Fender Original 50's Strat Issues From PMT

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paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
edited April 2018 in Guitar
So, the honeymoon period has worn off and I am still cuffed as nuts with my Original 50's Strat, Fit and finish is superb, neck profile is sublime. another pickup change from Fat 50's to Mojo 60's and I'm even happier,  BUT, not overly happy with the setup on receipt from PMTOnline. There was always a bit of fret buzz around the 5th and 7th frets, just a bit, just enough to be annoying. Nut action was a hair too high, (I know that wouldn't cause the buzz) so I fixed that, the last pickup change I popped the neck off, straightened it and checked with a fret rocker tool - 5th, 7th and half the 20th were high, luckily I have a fret file and just took a few strokes off each fret until it the rock was gone.....what is also interesting is that where the string buzzed it had already created fret wear at the 5th and 7th, which doesn't bode well for fret life (?). So, its a fantastic guitar. Is it worth three times a MIM? No.....but you pays you money and takes you choice, I have no regrets.
I really don't think PMT even unboxed it never mind a setup, the packing tape didn't look as if it has been opened and resealed.......on a £150 Squier I can sort of get it, but on a £1650 instrument it should have been right on arrival, or at least close......
Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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Comments

  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    Absolutely certain PMT won’t have touched the set-up! 

    I think you have to accept that tweaking something to your own taste is all part of the fun....
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  • CollingsCollings Frets: 411
    I go into my local PMT regularly and im pretty sure the guitars on display are taken straight from the box to the shop floor so i doubt they setup any guitar you order on line.

    When they were stocking Gibsons I would have guessed 50% on show were unplayable based on the ones tried.

    This is generally an area where the smaller dealers excel.

    I did buy a guitar from Sound Affects a couple of months back and they actually asked me my prefered string guage and setup so they could set it up prior to me coming in to collect it (I ordered by phone but wanted to collect it person). It was set up perfectly when i picked it up.
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    Strats are *the* most fun guitar to setup/work on, so go to town. 
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    I enjoy the setting up process of any guitar, bit was surprised at the singinficant price I paid it would at least have been looked at...
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • steersteer Frets: 1159
    PMT = Box shifters.
    Mind you, at least your box from PMT arrived, unlike mine. 
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  • JohnnysevenJohnnyseven Frets: 905
    Even more reason to go to a shop rather than buy online.
    My trading feedback can be seen here - http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/58242/
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11413

    I've only been to PMT once - just after they opened the new London shop.  The lad in the shop was making stuff up as he went along - telling me something was a limited edition when it wasn't.  They weren't cheap either.  I tried a PRS S2 in there that I found a lot cheaper on my phone in a couple of minutes.  I ended up getting it from Guitar Village for £200 less. Not impressed and very unlikely to go back again (or order from them online).

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  • rossirossi Frets: 1698
    I find PMT Norwich just fine but maybe I dont expect much .I do my own set ups anyway so never expect any guitar to play how I want .Only guitars I have never needed to set up were Gibson Midtown  from DV 247 in a sealed box  and a Trohman  tele from Peach but all Trohmans I have played including ones in PMT were always spot on with low action .
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  • dindudedindude Frets: 8534
    I emailed them at the weeken about a Custom Shop Strat of which they have 2 of - in two different stores. Asking for an accurate weight of each of them as I would be ordering on line and would like to chose. Answer back “guitar is 7.5lbs”. Erm, which one? Or both exactly the same? 

    Well if if they can’t be bothered then I can’t be bothered to spend 2 and a half grand with them. 
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    edited April 2018
    dindude said:
    I emailed them at the weeken about a Custom Shop Strat of which they have 2 of - in two different stores. Asking for an accurate weight of each of them as I would be ordering on line and would like to chose. Answer back “guitar is 7.5lbs”. Erm, which one? Or both exactly the same? 

