This is very educational, as always. Have you ever made a video that shows why truss rods get “maxed out?” I’ve never understood how that happens if you’re just supposed to turn it a little in this direction or that direction. And I always wonder if there are ways to prevent that from happening for the longevity of the guitar. If you haven’t, I hope you can show us that some time. I apologize for the length of what I’m about to say, but I’d like to explain my feelings about the warranty practice you mentioned. I just wish that instead of destroying everything, some of these broken warranty guitars and/or parts would make it into the hands of people who need and would appreciate having them. I’ve seen tons of professional and amateur repair hobbyists offer who are willing to take the time and pay for any needed parts to make the repairs so adults (like me) and kids who can’t afford instruments due to illness/disabilities, house fires, and other hardships can benefit. I am a Medicaid recipient who is very ill/disabled with multiple complex chronic illnesses and conditions with an ADA compliant task trained service dog that mitigates my disabilities and very expensive monthly costs that don’t get covered by health insurance despite his legally being medical equipment just like wheelchairs, etc. I’d be thrilled to have such a repaired guitar that was stripped of the serial number and marked as a “decommissioned warranty guitar with paint only visible with black lights and other things that would make the mark difficult to remove . . . or to even try my hand at learning to fix such a decommissioned guitar myself. I’d also totally love to have decommissioned parts to learn how to make repairs that I’m scared to try without ruining the one working guitar I own. I don’t have to tell you what repairs and setups cost here in NYC, and it would be amazing to have some extra necks or non-functional guitars to practice fret leveling, trying my hand at soldering/installing pickups, and things that take lots of practice (especially on finicky acoustic guitars). If these big brands would at least donate the guitars/parts deemed unusable and have repair shops clearly/permanently mark them as unusable warranty guitars/parts and/or removing the serial numbers, it wouldn’t feel like a giant waste to people in my position whose heart sinks thinking of all these things just getting busted up purposely and going to landfills when needy kids and adults could be benefiting. I totally understand that it may not be worth the time and money to repair from the brands’ perspective, but why can’t each brand setup a non-profit for this precise purpose - or get together and setup a collective non-profit. They could just destroy the serial numbers and add invisible markings and other markings to make resale difficult. It’s also wasteful from an environmental standpoint- not that I’m perfect about recycling and stuff, but when you consider the scale of waste and what could potentially be repaired/reused somehow, it just seems like the ethical thing to do when so many brands are wasting these resources. At the end of the day, with proper steps to ensure nobody is reselling these items, it wouldn’t eat away at the company’s bottom line. They could start a non-profit that raises funds to cover costs of shipping these items from the repair centers to Fender or another location. Then staff/volunteers could sort through and send these items to people need them. They can validate proof of each recipient’s need and whether it’s temporary or permanent, to prevent unscrupulous people from wrongly taking advantage (ie: sending a video or written letter where the recipient explains their circumstances and why they’re hoping to get some help, as well as proof that can be validated if the brand wants to check further such as a Medicaid card, SSDI award letter, doctor’s note, community leader or non-profits who are award of people’s situations and can vouch for their need, schools making a request for its students on official letterhead, etc.). The costs for Fender to pay staff members (and I’m sure they can also find volunteers to assist as well) to review applications, sort items (ie: full guitars that can potentially be repaired by the needy recipient and/or by volunteers vs. parts that can be recycled for repair educational purposes and/or fully building Franken-style guitars), and box/ship items would obviously be covered by the non-profit’s operating expenses and not coming out of Fender’s pocket. They could theoretically even partner with other brands or raise additional funds to provide tools and care items to help the recipients learn to setup, care for, and repair their instruments. I mean, I’m oversimplifying this all, but my point is that it’s doable and many of these “unusable” are worth saving for this purpose rather than having repair centers hack them up and toss them in a dump. That’s largely why people got upset with that aforementioned unnamed video with the Gibson LP - you’re right that it wasn’t GC’s fault, and they were simply adhering to their contractual obligation with Gibson. These brands really ought to take a step back and examine this practice. Hopefully they see your video and the other video, as well as the comments, as really think about the good that could come from setting up a non-profit to save these things and make them valuable in a whole other way that would be meaningful to people who need help and support better environmental practices. There is still value in these things and they are worth saving. It may not be worth it to Fender/Gibson/Brand X to have their repair centers repair them when it costs less to just replace with a new part or an entire guitar, but they could use a non-profit like this as a tax write off and then both the brands and lots of needy adults/kids win . . . as does the environment.
