Anyone had a set up from J White Guitars in Ash Vale?

carlos

There's a lot going on in this thread besides the horrendous service Mr Falicioni received.

EduardoFalicioni

I’ve not had that Squier thinline apart yet kind people… what horrors lurk beneath I’m yet to discover. 

victorludorum

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

OilCityPickups

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

It appears whoever did this fitted the neck bolt inserts in the body in place of the tiny scratch plate screw inserts! Then glooped the oversized holes with epoxy or similar putting the correct tiny inserts in the middle of the oversized hole.

Frankly you need to be blind or insane to do that ... 

Lewy

OilCityPickups said:

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

It appears whoever did this fitted the neck bolt inserts in the body in place of the tiny scratch plate screw inserts! Then glooped the oversized holes with epoxy or similar putting the correct tiny inserts in the middle of the oversized hole.

Frankly you need to be blind or insane to do that ... 

To do it with all of them and at no point think "hmmm....these are very big for holding a pickguard on" ... it just defies any logic.

EduardoFalicioni

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

Yes, he took three packets of neck inserts, complete with circa 1 1/2 inch neck screws, ignored the tiny pickguard inserts and screws that were also in the case pocket, and proceeded to fit those significantly larger neck inserts into the body.

once his horrendous error was pointed out to him by his son, he removed the neck inserts from the body, filled the holes with materials unknown, and ‘installed’ the pickguard inserts woefully. Some as you can see are totally off centre.

he didn’t tell me about any of this, nor ask for my pickguard, so none of the pickguard inserts line up with the holes on my scratch plate.

everything about it is mind blowing, multiple errors and completely unintelligible decisions.

drofluf

Lewy said:

OilCityPickups said:

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

It appears whoever did this fitted the neck bolt inserts in the body in place of the tiny scratch plate screw inserts! Then glooped the oversized holes with epoxy or similar putting the correct tiny inserts in the middle of the oversized hole.

Frankly you need to be blind or insane to do that ... 

To do it with all of them and at no point think "hmmm....these are very big for holding a pickguard on" ... it just defies any logic.

You’d have thought that the penny would drop as soon as they picked one up. 

victorludorum

At least the images on here are showing up for all to see on Google now. Hopefully this will force his hand before his rep completely goes down the khazi. Good luck @EduardoFalicioni ;

Tele37

EduardoFalicioni said:

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

Yes, he took three packets of neck inserts, complete with circa 1 1/2 inch neck screws, ignored the tiny pickguard inserts and screws that were also in the case pocket, and proceeded to fit those significantly larger neck inserts into the body.

once his horrendous error was pointed out to him by his son, he removed the neck inserts from the body, filled the holes with materials unknown, and ‘installed’ the pickguard inserts woefully. Some as you can see are totally off centre.

he didn’t tell me about any of this, nor ask for my pickguard, so none of the pickguard inserts line up with the holes on my scratch plate.

everything about it is mind blowing, multiple errors and completely unintelligible decisions.

This is just unbelievable. What did he say to you when he handed over the guitar? Was he apologetic at all? Did he still charge you?

EduardoFalicioni

Had the simple installation been done properly; these would have been great. A lovely elegant solution, with nice stainless steel screws 

prlgmnr

this is an absolute disgrace and I hope you get the resolution you deserve

wondering why they didn't just stop after the first error rather than just ploughing on

TTony

prlgmnr said:

wondering why they didn't just stop after the first error rather than just ploughing on

If you're dumb enough to get one wrong, you're probably not clever enough to stop after the first mistake.

horse

This is one of the craziest stories I can remember on here - absolutely nuts and disgraceful work / service.

JezWynd

TTony said:

prlgmnr said:

wondering why they didn't just stop after the first error rather than just ploughing on

If you're dumb enough to get one wrong, you're probably not clever enough to stop after the first mistake.

It's difficult to conceive of such a huge error. Presumably the neck screws were in the bag with the inserts. The monetary value of the instruments means that this can't be brushed under the carpet by J White guitars, they must make some meaningful amends for their gross errors however they came about.

EduardoFalicioni

Tele37 said:

EduardoFalicioni said:

victorludorum said:

I feel a little sick myself looking at those photos and they're not my guitars. What a horrendous situation for you @EduardoFalicioni . My fingers are firmly crossed that the the law is on your side here and that you get some satisfaction from this utter bungler. One thing I'm a little confused about is this: when you say he fitted the neck inserts into the body, do you mean he fitted them into the neck pocket, or that he fitted them where the scratchplate inserts should go? Surely there's quite a difference in diameter between the 2 products.

Yes, he took three packets of neck inserts, complete with circa 1 1/2 inch neck screws, ignored the tiny pickguard inserts and screws that were also in the case pocket, and proceeded to fit those significantly larger neck inserts into the body.

once his horrendous error was pointed out to him by his son, he removed the neck inserts from the body, filled the holes with materials unknown, and ‘installed’ the pickguard inserts woefully. Some as you can see are totally off centre.

he didn’t tell me about any of this, nor ask for my pickguard, so none of the pickguard inserts line up with the holes on my scratch plate.

everything about it is mind blowing, multiple errors and completely unintelligible decisions.

This is just unbelievable. What did he say to you when he handed over the guitar? Was he apologetic at all? Did he still charge you?

