Grateful Dead Music Forum

Just got my guitar back today. I had one built my Chris Michas. I like the guitar and I liked working with Chris. I know some have expressed some concerns about him...I was working with him before I heard any concerns. Again, I liked his work but always felt like the neck wasn't just exactly perfect. Started hearing about PLEK on this site...checked it out some more and decided that is what I should have done. Apparently not many places do that so I shipped it off to Gary Brawer's place in San Francisco. Turns out the neck had a fair amount of back bow in it...and after he PLEKed it he was still unhappy with the frets. I ended up having him re-fret the whole thing. So he has really been over the neck...and it plays beautifully now...lots of improvement on a guitar that I was already pretty happy with.
I knew nothing of my builder and never had a guitar built before...I really wanted to have a third party look it over. I know if you pay a lot of money for a build you shouldn't have to pay more for neck work after the fact...but the harsh reality is that sometimes it may be needed. Gary was a great guy to work with and he's really worked some magic on my guitar. He did work on my bridge, nut, re-fretted and glued the frets and PLEKed for about $600.00 with shipping. I know it sounds like a lot but I think it was worth every penny. If you've got a guitar that needs work...send it to Gary...or maybe you're lucky enough to have a guitar tech of that caliber in your area.

The other guitarist in my band has a Michas. He echoed the exact same sentiments. Chris was a great guy to work with and the overall build quality was very, very good. However, the overall shortfall was the neck/bridge/frets/setup.
He had to have all the frets totally redone, I actually saw a fret cut his finger at one gig. They were that jagged.
Luckily we do have a world class repair guy near me in CT, and after replacing the Frets (and the bridge) the guitar plays incredibly well.

jeffm725 wrote:The other guitarist in my band has a Michas. He echoed the exact same sentiments. Chris was a great guy to work with and the overall build quality was very, very good. However, the overall shortfall was the neck/bridge/frets/setup.

Isn't that essentially the whole shootin' match? I never understood why people seeminglygive these builders a pass on what is the most critical part of guitar building.

hogan wrote:

jeffm725 wrote:The other guitarist in my band has a Michas. He echoed the exact same sentiments. Chris was a great guy to work with and the overall build quality was very, very good. However, the overall shortfall was the neck/bridge/frets/setup.

Isn't that essentially the whole shootin' match? I never understood why people seeminglygive these builders a pass on what is the most critical part of guitar building.

+1

That'd just piss me off to no end. The folks who cannot do a proper and complete setup from nut, to frets, the pickups to bridge and not luthiers. They are just woodworkers or carpenters. Plain and simple in my mind.

My current custom, Lacey, is being done by a family team. Father is a luthier and his 2 sons have varying degrees of luthier skills along with one being a setup whiz and the other an pickup and CNC whiz. Figure that's the only way I'll be happy.

hogan wrote:Isn't that essentially the whole shootin' match? I never understood why people seeminglygive these builders a pass on what is the most critical part of guitar building.

Mostly I agree with you. I'm not giving the guy a pass. I was of the mind that if I thought there were issues with the neck, it didn't make sense to go back to the guy who created the problems. Certainly, I wish the thing were perfect when I got it...but it wasn't...and if I was going to have someone look it over I wanted to be absolutely certain he was the best guy for the job. I dont' know what I'd tell people about Chris Michas...he was real good to me...his skills just aren't quite there yet on the neck work. Gary said he's been seeing more and more custom built guitars and the stuff that is off is the final thing that builders perfect. I think I'm going to try to do my own next time...then I only have myself to blame.

jester536 wrote: I was of the mind that if I thought there were issues with the neck, it didn't make sense to go back to the guy who created the problems.

Very logical and agree very much.

hogan wrote:

jeffm725 wrote:The other guitarist in my band has a Michas. He echoed the exact same sentiments. Chris was a great guy to work with and the overall build quality was very, very good. However, the overall shortfall was the neck/bridge/frets/setup.

Isn't that essentially the whole shootin' match? I never understood why people seeminglygive these builders a pass on what is the most critical part of guitar building.

NO,
I absolutely agree with you, but like jester said, if they guy doesnt have the capability to do it, why keep shipping it out there to get it fixed (in this case from CT to Colorado), when it has been established that at least a few people I know of had the same issues. At some point you just want it fixed right.
Michas did offer to take it back and try and fix it, but for how long would it be gone, and will it be any better when it gets back?

If it were my guitar I would ask that some of the cost of refretting be reimbursed.

jeffm725 wrote: NO,
I absolutely agree with you, but like jester said, if they guy doesnt have the capability to do it, why keep shipping it out there to get it fixed (in this case from CT to Colorado), when it has been established that at least a few people I know of had the same issues. At some point you just want it fixed right.
Michas did offer to take it back and try and fix it, but for how long would it be gone, and will it be any better when it gets back?

If it were my guitar I would ask that some of the cost of refretting be reimbursed.

We are saying the same thing. I completely agree that you shouldn't give a guy another kick at the can when he's already demonstrated he's incapable of the task. Like you said, I would have seen about being reimbursed the difference to make it right. That's the "pass" I was talking about.
I believe that any guitar you buy should go to a trusted shop for a set up and perhaps a fret dressing to your liking. We are all so different that even if a builder has it set up well, it may not be your version of well. I love Martin guitars, but i hate the way they come out of the box. I have all sorts of guitars from $$$$$ to $ and not one of them didn't benefit from a trip to a good set up guy. That said, there is a huge difference between a set up/ fret dress and a refret/plek/bridge/neck overhaul. You should expect the former and question the latter.

While we're on the subject, if I'm ever involved in another scratch build the neck will have stainless steel jumbo's and be PLEK'd. That should take care of any fret problems for the duration of my lifetime.
~MJH

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I thought I would Explain The PLEKING going on around here.... I think its amazing..... cool stuff.

OH, I ran across this one too that may be more appropriate:

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JonnyBoy wrote:
I thought I would Explain The PLEKING going on around here.... I think its amazing..... cool stuff.

WOW!! them there fellers are pretty smart

tcsned wrote:

JonnyBoy wrote:
I thought I would Explain The PLEKING going on around here.... I think its amazing..... cool stuff.

WOW!! them there fellers are pretty smart

Dern ditty! I can see how the garage luthier is at a severe disadvantage now-a-days

hogan wrote:
We are saying the same thing.

Yeah we are, I just like hearing myself speak

On a similar subject, I had a highlander bridge pick-up installed in my Martin years ago. It was toatally unbalanced, I had a gig the day I got it back and was terribly dissapointed. I brought it back to the guy who installed many times, and he was nice enough not to charge me, and it never was balanced, so I bit the bullett and broght it to another shop in town and lo and behold they got it perfect the first time.
I'd really be pissed if it cost me an additional 600 large, but I guess what can you do?

jeffm725 wrote:

hogan wrote:
We are saying the same thing.

Yeah we are, I just like hearing myself speak

I like hearing you speak, you seem to really know a thing or two. I find your posts to be informative.