As it turns out I do in fact have plans to make a truss rod video, which would include an explanation of how a truss rod would be maxed out. I did read through your entire message and I do understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately, this is totally out of any technician's hand. These decisions are made at the manufacturer's level and the service providers must adhere to the rules. Sometimes guitars need to be completely smashed and destroyed, after the manufacturers send out the replacement. I can already give you a heads up that you will most likely not like one of my upcoming videos that also involves a guitar that had to be destroyed. You mention that you are in NYC. As it turns out, I actually have some plans that will make a lot of people very happy. They just need to be willing to appear on this RUclips channel. I really can't say much about it, as the whole thing is not something that I will be publicly announcing, but if you feel that you would want to appear as a guest on this channel, let me know and we can make arrangement.
Excellent video :) So good to see Fender allows you to reuse salvageable parts, whilst ensuring the faulty part is not ‘revived’. Common sense rules, sometimes - even in big corporations! Well done, Fender 👍 Great detective work too! 🔍
The technical support guys at Fender are super great. Sometimes I even call them for information that has nothing to do with warranty issues. they usually know the answer, and if not they point me in the right direction. I really can’t complain. I’ve also had nothing but great experiences with people at Gibson. Although I’m fully aware of the fact that Gibson has quality control issues the technical support people at Gibson, that deal with warranty issues have always been super great. I do realize that people sometimes complain that they did not get anything resolved, through a warranty claim. However, in those cases, one has to keep in mind that we are only hearing one side of the story. Sometimes people come to me with ridiculous warranty claims. I stopped them right there, before anyone contacts Gibson or Fender. I’m sure there are a lot of people that contact Gibson or Fender directly, with unifying warranty claims. I can see how that would turn into a bad opinion. Just like that RUclips video that I am referring to, when someone found a smashed up Gibson in the dumpster. People jump to conclusions without knowing what the facts are.
@@GuitarQuackery Great to hear about the superb technical support from both Gibson and Fender - the two big players, that seem to take a lot of flak in the RUclips comments section, for sure! And absolutely fair points about reasonable expectations. I guess that’s where high-volume production QC issues can cross the line from minor / possible B-stock to actual functional failures. With the big name prices increasing and new budget options, which sometimes offer higher specs and raise the QC bar, the big players would perhaps do well to slow down slightly their manufacturing processes and improve the QC stage checks and final sign-off. There would be a direct financial cost but what price lost trade due to reputational damage, if the brands aren’t considered reliable? Especially when so many guitars are purchased online. Even if returns are made easy, the initial disappointment will be a lasting memory, along with the additional time and trouble taken to secure the desired product.
@@derekclacton As I said, I definitely have some issues with quality control. But that has nothing to do with the people who take care of warranty claims. I had two fairly recent experiences with Gibson, issuing an RMA and asking me to send the guitars to them. In a very reasonable time they sent out brand new replacement guitars, and both of those customers were super happy. It is sometimes the case, that customers don’t realize that they can take their guitars to an authorized service center and they try to deal with Gibson directly (or Fender). They don’t know how to explain things and the outcome might not be what they expect. Then they need to deal with shipping and that’s a major mental barrier for most people. But the fact is they do not need to do any of that on their own.
