fender pickup repair

Question:

Below is a copy of a reply I posted elsewhere in this forum: If Anyone knows of contact info for Abigail Yberra (Fender employee) Please contact me. I would sincerely like to contact her and hopefully send the pickup in question to her and have it repaired. If she decides to turn down the request then I will gldly accept her decision, and not that of the Fender"GUY" with the bad attitude as described below. It would be greatly appreciated bot by me as well as my customer who has invested a fair amount in the instrument. Thanks Sincerely] Rainer Wiechmann Guitar Works London, ON <<I am a Fender "authorized" service person and work for a Fender dealer, although my business is essentially independent of the dealership. I called Fender CA two days ago in order to service a customer of mine who has a completely original 1959 Fender strat that has been appraised at nearly $30K. My customer is a collector and to this point has been highly respectful of Fender instruments and the investment they represent. The Strat in question has a dead neck pickup that was working until recently. I determined that the problem was within the coil itself and cannot be corrected in any way other than to rewind the pickup. I decided the best course of action would be to contact Fender Custom shop and comission Abigail Yberra to personally rewind the pickup, since in all likelyhood she wound it originally. I would send the pickup to them, and willingly pay whatever the expense, since even $800 to $1000 would be worth retaining the originality of the instrument. The person I spoke to at customer service was very enthusiastic & helpful, stating that it would be great to have this done, and there should be no problem, etc. He proceeded to connect me to a "tech" at the Custom Shop. This is where I met with the "Corporate Attitute"…….Here’s what I was told after briefly describing the situation. "we’re not in the business of maintaining vintage guitar values…it is not a service we offer to anyone, we have to draw the line somewhere….we’re in the business of selling NEW guitars, and we don’t even sell custom shop replacement parts to owners of custom shop instruments." (almost verbatim to the best of my recollection) You mean to tell me that if Eric Clapton called up wanting a replacement neck for "Blackie" #2, he would be told to bugger off….we will get you a new guitar, but forget about getting a part for your old one? Not very likely…I was, and am totally pissed off at this guy’s smug attitude. Having Abigail rewind the pickup would maintain the originality and value of the guitar….even if Seymour Duncan were to do the job, the value of the guitar would likely drop several thousand $. …my customer is very disappointed to say the least. This is the level of "service" Fender is willing to provide, even to individuals who respect the historic value of instruments that they themselves don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about. I sincerely wish there was a way for me to contcat Abbie directly….I would be more than willing to send the pickup to her, pay her directly and be done with this…..I am sure she could probaly use a couple of hundred$ in her pocket to do this simple job. Fender dude said " Abigail is not available for this kind of work"….What"???? who the hell is he to decide whether or not she could use e few extra dollars Anyone out there who has any thoughts on this, please let me know……I know that I will be very reluctant to endorse the Fender Product from here on in….only because this "corporate BULLSHIT mentality" has really soured my perception of what the product once meant to me. I can not proudly represent a company that cares solely about the bottom line at the end of the day, and turns it’s back on customeres, dealers and service people alike. It’s no wonder dealers are pissed…. sincerely R Wiechmann>>

