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davyk

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
42
Location
Co Tyrone , N. IRELAND
Hey guys,
how are you all?
Been quite a while since i posted here but lately have noticed a small difference in my True Gold Luke neck.
It seems as if the fret dots are not flush to the neck anymore, if you know what i mean, you can actually feel them raised (or lowered) its hard to tell, but def notice when playing for example three string bar and slide ala sultans of swing.
At first I thought it was dodgy strings but when changing them today noticed the fret dot prob.
Very strange?????
 

Gio_Force_One

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 25, 2010
Messages
1,253
Location
Rhode Island
Give customer service a call on Monday.
It sounds like it could be some sort of humidity problem, maybe the wood shrunk some.
 

BrickGlass

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
855
Location
Utah
Sounds like the wood shrunk for sure. I'd call customer service. Might be something that a little lemon oil or something similar would take care of by getting some moisture back in the fretboard, but you should contact customer service and take their advice on this one.
 

DrKev

Moderator
Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
7,507
Location
Somewhere between Paris, Dublin, and Buffalo
The photos look like they are slightly lower relative to the wood. I had a guitar like that once, and even though it was quite obvious under my fingers, I didn't cause me any problems so it bother me at all. (Your guitar is of course your business to decide if it's acceptable or not).

FWIW, it's not strange but not something we see frequently either (no matter what the brand of guitar). No two pieces of wood (or inlays) will ever come out exactly the same dimensions (which is where engineering tolerances come in) and may react less or more to changes in humidity somewhere along the line. Even the best manufacturing in the world can never avoid it completely. It's part of the nature of working with wood.

Anyway, you are now in touch with Customer Service. Let's wait and see what they say.
 

davyk

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
42
Location
Co Tyrone , N. IRELAND
Hey guys,
Got a reply from customer services this morning, it reads as follows:

Thank You for playing Music Man!
Here is what our tech said:
"Clear nail polish would probably work.*Alternatively you can use super glue and sand it back. The fretboard is surfaced with fine grade "scotch brite" after being sanded to 320 grit, if he needs to match the adjacent frets.
"Please Note: We are not responsible for improperly performed repairs or modifications.



Think I'll leave it well enough alone
 

davyk

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
42
Location
Co Tyrone , N. IRELAND
Ok guys, wee update
Hung guitar in a warm room since the last post with the hope that the neck would sort itself out but alas no joy..fret dots are still lower than fretboard surface...
Now the strange thing is that the frets never were affected.(sprouting or shrinking) which makes me wonder if it ever was a humidity/temperature problem in the first place.
Was a bit surprised to be honest by the response from customer services (although to be honest there is prob nothing more they can do or say)
Will leave it another while to see if any change
 

ErnieJohn

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2011
Messages
530
Location
Ireland
i'm not sure what happened, i wont even guess, but i can give you contact details of two guys in Dublin who could fix it, let me know and i'll pass them onto you,
 

davyk

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
42
Location
Co Tyrone , N. IRELAND
Cheers ErnieJohn.....That would be great,,really getting on my nerves now.
Was actually contemplating the customer service suggestion.but wasnt too sure as the proper way to do it
 

KevinUK

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 30, 2008
Messages
120
Mmmm wood is a substance that shrinks and expands with humidity change, rather like a door into a door frame binding when damp or shrinking when dry and warm. Guitar woods are the same in principle, but of course being "hard" woods the resultant of humidity change is less than say a soft wood used in house construction. Coeficient of thermal expansion can be considered insignificant
 

davyk

Active member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
42
Location
Co Tyrone , N. IRELAND
ok guys, small update for you re the sinking fret dots on the fretboard
I bit the bullet and fixed the prob myself using superglue, 1500 grit sandpaper, a razor blade and loads of cigarettes (to settle my nerves lol).
I contacted a guitar repair man and he took me step by step through the process and i am delighted to say the problem is fixed.
Luke is back to its former glory.
 
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