Update with Happy Outcome: was - Setup grumbling/questions and also a general grumble

TimmyO

I took my J45 TV to the local shop to have an end pin jack and strap pin fitted.

First grumble - and my own fault for not making doubly sure I'd explained where I expected the strap pin to be, but he stuck it directly on the rear of the heel (rather than around to the lower side a bit as seems to be 'normal' on everything you see these days) I felt a bit sick when I saw it but it was done and it seems ok but, but y'know  :-( 

Second grumble/question - as he's putting it back in the case he starts shooting the shit about the action - "...the action is a little high isn't it, and obviously you'd not want the break angle over the saddle to be any less so normally you'd reduce the thickness of the bridge at the same time as reducing the height of the saddle but with the inlays on there you can't really so yeah it's a nice guitar but a shame that someone with a Crafter is probably going to have a better playing guitar..."   - closes case  - smiles - hands it over.

I left feeling pretty deflated I can tell you.

Is he right? Not much to be done? 

Lewy

He sounds like a proper c*nt.

Oh, and if he’s talking about break angle and shaving bridges without mentioning string height above the top, he also doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

interstellar

+1 on the "he sounds like a proper c"nt....he most definately is and talking total shite to boot..name the fucker so no one else has the mis-fortune to use him.   Jealousy is a horrible thing

Lewy

Now to elaborate...

The J45 TV does appear to come with a fairly thick bridge, which means break angle might be shallower than on a guitar with a thinner one, but break angle only needs to be enough to stop the strings moving around on the saddle so you may be able to lower the action and still not have a problem. My J45 TV had fairly shallow break angle but the string height above the soundboard was spot on and there was enough angle to secure the strings. No problem.

Let’s say it was going to be a problem...you don’t need to shave the bridge, you just need to ramp the slots behind the saddle so the string dives back into the hole at a sharper angle.

Even if you did want to shave the bridge, nobody competent to perform that work would bat an eyelid at removing and replacing the dots.

I could go on, but the bottom line is this is why you have to take nice acoustics to proper people...

stuartryanmusic

^ This, acoustics need to go to the right people. PM me if you need a few suggestions in the Bath/Bristol area Tim 

ICBM

Directly on the rear of the heel is the wrong place on a full-depth acoustic, any competent tech should know that. (On a Gibson with a rounded heel I would put it on the centreline of the heel facing the neck, in fact.) The bad news is that a J45 has no plastic heel cap, so replacing that to repair the damage isn't even an option - although you could possibly have a thin mahogany veneer fitted it's quite a lot of work.

Low action is not the be-all and end-all on an acoustic either. Personally, I would prefer to have my J45 sound better than a Crafter - it will, even with a lower break angle - and if I wanted his opinion on the relative merits of them I would have asked. For what it's worth my Dove has the thickest bridge I've ever seen on an acoustic guitar, and it also has the best sound I've ever heard out of one.

So no, he is not right.

TimmyO

An update : I got a recommendation from @stuartryanmusic  ;for a local-ish (40 mins away near Bath)  luthier/repairer - dropped it with him a week or so ago and collected it today - it now plays absolutely beautifully! 

He was going to make a new saddle but in the end only had to take a mil or so off the existing one and reprofile it a little, set the truss rod a little straighter (pretty much dead straight I think)  - feels like some nut slot fettling might have happened too. But whatever was done has resulted in a noticeably slinkier feel, much easier barre-ing up the neck and possibly the nicest playing acoustic I've experienced. 

Soundwise all seems to remain in order too - in fact if anything it sounds clearer as my fretting is more sure. 

A happy ending, so to speak. 

Lewy

TimmyO said:

An update : I got a recommendation from @stuartryanmusic  ;for a local-ish (40 mins away near Bath)  luthier/repairer - dropped it with him a week or so ago and collected it today - it now plays absolutely beautifully! 

He was going to make a new saddle but in the end only had to take a mil or so off the existing one and reprofile it a little, set the truss rod a little straighter (pretty much dead straight I think)  - feels like some nut slot fettling might have happened too. But whatever was done has resulted in a noticeably slinkier feel, much easier barre-ing up the neck and possibly the nicest playing acoustic I've experienced. 

Soundwise all seems to remain in order too - in fact if anything it sounds clearer as my fretting is more sure. 

A happy ending, so to speak. 

Excellent news. Now take it back to the hack in the shop and show him.

I mean don’t, obviously, but you know what I mean.

Sporky

Lewy said:

I mean don’t, obviously, but you know what I mean.

You mean burn the place down, right? Gotcha.

dazzajl

Did it go to Andy by any chance? Man is a genius in making difficult guitars play perfectly 

sweepy

There are a lot of bodger's about and his sarky comment about Crafter etc certainly shows up his attitude. I think it's a bit of an unwritten law that you never disrespect someone's guitar choice to their face, it's like calling their kids or wife ugly, you just don't do it 

TimmyO

dazzajl said:

Did it go to Andy by any chance? Man is a genius in making difficult guitars play perfectly 

This was a fellow called Ryan (coincidentally)  - Stuart did give me 2 names so that could have been the other one 

TimmyO

Had another play yesterday - so pleased - A-shape barre chords up the neck have never been simpler (or indeed, reliably achievable by me haha)