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Below is a copy of a reply I posted elsewhere in this forum: > If Anyone knows of contact info for Abigail Yberra (Fender employee) > Please contact me. I would sincerely like to contact her and hopefully > send the pickup in question to her and have it repaired. If she decides > to turn down the request then I will gldly accept her decision, and not > that of the Fender"GUY" with the bad attitude as described below. > It would be greatly appreciated bot by me as well as my customer who has > invested a fair amount in the instrument. > Thanks > Sincerely] > Rainer Wiechmann > Guitar Works > London, ON > <<I am a Fender "authorized" service person and work for a Fender > dealer, although my business is essentially independent of the > dealership. I called Fender CA two days ago in order to service a > customer of mine who has a completely original 1959 Fender strat that > has been appraised at nearly $30K. My customer is a collector and to > this point has been highly respectful of Fender instruments and the > investment they represent. > The Strat in question has a dead neck pickup that was working until > recently. I determined that the problem was within the coil itself and > cannot be corrected in any way other than to rewind the pickup. I > decided the best course of action would be to contact Fender Custom shop > and comission Abigail Yberra to personally rewind the pickup, since in > all likelyhood she wound it originally. I would send the pickup to them, > and willingly pay whatever the expense, since even $800 to $1000 would > be worth retaining the originality of the instrument. > The person I spoke to at customer service was very enthusiastic & > helpful, stating that it would be great to have this done, and there > should be no problem, etc. He proceeded to connect me to a "tech" at the > Custom Shop. > This is where I met with the "Corporate Attitute"…….Here’s what I > was told after briefly describing the situation. > "we’re not in the business of maintaining vintage guitar values…it is > not a service we offer to anyone, we have to draw the line > somewhere….we’re in the business of selling NEW guitars, and we don’t > even sell custom shop replacement parts to owners of custom shop > instruments." (almost verbatim to the best of my recollection) > You mean to tell me that if Eric Clapton called up wanting a replacement > neck for "Blackie" #2, he would be told to bugger off….we will get you > a new guitar, but forget about getting a part for your old one? Not very > likely…I was, and am totally pissed off at this guy’s smug attitude. > Having Abigail rewind the pickup would maintain the originality and > value of the guitar….even if Seymour Duncan were to do the job, the > value of the guitar would likely drop several thousand $. …my customer > is very disappointed to say the least. This is the level of "service" > Fender is willing to provide, even to individuals who respect the > historic value of instruments that they themselves don’t seem to give a > rat’s ass about. > I sincerely wish there was a way for me to contcat Abbie directly….I > would be more than willing to send the pickup to her, pay her directly > and be done with this…..I am sure she could probaly use a couple of > hundred$ in her pocket to do this simple job. Fender dude said " > Abigail is not available for this kind of work"….What"???? who the > hell is he to decide whether or not she could use e few extra dollars > Anyone out there who has any thoughts on this, please let me know……I > know that I will be very reluctant to endorse the Fender Product from > here on in….only because this "corporate BULLSHIT mentality" has > really soured my perception of what the product once meant to me. I can > not proudly represent a company that cares solely about the bottom line > at the end of the day, and turns it’s back on customeres, dealers and > service people alike. It’s no wonder dealers are pissed…. > sincerely > R Wiechmann>>

Hmmm, You mean rewound Pup will be equal to original? She may be vintage but do they use vintage wire too? Witn redone Pup that guitar is nor original any more no matter what. My two bits.

Response:

Mr. Al Guzman VP Manufacturing Fender Musical Insts. 311 Cessna Circle Corona, CA, 91720 Please five Al my regards. Marc Mulay

Response:

And,…. there you go. Yet. just another example why the TRIPLE GOLD RATED *Ex-SERVICE CENTER* Said *NO*, to working for a company that is out of touch with THEIR past customers. THIS, is what I had to deal with as a Fender Service Center of decades. Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of So, here are your options, as I have been in this place many times. Find the break in the winding, and tie it off. Chances are the break is in the first top layers. If the starting side of the winding is the problem, an ohm meter reading can confirm this, you can micro solder the break, if it is between the tie off point and the coil. If that break is within the coil, you are cooked. You have no choice but to re-wind the pickup. So, here’s what you do. You call John Suhr, and tell him I sent you. http://www.suhrguitars.com/ Get back to me if there is any problem. Regards, Rich Koerner, Time Electronics. http://www.timeelect.com Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering, Music & Studio Production, Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Below is a copy of a reply I posted elsewhere in this forum: > If Anyone knows of contact info for Abigail Yberra (Fender employee) > Please contact me. I would sincerely like to contact her and hopefully > send the pickup in question to her and have it repaired. If she decides > to turn down the request then I will gldly accept her decision, and not > that of the Fender"GUY" with the bad attitude as described below. > It would be greatly appreciated bot by me as well as my customer who has > invested a fair amount in the instrument. > Thanks > Sincerely] > Rainer Wiechmann > Guitar Works > London, ON > <<I am a Fender "authorized" service person and work for a Fender > dealer, although my business is essentially independent of the > dealership. I called Fender CA two days ago in order to service a > customer of mine who has a completely original 1959 Fender strat that > has been appraised at nearly $30K. My customer is a collector and to > this point has been highly respectful of Fender instruments and the > investment they represent. > The Strat in question has a dead neck pickup that was working until > recently. I determined that the problem was within the coil itself and > cannot be corrected in any way other than to rewind the pickup. I > decided the best course of action would be to contact Fender Custom shop > and comission Abigail Yberra to personally rewind the pickup, since in > all likelyhood she wound it originally. I would send the pickup to them, > and willingly pay whatever the expense, since even $800 to $1000 would > be worth retaining the originality of the instrument. > The person I spoke to at customer service was very enthusiastic & > helpful, stating that it would be great to have this done, and there > should be no problem, etc. He proceeded to connect me to a "tech" at the > Custom Shop. > This is where I met with the "Corporate Attitute"…….Here’s what I > was told after briefly describing the situation. > "we’re not in the business of maintaining vintage guitar values…it is > not a service we offer to anyone, we have to draw the line > somewhere….we’re in the business of selling NEW guitars, and we don’t > even sell custom shop replacement parts to owners of custom shop > instruments." (almost verbatim to the best of my recollection) > You mean to tell me that if Eric Clapton called up wanting a replacement > neck for "Blackie" #2, he would be told to bugger off….we will get you > a new guitar, but forget about getting a part for your old one? Not very > likely…I was, and am totally pissed off at this guy’s smug attitude. > Having Abigail rewind the pickup would maintain the originality and > value of the guitar….even if Seymour Duncan were to do the job, the > value of the guitar would likely drop several thousand $. …my customer > is very disappointed to say the least. This is the level of "service" > Fender is willing to provide, even to individuals who respect the > historic value of instruments that they themselves don’t seem to give a > rat’s ass about. > I sincerely wish there was a way for me to contcat Abbie directly….I > would be more than willing to send the pickup to her, pay her directly > and be done with this…..I am sure she could probaly use a couple of > hundred$ in her pocket to do this simple job. Fender dude said " > Abigail is not available for this kind of work"….What"???? who the > hell is he to decide whether or not she could use e few extra dollars > Anyone out there who has any thoughts on this, please let me know……I > know that I will be very reluctant to endorse the Fender Product from > here on in….only because this "corporate BULLSHIT mentality" has > really soured my perception of what the product once meant to me. I can > not proudly represent a company that cares solely about the bottom line > at the end of the day, and turns it’s back on customeres, dealers and > service people alike. It’s no wonder dealers are pissed…. > sincerely > R Wiechmann>> > Mr. Al Guzman > VP Manufacturing > Fender Musical Insts. > 311 Cessna Circle > Corona, CA, 91720 > Please five Al my regards. Marc Mulay

