Perhaps I’m persnickety but…Quality Control on original 50s new tele

[Mike Eskimo]

1.) Buy used guitars that are right in front of you (to me “sight unseen” usually also means “unweighed” and - well, nope. We all can be picky for various things and anything over 7.5 lbs is my picky limit)

2.) PRS can be the best/highest QC/most consistent and - I’m still not wearing a blindfold when I play. Their design/aesthetics/hysterically ugly headstock are not getting near me. I played my first one in ‘87 and I remember thinking how it was the best playing/ugliest guitar I’d ever been in the same room with.

So there you are …

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

final update folks...

so i've decided to keep the guitar, it plays beautifully , take the 5% offer and i've asked for neck plate screws which Terry @ Fender EMEA, who has been great, will hopefully send out.

At some point i might have a go at re-seating the ferrule, then again, might do more damage!

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

Just out of interest, is your a three piece?

chicken curry, i cant see any joints on the body. my strat has a 2 piece body which i can clearly see the join just above the jack socket but so as far as i can see it looks like one piece (perhaps matched really well though?).

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

Most of them are easily fixable but also it shouldn't happen on a top-of-the-line guitar like the AO. Is the B-string ferrule just not seated or is the hole not fully drilled?

john c...how can i tell?. to me it looks like its just not seated as deeply as the others and is flush with the body - the others are recessed

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

FYI

View attachment 1036929

killing floor many thanks - i asked for replacements per your post, fingers crossed i get them

 

[John C]

john c...how can i tell?. to me it looks like its just not seated as deeply as the others and is flush with the body - the others are recessed

I would gently push on the one that is flush and not recessed and see if it will go deeper into the body to match the others. Otherwise you would probably have to remove the one that is flush and at least one of the ones that is recessed and try to measure the depth of the hole.

 

[old wrench]

final update folks...

so i've decided to keep the guitar, it plays beautifully , take the 5% offer and i've asked for neck plate screws which Terry @ Fender EMEA, who has been great, will hopefully send out.

At some point i might have a go at re-seating the ferrule, then again, might do more damage!

I'm happy to see that you've worked out everything to your satisfaction

I think you made a good call on getting things resolved

If we start letting all the small things slide, it's only a matter of time before the bigger things start getting sloppy and screwed-up - and it doesn't matter if we're talking about guitars or bigger and more important matters



* If you do decide to seat that errant ferrule, just remember to apply some heat to it before you try to seat it - heat will melt the finish and allow the ferrule to seat without breaking the surrounding finish

That's how we seat ferrules in finished Tele bodies without boogering-up the finish

.

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

I'm happy to see that you've worked out everything to your satisfaction

I think you made a good call on getting things resolved

If we start letting all the small things slide, it's only a matter of time before the bigger things start getting sloppy and screwed-up - and it doesn't matter if we're talking about guitars or bigger and more important matters



* If you do decide to seat that errant ferrule, just remember to apply some heat to it before you try to seat it - heat will melt the finish and allow the ferrule to seat without breaking the surrounding finish

That's how we seat ferrules in finished Tele bodies without boogering-up the finish

.

great tip thanks old wrench

Can I ask a question, I presume heat with soldering iron but then what type of tool would you suggest to push the ferrule home?


As for my “complaint” it was really about letting them know and hope it drives improvements. I’ve worked in manufacturing all my days and if nobody tells the guys on the line then they can’t improve. As you say little things can escalate rapidly

 

[old wrench]

great tip thanks old wrench

Can I ask a question, I presume heat with soldering iron but then what type of tool would you suggest to push the ferrule home?


As for my “complaint” it was really about letting them know and hope it drives improvements. I’ve worked in manufacturing all my days and if nobody tells the guys on the line then they can’t improve. As you say little things can escalate rapidly

For seating string ferrules, I have an old Weller soldering gun that I use

It's one of the old pistol-grip ones - it has a pretty big tip on it that fits right into the ferrule, and it's fairly hefty

I just line up the ferrule in the hole - then stick the gun's tip in the ferrule - then apply slight pressure, and pull the trigger on the gun

The gun's tip heats up pretty quickly and in turn, heats up the ferrule - the finish softens up, and ferrule will sink right in

As long as the ferrule holes were drilled correctly, it's just the finish build-up in the holes that prevents the ferrules from seating

It shouldn't take much pressure as long as you soften the finish with a little heat

You don't want to use so much heat that it burns the finish - just enough to soften the finish

I'm sure you can use the same technique with a soldering iron

.

 

[Vim_Fuego_]

Old wrench Thanks. I will keep this info handy and have a go soon

 

[Minivan Megafun]

More and more I think I don't belong on forums. I don't inspect my guitars with a special light and a magnifying glass. I'm honestly not even sure I see what the "defects" are except (maybe) the ferrule?

