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The Guitar Pron Thread


Celery Man

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3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

My G&L Tele is my go-to guitar.  It's awesome.

What year?  I've heard people rave about the ones they were building in the 90s.  But they seem to have a lot of lower budget offerings these days, and I haven't taken much time to try to differentiate their offerings.

Edited by dcbc
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6 minutes ago, dcbc said:

What year?  I've heard people rave about the ones they were building in the 90s.  But they seem to have a lot of lower budget offerings these days, and I haven't taken much time to try to differentiate their offerings.

Oh, no, way newer than that.  Maybe 2012 or so?  Can't remember.

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Well the guitar arrived from Adorama yesterday evening.  Just had a few minutes to give it a quick once over.  And spoiler alert I don't know shit about guitars so any advice would be appreciated.

The guitar came in the factory sealed box that was in good shape.

  1. The neck is very blonde and without much/any wood grain.  It looks like a very light tan plastic.  It looks like it could have been made out of melted barbie dolls.
  2. It sounds loud when played without an amp
  3. It weights 7'12oz
  4. Pots seem scratchy (like noticeably scratchy)  
  5. Action is low with no fret buzzing
  6. Fret ends are a mixed bag, they are rougher than my Squier CV which feels really good to me
  7. Some light scratches on the neck by the nut where the file guy had too many Cuban coffees
  8. 1" long crack in the finish on the back belly side edge (it's through the finish and is rough if you run your finger over it)
  9. 1/2" long hairline crack on the heel/neck pocket (looks to me like it cracked when they ran the screws in to hold the neck the crack is on the front corner of the heel)

So I'm going to call Adorama this AM to get a replacement and play the lottery again.  I was going to just get an adjustment for the cosmetic damage, but I don't want to mess around with a crack on the neck pocket (especially by one of the screws).   This is not an Adorama fault IMHO the box was sealed from fender and unmolested.  Compared the Squier CV it just does not feel as nice.  That might have changed once I had played it some but that's my initial impression

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and returned...   I will say this, Adorama so far has had excellent customer service.  No long wait for an agent, no hassle, quick response to email.  I do wonder if they are selling Fender B stock.  But my son's LPB Strat was fine first try, so maybe Fender just stuck them with a dud.

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3 hours ago, locodos said:

Also there was some discussion about the year of these Adorama Lake Placid Blue guitars.  The one sent to me had a serial begining with MX21...   I looked up the full serial in fender's system and it showed 1/22.  fyi

Yeah, I'm assuming they bought a massive shipment of those exclusive Lake Placid blue Players a couple of years ago at a sweet price. The cracks and scratchy pots are likely a result of being stored a long time in a warehouse, just my guess. They are fairly inconsequential and I'm sure it will vary from guitar to guitar. 

Just spinning the knobs a while could take care of the pot noise, and if needed spray a little electronics cleaner in them, they are probably OK.

Did it come with any kind of bag? 

 

EDIT:
OK, I posted that before I saw the photos. That's not good. Probably got bumped around a lot. 

Adorama is very good with customer service, returns and such. They are a huge business and stock a ton of stuff. Stuff like this happens, but they will make it good.

Edited by DougO
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25 minutes ago, DougO said:

Yeah, I'm assuming they bought a massive shipment of those exclusive Lake Placid blue Players a couple of years ago at a sweet price. The cracks and scratchy pots are likely a result of being stored a long time in a warehouse, just my guess. They are fairly inconsequential and I'm sure it will vary from guitar to guitar. 

Just spinning the knobs a while could take care of the pot noise, and if needed spray a little electronics cleaner in them, they are probably OK.

Did it come with any kind of bag? 

 

EDIT:
OK, I posted that before I saw the photos. That's not good. Probably got bumped around a lot. 

Adorama is very good with customer service, returns and such. They are a huge business and stock a ton of stuff. Stuff like this happens, but they will make it good.

It wasn't pot noise, it felt like the knob was rubbing sandpaper.  No sound just tactile.  Not that I've felt a lot, but in handling 30-ish guitars I haven't felt pots that scratchy.  I agree probably dirty and may have smoothed out.