Why should anyone have to call Al. This should be a FACTORY SERVICE POLICY *across the board* If anything, ask Al, if you can get through the telephone menus, what gives with the not being in If EVERYONE has to call Al to get things done over there, that phone will have to be surgically removed from his freaking head every week. Yeah, piss Al off, with ALL the calls. I may put up a page just to create such a problem for Al, and the person in the same position over at Gibson to funnel comments of this type to their respective ears. Well, that’s till their respective firewalls go up over there, and they either give someone in customer the job of dealing with it. Regards, Rich Koerner, Time Electronics. http://www.timeelect.com Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering, Music & Studio Production, Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers

Response:

It can’t hurt to try contacting her, but keep in mind that this woman has been at Fender since the late 50’s. If she started there when she was 20 years old, she’s probably somewhere between 65-70 years old: http://www.fender.com/news/index.php?display_article=19 Do you really think she’s going to want to do freelance work after winding pickups all day? She might, but I don’t think it’s likely. I work as a web designer and I like what I do for a living, but I cringe every time someone I know asks me if I would want to do some freelance work for them – their personal web site, the kid’s cubscout web site, etc – even with a fair payment for the work. But, that’s me.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Below is a copy of a reply I posted elsewhere in this forum: > If Anyone knows of contact info for Abigail Yberra (Fender employee) > Please contact me. I would sincerely like to contact her and hopefully > send the pickup in question to her and have it repaired. If she decides > to turn down the request then I will gldly accept her decision, and not > that of the Fender"GUY" with the bad attitude as described below. > It would be greatly appreciated bot by me as well as my customer who has > invested a fair amount in the instrument. > Thanks > Sincerely] > Rainer Wiechmann > Guitar Works > London, ON > <<I am a Fender "authorized" service person and work for a Fender > dealer, although my business is essentially independent of the > dealership. I called Fender CA two days ago in order to service a > customer of mine who has a completely original 1959 Fender strat that > has been appraised at nearly $30K. My customer is a collector and to > this point has been highly respectful of Fender instruments and the > investment they represent. > The Strat in question has a dead neck pickup that was working until > recently. I determined that the problem was within the coil itself and > cannot be corrected in any way other than to rewind the pickup. I > decided the best course of action would be to contact Fender Custom shop > and comission Abigail Yberra to personally rewind the pickup, since in > all likelyhood she wound it originally. I would send the pickup to them, > and willingly pay whatever the expense, since even $800 to $1000 would > be worth retaining the originality of the instrument. > The person I spoke to at customer service was very enthusiastic & > helpful, stating that it would be great to have this done, and there > should be no problem, etc. He proceeded to connect me to a "tech" at the > Custom Shop. > This is where I met with the "Corporate Attitute"…….Here’s what I > was told after briefly describing the situation. > "we’re not in the business of maintaining vintage guitar values…it is > not a service we offer to anyone, we have to draw the line > somewhere….we’re in the business of selling NEW guitars, and we don’t > even sell custom shop replacement parts to owners of custom shop > instruments." (almost verbatim to the best of my recollection) > You mean to tell me that if Eric Clapton called up wanting a replacement > neck for "Blackie" #2, he would be told to bugger off….we will get you > a new guitar, but forget about getting a part for your old one? Not very > likely…I was, and am totally pissed off at this guy’s smug attitude. > Having Abigail rewind the pickup would maintain the originality and > value of the guitar….even if Seymour Duncan were to do the job, the > value of the guitar would likely drop several thousand $. …my customer > is very disappointed to say the least. This is the level of "service" > Fender is willing to provide, even to individuals who respect the > historic value of instruments that they themselves don’t seem to give a > rat’s ass about. > I sincerely wish there was a way for me to contcat Abbie directly….I > would be more than willing to send the pickup to her, pay her directly > and be done with this…..I am sure she could probaly use a couple of > hundred$ in her pocket to do this simple job. Fender dude said " > Abigail is not available for this kind of work"….What"???? who the > hell is he to decide whether or not she could use e few extra dollars > Anyone out there who has any thoughts on this, please let me know……I > know that I will be very reluctant to endorse the Fender Product from > here on in….only because this "corporate BULLSHIT mentality" has > really soured my perception of what the product once meant to me. I can > not proudly represent a company that cares solely about the bottom line > at the end of the day, and turns it’s back on customeres, dealers and > service people alike. It’s no wonder dealers are pissed…. > sincerely > R Wiechmann>> > And,…. there you go. > Yet. just another example why the TRIPLE GOLD RATED *Ex-SERVICE CENTER* Said *NO*, to working for a > company that is out of touch with THEIR past customers. > THIS, is what I had to deal with as a Fender Service Center of decades. > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of

Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why people expect this level of service from Fender.

Response:

> > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > people expect this level of service from Fender.

Fender and GM are two different things. GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. GM does not RI their cars. GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or Go ahead. Get some from them. But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. Regards, Rich Koerner, Time Electronics. http://www.timeelect.com Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering, Music & Studio Production, Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > people expect this level of service from Fender. >Fender and GM are two different things. >GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >GM does not RI their cars. >GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >Go ahead. Get some from them. >But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >Regards, >Rich Koerner, >Time Electronics. >http://www.timeelect.com >Specialists in Live Sound FOH Engineering, > Music & Studio Production, >Vintage Instruments, and Tube Amplifiers

Now I’m upset that I can’t buy a Dillion coffee cup! — That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. –Head of Careers Advisory Board

Response:

> Find the break in the winding, and tie it off. > Chances are the break is in the first top layers.

Yes, I’ve done this too. With luck the break is in the top layer (or may even be a bad solder joint at an eyelet) You find the break, unwind some wire to get some slack and reconnect to the body of the coil wire bypassing the broken (short) part. Yes you loose a few turns but it usually doesn’t make a serious difference. This can be a big saviour on a classic part. But as I hinted above, be sure to test the coil continuity by scraping the wire and testing the actual coil rather than from the external wires. Also you can test the outer layer for breaks by testing ohms from the wire going to the center of the coil and then connecting a lead to a razor blade. Use the blade to go through the varnish to the copper to try to find a place where you are behind the break if you can. If none of that works you can actually unwind the coil to find the break and wind it back on, but that still isn’t the same as a true vintage coil. Only other option for such a valuable guitar is to by another true vintage working pickup from the era. Benj

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > people expect this level of service from Fender. > Fender and GM are two different things. > GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. > GM does not RI their cars. > GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. > Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or > Go ahead. Get some from them. > But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it.

Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a thing when GM is not.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > > people expect this level of service from Fender. > Fender and GM are two different things. > GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. > GM does not RI their cars. > GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. > Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or > Go ahead. Get some from them. > But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >thing when GM is not.

Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s attention. Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had talked to someone else, things might have been different. But there are a lot of great pickup companies right now who rewind pickups. Things actually couldn’t be better in that regard IMO. Pete — That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. –Head of Careers Advisory Board

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of >> > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know >> > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy >> > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors >> > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract >> > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, >> > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why >> > people expect this level of service from Fender. >> Fender and GM are two different things. >> GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >> GM does not RI their cars. >> GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >> Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >> Go ahead. Get some from them. >> But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >thing when GM is not. > Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with > musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s > attention. > Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want > anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had > talked to someone else, things might have been different.