I also don't understand where the whole PRS mythology comes from. I keep asking my local shops and they keep telling me all the big American manufacturers crank out guitars that basically require the same amount of setup across their models, even before accounting for individual player preference. That's not to say PRS is bad. Just that they are like the other guys. FWIW the shops seem to think the guitars are just fine and more consistently good than in prior eras.

While in this case there's a few issues that could easily have been addressed by the dealer before sale, I know what you mean. I personally have to wonder when I see the posts where someone broke out a micrometer and they're raging about Fender QC because one nut slot is 1/1000th of an inch off. Pick up a Gibson and then see what QC issues really are.

 

[Sax-son]

For seating string ferrules, I have an old Weller soldering gun that I use

It's one of the old pistol-grip ones - it has a pretty big tip on it that fits right into the ferrule, and it's fairly hefty

I just line up the ferrule in the hole - then stick the gun's tip in the ferrule - then apply slight pressure, and pull the trigger on the gun

The gun's tip heats up pretty quickly and in turn, heats up the ferrule - the finish softens up, and ferrule will sink right in

As long as the ferrule holes were drilled correctly, it's just the finish build-up in the holes that prevents the ferrules from seating

It shouldn't take much pressure as long as you soften the finish with a little heat

You don't want to use so much heat that it burns the finish - just enough to soften the finish

I'm sure you can use the same technique with a soldering iron

.

Good tip! I just use an old hex bolt with a couple light taps with a rubber mallet. Like you said, if the holes are the right size, there should be no issues.

 

[fenderchamp]

I think people often confuse their own OCD tendencies with the things that will effect one's ability to make meaningful music on an instrument. I also think that people are so hung up on, and are so out of control and compulsively buying instruments that they are constantly in a state of buyer's remorse and trying to find an out for their own compulsive shopping.

Wow a crooked pick-guard screw! I'm sending it back!

Sometimes I think this is actually insulting to the poor people that actually have to work in these jobs.
OCD guy #875432 finds, OMG a crooked screw on guitar #17, which he probably will never play anyway, but makes him sure he just got ripped of, so instead of playing any guitar music, he goes on a mission and tries to slap a little salve on his wounded self control which was recently gashed by the purchase of old number 17 and he throws a fit, posts about the huge decline in quality at fender MX on the internets, writes a whiny email and or makes a whiny phone call to sweetwater, perhaps several of each.

Supported by his GAS infected OCD supporters on the internets he returns #-17 to sweetwater and gets a new guitar with a tiny black spot in the surf green paint which he might even be able to feel with his fingertip and causes him a whole new cycle of agony.

Eventually after this whole series of GAS/OCD/Buyer remorse fueled events are packed into the dozens of other OCD complaints from other complainers about quality control all around the world, makes it back to the huge corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender, a plan has to be made.

This plan translates into one more tiny cut in the dehumanizing death of 1000 cuts suffered by production workers everywhere in every industry, but particularly in those industries where actual work has to be done by hand and is possibly not up to OCD ROBOTIC standards.

This plan of course, at great time and expense and much documentation, must be rolled out on the behalf of the bean counters and legal eagles running the corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender to the workers in Ensenada which are probably already assaulted by threats and rumors about their jobs being moved to Indonesia. This new plan is announced along with some of the stuff which is known to roll downhill, rolling downhill causing worker number #831 and qa inspector #98 to get verbal warnings, additionally causing middle management, worried about their quarterly bonuses to introduce 13 more steps in the manual to try to eliminate those crooked screws and barely perceptible black spots in surf green paint and at the same time, the management must start to search for some cheaper components to try to make up for the increase in labor and expense of formulating the plan and cataloging all of the complaints, or to find a new robot to get rid of such human imperfections in the production of guitars.

I'm happy that your OCD is not my reality, I'm sad that you are able to amplify your voice so loudly with the internet, and ultimately make our guitars worse, and more expensive.

 

[Dukex]

I think people often confuse their own OCD tendencies with the things that will effect one's ability to make meaningful music on an instrument. I also think that people are so hung up on, and are so out of control and compulsively buying instruments that they are constantly in a state of buyer's remorse and trying to find an out for their own compulsive shopping.

Wow a crooked pick-guard screw! I'm sending it back!

Sometimes I think this is actually insulting to the poor people that actually have to work in these jobs.
OCD guy #875432 finds, OMG a crooked screw on guitar #17, which he probably will never play anyway, but makes him sure he just got ripped of, so instead of playing any guitar music, he goes on a mission and tries to slap a little salve on his wounded self control which was recently gashed by the purchase of old number 17 and he throws a fit, posts about the huge decline in quality at fender MX on the internets, writes a whiny email and or makes a whiny phone call to sweetwater, perhaps several of each.

Supported by his GAS infected OCD supporters on the internets he returns #-17 to sweetwater and gets a new guitar with a tiny black spot in the surf green paint which he might even be able to feel with his fingertip and causes him a whole new cycle of agony.

Eventually after this whole series of GAS/OCD/Buyer remorse fueled events are packed into the dozens of other OCD complaints from other complainers about quality control all around the world, makes it back to the huge corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender, a plan has to be made.