I don't think the guitar got damaged in the box, I'd bet it got packed by fender that way.  The box was unopened and in good shape, the foam bag didn't look like it had much wear either.  Plus that crack on the body looks like it had been filled with something.  There were a few other really nit picky flaws in the finish that you'd never notice unless you really looked for it.  I went back and looked over my son's strat (also bought @ Adorama) and his is pristine (even after a couple of years being owned by a teen)

And no bag, just the guitar, tags, and allen wrench

Edited by locodos
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Well I just figured something out...  When I compared specs of the the Squier CV tele and the MIM fenders they seem to be the same in regard to nut width and neck width.  But when I play the Squier I have a harder time with A Chords (or really any chord up by the neck) than I do with the MIM strat or even the MIM tele that I just returned.  I keep muting the high e... I feel like Mongo fingering a violin.  I had checked the neck and nut width with calipers and the CV & MIM had the same/super similar measurements and it bothered me yesterday.   It took me a while, I'm an idiot, but I got the calipers back out and measured the string spacing.  Sumbitch!   Why would you put a narrower string spacing on the same sized nut/neck ??  Fuck off Squier.  Is this some bullshit to make the Squier play/feel different/harder to play?   

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17 minutes ago, locodos said:

Well I just figured something out...  When I compared specs of the the Squier CV tele and the MIM fenders they seem to be the same in regard to nut width and neck width.  But when I play the Squier I have a harder time with A Chords (or really any chord up by the neck) than I do with the MIM strat or even the MIM tele that I just returned.  I keep muting the high e...I feel like Mongo fingering a violin. 

I had checked the neck and nut width with calipers and the CV & MIM had the same/super similar measurements and it bothered me yesterday.   It took me a while, I'm an idiot, but I got the calipers back out and measured the string spacing.  Sumbitch!   Why would you put a narrower string spacing on the same sized nut/neck ??  Fuck off Squier. Is this some bullshit to make the Squier play/feel different/harder to play?   

1) Pics of aforementioned violin.

2) While we’re on the subject of your being an idiot…

Have you thought about replacing the nut with one that is cut to match the MIM nut?

EDIT:

3) Perhaps you were looking for the word “easier”, as in “Is this done to make the Classic Vibe easier to play for youths, womenz, and people with slimmer fingers and/or smaller hands?

Edited by Napoleon
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5 minutes ago, Napoleon said:

1) Pics of aforementioned violin.

2) While we’re on the subject of your being an idiot…

Have you thought about replacing the nut with one that is cut to match the MIM nut?

EDIT:

3) Perhaps you were looking for the word “easier”, as in “Is this done to make the Classic Vibe easier to play for youths, womenz, and people with slimmer fingers and/or smaller hands?

If I keep this guitar (which I am leaning towards), I am almost definitely going to get the nut replaced.  But it does occur to me that I know fuck all about why Squier might have done this or the implications of just changing the string spacing at the nut.  Is there an issue with the tuner spacing/angles of the string from the tuners to the nut?  Or should I just practice with the tighter string spacing and "get good" 

I can imagine those Fender/Squier bastards in a corporate meeting room...  "You know what would be funny?  Lets put a real bone nut on the CV so the spec sheet / marketing guys are happy about the Squier guitar upgrade path, but lets cut the string spacing a little tight so it's harder to play and makes the MIM guitars feel better/worth an extra $400"   High fives and all around!  "Also lets gloss the fuck out of the neck!"  FIN

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1 hour ago, locodos said:

Well I just figured something out...  When I compared specs of the the Squier CV tele and the MIM fenders they seem to be the same in regard to nut width and neck width.  But when I play the Squier I have a harder time with A Chords (or really any chord up by the neck) than I do with the MIM strat or even the MIM tele that I just returned.  I keep muting the high e... I feel like Mongo fingering a violin.  I had checked the neck and nut width with calipers and the CV & MIM had the same/super similar measurements and it bothered me yesterday.   It took me a while, I'm an idiot, but I got the calipers back out and measured the string spacing.  Sumbitch!   Why would you put a narrower string spacing on the same sized nut/neck ??  Fuck off Squier.  Is this some bullshit to make the Squier play/feel different/harder to play?   

If there's nothing to differentiate the $400-500 Squier from the $1000 MIM Fender, why would anyone buy the Fender? Well, except for the people who thing the decal on the headstock matters.

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14 minutes ago, Deej said:

If there's nothing to differentiate the $400-500 Squier from the $1000 MIM Fender, why would anyone buy the Fender? Well, except for the people who thing the decal on the headstock matters.

