Bad fret job. Need advice :)

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tpaustin
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Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by tpaustin »

Hello,

I'm a long time Ric fan, but a fairly new owner. I've always loved these guitars, but could never justify buying one for many reasons - my playing ability being one of them ;) I finally sold my other guitars and decided to buy one, but didn't play that much because of life and work.

I started playing more and taking lessons last year and noticed a lot of of buzz. At first I thought it was just my skills, but had the guitar checked out by several luthiers. All of them said it had a bad fret (the 3rd fret was set too far into the neck).

I had this addressed at a very reputable shop and was told that it had "a low 3rd fret" and that they would "replane, refret and refinish the instrument".

When I got it back, the fret issue was addressed, but the fretboard looked terrible where they pulled the frets. It didn't seem to have been properly refinished.

I sent them pictures and they refuse to address it saying that it is just "tiny air bubbles or marks in the finish around the base of the frets, this is not uncommon and does not affect the playability of the instrument".

Do any of you have any advice or suggestions. I'm very dissappointed because I think it looks terrible and I expected the job to have been done right. It is cosmetic, but I feel that the marks devalue my guitar and should not be there.

It is hard to get good pictures of the problem because of the glossy finish on the fretboard, but I'm putting a few below for you all to check out.

Thanks!

- Tim
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jps
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by jps »

How long ago did you have this refret done, and did you pay with a credit card?

Was there a reason the frets could not just be leveled to match the lower fret? That is what most qualified "luthiers"/repair techs would have done. No need to do a total refret and refinish.
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jps
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by jps »

After some research into refretting instruments, it could be that the fret(s) that were low would end up making all the rest of the frets too low after leveling, then a refret would make sense. As to the fingerboard chipping, that can occur with some woods, which, if it were an unfinished 'board would be filled in with sawdust/glue/whatever was deemed necessary. On a fully finished 'board the finish itself could/would fill in in those areas, so this doesn't seem to be a real problem, in the end. Does this affect playability of the guitar? I have had instruments over the years that have been refretted and have not even given it thought knowing this can and does happen when an instrument is refretted. YMMV.
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jdogric12
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by jdogric12 »

Sorry to hear this! Would love to know what shop - steer others clear.
tpaustin
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by tpaustin »

These blemishes/marks don't affect playability. They are cosmetic, but do affect value.

As jps pointed out, these marks are not uncommon if you don't finish the neck properly (fill them in with sawdust/glue, etc).

I'm upset because the guitar was in perfect condition aside from the low fret. Getting it back with these marks all over the fretboard was super disappointing.

To top it off, this work was done by RIC under warranty and they refuse to address the bad finish job.
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jdogric12
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by jdogric12 »

jdogric12 wrote:Would love to know what shop - steer others clear.
tpaustin wrote:this work was done by RIC under warranty and they refuse to address the bad finish job.
That certainly is super disappointing. Have you tried explaining the situation to your dealer and asking for a refund? How long have you owned it? Play hardball. Get your credit card company involved if possible. Chargebacks often get results.
tpaustin
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by tpaustin »

I tried with the dealer, but no luck. Because of life and work (and moving) I didn't play much when I first bought the guitar,. When I started playing again, and taking lessons, I realized the buzz wasn't just my poor skills and had it checked out. That's when I found out it was the low fret causing the buzz. It was still under warranty and I sent it to RIC. They confirmed it was a defect and fixed it under warranty. However, what I got back had the fretboard issues you see in the picture. It was while after I bought it and couldn't return it.

I tried to get them to address the new issue (that they caused), but they refused. They said "The instrument left the factory at factory specs and met every factory standard".

I've taken it to several shops/luthiers and they said it wasn't acceptable and should have been done properly. None of them really wanted to fix it and a couple even told me I should just sell it (and take a hit because of these blemishes).
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jdogric12
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by jdogric12 »

I'd be livid and maybe look into legal options like small claims court.
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Badanovski
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Re: Bad fret job. Need advice :)

Post by Badanovski »

It would most likely cost you more in time & or money to fight it than it's worth. If it bothers you so much that it takes away from the playing experience, then sell it & take a loss. Other wise, time to put the issue to bed & enjoy the fact that it plays well now. It sucks, but most of us get burned to some degree occasionally.
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