I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and Abigail Ybarra did the work. But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced? A 1966 Strat? A ‘94? I’m sure a *lot* of instruments and amplifiers have been sold in the time Fender has existed and it could become a really big production if they got into it which is probably why they don’t want to do it. > But there are a lot of great pickup companies right now who rewind > pickups. Things actually couldn’t be better in that regard IMO.

I agree 100%. I’m sure Abigail Ybarra does a great job winding pickups (she’s been doing it for long enough) and maybe there *is* something she does that makes a better sounding pickup but my opinion is that the whole thing is a marketing ploy by Fender. I’ve never tried a Ybarra pickup let alone compared it to any others, but that’s the feeling I get from the whole thing. Here is a quote by Caesar Diaz from an old issue of ToneQuest Report: * * * When I was at the Fender Custom Shop, I asked Abigail Ybarra if the winding machine was off in the counter. Her eyes got huge and she said, "How do you know that?" I said, "Well, I’ve taken a lot of pickups apart and I know that you wound them by turns, and I’ve seen published figures that so many turns equalled so much resistance." * * * Source: http://www.tonequest.com/pdf_pubs/samples/TQRDiaz.pdf So, in light of that, it confirms what most of us assumed or knew already in that older pickups haven’t been consistent over the years anyway. This is no fault of Abigail Ybarra’s; she has to work with equipment that is less than perfect. If she’s still using the same machine, it’s a hit or miss proposition. Let’s say that Fender retooled and got new winding machines and Ybarra is using those now – are you going to get back a pickup that sounded the way it did in the first place? Not likely; pickups may be more consistent from one to the other now but you have to ask *which* pickup is it on which they are now basing their standard. Building pickups doesn’t involve mojo, it’s a science and guys like Bill Lawrence and Jason Lollar have made it their entire career – and not just by winding the coils. However, the guy who wants the pickup wound by Ybarra does have a point in that the guitar will probably retain better value simply because the pickup would be rewound by *her.* A rewind or replacement by Lollar or one of the other guys could be better than the Ybarra rewind in every aspect including the way it sounds but that won’t matter because it’s the "mojo" that sells. But, I’m not coming from the view of a collector so my entire point may be moot anyway.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > >> > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > >> > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > >> > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > >> > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > >> > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > >> > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > >> > people expect this level of service from Fender. > >> Fender and GM are two different things. > >> GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. > >> GM does not RI their cars. > >> GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. > >> Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or > >> Go ahead. Get some from them. > >> But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. > >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not > >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on > >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a > >thing when GM is not. > Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with > musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s > attention. > Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want > anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had > talked to someone else, things might have been different. >I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re >probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I >think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this >fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound >and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and >Abigail Ybarra did the work.

Definitely. But you have to talk to the right person, who *knows* that something like that could not only bring good publicity to the company, but also make him look good for making it happen. And sometimes you have to know how to talk to people to get their cooperation. >But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced?

Not worth the effort IMO. If a pickup in a ‘78 Fender goes bad, you replace it, probably with something that’s better. Use the same PU cover. >A 1966 Strat?

Send the pickup to a rewinder. >A ‘94?

Replace it with an aftermarket PU. >I’m sure a *lot* of instruments and amplifiers have been sold in the >time Fender has existed and it could become a really big production if >they got into it which is probably why they don’t want to do it.

That’d be understandable, but in special situations, they should be able to handle it. And Fender probably already knows that this situation is being discussed here, and they’ll probably do nothing to clarify anything, or try to justify flicking the OP like a booger. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> But there are a lot of great pickup companies right now who rewind > pickups. Things actually couldn’t be better in that regard IMO. >I agree 100%. I’m sure Abigail Ybarra does a great job winding pickups >(she’s been doing it for long enough) and maybe there *is* something >she does that makes a better sounding pickup but my opinion is that the >whole thing is a marketing ploy by Fender. I’ve never tried a Ybarra >pickup let alone compared it to any others, but that’s the feeling I >get from the whole thing. >Here is a quote by Caesar Diaz from an old issue of ToneQuest Report: >* * * >When I was at the Fender Custom Shop, I asked Abigail Ybarra if the >winding machine was off in the counter. Her eyes got huge and she said, >"How do you know that?" I said, "Well, I’ve taken a lot of pickups >apart and I know that you wound them by turns, and I’ve seen >published figures that so many turns equalled so much resistance." >* * * >Source: >http://www.tonequest.com/pdf_pubs/samples/TQRDiaz.pdf >So, in light of that, it confirms what most of us assumed or knew >already in that older pickups haven’t been consistent over the years >anyway. This is no fault of Abigail Ybarra’s; she has to work with >equipment that is less than perfect. If she’s still using the same >machine, it’s a hit or miss proposition. Let’s say that Fender >retooled and got new winding machines and Ybarra is using those now – >are you going to get back a pickup that sounded the way it did in the >first place? Not likely; pickups may be more consistent from one to >the other now but you have to ask *which* pickup is it on which they >are now basing their standard. >Building pickups doesn’t involve mojo, it’s a science and guys like >Bill Lawrence and Jason Lollar have made it their entire career – and >not just by winding the coils. However, the guy who wants the pickup >wound by Ybarra does have a point in that the guitar will probably >retain better value simply because the pickup would be rewound by >*her.* A rewind or replacement by Lollar or one of the other guys >could be better than the Ybarra rewind in every aspect including the >way it sounds but that won’t matter because it’s the "mojo" that sells. > But, I’m not coming from the view of a collector so my entire point >may be moot anyway.