I've owned a Squire from the 90s and my current partscaster strat has a Squire CV body.  Back in the 90s, the electronics on those things were suspect as hell.  But as for the CV, while I love it and would not change a thing, I think the body is a lot heavier than most of the Mexican or US strats I have played.  I'm not talking boat anchor heavy, but it's noticeable.

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4 minutes ago, dcbc said:

I've owned a Squire from the 90s and my current partscaster strat has a Squire CV body.  Back in the 90s, the electronics on those things were suspect as hell.  But as for the CV, while I love it and would not change a thing, I think the body is a lot heavier than most of the Mexican or US strats I have played.  I'm not talking boat anchor heavy, but it's noticeable.

They got  heavier as time went on...specifically after moving production to  Indonesia from China. 

I had a 50's Butterscotch blonde CV Tele that weighed 7 lbs 2 oz., and a 60"s sunburst double-bound CV Tele that weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. 

The new ones I see on Sweetwater are all in the high 8lb range or more. 

Edited by Deej
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31 minutes ago, Deej said:

If there's nothing to differentiate the $400-500 Squier from the $1000 MIM Fender, why would anyone buy the Fender? Well, except for the people who thing the decal on the headstock matters.

I agree, but hear me out.  It literally cost them NOTHING extra to make their product better by cutting the nut to a normal width.  The nut is still 42mm so they didn't save on material.  There are still other things that can create differentiation.  The wood choice, the cheaper electronics, country of origin, etc...  those make a difference and help keep cost lower.  So doing those things makes sense and creates tiers in product lines. Just cutting the nut narrower is a straight up dick move.  The nut on my CV cut is 2.14mm narrower from e to e string compared to the MIM.

As for the sticker upgrade, the counterfeiters prove that's a viable path.

Edited by locodos
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2 hours ago, locodos said:

Well I just figured something out...  When I compared specs of the the Squier CV tele and the MIM fenders they seem to be the same in regard to nut width and neck width.  But when I play the Squier I have a harder time with A Chords (or really any chord up by the neck) than I do with the MIM strat or even the MIM tele that I just returned.  I keep muting the high e... I feel like Mongo fingering a violin.  I had checked the neck and nut width with calipers and the CV & MIM had the same/super similar measurements and it bothered me yesterday.   It took me a while, I'm an idiot, but I got the calipers back out and measured the string spacing.  Sumbitch!   Why would you put a narrower string spacing on the same sized nut/neck ??  Fuck off Squier.  Is this some bullshit to make the Squier play/feel different/harder to play?   

Yeah, it's one reason I stopped picking up used Squiers for cheap. Not good for sausagey fingertips like mine. 

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7 hours ago, Deej said:

They got  heavier as time went on...specifically after moving production to  Indonesia from China. 

I had a 50's Butterscotch blonde CV Tele that weighed 7 lbs 2 oz., and a 60"s sunburst double-bound CV Tele that weighed 6 lbs. 14 oz. 

The new ones I see on Sweetwater are all in the high 8lb range or more. 


The Chinese have gotten heavier over the years as well.

Maybe China has become a fattening country.

 

6 hours ago, DougO said:

Yeah, it's one reason I stopped picking up used Squiers for cheap. Not good for sausagey fingertips like mine. 

While we’re still in the neighborhood of people on this thread being idiots, I am wondering if you considered getting a new nut and cutting it so that sausage fest on your left (?) hand could have more room to operate?

Nuts run about $7 to $10.

It just may make that cheap, yet oh so tight, guitar worth getting.

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1 minute ago, hullabelew said:

How am I just now learning this.  Had no idea he has been working as Weird Al's producer either.  

Yeah it's one of those hilarious tidbits of trivia. I remember hearing Eat It at some point, and thinking to myself that is a hell of a Van Halen impression, so I started digging. Add in the Derringer was Al's producer and it's just a great combination of awesome and too funny.

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Yeah it's one of those hilarious tidbits of trivia. I remember hearing Eat It at some point, and thinking to myself that is a hell of a Van Halen impression, so I started digging. Add in the Derringer was Al's producer and it's just a great combination of awesome and too funny.

Weird Al is a way underrated genius.

I submit Taco Grande as evidence exhibit A.
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