Wired Wrong with Super High Action

[shimmilou]

You were absolutely lied to, OP.....

Why you say that?

 

[shimmilou]

I haven't said anything, thinking this might be an isolated incident, but my S2 Studio came from the factory wired incorrectly, so It is more than believable that it could have happened to others too. The bridge pup was wired such that it was always on, in every switch position. I only realized this after playing for awhile and noticing that the split affected the sound in positions 4 and 5. It was way easier for me to just correct the wiring myself, no big deal (for me), rather than to send it back.

Here is the way it was wired from the factory:

Corrected wiring by moving two wires:

 

[László]

Why you say that?

The claim was that PRS released “a batch” of guitars with defects from the factory. That’s patently false; PRS’ entire workforce wouldn’t make a hand-wiring mistake on a “batch” of guitars and have them all get through QC.

Sure, a guitar here or there escapes with a flaw that needs to be corrected under the warranty. Not a “batch”. And have them all show up at one dealer, instead of every dealer? Seriously. To believe that you’d have to be pretty gullible.

Sorry. It’s BS. The salesperson lied.

 

[shimmilou]

I'm not so sure that it didn't happen, as I said mine got through QC at PRS and the 55 point inspection at Sweetwater. The way the wiring was, it is understandable how it could be easily missed. It even took me awhile to catch it. Over the years, as much gear as I've been through, I've dealt with issues here and there, mistakes do happen, nobody is perfect, not even with parachutes.

I must say that the fervent brand loyalty around here is fantastic.

 

[John Beef]

Back in 06 I wanted to play a CE22 to see how it compared to the CU22 I later bought from an independent dealer. The only one I could find was at Guitar Center. It was strung with, but not set up for, 12s I think, had chunks missing from the paint, yet they were selling it as new at full price. The salesman acted offended when I pointed out the defects. That's just the guitar center way of doing business.

 

[elvis]

I'm not so sure that it didn't happen, as I said mine got through QC at PRS and the 55 point inspection at Sweetwater. The way the wiring was, it is understandable how it could be easily missed. It even took me awhile to catch it. Over the years, as much gear as I've been through, I've dealt with issues here and there, mistakes do happen, nobody is perfect, not even with parachutes.

I must say that the fervent brand loyalty around here is fantastic.

I don't believe this is a brand loyalty thing. I think we're all seen a lot add BS from dealers, and this story seems unlikely at best. Further, I can't imagine why a store would choose to keep badly made guitars they know are bad, and offer to fix them only after explaining to the customer that they are bad.

Would they not either fix them before putting them on the floor or send them to PRS with a strongly worded note?

The whole thing is surreal from the point of view of a dealer who wants to sell guitars. I just can't wrap my head around it.

 

[shimmilou]

Business decision maybe? It seems to me that it would be cheaper and faster to pay the dealer to correct the wiring, than to pay for shipping all guitars back to the factory. IDK, but as bad as GC can be at times, I don't believe they would a) get under the hood and mess up the wiring themselves, or b) make up a story about the wiring, considering this could really hurt their relationship with PRS.

The fact remains that mine was wired wrong, so why is it so hard to believe that there could be others?

Maybe someone at PRS could confirm or deny this wiring issue?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Maybe someone at PRS could confirm or deny this wiring issue?

What? That occasionally sh!t happens? Of course it does.

 

[tonytester]

What amp? What store? What condition was the cord? Any effects pedals in the signal chain? Would you agree to an FBI investigation?

I think two guitars were on top of me at the same time ,both were laughing but I don't know what kind or when.

 

[shimmilou]

LOL!

 

[elvis]

I think two guitars were on top of me at the same time ,both were laughing but I don't know what kind or when.

I have no knowledge of any such party.

 

[Glide-bpm]

I like beer.........

 

[elvis]

Business decision maybe? It seems to me that it would be cheaper and faster to pay the dealer to correct the wiring, than to pay for shipping all guitars back to the factory. IDK, but as bad as GC can be at times, I don't believe they would a) get under the hood and mess up the wiring themselves, or b) make up a story about the wiring, considering this could really hurt their relationship with PRS.

The fact remains that mine was wired wrong, so why is it so hard to believe that there could be others?

Maybe someone at PRS could confirm or deny this wiring issue?

Reputable manufacturers go to tremendous effort and cost to maximize the quality of the customer's off-the-rack experience. PRS sets up their guitars carefully. Taylor guitars ship with elixer strings so they are never dead. Good guitar shops keep the guitars in tune.

Even assuming PRS left it to the dealer to fix the wiring and set the guitars up to save shipping cost, why didn't the dealer take care of it? They would surely have demanded payment for it.

I get that your guitar was miswired. But you pointed out that you couldn't tell immediately. It seems clear that this guy could tell. And the guitar shop clearly knew about it.

 

[shimmilou]

Yeah, just speculation on my part, maybe we will never get the full story, idk.

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

I would love to see PRS cut ties with GC. PRS would be the better for it.

 

[C&M Music - Lafayette]

I think two guitars were on top of me at the same time ,both were laughing but I don't know what kind or when.

Priceless!

 

[Sculptair]

Thanks everybody for your input. I just visited that guitar shop again and they indeed fixed the noise problem with that one guitar. I also tried two other custom 24s and they we're without noise problems. Looks like the salesman was his own worst enemy. As for action, they were all higher than my guitar (current season), and an off the rack fender elite Stratocaster from the same shop. BTW this is not GC.

 

[Tag]

Thanks everybody for your input. I just visited that guitar shop again and they indeed fixed the noise problem with that one guitar. I also tried two other custom 24s and they we're without noise problems. Looks like the salesman was his own worst enemy. As for action, they were all higher than my guitar (current season), and an off the rack fender elite Stratocaster from the same shop. BTW this is not GC.

Did you look at the truss rod adjustment?
90% of the time that is the cause, usually due to changes in humidity. The fender may have not gone through as much of a humidity change.
Thats not always the case, but a very strong possibility. Does the place keep a stable humidity content??

 

[Glide-bpm]

I like beer.... I like beer a LOT.......................................

 

[garrett]

Did you look at the truss rod adjustment?
90% of the time that is the cause, usually due to changes in humidity. The fender may have not gone through as much of a humidity change.
Thats not always the case, but a very strong possibility. Does the place keep a stable humidity content??

^^This^^

Gotta keep in mind these things are set up in a strict climate controlled environment. They then alternate between riding in non-climate-controlled trucks and sitting warehouses until they land at a dealer store where the climate can be different. All that's needed is to tighten the truss rod a little to get back to factory spec. I find it very difficult to eyeball it. The only way to know if a setup is right is to measure it to the 32nd of an inch or millimeter.