15 replies to this topic

[mashed tates]

i just got a new guitar and have a growing list of things i need done on it. i can't think of any astounding guitar person that i would trust off the top of my head that could help me do this stuff. does anyone know a shop around phoenix/tempe/arizona in general that's really reliable? it would be really nice to find someone to work on my guitar that doesn't treat me like a dumbass for not knowing everything about luthery...anybody?

[unluckycharm]

check out precision guitar
i personally haven't tried the new owner, but have heard some positive stuff.

[Kristopher]

I've used Precision Guitar a few times, they've done well by me, although a friend of mine had one small tiff with them (being that this is second hand info, I'm not sure how the situation went down).

I noticed their website went down recently, not sure why.

[mig50]

what needs to be done to the guitar?

[mattm]

boogie music. 35th ave and Cactus. trust me.

[John MFer]

Precision Guitar used to be awesome. Then last year, Thad sold it to a new guy. Christine and I each took an instrument there for pro setups a couple weeks ago and were not entirely impressed with the new owner or whoever it was that did our setups. They're better than we can do on our own but not as good as what we used to get from Thad.

I'll have to try Boogie, never tried them before.

What guitar did you get, and yeah, what Mig said, what do you need done to it?

[dharma_bum]

Precision Guitar used to be awesome. Then last year, Thad sold it to a new guy. Christine and I each took an instrument there for pro setups a couple weeks ago and were not entirely impressed with the new owner or whoever it was that did our setups. They're better than we can do on our own but not as good as what we used to get from Thad.

I'll have to try Boogie, never tried them before.

What guitar did you get, and yeah, what Mig said, what do you need done to it?

yeah, it is a shame that thad isn't there anymore. I think the guy he sold it to was his old partner, i am not positive on that though. Who else can vouch for Boogie Music?

[unluckycharm]

i can say ... stay away from ziggies. the set up i got was OK but jeez did it take forever to get my guitar back. i was told 3 or 4 separate times that it would be done by X time and when i checked it still wasn't done .... or the dog ate their homework or something ..

[jeremy_arp]

I always used Musician's Discount. Also, there is a kind of new place, Uno Guitars on McClintock and Southern and Tempe that is pretty good.

[dharma_bum]

i can say ... stay away from ziggies. the set up i got was OK but jeez did it take forever to get my guitar back. i was told 3 or 4 separate times that it would be done by X time and when i checked it still wasn't done .... or the dog ate their homework or something ..

i was surprised to hear that you brought yer geetar there. accordion set up sure but geetar???? thx for the heads up miles.

[unluckycharm]

i can say ... stay away from ziggies. the set up i got was OK but jeez did it take forever to get my guitar back. i was told 3 or 4 separate times that it would be done by X time and when i checked it still wasn't done .... or the dog ate their homework or something ..

i was surprised to hear that you brought yer geetar there. accordion set up sure but geetar???? thx for the heads up miles.

well it is close to my work, so it is quite convenient. they actually farm out their work to some other place (old timer or something like that) .... so the actual set up was good. it's just that their customer service is le sucky.

[dharma_bum]

i can say ... stay away from ziggies. the set up i got was OK but jeez did it take forever to get my guitar back. i was told 3 or 4 separate times that it would be done by X time and when i checked it still wasn't done .... or the dog ate their homework or something ..

i was surprised to hear that you brought yer geetar there. accordion set up sure but geetar???? thx for the heads up miles.

well it is close to my work, so it is quite convenient. they actually farm out their work to some other place (old timer or something like that) .... so the actual set up was good. it's just that their customer service is le sucky.

that's cool. where is the new pic of her?

[mashed tates]

hey everyone thanks for the recommendations. the guitar i got was an italia mondial. it needs the basic things done to it...the intonation is a few cents off. the action on the higher frets could be more even as well.

the guitar has a normal set of cheap humbuckers in it, and also has a piezo pickup in the bridge. it sounds really cool and you can blend the pickups together or use one set at a time etc. the main problem is that the trapeze tail piece that floats off the back of the body allows for a lot of resonance and noise from the parts of the strings that are between the tail piece and the bridge. this causes a lot of feedback, but not the cool kind. it's a little bit like someone is strumming the strings past the nut on a strat while i'm playing. the string saddles are filed poorly as well, and jump from top half to lower half within the saddle when i bend notes.

that's all!

[skeksis]

hmmm--- I used to have an italia mondial 4 string bass.... it was an interesting, classy, unusual supro/national copy. BUT it was not really all that well put together. to dampen the strings behind the bridge: just weave a thin strip of heavy felt or rubber or whatever between the strings. jam a sock in between the strings and the body of the guitar? it'd look great, I know. but it might help you confirm that it's really the feedback problem spot. I don't know about the 6 string, but the bass did not have adjustable saddles, meaning that you can forget perfect intonation... just get used to changing tuning a little between songs? it sucks, but that's life when dealing with vintage and vintage copy guitars. maybe you can fit it with an adjustable bridge, but you'll lose the piezo element probably. fret leveling should probably be done by a luthier, but shouldn't cost much at all. maybe you can notch the saddles a microscopic bit to keep the strings from moving, though I hate doing that. can cause an annoying rattle. could be a string break-angle-over-the-saddle issue that could be mostly fixed by changing the neck angle, raising the bridge, and playing with heavier strings that have a little more tension on them. alright, I'll try to quit sounding like a know-it-all jackass, but my guess is that it'll be a tricky guitar for anyone to get dialed in as precisely as you're thinking. good luck.

hey everyone thanks for the recommendations. the guitar i got was an italia mondial. it needs the basic things done to it...the intonation is a few cents off. the action on the higher frets could be more even as well.

the guitar has a normal set of cheap humbuckers in it, and also has a piezo pickup in the bridge. it sounds really cool and you can blend the pickups together or use one set at a time etc. the main problem is that the trapeze tail piece that floats off the back of the body allows for a lot of resonance and noise from the parts of the strings that are between the tail piece and the bridge. this causes a lot of feedback, but not the cool kind. it's a little bit like someone is strumming the strings past the nut on a strat while i'm playing. the string saddles are filed poorly as well, and jump from top half to lower half within the saddle when i bend notes.

that's all!

[mashed tates]

word. i understand the perfect intonation crux...i knew that when i got it that it wasn't built for precision. but i was thinking if the saddles could be improved (cut better) and the bridge could be raised/lowered carefully, i could get close enough. all the while the action would be more even too. thanks skesis.