Fatigue crack

[blawil]

Ive noticed a small crack coming from my top strap Button on my Style 1, I etched a small mark at the end of it before my last gig and at the end of the show it had gotten longer. Has anyone seen this and what could i do to stop it. I seems to be in the finish only.

[jacksonaxes]

Super glue.

[Predator1]

The factory over tightens the buttons. It looks like they use an electric screw driver to install them. In the process they strip the heads. I'm afraid to change mine out to the old style brass for fear it will crack the finish.

[Fender]

i have one of those on my ass too who should i sue lol

[m2pmd70]

i have one of those on my ass too who should i sue lol

Super glue will fix that too.

[fatstrat]

wow. how many more are fucked up like that? I've seen at least 5 on ebay with cracked finishes near the strap buttons, and i'm not even looking! doesn't say much for U.S.A. craftsmanship.

[metalhobo]

I changed the strap buttons (Dimarzio ClipLoks) on my CT SoCal with no finish problems. Wonder is it's a problem with the later models.

[Grandturk]

IF anybody here has changed their strap pins on the Pro mod without it cracking, please chime in.

Changed my black Dunlops out for Brass Dunlops. No cracks, no stripping, no problems.

I did bust a big ol' chip off the neck pocket adjusting the truss rod, but shit like that happens.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

wow. how many more are fucked up like that? I've seen at least 5 on ebay with cracked finishes near the strap buttons, and i'm not even looking! doesn't say much for U.S.A. craftsmanship.

There's hardly any craftsmanship left in anything, but the guys who build these are not craftsmen, they're factory workers.

[alanhindle]

There's hardly any craftsmanship left in anything, but the guys who build these are not craftsmen, they're factory workers.

Dare I say.....

.....just like the guitar factory workers in China, Korea etc., only paid more.

I'm now starting to think which of these are most glad to work and proud of what they do.


Sorry, but your point got me thinking about the age old debate on guitar forums of USA vs. Far Eastern quality. When you think of them all as factory workers then, for production instruments, quality is all down to factors like good management/organisation; QC; pride; and, lastly, quality of materials (which you can find out before you buy).

I don't own a custom shop guitar BTW but do have various USA and Far Eastern production guitars.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Yep. There is nothing special about "made in the USA" - the important thing is skill and/or quality control.

Unless you're speaking from the perspective of "keeping Americans employed" or "keeping your dollar in the USA" kind of stuff.

[Grandturk]

The only thing that I will say, and this is not universally true, but cost cutting is cost cutting, and the only thing to go down is not just the cost of labor. The cost of materials must go down as well.

Remember the 80's MIJ Strats that everyone says were fantastic were only fantastic after you replaced the electronics, the nut, the tuners and the frets and sometimes the bridge.

Wood is wood, right? Or is it?

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

Well, that's a whole different ball-game, Grandturk. You're talking about parts, I'm talking about labor.

Craftsmanship has more to do with attitude and skill than parts. But even the best parts in the hands of a "factory worker" is going to produce less than stellar results most of the time.

[Grandturk]

Also remember that not all workers in an assembly line production are unskilled laborers. You can't take a guy out of a tuna canning facility and plug him into a paint booth without considerable retraining.

[RobRR]

I changed the strap buttons (Dimarzio ClipLoks) on my CT SoCal with no finish problems. Wonder is it's a problem with the later models.

It seems like the first run havent been prone to some of the issues the rest are having. My CT Socal has no neck pocket stress cracks, super tight fitting neck, and no problems around the strap button areas, I put on Schaller locks as usual. Maybe they really paid attention to the first run because, well it was the first run and they wanted to make a good impression!