Were you recalling the story of the mutilated LP found by someone in a GC dumpster then forwarded by 'Brad the Guitologist' to Sean at 'Scar My Guitar' for a revamp? If you'd rather not say, I understand. Btw if I remember correctly, Sean removed the Gibson neck and put a budget replacement on but did not put a Gibson logo on its headstock or replace the original factory serial number, or represent the rebuilt guitar as an 'authentic' Gibson. Frankly Sean's work is a little crude at times but in this case he did manage to get that ruined guitar playing nicely again and looking alright, on a reasonable budget. Thanks for explaining why serviceable guitars are sometimes destroyed by retailers or repair/service providers.
The reason why I'd rather not name the actual video(s) is because things can balloon out of proportion. I don't want to get entangled in conflicts. The video that I am referencing had some negative comments about the retailer who dumped the mutilated Gibson into the dumpster. I always thought it was unfair to paint them as some kind vandal. The retailers who have repair department are obligated to follow what the manufacturers tell them to do. As a service provider, if the decision comes from the manufacturer, to scrap the guitar and send pictures, that's what the provider needs to do and move on to the next job. I have nothing against dumpster diving. It can be fun and one can discover treasures. So, when one does discover a treasure it's simply better to make a happy video, as opposed to a video that has a lot of negativity.
@@GuitarQuackery Thanks for showing who¨s responsible for stuff getting damaged. It's good you are allowed to use certain parts. I guess Brad suggested instead of hammering or sawing stuff to death, it could rather be donated to some non-profit. It hurts to see something getting damaged if someone could make use of it. What's the reason (in this case) the headstock had to be cut off?
@@vikingbeard Guitar manufacturers do not have any interest in donating guitars to anyone who can make use of them, if guitars with their name on them are factory defects. The reason the headstock had to be cut off is because the factory replaced the neck and instructed the authorized repair tech (in this case it was me) to cut off the headstock and send photo(s) proving that it was done. If this was not a guitar... if this was, for example, a hammer drill, no one would feel that it was a shame the defective product had to be scraped. But I do understand how people feel that guitars are different. I was feeling the same way when I started this career. Now I got used to it.
Thanks for the explanation. I understand, but think it's selfish of the company and wish there was a law against it. Anyway thanks for saving all those thousands of other guitars, I would have done the same in your situation. Could it be one reason why old guitars are loved so much and often repaired is that they're made from natural quality repairable materials? Today I received two restored vintage British handplanes. Also throwing away a pair of broken synthetic sandals after a few months use.
@@vikingbeard I totally understand the sentimental point of view. And, like I said, it took me a while to adjust to this, as well. But there really isn't a way out of this. I recently had to scrap a Fender Newporter, which is listed for $750, retail price. It probably costs the company $300 to make it. Or perhaps even a lot less. That guitar had a big soundboard hump due to unglued braces and an overset neck. A neck reset is not even possible when a neck is overset, because with overset necks there would be a chunk of wood missing from the heel of the neck. But, let's say that a neck reset is possible. It would not cost less than about $700, just to reset the neck. That's the average price for a Martin where you do not have to do finish repair (provided there are no complications). Since the Neworter was brand new and since the finish on a Newporter is applied after the neck is glued in, the Newporter would also need finish repair. The unglued braces are a nightmare to repair. That's like building a ship in the bottle and it takes hours of a skilled tech's time to do this right. Even then, one might have to settle for an acceptable outcome. After I smashed the guitar into pieces (as part of the scrapping procedure) I discovered that all the braces were glued poorly. So that guitar would fail in the future and an future owner would be stuck with a repair no one can afford to pay for. Right off the bat, a competent luthier would recommend that the guitar would need to be completely rebuilt. We're probably $3,000 easily, to actually compensate the luthier for the time spent. There is no other logical solution than to replace the guitar and scrap the defective one. Fender does not want a guitar that has major defects, and that bears the company name, to be circulating out in the open. Even if they donated it to "a good cause" eventually that guitar might find its way on Reverb or eBay and eventually someone will deal with a nightmare. I also don't think anyone in the world would consider paying what it takes to repair that Newporter, if they can buy a brand new one for $750. So, that video is coming up, I guess. I can already see how it will send shockwaves through the community. Perhaps I shouldn't post it.
