase and thought this was the time to buy that guitar Id been dreaming of, on paper I love this guitar!

First one arrives, middle pickup has an issue with significant volume loss in this position. Maybe I can fix it myself, I am good at this stuff, but I made a deal with myself beforehand, "this guitar I will make no mods to, and it should need no repair(out of the box)"...but as time rolls on, this becomes an exercise in futility!

Second one arrive, clearcoat voids where the rosewood fretboard and maple meet...can be felt all up and down the neck. "No questions asked return policy"...I send it back. But this time I must wait 2 months for production to finish before I get a replacement.

I wait my time and the third one arrives, I go over it with a fine tooth comb...and the comb gets finer the more this happens. But I find nothing wrong, except the jackcup doesnt sit right but is forced in its hole by the two screws that were driven into it...you can see daylight underneath it.
At this point I feel "nit picky" and decide to dowel the screw holes and line it up properly, doesnt even feel like its the right jackcup for this body...but I get it to work.
I then notice the pickguard and bridge arent symmetrically...Ive seen mildly similar before and chalk it up to a minor pickguard blem.
I play this guitar off and on for a year but never really bond or fall in love with this guitar...something just isnt right.
Then one day I change the strings and notice the the bridge and the ferrules are a lil off...and while Ive got it on its belly...I notice the neck plate is a lil crooked lookin. I start to take measurements and nothing is symmetrical.
I call the company as they have a lifetime warranty against defects so I call. The customer service is very helpful and send me to an authorized repair center which is an hour round trip. I go and even the repair man is very helpful and friendly. He sees my guitar and immediately shows me the strap pin is dead center and everything else is off...he takes a photo and sends it to the customer service rep and they immediately authorize a full replacement under warranty...but I have to wait two months for production to finish.(this makes 3 model years Ive test drove).

I get a call yesterday, new one has arrived!
I get all anxious and run to get it after work.
I rest it out on a strange amp Ive never played(a Vibrolux)...I plug in and it feels and sounds great. The tech and I begin to talk and I take my hands off the strings and BUZZZZZZZZ, and I keep adding and removing my hands from the strings as we talk and it repeats the same every time, he begins to notice this and blames the amp(this is a repair shop after all).

I go home and guess what? It still buzzes on my PRRI!!!
And Im pretty sure I know what it is...its that damn ground under the bridge! Then I notice resin flux on the finish...and the neck plate is on the edge, far from center!
I can fix or live with this...but REALLY?????
Four times and you cant get it right?
This $700 guitar is now $869...does the new price not afford better quality control?
Am I being totally unreasonable? Are my expectations too high?
Or is this the mail order lesson?

Opinions? Observations? Thoughts or ideas?
Anything would be appreciated...Im undecided on what to do or think at this point.
Thanks for reading.

[kelnet]

Return it and never buy another guitar that is made in the same factory where this guitar is made. Quality control is obviously not very good. And once you've started looking for flaws, you will always look for flaws and you will always find them.
That way lies madness.

[ShortBuSX]

Originally Posted by kelnet

Return it and never buy another guitar that is made in the same factory where this guitar is made. Quality control is obviously not very good.

And its an artist model, obviously made in limited numbers...youd think extra attention would be paid?

[emu!]

You are quite the perfectionist. :)

When I buy a guitar, all I look for is whether the neck is warped or not.

[ShortBuSX]

Originally Posted by emu!

You are quite the perfectionist. :)

When I buy a guitar, all I look for is whether the neck is warped or not.

Ive always kinda liked your sense of humor. Thats funny!

[Frontier9]

Perhaps you could save others from going thru the same frustrations by mentioning the name of the manufacturer? I know they've tried to help you but at some point it became obvious that they are somewhat incompetent...

[ShortBuSX]

So I guess I need to figure out if I should fix the poor bridge ground myself...and live with the on the edge neck plate?

Part of me feels the company needs to address this, so others are able to get quality instruments in the future.
But everybody has been very helpful, and I have been very kind to all involved.
And another part of me almost agrees with the above posters...although I have seen better quality control on lesser guitars.

I really want to like this guitar. Lord knows I keep trying.

