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Post subject: Crafted in Japan Guitars
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:56 pm
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I have recently purchased a CIJ Jazzmaster...after getting in home in stong light I noticed long lines in the wood under the finish...I sent pictures and the info to customer service and they said it was caused at the dealers store by drying out and they could not warranty it....after checking other CIJ guitars in 4 other stores they all seem to exhibit this characteristic more or less....some knowledgeable people have told me the wood was still green when finished....does anyone with a
CIJ Guitar out there know what I'm talking about nad doesn't FENDER have some responsibility for this?? I have thought about visiting all the stores I could and write down the SSN's of those guitars and having a class action talk with FENDER...any help?? :shock:


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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:14 pm
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i'd email Fender's customer support... i don't think that EVERY one of those particular guitars would have flaws, but from what you said, i could be wrong... i think emailing fender would most likely give you the best answer as to what the problem is and if there is any way to fix it


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Post subject: CIJ Guitars
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:03 pm
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Thanks for your reply...appreciate it....I sent Fender a three page letter detailing the problem..talked with XXX from customer relations (very nice) at least 4 times - they called my dealer 3 times to tell him it was his fault....in the end they suggested I sell it on ebay and get my money back.....I like the guitar a lot and don't want to sell it....it was sold to me as new from a long time fender dealer... it was mfg'd in 2003 and I bought it in feb of 2008....they say it wan't shipped like that....I asked what a lifetime warranty applied to....no answer....I also asked if I needed to check the date of mfg before buying a new fender....no answer ....do you still think email is the answer?? The guitar plays fine and I guess I'm as curious as I am Upset....They no longer make the jazzmaster in "Candy Apple Red"....that's probably par of the problem....appreciate your reponse though ..... I might try a poll of owners of CIJ's


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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 7:59 pm
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I have a 2003 CIJ Jazzmaster in Lake Placid Blue that has similar characteristics, but it isn't bad, I don't consider it a problem, it certainly isn't enough to bother me, it isn't like the finish has weather checked or cracked (and it hasn't). I have seen this before in other makes of guitars as well, it seems to be a characteristic of an Alder body, often with a poly finish. Ash doesn't seem to do this, Mahogany (if it's got a good inert grain pore filler), Basswood or Sen either. Maple will occasionally do this if it's very straight grained, and even then I have only seen this on headstocks (I have a couple of mid'60's Harmonies like that, and a couple of early 90's Guild USA Pilot basses also-the necks are straight and true). Perhaps it's a sign of the grain and finish 'settling' with age. If you've got a opaque color, it seems to be a easy way to find out whether it's Alder or not! I would think that Alder bodies do get as seasoned as any other wood before manufacture, but as someone once told me years ago, 'wood does what wood wants to do'.

Wood is a organic material. I think that we all 'throw the dice' anyway regarding what it's going to turn out like with age. Keep in mind your guitar is 4 years old going on 5, regardless of how long it was hanging in the shop! Even metal necked guitars like Travis Bean and early Kramers had problems, the tuning would be affected under hot stage lights-because metal expands with heat, and contracts with cooler temperatures. If you want something that's going to be inert forever, then graphite based materials are probably as close as you're going to get.


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Post subject: CIJ Guitars
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 7:19 pm
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Thanks for your reply TWANGEE...just a follow up to the condition of my jazzmaster....if you run your fingers across the surface you can feel the peaks and valleys of these under the surface lines....is this true on yours as well? .... my long term concern is that this will worsen and perhaps separate with age...I have 14 other guitars and various vintage and mfg's but have never quite seen this......again thanks for your informed and appreciated response.


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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:57 pm
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I'm not sure what you are describing, but if it is not cracking and is some sort of grain rippling, it seems to be the same thing on the back of my Toronado DeLuxe. It's more apparent with metallic paints.

I know from past experience that it is very rare for finish problems to be covered by Fender warranty. :(


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Post subject: Re: CIJ Guitars
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:06 pm
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MOLLSTER wrote:
Thanks for your reply TWANGEE...just a follow up to the condition of my jazzmaster....if you run your fingers across the surface you can feel the peaks and valleys of these under the surface lines....is this true on yours as well? .... my long term concern is that this will worsen and perhaps separate with age...I have 14 other guitars and various vintage and mfg's but have never quite seen this......again thanks for your informed and appreciated response.


No problem, hope it was helpful (no, I don't work for Fender or a guitar store, I've just been around guitars for 20+ years). I wouldn't know without seeing it first hand, but I'm not fearful that mine will do that. As long as a guitar is in a moderate climate, temperature and humidity included, I wouldn't expect any problems.

Wood grain 'telegraphs' all the time on solid spruce-topped acoustics, especially with age. Finish cracks usually occur on them when they're exposed to big climate changes. That doesn't mean one has to treat a solidbody guitar like a acoustic, but do be aware.

I learned a trick years ago, in finding out how many pieces of wood a guitar body has if it has a opaque/solid color. If you see a long straight line down the straight axis of the body (not a weather check, more like a faint dimple only seen in strong light), then that's a body seam. I actually expect to see this when checking out guitars. That is also a result of the wood and finish 'settling'.

Some finishes were bad in the past. The 25th Anniversary Strat (1979) was renowned for the finish checking after time. I also have seen a original (not reissue) mid-'70's 'Thick Skin' natural finish ash-bodied Strat where the finish was separating VERY badly. You practically never see this anymore (not on a poly finish, anyway, and I've never seen any finish problems on natural finish RI's, unless they get a BIG dent-and don't pick at it!). If your guitar is in a climate that you are comfortable in, then the guitar should be too.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:49 pm
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Like twangee, I too have an LPB Q-Series Jazzmaster. After reading your post I took a close look at my Big Blue Jazzer and I don't see any lines in the finish. The guitar is pristine . . . and I'm the second owner!


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