And there's more to come, so please don't forget to subscribe and don't forget to blast your favorite guitar forums with links to this channel. Thanks in advance...
I once ruined a Squier neck that I thought had been maxed out. When I couldn't unscrew the nut with an allen wrench, I used an EZ Out tool and broke what I thought was the nut. It turned out to be a sleeve welded to a flat bar attached to a round truss rod that contained the actual nut. It was not a two-way rod. How about a video on how to tell what kind of truss rod is in your neck? Thanks
That's a good suggestion. There are many types of truss rods and the community would benefit from such video. BTW, the truss rod type that we see in this video is called Bi-Flex. It's basically l the Fender two-way truss rod.
Sometimes you get lucky and the defective part is otherwise great. I bought a lacquered MIM Strat Classic 50s neck several years ago for next to nothing since it had a loose skunk stripe, my guess is the walnut may not have been completely cured since there's another spot that's showing the same sign. I did a quick fix with a small amount of wood glue...best Strat neck I've ever owned. Going to have to come up with a more effective fix. Funny enough the one guitar part I've never even seen for sale, skunk stripes. It was just a cheap neck I bought to practice working on, and it's taken the place of 2 custom made necks. Great video! I remember that video...and the older one of the Gibson factory destroying a LONG line of that model no one wanted with a steamroller or forklift. I've bought more than a few pieces of gear that got returned and repairing them likely made no sense. Edit...the "Firebird X". They drove an excavator over $500K of them. I understand from a business standpoint....but the video will still bring a tear to the eye.
Have you seen the Skunk Stripe repair video? ruclips.net/video/zncNhljV-fM/видео.html Gibson could have easily donated a bunch of those Firebird X guitars to schools, or some other organizations.
Please keep us informed of the progress in the case of "Glue on Truss Rod Threads". Could this have been an intentional act by a disgruntled employee, or do you believe it was merely incompetence that cause the death of this guitar neck?
This matter will be further investigated by the Guitar Department, LOL. To be honest, I think these things just happen every once in a while. It's impossible to keep producing thousands of guitars and guitar parts and not have an occasional factory defect that needs to be scrapped. I made this video to let the community now that there are clearly scrapping procedures and that these decisions are not up to the techs that service the warranty claims. Also, this was really a great opportunity to dissect a defective neck and see what caused the failure. Made an interesting video, I think. Thanks for dropping by.
The uniform almost put me at attention, saluting. And the administrative paperwork convinces! I think squeezeout into the trussrod channel would be a constant concern with fingerboard glueups.
Interesting how a little bit of glue contamination lead to an entire neck getting scrapped. If you like the uniform you should definitely check out the official Department of Guitars RUclips channel, www.youtube.com/@GuitarDepartment
@@GuitarQuackery first thought when i saw it, have actually encountered laquer messing up a truss rod after someone painted it,. got in thru the truss rod adjustment hole. that was before i watched the end of the video. rock on, dude, your style is awesome. ;)
“New York City Commissioner for Guitar Affairs”.
Outstanding.😀
Have you had the chance to check out (and subscribe to) the Guitar Department RUclips channel? www.youtube.com/@GuitarDepartment
Seemed like an ideal opportunity to work out whether the truss rod was inserted through the Skunk stripe or from the top.
I was thinking of that, too. Perhaps it can be another video.
This is very educational, as always. Have you ever made a video that shows why truss rods get “maxed out?” I’ve never understood how that happens if you’re just supposed to turn it a little in this direction or that direction. And I always wonder if there are ways to prevent that from happening for the longevity of the guitar. If you haven’t, I hope you can show us that some time.
