Electric Guitar Today

Last week Thunder and I learned a valuable lesson. I wrote a post about changing tuning key last week. See Thunder’s guitar was made between 1979 and 1982, all six tuning keys are on the same side. The shape of the headstock changed after that to 3 keys on one side 3 on the other.

The Problem

We brought the guitar to a music store which sells instruments and gives music lesson. We thought they where competent since the store has been in business for quite some time. I was way off. Music stores are music stores. They sell new instruments and change strings they are not the best place to take old guitars for reparations.

What Should Have Set Off An Alarm Where:

#1 two music guys couldn’t find the proper tuning keys on the rack and where searching like blind men. I walked up, had a look and grabbed a pack and asked, “Isn’t this what we need?” They blushed and where like yes that’s exactly what you need….Can’t find your own stuff?!?!?

#2 Thunder paid to have these guys install the keys because they said it would be done for the end of the afternoon and he wanted the job done for yesterday. They did not even have the decency to call. Thunder went to see what’s up with his guitar. They told him the guy did not have time to fix it until Tuesday! That’s bad because Thunder has guitar lessons on Mondays. So he asked for a refund and brought the guitar and keys home so he could do it himself.

#3 When he got home he saw he had the wrong tuning keys and that the store had lost a part of his guitar! He went back and asked to talk to the repair man. The repair dude said it wasn’t him cause he hadn’t even open the case….When in fact he had because the string on the broken key had been unwound!!!!!!

#4 We learned that if Thunder would not have gone to get his guitar the cretin would have drilled extra holes in the headstock to put the new keys in. That would be awful nd the old holes would be visible! Scrap the look of our Aria Pro II Thor sound ts-300 MATSUMOKU for 16$ machine heads?!?! I thought they where all freaing nuts! Since when do you drill holes in someone else’s stuff before even asking?!?!

The Real Solution

After a few calls and Internet searchers I found plenty of vintage guitar repair places and parts. So do your home work before accepting a reparation. Call and visit different places. Remember it’s not because a store is large and sells many items that they are experience and qualified!!!! Those guys IO talked about should work in a Zellers or something.

The place I chose to bring my guitar is an hour and a half drive from my home but well worth the wait. I leave you with this picture of Thunder’S poor broken baby.