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Post by lickosaurus on Nov 29, 2017 13:22:02 GMT
Hi, I just bought a SC-550 from Thomann. This is a 250 EUR guitar, I am however a bit disappointed regarding the setup and how sloppy it is finished. could you please advice me on whether these things are acceptable given the price of the guitar or whether my expectations might be too high?
- Black spots under the clear coat all over the body and the neck (21 in on the front side of the body alone), they are small, but they are there
- The binding is quite dirty and has been sanded along the fingerboard edge on the neck
- Action on the nut is uneven, ca. 1 mm on the low E and 0.5 mm on the high E
- Action on the 22 fret is 2.5 mm on the low E and 2.0 mm on the high E
- There is slight fret buzz when certain strings are being played at around 10th fret and higher
- The tone pots have a very limited range, the only audible difference occurs between 2 and 0
- One of the tone knobs is not parallel to the body and rubs on it
- The headstock has some slight scuffs on it beneath the clear coat
- Pickup mounting rings do not follow the contours of the body, there is a gap of ca. 1 mm between the lower edge of the middle of the neck picuk holder and the body
Thanks,
First picture shows the one piece body!
Glue on binding Black spots Sanded / dirty binding (difficult to photograph) Black spots again Marks on the headstock (at the top, difficult to photograph)
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Post by micoli on Nov 29, 2017 14:08:54 GMT
Hi lickosaurus,
I recently bought a SC 550. The finish on mine is fine, (if not perfect), but when I checked the pickup mounting rings they are the same as yours - 1mm gap. I never noticed it before but it certainly doesn't bother me, and I'm not sure it can be rectified without wither changing the guitars' arched profile or sanding down the surrounds, (which are a standard shape). My strings are also high at the 22nd fret but at the 12th fret, where you would normally set the height, they are 1.5mm and 2mm on the high E and Low E, which is perfect for me.
Re: tone pot The same as DefJef - it's normal for the tone pot to drop off tone this way, particularly on humbuckers.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2017 8:57:41 GMT
If it's playable keep it! Cory Mura on you tube has a video on how to make the binding clean! Pots pickups etc can be swapped. If it's playable keep it!
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Post by lickosaurus on Nov 30, 2017 19:03:27 GMT
Hi, thanks for your answers. A part of me just wants to keep it but a different part of me keeps on nagging about there just being too many things off, even if each of these things would be ok on their own. >If it's playable keep it! Cory Mura on you tube has a video on how to make the binding clean! Pots pickups etc can be swapped. If it's playable keep it!Is that really the standard to be expected? -lickosaurus
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Post by rookery on Nov 30, 2017 19:52:21 GMT
The faults would annoy, irritate and frustrate me so I would send it back. It may be a budget guitar but I wouldn't expect to finish it myself.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2017 21:02:02 GMT
Hi, Is that really the standard to be expected? Buying HB gear is like a lottery; some get great axes others crap ones. I have seen fair share of both as many hear know about This year alone I ordered 8 guitars from HB and I only kept one of them, the others went back to Thomann. So judge for your self Still I can not justify giving more money for the known brands knowing they too come with flows I am a poor man and as such am happy HB exists! I simply keep ordering and sending back until I get the keeper axe which I now have and cant put it down
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Post by DerAlex on Nov 30, 2017 22:05:53 GMT
Well, my SC550 also has black spots under the laquer and on the back of the fretboard. Does‘t bother me.
What would worry me is pic #2 with binding that looks really ugly and the frets on this pic look kinda weird.
You have to decide but this one looks not as good as mine.
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Post by lickosaurus on Dec 5, 2017 19:37:32 GMT
Thank you for the replies, here is an update. So I decided to return it. And since it is now out of stock, I started looking into alternatives and ended up getting excited about putting a st kit together. I used the return item functionality of the web page and then contacted them via email regarding returning a faulty item and getting it replaced with the st kit instead. I was told to order the ST kit, and when the order turned up like any other order with no reference to the SC550, I inquired about how to proceed with the shipping costs and customs charges I was told that the return shipping of the SC-550 would be paid by Thomann, but I would have to pay the shipping for the ST kit since it was a different product and I had ordered additional small parts (tuners and such), a bit off putting, but ok (I will be spending the next two weeks at home to recover from a surgery so I want to have something to tinker with). Returning the SC-550 is a bit of a hazzle since I will have to apply for the VAT refund at the customs authority, I therefore asked about if they would be willing to select a good instrument from their inventory (not available at the moment) or give me a discount on the SC-550. The rep said he could look into it if I would provide photos. I sent him the link to this thread and the original files of the photos. The rep replied and said that the black spots were due to features in the wood and that the finishing job was in their opinion ok*. He offered a discount of 30 EURs for the issues with the binding. The black spot problem is, judging from forum posts and reviews, well known. In my opinion, I find it a bit strange that the guitar made it through quality control and was not sold as a B-stock item. So to make a long story short, after having spent almost 1000 EUR with Thomann on those two "orders", waiting almost two weeks for them to ship in stock items due to lag on their side in correspondence and fulfillment, I cant help feeling a bit disappointed in Thomann, even though the JB-75 I also ordered is nothing short of fantastic. Thomann's reply *"Die schwarzen Punkte sehen eher nach einer Eigenheit des verarbeiteten Holzes aus, die Lackierung scheint generell o.k. "
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Post by DerAlex on Dec 6, 2017 5:44:58 GMT
Well, you pay at least half price compared to other models. So small imperfections are ok with me.
The black spots seem common on bursts, the goldtop and the coppertop I have/had were perfectly painted.
Otherwise the SC550 IMHO is a bargain as the hardware is really good and besides personal preference nothing has to be changed. A fine instrument.
And customs authorities are a pain in the b“ckside in all countries. If I order something in the states it is too costly to return it so Thomann is still way ahead of any other retailer I know of.
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Post by lickosaurus on Dec 10, 2017 22:54:48 GMT
After further 1 or 2 emails with Thomann, I decided to keep it.
I have spent a few hours during the weekend trying to sort stuff out, such as scraping the dirt and scuffs from the binding and nut (thanks for the tip @chedapapa ), scraping / filing down the excessive lacquer of the binding at the neck / body joint, cleaning and oiling the fingerboard (which had shrunk a bit), raising the control knobs etc.. I must say that with each hour I work on it, the more I like it.
So all in all, pleased with this purchase and look forward to using it.
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Post by lickosaurus on May 7, 2018 20:30:08 GMT
So I just pulled it out again from below the bed. I must say, I'm impressed!
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Post by Deleted on May 7, 2018 20:57:34 GMT
What do you mean bellow the bed? You are not hiding that beauty under a bed are you?! Please dont say, its not just under the bed but also locked away inside a case Looks gorgeous btw! You gotta play that babe every day mate, let her see the light
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Post by lickosaurus on May 7, 2018 21:08:08 GMT
What do you mean bellow the bed? You are not hiding that beauty under a bed are you?! Please dont say, its not just under the bed but also locked away inside a case Looks gorgeous btw! You gotta play that babe every day mate, let her see the light It is indeed a bit too lovely.
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