I apologize for the length of what I’m about to say, but I’d like to explain my feelings about the warranty practice you mentioned. I just wish that instead of destroying everything, some of these broken warranty guitars and/or parts would make it into the hands of people who need and would appreciate having them. I’ve seen tons of professional and amateur repair hobbyists offer who are willing to take the time and pay for any needed parts to make the repairs so adults (like me) and kids who can’t afford instruments due to illness/disabilities, house fires, and other hardships can benefit. I am a Medicaid recipient who is very ill/disabled with multiple complex chronic illnesses and conditions with an ADA compliant task trained service dog that mitigates my disabilities and very expensive monthly costs that don’t get covered by health insurance despite his legally being medical equipment just like wheelchairs, etc. I’d be thrilled to have such a repaired guitar that was stripped of the serial number and marked as a “decommissioned warranty guitar with paint only visible with black lights and other things that would make the mark difficult to remove . . . or to even try my hand at learning to fix such a decommissioned guitar myself. I’d also totally love to have decommissioned parts to learn how to make repairs that I’m scared to try without ruining the one working guitar I own. I don’t have to tell you what repairs and setups cost here in NYC, and it would be amazing to have some extra necks or non-functional guitars to practice fret leveling, trying my hand at soldering/installing pickups, and things that take lots of practice (especially on finicky acoustic guitars).
If these big brands would at least donate the guitars/parts deemed unusable and have repair shops clearly/permanently mark them as unusable warranty guitars/parts and/or removing the serial numbers, it wouldn’t feel like a giant waste to people in my position whose heart sinks thinking of all these things just getting busted up purposely and going to landfills when needy kids and adults could be benefiting. I totally understand that it may not be worth the time and money to repair from the brands’ perspective, but why can’t each brand setup a non-profit for this precise purpose - or get together and setup a collective non-profit. They could just destroy the serial numbers and add invisible markings and other markings to make resale difficult.
It’s also wasteful from an environmental standpoint- not that I’m perfect about recycling and stuff, but when you consider the scale of waste and what could potentially be repaired/reused somehow, it just seems like the ethical thing to do when so many brands are wasting these resources.
At the end of the day, with proper steps to ensure nobody is reselling these items, it wouldn’t eat away at the company’s bottom line. They could start a non-profit that raises funds to cover costs of shipping these items from the repair centers to Fender or another location. Then staff/volunteers could sort through and send these items to people need them. They can validate proof of each recipient’s need and whether it’s temporary or permanent, to prevent unscrupulous people from wrongly taking advantage (ie: sending a video or written letter where the recipient explains their circumstances and why they’re hoping to get some help, as well as proof that can be validated if the brand wants to check further such as a Medicaid card, SSDI award letter, doctor’s note, community leader or non-profits who are award of people’s situations and can vouch for their need, schools making a request for its students on official letterhead, etc.). The costs for Fender to pay staff members (and I’m sure they can also find volunteers to assist as well) to review applications, sort items (ie: full guitars that can potentially be repaired by the needy recipient and/or by volunteers vs. parts that can be recycled for repair educational purposes and/or fully building Franken-style guitars), and box/ship items would obviously be covered by the non-profit’s operating expenses and not coming out of Fender’s pocket. They could theoretically even partner with other brands or raise additional funds to provide tools and care items to help the recipients learn to setup, care for, and repair their instruments.
I mean, I’m oversimplifying this all, but my point is that it’s doable and many of these “unusable” are worth saving for this purpose rather than having repair centers hack them up and toss them in a dump. That’s largely why people got upset with that aforementioned unnamed video with the Gibson LP - you’re right that it wasn’t GC’s fault, and they were simply adhering to their contractual obligation with Gibson. These brands really ought to take a step back and examine this practice. Hopefully they see your video and the other video, as well as the comments, as really think about the good that could come from setting up a non-profit to save these things and make them valuable in a whole other way that would be meaningful to people who need help and support better environmental practices. There is still value in these things and they are worth saving. It may not be worth it to Fender/Gibson/Brand X to have their repair centers repair them when it costs less to just replace with a new part or an entire guitar, but they could use a non-profit like this as a tax write off and then both the brands and lots of needy adults/kids win . . . as does the environment.