He’d said at collection “all I can do is say sorry”… 

I was so upset, overwhelmed and incensed that I was pretty much lost for words.

seeing how upset I was, he instructed the lady whom operates the billing and card machine, not to charge me for the work on the sunburst b bender. 

I still paid in full for the blonde guitar (which upon returning home I determined to have the terrible neck insert work).

I have yet to dismantle and inspect the Squier that I bought for my nephew

EduardoFalicioni

J whites have emailed me with a plan for them to undertake remediative works, having refused to give me fair replacement value for my instruments.

i am extremely wary about them undertaking remediative works, given the heinous standard of workmanship that’s been so apparent to you all.  

Even if the turds of bad workmanship are subject to polishing, and the liberal application of glitter, I am still left with heavily molested guitars, that have been subject to nothing more than damage limitation. They will never be in the condition in which they entered that workshop again. 

EduardoFalicioni

JezWynd said:

TTony said:

prlgmnr said:

wondering why they didn't just stop after the first error rather than just ploughing on

If you're dumb enough to get one wrong, you're probably not clever enough to stop after the first mistake.

It's difficult to conceive of such a huge error. Presumably the neck screws were in the bag with the inserts. The monetary value of the instruments means that this can't be brushed under the carpet by J White guitars, they must make some meaningful amends for their gross errors however they came about.

That’s part of what’s caused me so much upset friend - that I cannot wrap my mind around such ludicrous errors and decisions and process it. It’s beyond all sane / rational comprehension 

Lewy

EduardoFalicioni said:

J whites have emailed me with a plan for them to undertake remediative works, having refused to give me fair replacement value for my instruments.

i am extremely wary about them undertaking remediative works, given the heinous standard of workmanship that’s been so apparent to you all.  

Even if the turds of bad workmanship are subject to polishing, and the liberal application of glitter, I am still left with heavily molested guitars, that have been subject to nothing more than damage limitation. They will never be in the condition in which they entered that workshop again. 

If it was me I wouldn't let them undertake remedial work. They've demonstrated so much incompetence there's no reassurance they're capable of doing it properly. 

EduardoFalicioni

My legal firm have come back to me - they now charge by the hour… £325/h.  

simonhpieman

Man, I've absolutely been there, this is one of the worst feelings. Good god.

All I did through lockdown was play guitar. I was out of work, I got screwed on self-employment grant (I basically got nothing) and spent just £25 in 18 months on things that weren't rent or bills. I was played 6+ hours every day at some points.

When it came towards the end of lockdown and I had some work (i.e. gigs) back in, I decided to get set ups done on my number 1 Tele Thinline and an Albert Lee Sterling so I was fit and ready for work in all respects. I dipped into my savings to advance the setup work in preparation for what I hoped would be a busy summer. The lack of cash while everyone was having the best year of their lives spending quality time with their family while having more disposable income than ever to indulge their hobbies was also grating, somewhat.

As covid restrictions were still "masks and not standing together too long", I took the guitars home without checking them. A 4 hour round trip, I might add, so I'd already clocked up 8 hours.

I was aghast to find the Tele had been slapped with a LUMP of varnish that had pooled against a fret where the lacquer had been ripped off my masking tape. The setup also buzzed all over the place despite promises of "falloff at the upper frets" and various other jargon.

The Albert Lee just buzzed EVERYWHERE. Every single fret. It was like someone had purposely tried to show the polar opposite of a guitar setup.

While sat in my small room, flabbergasted and surrounded by all my guitars leaning against the desk while reaching for my phone to get this fixed, and on the verge of a nervous breakdown that my number 1 guitar had been damaged and they hadn't even had the courtesy to tell me, I accidentally knocked the Tele.

The Tele fell into the Albert Lee. The Albert Lee knocked over my 80s Japan Epi Riviera which now has a 2 inch gouge in the back of the neck around the 10th fret which I feel every time I play it.

The Riviera fell into my Gibson Les Paul Studio I bought when I was 14, putting a huge, deep dent in the fretboard at the first fret.

If I was struggling before, I went into full meltdown. I put everything I own on here for sale. I wanted to be rid of all the anger and frustration these instruments made me feel. Just guitars! And yet they'd become so important through lockdown, the only friends I'd spent any time with.

Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to say I can absolutely empathise with how you're feeling.

The Tele and Albert went back and remedial works were undertaken but it required a second fret skim on the Tele which meant it came back needing a premature refret (which I had done elsewhere and at my own cost!).

I sold the Albert and later the Les Paul, too. I still have the Riviera as I love it but that gouge still brings back those unpleasant feelings and memories every time I play it.

It's hard to know what to do. As I said before, J White is about 20 minutes up the road from me but I remember hearing he had a 6 months waiting list and you had to leave your guitar with him for 6 months rather than drop it off when it was time for your "appointment". That was more than enough to put me off, fortunately.

If I were in your shoes now, I'd very much want justice to be done, especially if monetary compensation will make you feel better, along with the knowledge that the perpertraitor didn't "get away with it". I think for you to come out without losing anything would be a good start. Hopefully the process doesn't cause too much stress.

Of course, all that negativity will probably surround those guitars forever, for you at least. Sadly that's not something that can really ever be compensated for. It may be better to sell and hope compensation for the losses can be agreed. Start afresh as you say.

It's crap and I really hope you get it all sorted.