[ShortBuSX]

Originally Posted by Frontier9

Perhaps you could save others from going thru the same frustrations by mentioning the name of the manufacturer? I know they've tried to help you but at some point it became obvious that they are somewhat incompetent...

There are subtle clues all throughout the first post, I think its a lil too obvious but then again I was the one who typed it.
You should be able to figure out the exact model.

[kelnet]

Originally Posted by ShortBuSX

There are subtle clues all throughout the first post, I think its a lil too obvious but then again I was the one who typed it.
You should be able to figure out the exact model.

Robert Cray Strat?

[John R.]

Artist and hardtail pretty much nailed it for me. There was another (Blink 182) seems like, but only 2 p/u's (?). If it's the one I'm thinking of, I have one and it's a great little guitar. But, I followed another tdpri members advice. I went through the same online vendor who has a rep for sorting through them and setting them up. Then I upgraded some hardware myself. I love mine. Sorry to hear about your troubles with it.

[ShortBuSX]

Originally Posted by John R.

Artist and hardtail pretty much nailed it for me. There was another (Blink 182) seems like, but only 2 p/u's (?). If it's the one I'm thinking of, I have one and it's a great little guitar. But, I followed another tdpri members advice. I went through the same online vendor who has a rep for sorting through them and setting them up. Then I upgraded some hardware myself. I love mine. Sorry to hear about your troubles with it.

Which vendor? Elderly?
Gold hardware? I am considering that(now)...but only if I can get a keeper.

I still need to figure out what Im doing with this one...I have to take pics of the neck plate and send them to the CSR, maybe he will have some ideas.

[John R.]

MusicOne Workshop...http://www.musiconeworkshop.com/

I replaced the Ping tuners with Gotohs. I had to open the pegholes slightly with a round file. They're not a direct fit. Guitarnuts wiring, new caps, p/g shield etc. Better pots, Callaham hardtail bridge. Maybe a little obsessive, but I knew it was a keeper out of the box. Uhh..I hope we are talking the low end RC strat here.

[ShortBuSX]

Eh...whyd you do all that guitarnuts stuff? Was it noisey?
This is the first noisey one Ive received, all the others dead quiet...never even considered additional shielding on em, and Ive sheilded 90% of the ones Ive owned.
Hypothetically speaking of course, I mean if were even talking about the same guitar.

[John R.]

Well, isn't every strat (assuming that's what we're talking about) noisy? You know 60 cycle hum. It was a little noisy compared to my tele partscasters which I had sheilded. Add that to trying to record in the basement of an old house and I thought I'd give the quiet the beast wiring a try. I had to pull out a dimmer switch in my man cave also.

[Slow Reflexes]

Originally Posted by John R.

Artist and hardtail pretty much nailed it for me. There was another (Blink 182) seems like, but only 2 p/u's (?)...

There's the Billy Corgan, but that's not got the rosewood. And it's nearly twice the cost.

[kelnet]

Where is the Robert Cray strat made?

Really, if you want perfection in fit and finish, then go with a PRS or something similarly high end. Or buy a Ron Kirn Strat. If you can't live with flaws, then pay the price or deal with the frustration of returning the thing.
However, if the flaws in the guitar do not affect playability and sound, then how important are the flaws.
I have read lots of reviews about Fender guitars, and there is a lot of criticism about their poor quality control in a lot of their lines. However, they do sound good.

[John R.]

Originally Posted by Slow Reflexes

There's the Billy Corgan, but that's not got the rosewood. And it's nearly twice the cost.

I was thinking of the Tom Delonge (Blink 182) with 1 dual humbucker at the bridge. It was also a hardtail.

[ShortBuSX]

Customer service asked for pics of the neck plate, sent those this afternoon and I got a prompt call back filled with apologies. "Im a musician too...totally unacceptable, were so sorry..." And a new one is on the way. Im under the impression theyre gonna run quality control on a batch of boxes and hand select one for me in excellent condition.
Gotta love an excellent warranty and helpful friendly customer service!

[John R.]

ShortBuSX, that's great news. It would be cool if they could have Robert Cray pick one out for you. I mean, it would be if it was a Cray model.

[kelnet]

Of course, as many of you know, without pictures, this didn't happen.