This plan translates into one more tiny cut in the dehumanizing death of 1000 cuts suffered by production workers everywhere in every industry, but particularly in those industries where actual work has to be done by hand and is possibly not up to OCD ROBOTIC standards.

This plan of course, at great time and expense and much documentation, must be rolled out on the behalf of the bean counters and legal eagles running the corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender to the workers in Ensenada which are probably already assaulted by threats and rumors about their jobs being moved to Indonesia. This new plan is announced along with some of the stuff which is known to roll downhill, rolling downhill causing worker number #831 and qa inspector #98 to get verbal warnings, additionally causing middle management, worried about their quarterly bonuses to introduce 13 more steps in the manual to try to eliminate those crooked screws and barely perceptible black spots in surf green paint and at the same time, the management must start to search for some cheaper components to try to make up for the increase in labor and expense of formulating the plan and cataloging all of the complaints, or to find a new robot to get rid of such human imperfections in the production of guitars.

I'm happy that your OCD is not my reality, I'm sad that you are able to amplify your voice so loudly with the internet, and ultimately make our guitars worse, and more expensive.

Well, now, look who's talking about OCD and rants, LOL!

 

[Rufustelestrats]

Ok So to recap;
1: Reseat the ferrule
2: Put in new screw and don't scratch it up with the screwdriver
3. Remove and rescrew the pickguard screw.

All of this garnered you a 5% discount from Fender?

I need to be a more discerning consumer. And learn to cry on command.

 

[fenderchamp]

Well, now, look who's talking about OCD and rants, LOL!

total rant. for sure, and of dubious veridicality too.

 

[old wrench]

I think people often confuse their own OCD tendencies with the things that will effect one's ability to make meaningful music on an instrument. I also think that people are so hung up on, and are so out of control and compulsively buying instruments that they are constantly in a state of buyer's remorse and trying to find an out for their own compulsive shopping.

Wow a crooked pick-guard screw! I'm sending it back!

Sometimes I think this is actually insulting to the poor people that actually have to work in these jobs.
OCD guy #875432 finds, OMG a crooked screw on guitar #17, which he probably will never play anyway, but makes him sure he just got ripped of, so instead of playing any guitar music, he goes on a mission and tries to slap a little salve on his wounded self control which was recently gashed by the purchase of old number 17 and he throws a fit, posts about the huge decline in quality at fender MX on the internets, writes a whiny email and or makes a whiny phone call to sweetwater, perhaps several of each.

Supported by his GAS infected OCD supporters on the internets he returns #-17 to sweetwater and gets a new guitar with a tiny black spot in the surf green paint which he might even be able to feel with his fingertip and causes him a whole new cycle of agony.

Eventually after this whole series of GAS/OCD/Buyer remorse fueled events are packed into the dozens of other OCD complaints from other complainers about quality control all around the world, makes it back to the huge corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender, a plan has to be made.

This plan translates into one more tiny cut in the dehumanizing death of 1000 cuts suffered by production workers everywhere in every industry, but particularly in those industries where actual work has to be done by hand and is possibly not up to OCD ROBOTIC standards.

This plan of course, at great time and expense and much documentation, must be rolled out on the behalf of the bean counters and legal eagles running the corporate conglomerate that used to be Fender to the workers in Ensenada which are probably already assaulted by threats and rumors about their jobs being moved to Indonesia. This new plan is announced along with some of the stuff which is known to roll downhill, rolling downhill causing worker number #831 and qa inspector #98 to get verbal warnings, additionally causing middle management, worried about their quarterly bonuses to introduce 13 more steps in the manual to try to eliminate those crooked screws and barely perceptible black spots in surf green paint and at the same time, the management must start to search for some cheaper components to try to make up for the increase in labor and expense of formulating the plan and cataloging all of the complaints, or to find a new robot to get rid of such human imperfections in the production of guitars.

I'm happy that your OCD is not my reality, I'm sad that you are able to amplify your voice so loudly with the internet, and ultimately make our guitars worse, and more expensive.

Jeez - and you are criticizing someone else for whining?

.

 

[fenderchamp]

Jeez - and you are criticizing someone else for whining?

.

Well, I'm criticizing small mobs of people for crying about really minor issues with generally relatively cheap guitars, that I'm claiming they didn't really want that badly in the first place and then making a public show of it and returning them. And I'm accusing the people that do it of being somewhat anal retentive, which I think is a perfectionist musician thing anyway.

I was really just having a little rant mainly for fun.

 

[StewieCopeland]

that AO is one of the finest sounding tele’s I have ever owned, especially after A pickup swap.

to me the pickups are such a key component of a guitar's sound that this would seem like it wasn't one of the finest sounding teles you have owned

 

[wyclif]

All those things are valid issues that need to be addressed.

People spend a lot of money on guitars. It's not too much to ask that the screws be straight and undamaged. And the ferrules not being flush with the back surface of the body drives me insane.