Ok, there might be some value to her doing the rewind, depending on the buyer, and depending on the person selling the guitar, and how well he can document things. But it’s too bad if the investment is more important than the instrument. I don’t look at it from a collector’s point of view either. I love some of the old guitars, but I’m more interested in the guitars themselves than the guys that’re using them for investments. Pete — That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. –Head of Careers Advisory Board

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> >> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of >> >> > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know >> >> > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy >> >> > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors >> >> > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract >> >> > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, >> >> > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why >> >> > people expect this level of service from Fender. >> >> Fender and GM are two different things. >> >> GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >> >> GM does not RI their cars. >> >> GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >> >> Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >> >> Go ahead. Get some from them. >> >> But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >> >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >> >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >> >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >> >thing when GM is not. >> Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with >> musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s >> attention. >> Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want >> anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had >> talked to someone else, things might have been different. >I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re >probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I >think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this >fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound >and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and >Abigail Ybarra did the work. > Definitely. But you have to talk to the right person, who *knows* > that something like that could not only bring good publicity to the > company, but also make him look good for making it happen. > And sometimes you have to know how to talk to people to get their > cooperation. >But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced? > Not worth the effort IMO. If a pickup in a ‘78 Fender goes bad, you > replace it, probably with something that’s better. Use the same PU > cover. >A 1966 Strat? > Send the pickup to a rewinder. >A ‘94? > Replace it with an aftermarket PU.

I don’t think Fender can win; no matter where they draw the line, somebody is going to be pissed and go on a rant about how Fender has terrible service. If they do work for the guy with the ‘59 but not the ‘66 or ‘78 or ‘94, you’ll have three out of four people pissed for one reason or another; probably claiming that Fender only does high profile work for people with deep enough wallets to afford vintage guitars or that they whore themselves to collectors or some such thing. In the end, it’s probably best for them to just leave all the repairs to third party technicians.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> >> >> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of > >> >> > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know > >> >> > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy > >> >> > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors > >> >> > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract > >> >> > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, > >> >> > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why > >> >> > people expect this level of service from Fender. > >> >> Fender and GM are two different things. > >> >> GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. > >> >> GM does not RI their cars. > >> >> GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. > >> >> Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or > >> >> Go ahead. Get some from them. > >> >> But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. > >> >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not > >> >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on > >> >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a > >> >thing when GM is not. > >> Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with > >> musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s > >> attention. > >> Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want > >> anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had > >> talked to someone else, things might have been different. > >I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re > >probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I > >think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this > >fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound > >and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and > >Abigail Ybarra did the work. > Definitely. But you have to talk to the right person, who *knows* > that something like that could not only bring good publicity to the > company, but also make him look good for making it happen. > And sometimes you have to know how to talk to people to get their > cooperation. > >But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced? > Not worth the effort IMO. If a pickup in a ‘78 Fender goes bad, you > replace it, probably with something that’s better. Use the same PU > cover. > >A 1966 Strat? > Send the pickup to a rewinder. > >A ‘94? > Replace it with an aftermarket PU. >I don’t think Fender can win; no matter where they draw the line, >somebody is going to be pissed and go on a rant about how Fender has >terrible service. If they do work for the guy with the ‘59 but not the >’66 or ‘78 or ‘94, you’ll have three out of four people pissed for one >reason or another; probably claiming that Fender only does high profile >work for people with deep enough wallets to afford vintage guitars or >that they whore themselves to collectors or some such thing. In the >end, it’s probably best for them to just leave all the repairs to third >party technicians.