    Well if if they can’t be bothered then I can’t be bothered to spend 2 and a half grand with them. 
    They had one taken as a p/ex at the Salford store where the saddles were almost level - it choked out across neck and the pick-ups were nearly touching the strings. One of the worst in store set-ups I’ve ever encountered - but up on the wall for a lot of money.

    While I appreciate everyone has their own preferences in terms of feel, this was just unplayable - so it was impossible to fairly evaluate the guitar.

    They are just box-shifters in my view....
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    Funnily enough I just picked up an Affinity tele. The one in the store closest to me was clearly damaged in transit as it had a huge chunk of its paint gone and the high e was off the fretboard. 

    They literally just hung it out on display like that. 

    I went to the southend store and bought it there instead, and its very playable. Action not too low or high, neck is maybe a bit too straight and theres a little buzz but it doesnt choke anywhere. 

    I reckon I got lucky. They didnt even have its box or allen key so lord knows how long it had been there. 

    I purchased an Esp from gak a couple years back. Arrived safe enough but the set up was fucking ridiculous. 

    No one likes buying a guitar to then have to take it to a tech immediately just for it to be playable, and wait another 2 weeks til you can enjoy it. 

    Atleast if the store made them generally playable before handing over then that would surely entice sales.
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • richardhomerrichardhomer Frets: 24793
    skunkwerx said:
    At least if the store made them generally playable before handing over then that would surely entice sales.
    Agreed - if there’s ‘any’ reason to buy from a ‘bricks and mortar’ shop - it should be this. Playable, well intonated guitars are surely a better bet than those that are hard to play - and don’t play in tune?  
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  • skunkwerxskunkwerx Frets: 6838
    skunkwerx said:
    At least if the store made them generally playable before handing over then that would surely entice sales.
    Agreed - if there’s ‘any’ reason to buy from a ‘bricks and mortar’ shop - it should be this. Playable, well intonated guitars are surely a better bet than those that are hard to play - and don’t play in tune?  
    Hell yeah, exactly. 

    Oops I forgot to mention, which was sposed to be a main point of my previous post.. 

    When I was paying for it, the Southend guy looked my details up for the account, and said ‘its just for the warranty etc’.. 

    I was like ‘oh, cool’. 

    He then went on to explain, ‘yeah you get 4 years warranty and 2 set ups, just pop it in’... 

    Which never have I heard a store offer, let alone a Pmt.. maybe it was some kind of deal attached only to the cheapest Squiers, I dunno. 

    The guitar was only £169 so I have no idea what the hell that was about.. maybe I’ll try it next month just to see... 
    The only easy day, was yesterday...
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  • strat1990strat1990 Frets: 25
    I've had mixed experiences with PMT. They aren't always the cheapest and I've never had a guitar from them that was already set up. My local PMT store charges £50 for a set up! However, they normally knock money off stuff I buy, so cant complain too much.
    "Pick your noses up!"
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  • WhitecatWhitecat Frets: 5378
    skunkwerx said:
    skunkwerx said:
    At least if the store made them generally playable before handing over then that would surely entice sales.
    Agreed - if there’s ‘any’ reason to buy from a ‘bricks and mortar’ shop - it should be this. Playable, well intonated guitars are surely a better bet than those that are hard to play - and don’t play in tune?  
    Hell yeah, exactly. 

    Oops I forgot to mention, which was sposed to be a main point of my previous post.. 

    When I was paying for it, the Southend guy looked my details up for the account, and said ‘its just for the warranty etc’.. 

    I was like ‘oh, cool’. 

    He then went on to explain, ‘yeah you get 4 years warranty and 2 set ups, just pop it in’... 

    Which never have I heard a store offer, let alone a Pmt.. maybe it was some kind of deal attached only to the cheapest Squiers, I dunno. 

    The guitar was only £169 so I have no idea what the hell that was about.. maybe I’ll try it next month just to see... 
    World Guitars gives you free setups for life on anything you buy... of course it’s all top-shelf usually multi-thousand £ stuff and they don’t haggle... :)
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