As it turns out I do in fact have plans to make a truss rod video, which would include an explanation of how a truss rod would be maxed out.
I did read through your entire message and I do understand where you are coming from. Unfortunately, this is totally out of any technician's hand. These decisions are made at the manufacturer's level and the service providers must adhere to the rules. Sometimes guitars need to be completely smashed and destroyed, after the manufacturers send out the replacement.
I can already give you a heads up that you will most likely not like one of my upcoming videos that also involves a guitar that had to be destroyed.
You mention that you are in NYC. As it turns out, I actually have some plans that will make a lot of people very happy. They just need to be willing to appear on this RUclips channel.
I really can't say much about it, as the whole thing is not something that I will be publicly announcing, but if you feel that you would want to appear as a guest on this channel, let me know and we can make arrangement.
Excellent video :) So good to see Fender allows you to reuse salvageable parts, whilst ensuring the faulty part is not ‘revived’. Common sense rules, sometimes - even in big corporations! Well done, Fender 👍 Great detective work too! 🔍
The technical support guys at Fender are super great. Sometimes I even call them for information that has nothing to do with warranty issues. they usually know the answer, and if not they point me in the right direction. I really can’t complain.
I’ve also had nothing but great experiences with people at Gibson.
Although I’m fully aware of the fact that Gibson has quality control issues the technical support people at Gibson, that deal with warranty issues have always been super great.
I do realize that people sometimes complain that they did not get anything resolved, through a warranty claim. However, in those cases, one has to keep in mind that we are only hearing one side of the story.
Sometimes people come to me with ridiculous warranty claims. I stopped them right there, before anyone contacts Gibson or Fender.
I’m sure there are a lot of people that contact Gibson or Fender directly, with unifying warranty claims. I can see how that would turn into a bad opinion. Just like that RUclips video that I am referring to, when someone found a smashed up Gibson in the dumpster. People jump to conclusions without knowing what the facts are.
@@GuitarQuackery Great to hear about the superb technical support from both Gibson and Fender - the two big players, that seem to take a lot of flak in the RUclips comments section, for sure! And absolutely fair points about reasonable expectations.
I guess that’s where high-volume production QC issues can cross the line from minor / possible B-stock to actual functional failures.
With the big name prices increasing and new budget options, which sometimes offer higher specs and raise the QC bar, the big players would perhaps do well to slow down slightly their manufacturing processes and improve the QC stage checks and final sign-off.
There would be a direct financial cost but what price lost trade due to reputational damage, if the brands aren’t considered reliable? Especially when so many guitars are purchased online. Even if returns are made easy, the initial disappointment will be a lasting memory, along with the additional time and trouble taken to secure the desired product.
@@derekclacton As I said, I definitely have some issues with quality control. But that has nothing to do with the people who take care of warranty claims.
I had two fairly recent experiences with Gibson, issuing an RMA and asking me to send the guitars to them. In a very reasonable time they sent out brand new replacement guitars, and both of those customers were super happy.
It is sometimes the case, that customers don’t realize that they can take their guitars to an authorized service center and they try to deal with Gibson directly (or Fender). They don’t know how to explain things and the outcome might not be what they expect. Then they need to deal with shipping and that’s a major mental barrier for most people. But the fact is they do not need to do any of that on their own.
Were you recalling the story of the mutilated LP found by someone in a GC dumpster then forwarded by 'Brad the Guitologist' to Sean at 'Scar My Guitar' for a revamp? If you'd rather not say, I understand. Btw if I remember correctly, Sean removed the Gibson neck and put a budget replacement on but did not put a Gibson logo on its headstock or replace the original factory serial number, or represent the rebuilt guitar as an 'authentic' Gibson. Frankly Sean's work is a little crude at times but in this case he did manage to get that ruined guitar playing nicely again and looking alright, on a reasonable budget. Thanks for explaining why serviceable guitars are sometimes destroyed by retailers or repair/service providers.