Well, that’s what I’d like to happen actually. I’d rather see the guitar being handled by someone *better* than Fender. Has Fender ever done anything that would lead people to think that they know anything about restoring old guitars? Pete — That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. –Head of Careers Advisory Board

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> >> >> > > Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of >> >> >> > Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know >> >> >> > much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy >> >> >> > and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors >> >> >> > would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract >> >> >> > job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, >> >> >> > but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why >> >> >> > people expect this level of service from Fender. >> >> >> Fender and GM are two different things. >> >> >> GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >> >> >> GM does not RI their cars. >> >> >> GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >> >> >> Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >> >> >> Go ahead. Get some from them. >> >> >> But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >> >> >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >> >> >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >> >> >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >> >> >thing when GM is not. >> >> Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with >> >> musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s >> >> attention. >> >> Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want >> >> anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had >> >> talked to someone else, things might have been different. >> >I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re >> >probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I >> >think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this >> >fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound >> >and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and >> >Abigail Ybarra did the work. >> Definitely. But you have to talk to the right person, who *knows* >> that something like that could not only bring good publicity to the >> company, but also make him look good for making it happen. >> And sometimes you have to know how to talk to people to get their >> cooperation. >> >But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced? >> Not worth the effort IMO. If a pickup in a ‘78 Fender goes bad, you >> replace it, probably with something that’s better. Use the same PU >> cover. >> >A 1966 Strat? >> Send the pickup to a rewinder. >> >A ‘94? >> Replace it with an aftermarket PU. >I don’t think Fender can win; no matter where they draw the line, >somebody is going to be pissed and go on a rant about how Fender has >terrible service. If they do work for the guy with the ‘59 but not the >’66 or ‘78 or ‘94, you’ll have three out of four people pissed for one >reason or another; probably claiming that Fender only does high profile >work for people with deep enough wallets to afford vintage guitars or >that they whore themselves to collectors or some such thing. In the >end, it’s probably best for them to just leave all the repairs to third >party technicians. > Well, that’s what I’d like to happen actually. I’d rather see the > guitar being handled by someone *better* than Fender.

Same here. Not that I don’t think that Fender can’t do a good job, but I have a lot more confidence in a guy like Rich Koerner who lives and breathes this stuff, works on all sorts of different products and has probably seen it all rather than someone who works for the manufacturer and has to follow company guidelines instead of being able to work "outside the box." Plus, with someone local, you can take your guitar to them and probably have it back in around two weeks whereas dealing with Fender or another manufacturer, you have to pack up the instrument and pay for shipping while figuring in at least an extra week or two just for time to ship. > Has Fender ever done anything that would lead people to think that > they know anything about restoring old guitars?

Not to my knowledge. Certainly, they probably have lots of old schematics and measurements and such, but a third party technician who’s worked on a lot of guitars will have his own book of notes that reflect real world experience. We all know that Fender guitars have varied wildly and original specs aren’t going to take that into account but experience will.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>>>Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of >>>Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know >>>much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy >>>and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors >>>would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract >>>job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, >>>but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why >>>people expect this level of service from Fender. >>Fender and GM are two different things. >>GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >>GM does not RI their cars. >>GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >>Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >>Go ahead. Get some from them. >>But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >thing when GM is not. > Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with > musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s > attention. > Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want > anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had > talked to someone else, things might have been different. > But there are a lot of great pickup companies right now who rewind > pickups. Things actually couldn’t be better in that regard IMO. > Pete > — > That man was a successful encyclopaedia salesman. > –Head of Careers Advisory Board

I don’t know… … has someone actually mentioned the SOLUTION to this dilemma…???? Send the stupid guitar/pickup to Rich K…. let him work his magic… and it’ll be good (or better) than new (er, I mean vintage). All the whining and moaning about Fender and their shitty business practices… FORGET THEM..! ! ! Move on..! ! ! They’re *history*..! ! ! They’ve been ‘crappin up’ for a LONG time now… it WON’T get any better. If anyone wants to spend TOP dollar for a bolt-on neck (made on a CNC router by some non-Fender contractor), "fender parts guitar" that is absolutely no better than any OTHER ‘parts guitar’… let them spend the money..! ! ! They will THINK that they have a superior product, and that is ok… really. Fender is TOO big and too ‘focused’ on earnings to deal with collectors, gigging musicians, old guys with old guitars, young guys with old guitars, and keeping the faith. Now, vintage gear, older gear, is all left to the smaller companies, techs, and players to maintain and enjoy. I was listening to some CDs the other day… bands I’d never heard of.. the stuff sounded GREAT..! ! Who freakin CARES what equipment Like Rich hollers over and over and over…. It’s about the freakin MUSIC folks..! ! ! Get your $4800 custom arch-top or your $125 Squire, plug in, and make some nice sounds. If you can’t get good tone, it’s 98% in your ability (or lack there-of) of tweakin the knobs… or pick/strum/pluck/lick/slap the strings… Remember the quote… ".. all ya gotta do is variate the knobs.." It’s right there on the AGA website. Read it and get playin..! ! !

