Hi folks
I'm currently having an issue with a setup from a shop local to me. Overall it feels nasty, the frets are grubby and not smooth, generally not a nice feel. I've spoken to the guy, and he mentioned that if could be residue from "French polish" he used on the fingerboard....
I've never heard of French polish being used on a fingerboard, and Googling it doesn't offer any examples except for a thread with people advising against it.
I'll be continuing the discussion with the guy later today, but before that I thought I'd ask the forum gurus here what they think!
Some of the gear, some idea
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I assume he means a wipe down with a bottle of pre-mixed "french polish", rather than a proper french polish finish, which is as much about the process as it is the material used. You would struggle to do the french polish process on a fretted board.
If it is a pre-mixed bottle, it likely has other additives to increase shelf life which may be causing the issue.
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https://www.colron.co.uk/products/maintenance/french-polish/
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In other bizarre news, having texted him to clarify the exact product used I just got a very aggressive phone call from the shop's other co-owner in which he essentially told me I was harassing him, I'm wrong to complain, have "no leg to stand on", that I am a prick and if I ever cross his path he'll basically assault me. Oh, and also Guild guitars are "a pile of shit". Yeah, really. For complaining about a guitar setup, and asking about what products they used.
Oh, they also "set up" a bass for me which still buzzes uncontrollably. They're in denial about that too.
I'm going to wait and see if the original guy gets back to me - I daren't text him again in case his mate turns up at my door with a sledge-hammer....
How's everybody else's day going?
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Obviously tempers are hot over there right now (for reasons that still baffle me), so I'm going to give them a day or two of grace before I start thinking about going public with Facebook / Google reviews etc. In theory owner #1 is still planning to take the guitars back again tomorrow evening but I'm not sure if that will happen (or even if I want it to if I'm honest)
In the meantime I'm happy to disclose the shop name via DM to anyone who wants to know. This is in the Fareham/Portsmouth area BTW.
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is it a guitar shop or a furniture restorers you took it to?
also, name them... they sound like a bunch of cowboys!...
edit*** and post pics of the guitar they have worked on!.
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I think one of those Crimson fret rubbers may be in my future - thanks for the tip!
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I’d be finding a better place to take my guitars. Have you asked around on here, hopefully there will be a couple of decent options.
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I just thought I'd give these guys a try as they're a local independent shop/builder who seemed to be worthy of support. It's weird because all their online reviews are glowing, with people mentioning their friendliness, great repair work etc. The degree of disconnect between that and my experience is really strange.
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heck, most workshops I know would charge just £5-10 more for an actual fret skim.
A setup with no attention paid to the frets whatsoever would be closer to £50 in London.