The reason why I'd rather not name the actual video(s) is because things can balloon out of proportion. I don't want to get entangled in conflicts.
The video that I am referencing had some negative comments about the retailer who dumped the mutilated Gibson into the dumpster. I always thought it was unfair to paint them as some kind vandal. The retailers who have repair department are obligated to follow what the manufacturers tell them to do.
As a service provider, if the decision comes from the manufacturer, to scrap the guitar and send pictures, that's what the provider needs to do and move on to the next job.
I have nothing against dumpster diving. It can be fun and one can discover treasures. So, when one does discover a treasure it's simply better to make a happy video, as opposed to a video that has a lot of negativity.
@@GuitarQuackery Thanks for showing who¨s responsible for stuff getting damaged. It's good you are allowed to use certain parts. I guess Brad suggested instead of hammering or sawing stuff to death, it could rather be donated to some non-profit. It hurts to see something getting damaged if someone could make use of it. What's the reason (in this case) the headstock had to be cut off?
@@vikingbeard Guitar manufacturers do not have any interest in donating guitars to anyone who can make use of them, if guitars with their name on them are factory defects.
The reason the headstock had to be cut off is because the factory replaced the neck and instructed the authorized repair tech (in this case it was me) to cut off the headstock and send photo(s) proving that it was done.
If this was not a guitar... if this was, for example, a hammer drill, no one would feel that it was a shame the defective product had to be scraped. But I do understand how people feel that guitars are different. I was feeling the same way when I started this career. Now I got used to it.
Thanks for the explanation. I understand, but think it's selfish of the company and wish there was a law against it. Anyway thanks for saving all those thousands of other guitars, I would have done the same in your situation.
Could it be one reason why old guitars are loved so much and often repaired is that they're made from natural quality repairable materials? Today I received two restored vintage British handplanes. Also throwing away a pair of broken synthetic sandals after a few months use.
@@vikingbeard I totally understand the sentimental point of view. And, like I said, it took me a while to adjust to this, as well. But there really isn't a way out of this.
I recently had to scrap a Fender Newporter, which is listed for $750, retail price. It probably costs the company $300 to make it. Or perhaps even a lot less.
That guitar had a big soundboard hump due to unglued braces and an overset neck. A neck reset is not even possible when a neck is overset, because with overset necks there would be a chunk of wood missing from the heel of the neck. But, let's say that a neck reset is possible. It would not cost less than about $700, just to reset the neck.
That's the average price for a Martin where you do not have to do finish repair (provided there are no complications).
Since the Neworter was brand new and since the finish on a Newporter is applied after the neck is glued in, the Newporter would also need finish repair.
The unglued braces are a nightmare to repair. That's like building a ship in the bottle and it takes hours of a skilled tech's time to do this right. Even then, one might have to settle for an acceptable outcome.
After I smashed the guitar into pieces (as part of the scrapping procedure) I discovered that all the braces were glued poorly. So that guitar would fail in the future and an future owner would be stuck with a repair no one can afford to pay for.
Right off the bat, a competent luthier would recommend that the guitar would need to be completely rebuilt. We're probably $3,000 easily, to actually compensate the luthier for the time spent.
There is no other logical solution than to replace the guitar and scrap the defective one.
Fender does not want a guitar that has major defects, and that bears the company name, to be circulating out in the open. Even if they donated it to "a good cause" eventually that guitar might find its way on Reverb or eBay and eventually someone will deal with a nightmare.
I also don't think anyone in the world would consider paying what it takes to repair that Newporter, if they can buy a brand new one for $750.
So, that video is coming up, I guess. I can already see how it will send shockwaves through the community. Perhaps I shouldn't post it.