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>>>>>>Just as Fender has turned its back on it’s legacy, so Gibson follows, with this LACK of >>>>>>Rich, you’re in the business of repairing guitars and amps so you know >>>>>>much better than I do, but if you had a really nice vintage 57 Chevy >>>>>>and the engine needed to be rebuilt, do you think that General Motors >>>>>>would be willing to take your car and do the work for you as a contract >>>>>>job? Not likely. I’m sure they’d be willing to sell you some parts, >>>>>>but that’d be about the extent of it. I just don’t understand why >>>>>>people expect this level of service from Fender. >>>>>Fender and GM are two different things. >>>>>GM does not cut off their Dealer’s Service from parts and supplies. >>>>>GM does not RI their cars. >>>>>GM will sell you anything in current production to their dealers. >>>>>Try to get a truss rod from either Fender or Gibson to repair any of their necks. NEW, or >>>>>Go ahead. Get some from them. >>>>>But, you can get a T shirt, zippo lighter, or coffee mug, with their name on it. >>>>Those things may be true (you know better than I do), but that’s not >>>>the point. We were talking about having Fender perform repair work on >>>>a 40+ year old guitar and why they should be expected to do such a >>>>thing when GM is not. >>>Well, they probably *should* to maintain good relations with >>>musicians. And this kind of thing tends to come to the public’s >>>attention. >>>Trouble is the OP talked to someone in a corporation who didn’t want >>>anything that wasn’t part of daily routine to happen. If he had >>>talked to someone else, things might have been different. >>I think that Fender probably doesn’t want to get into it as they’re >>probably not set up for servicing instruments on a large scale. I >>think the question for them is where to draw the line. Okay, this >>fellow has a really nice 1959 Stratocaster that needs a pickup rewound >>and it would probably make for some nice PR piece if they did it and >>Abigail Ybarra did the work. >Definitely. But you have to talk to the right person, who *knows* >that something like that could not only bring good publicity to the >company, but also make him look good for making it happen. >And sometimes you have to know how to talk to people to get their >cooperation. >>But what about the guy with a 1978 Strat? Should he be able to have his guitar serviced? >Not worth the effort IMO. If a pickup in a ‘78 Fender goes bad, you >replace it, probably with something that’s better. Use the same PU >cover. >>A 1966 Strat? >Send the pickup to a rewinder. >>A ‘94? >Replace it with an aftermarket PU. > I don’t think Fender can win; no matter where they draw the line, > somebody is going to be pissed and go on a rant about how Fender has > terrible service. If they do work for the guy with the ‘59 but not the > ‘66 or ‘78 or ‘94, you’ll have three out of four people pissed for one > reason or another; probably claiming that Fender only does high profile > work for people with deep enough wallets to afford vintage guitars or > that they whore themselves to collectors or some such thing. In the > end, it’s probably best for them to just leave all the repairs to third > party technicians.

PING RICH K…! ! ! ! Here’s an unsolicited referral to all vintage Fender owners… RICH KOERNER - TIME ELECTRONICS Rich is a ‘Vintage Fender Repair Tech’ he himself, the person, is ‘vintage’… just like all the old equipment. He *sounds* good, like vintage gear should, he has all the *tone* that vintage gear should, he has ‘quality’ like *some* of the old gear has, and he’ll pick up the phone himself. Rich was an *authorized* Fender Repair Facility for so long that he is probably older than most of the people working for Fender now. Thus he has MORE experience with Fender products than the people at FENDER have. The people at Fender probably have to do research in their OWN archives to find info that Rich has in his head… I’ve had work done by Rich, he’s as good as they come. I’ve jammed on stage with Rich K., he can hang with the best… he plays guitar and bass and repairs most anything you can bring him. End of advert for Rich K. These opinions are mine and your mileage may vary…

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As much as you would like to think Fender is like a mom & pop shop where Leo greets you at the door, gives you a glass of Cherry coke and a tour of his little work shop. It’s not. Anymore. It is a modern day business. .

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