NGD - On the fence, so far

[Intune]

I still can’t believe customers are allowed to do this. Tear into a guitar trying to do a set up. How many times has the neck been pulled or slightly lifted?

Tear into it only to maybe return it and now it’s someone else that has to go all through it wondering why screw heads are stripped or there’s now QC issues on a new guitar. Maybe I’m just old but I wouldn’t want this after someone spent hours tinkering.

 

[Guithartic]

Well...what a day. I've cursed this guitar 1000 times.

Dialling in the set up has been difficult. It's taken a lot of back and forth, tweaking, trying, tweaking some more, trying again. I couldn't get it anywhere near where I wanted it for a long time. So all day I've been thinking "it's going back, I can't be messing about trying to make it play right". Then boom, it's right. Truss rod, action intonation, no buzz and in the zone.

I scored it against my other guitars earlier (albeit before I nailed the set up,and when I was still cursing) and the results were not great.

But now it finally feels like I can judge it properly. Watch this space.

View attachment 610320 View attachment 610322 View attachment 610323

I'll re-score tomorrow.

Hope this doesn’t drive you nuts, but I’m really thinking the 335 is the one. If you already have a Strat, and this one has given so much grief, and you’re not super into the relic thing, and you don’t have a 335, and that black 335 really does look awesome. I’d vote for that one.

 

[StratoMutt]

Hope this doesn’t drive you nuts, but I’m really thinking the 335 is the one. If you already have a Strat, and this one has given so much grief, and you’re not super into the relic thing, and you don’t have a 335, and that black 335 really does look awesome. I’d vote for that one.

I am inclined to agree here.

 

[Mr Swisher]

I still can’t believe customers are allowed to do this. Tear into a guitar trying to do a set up. How many times has the neck been pulled or slightly lifted?

Tear into it only to maybe return it and now it’s someone else that has to go all through it wondering why screw heads are stripped or there’s now QC issues on a new guitar. Maybe I’m just old but I wouldn’t want this after someone spent hours tinkering.

I was super careful, if anything was remotely damaged or stripped by me, I'd keep it and sell it myself. I'm an honest guy. But I absolutely take your point. I perhaps should have just took one look and said to myself "if the shop sent it out like this it has to go.back". It's not in playable condition and I can't assess it like this. Something to consider next time, for sure.

This seems to be the norm in the UK. This is the third CS I've bought (all from different retailers) that have arrived needing a considerable set up. The other two went to techs and then joined my collection, tomorrow I'll just send this back knowing it's in considerably better condition than when it arrived.

Frustrating.

 

[Mr Swisher]

...then again. This is a strong look

 

[StratoMutt]

...then again. This is a strong look
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Wow, that looks better than I'd have imagined!

 

[Yves]

...then again. This is a strong look
View attachment 610496

Oh yeah Baby!
Jumped the fence over to the wild side right there!
Just picture the Furore you'll make on stage with hot pants matching that tort PG!
Go! Go! Go!

 

[Mr Swisher]

Well the torts on, but I'm not entirely convinced. It's not a great fit around the humbucker and maybe it's just too polite.

Next string change I may go back to the original...or maybe black guard and the aged cream knobs/covers..a little homage to Gilmour.

 

[Yves]

maybe it's just too polite.

agree, how about this one?

 

[Yves]

 

[Yves]

There's so much choice
So, is it a keeper after all?

 

[winemaker]

I think if you have to convince yourself that you like it it's probably a lost cause already.

This sounds about right.

I do like the appearance which surprises me because I’m generally not a fan of the whatever-over-sunburst fakery (though I don’t mind relics if subtle). I definitely would not change pickguard or covers if it was mine, which it’s not. Not a tortoise fan at all.

If money is such that one has to go, I think you already know which one.

 

[Mr Swisher]

There's so much choice
So, is it a keeper after all?

Well.. I like it. The set up is where I like now and dialling the pickups in, with a few days tweaking, absolutely turned it around.



It's staying. Which shocks me too. I've gone back to stock guard and looks but I really really like this guitar. I just don't want to put it down!

 

[Yves]

Yeah, I think it looks great as is. Glad you bond with it. I wish I could grab and have a play to see how it feels, sounds. I can see on those pics tgat you've cleaned it up real well.

Cool looking Strat you got there

 

[hill hippie]

...then again. This is a strong look
View attachment 610496

yes, that is much better,to my eyes! why fight it, keep them all,for rock and blues you need a 335(or les paul)you need a tele,and you need a strat,right? you also,in my opinion, need a marshall style amp,a vox style, and a fender style, at the very least! then the history of rock tone is at your fingers!