Send this Tele back?

I decided to get a Fender Player Telecaster w/ Maple Fingerboard in Butterscotch Blonde. The Musician's Friend link is below.

When I run a finger down the "fingers" or bottom side (as viewed when playing) of the fretboard, the frets are out a bit, and even the tangs extend past the fingerboard. If I run my fingernail gently from below the fret up to the fret, the tang snags it.

Who would send it back? Who wouldn't?

Other thoughts?

Incidentally, the frets on the thumb side of the neck are better than the fingers side!



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...lectric-guitar

If you can’t or don’t want to dress the fret ends yourself, return it and make them do the job. Another option would be that they pay you back what it will cost to have it done by a local professional guitartech or luthier. (They will most probably want to tackle the job themselves.)

And your link comes up with a completely different product.

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Originally Posted by Keefoman1

If you can’t or don’t want to dress the fret ends yourself, return it and make them do the job. Another option would be that they pay you back what it will cost to have it done by a local professional guitartech or luthier. (They will most probably want to tackle the job themselves.)

And your link comes up with a completely different product.

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Thanks for the tips. I thought about doing the fret dressing myself, but I'm not that good. Frets, I could do -- asking tape underneath aluminum foil tape. But not the tangs, especially on a one-piece, maple neck.

I do not want to pay return shipping or have the "free" shipping when I ordered it to be withheld from my refund, so I don't know if I can negotiate on that.


BTW, the link is to the same model guitar, but Butterscotch Blonde is no longer an option.

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Originally Posted by rfrizz

I decided to get a Fender Player Telecaster w/ Maple Fingerboard in Butterscotch Blonde. The Musician's Friend link is below.

When I run a finger down the "fingers" or bottom side (as viewed when playing) of the fretboard, the frets are out a bit, and even the tangs extend past the fingerboard. If I run my fingernail gently from below the fret up to the fret, the tang snags it.

Who would send it back? Who wouldn't?

Other thoughts?

Incidentally, the frets on the thumb side of the neck are better than the fingers side!



https://www.musiciansfriend.com/guit...lectric-guitar

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If you like the way it sounds, but have your doubts about the build quality, then take it to a shop/technician you trust and ask them whether you're getting an inferior instrument. They'll probably evaluate it for free. If the frets are interfering with your ability to play the guitar comfortably, then return it or ask for a replacement. The guitar might just need a good setup. Anyway, just my two cents.

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Originally Posted by Toast

If you like the way it sounds, but have your doubts about the build quality, then take it to a shop/technician you trust and ask them whether you're getting an inferior instrument. They'll probably evaluate it for free. If the frets are interfering with your ability to play the guitar comfortably, then return it or ask for a replacement. The guitar might just need a good setup. Anyway, just my two cents.

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They actually do interfere. The first thing I do when looking at a guitar is check the fret finish by running my thumb and index finger along the sides of the neck. This is the worst fret job I have ever experienced, even on the cheapest Epis and Squires.

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Originally Posted by rfrizz

They actually do interfere. The first thing I do when looking at a guitar is check the fret finish by running my thumb and index finger along the sides of the neck. This is the worst fret job I have ever experienced, even on the cheapest Epis and Squires.

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Ask for a replacement. If they're cool about it, then no worries. If they aren't, threaten a bad Yelp review. Take pictures to back up your displeasure. Good luck.

Honestly I don't think it's a defect or even a bad fret job as much as changing seasons cause the fretboar to shrink slightly and the ends to pop out. Any tech (not even luthier) worth his salt can file those down in a few minutes, and redress the ends. You can contact MF and see if they will compensate you for it - I wouldn't want to sent it back and forth again. Keep in mind they may not; they may claim it's natural for a formerly living product to change over time, especially over the season change.

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Originally Posted by jrgtr42

Honestly I don't think it's a defect or even a bad fret job as much as changing seasons cause the fretboar to shrink slightly and the ends to pop out. Any tech (not even luthier) worth his salt can file those down in a few minutes, and redress the ends. You can contact MF and see if they will compensate you for it - I wouldn't want to sent it back and forth again. Keep in mind they may not; they may claim it's natural for a formerly living product to change over time, especially over the season change.

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I think you're probably right. The guitars I've picked up in shops usually don't have major build problems (bad setups are more common than not, however). I've seen Dave file down poorly finished frets on newish guitars before. He complains about it (seems to be a Gibson thing), but it's not the end of the world.

https://www.youtube.com/user/davey4557

I'd be tempted to send it back. I haven't dealt with Musician's Friend, but I know Sweetwater makes things good with me always. I've gotten several guitars from them, and they've come to me in perfect shape. They phone a couple of days later to make sure you're happy with it. I've sent major things back to them with no hassle. I'd imagine MF offers competitive customer service?

I’m not sure if this has any relevance to the return/don’t return question, but Guitar Center (they own Musician’s Friend) is apparently close to filing for bankruptcy protection. So maybe if you’re thinking about a return, do it sooner rather than later?

I was just reading this thread and wasn't going to join in, but I got to thinking: If I was having doubts or concerns about a guitar like this, I'd send it back. It's kinda like having a zit in the middle of your forehead. Every time you look in the mirror it's going to bother you. So why put yourself through the turmoil?

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Originally Posted by OldStrummer

I was just reading this thread and wasn't going to join in, but I got to thinking: If I was having doubts or concerns about a guitar like this, I'd send it back. It's kinda like having a zit in the middle of your forehead. Every time you look in the mirror it's going to bother you. So why put yourself through the turmoil?

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OS is absolutely right. If anything about a guitar bothers me, I just can't get over it. I owned a $700 Hofner bass, and it sounded very good, very versatile bass. If it hadn't been for the superior sound of the German Hofners, I would have been satisfied. But 6 years later, I still couldn't bond with the bass. I was ready to sell it and forget Hofner when I stumbled upn a great one for a great price. Now, I'm 100% happy. I don't spend my time with the bass thinking how I wish it really sounded like a hollow body violin bass. There is no comparison between the German and Asian models.

Not all problems are solved by paying a lot for a "real" model.

If this were my Tele, I'd get an exchange, and if they sent me another problem geet, I'd send it back and have a serious talk with a rep. You pay good money for a guitar then you deserve an instrument ready to play, normal shrinkage of whatever. Not your fault, get a guitar that's right.

That is called fret sprout. If you google it you'll find more. If you dig the axe just dress the ends and enjoy it.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

That is called fret sprout. If you google it you'll find more. If you dig the axe just dress the ends and enjoy it.

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Two points to consider, and I should have said this from the start...

First, this is the worst I have ever seen for frets and tangs on any guitar, new or used ever! Every one of them is too long.

Second, the fret tangs are under the lacquer.

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Originally Posted by rfrizz

Two points to consider, and I should have said this from the start...

First, this is the worst I have ever seen for frets and tangs on any guitar, new or used ever! Every one of them is too long.

Second, the fret tangs are under the lacquer.

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I think you just answered your own question.

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Originally Posted by OldStrummer

I think you just answered your own question.

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Time to poomp or get off the pot. I'm gonna from this and flush.

My favorite bolt-on had the same problem. I just took my palm sander and went down the sides of the neck. As long as I had the sandpaper out I took the finish off the back of the neck and put on a couple coats of Butcher's. Now it feels great.