Wau. The guitar Police and the head will roll. Excellent sir, excellent. 🎉
And there's more to come, so please don't forget to subscribe and don't forget to blast your favorite guitar forums with links to this channel. Thanks in advance...
I once ruined a Squier neck that I thought had been maxed out. When I couldn't unscrew the nut with an allen wrench, I used an EZ Out tool and broke what I thought was the nut. It turned out to be a sleeve welded to a flat bar attached to a round truss rod that contained the actual nut. It was not a two-way rod. How about a video on how to tell what kind of truss rod is in your neck? Thanks
That's a good suggestion. There are many types of truss rods and the community would benefit from such video. BTW, the truss rod type that we see in this video is called Bi-Flex. It's basically l the Fender two-way truss rod.
I've always found that the warranty replacement necks that Fender sends are of a higher quality than what comes on a typical Fender guitar.
Interesting. I haven't noticed myself, but I'll star paying attention. Thanks.
Sometimes you get lucky and the defective part is otherwise great.
I bought a lacquered MIM Strat Classic 50s neck several years ago for next to nothing since it had a loose skunk stripe, my guess is the walnut may not have been completely cured since there's another spot that's showing the same sign. I did a quick fix with a small amount of wood glue...best Strat neck I've ever owned. Going to have to come up with a more effective fix. Funny enough the one guitar part I've never even seen for sale, skunk stripes. It was just a cheap neck I bought to practice working on, and it's taken the place of 2 custom made necks.
Great video! I remember that video...and the older one of the Gibson factory destroying a LONG line of that model no one wanted with a steamroller or forklift. I've bought more than a few pieces of gear that got returned and repairing them likely made no sense.
Edit...the "Firebird X". They drove an excavator over $500K of them. I understand from a business standpoint....but the video will still bring a tear to the eye.
Have you seen the Skunk Stripe repair video? ruclips.net/video/zncNhljV-fM/видео.html
Gibson could have easily donated a bunch of those Firebird X guitars to schools, or some other organizations.
@@GuitarQuackery
I have now....or will in 30sec.
Thanks!!
Love it, Guitar Pathology, another super interesting video, thank you 👍
Then you will love the upcoming Fender Newporter acoustic guitar review video even more.
Please keep us informed of the progress in the case of "Glue on Truss Rod Threads". Could this have been an intentional act by a disgruntled employee, or do you believe it was merely incompetence that cause the death of this guitar neck?
This matter will be further investigated by the Guitar Department, LOL.
To be honest, I think these things just happen every once in a while. It's impossible to keep producing thousands of guitars and guitar parts and not have an occasional factory defect that needs to be scrapped.
I made this video to let the community now that there are clearly scrapping procedures and that these decisions are not up to the techs that service the warranty claims. Also, this was really a great opportunity to dissect a defective neck and see what caused the failure. Made an interesting video, I think.
Thanks for dropping by.
The uniform almost put me at attention, saluting. And the administrative paperwork convinces! I think squeezeout into the trussrod channel would be a constant concern with fingerboard glueups.
Interesting how a little bit of glue contamination lead to an entire neck getting scrapped.
If you like the uniform you should definitely check out the official Department of Guitars RUclips channel, www.youtube.com/@GuitarDepartment
I bet the goo in the truss rod cavity is lacquer
Why do you think so?
@@GuitarQuackery first thought when i saw it, have actually encountered laquer messing up a truss rod after someone painted it,. got in thru the truss rod adjustment hole. that was before i watched the end of the video. rock on, dude, your style is awesome. ;)
Now thats a thumbnail....
Thanks. I was in fact hoping it would make people click on it.
Shipping cost is more that instrument cost. duh!
Precisely.
Your channel is brilliant! Very helpful to us who are in need of instruction and insight! Thank you!!!
You're very welcome! And if you know of others that might benefit, please share. Also, feel free to share on any guitar forums. Thanks.