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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 20:26:38 GMT
Hello all, I just took delivery of a lovely Mule Tricone with cutaway and pickup. I've wanted one for years and finally had a chance to buy one used. Just opened the box today though and I'm having some issues. First off, when played with bare fingers there is significant rattle. I gather from research and intuition that rattle is fairly common on resonator guitars and I assume solving this issue won't be terribly difficult. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Maybe something got jostled during shipping? For some reason it does not rattle when using a pick. The big issue is that I can't fret a single note above the 12th fret on any string. All the strings lay on the frets too much. You can see from the photos that the neck relief seems to end at the 12th fret and then the fingerboard extension is totally flat, causing a hump that results in no playability. I know, I know, who is actually hand fretting above the 12th fret on a resonator guitar? Not many people, and for slide the guitar sounds glorious as is. Is the type of neck/body joint issue common on resonators? I have 3 days to ship this guitar back for a refund if I need to. The guitar does not have a truss rod, that I can see. I suppose maybe you can access it from the inside?? Maybe Mule owners can chime in on how they have handled neck adjustments? Also the current strings are too heavy for my liking. Maybe lighter strings will help? Thanks in advance for any help!     |
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 13, 2021 20:51:25 GMT
Hello Sedandelivery, Welcome to our forum. It looks to me like your guitar has some serious issues that require attention from an experienced resonator luthier, of which there are not many. The problems with your guitar are similar to a Mule tricone a friend of mine in Paris bought a couple of years ago. He sold it a few days later because he couldn’t face having to return a new instrument across the Atlantic to the manufacturer. If you really want to keep it, contact Marc Schoenberger (National guitar repair) ASAP and ask his advice. Marc is the best on your side of the pond. His phone number is on his website. www.nationalguitarrepair.com/Let me know how you get on and if I can help in any way, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. Shine On Michael |
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 21:01:44 GMT
Hi Michael, Thanks for the warm welcome! I don't like being one of those people that just creates a first post when they need major advice, but I'm in a dire situation and we all need to start somewhere.  I just spoke to my tech. From my verbal description of the issues (he has not seen the guitar), he thought the neck may need to be reheated and straightened or the stick may need to be reset, especially if there is no truss rod. I can not see a truss rod adjuster, but maybe there is one inside the guitar? I will let him open up the guitar tomorrow. The retailer seems to be willing to work with me on repair costs, so we'll see where that all nets out. Worst case I will just ship it back to the store. A shame though because I have been hunting for one of these for a long time. I will let everyone know how the saga plays out. |
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 13, 2021 21:08:57 GMT
My pleasure.
The neck does not need what your guy is saying. If he is not a National guitar expert, which I can see he is not, do not let him touch it. Call Marc Schoenberger.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by davey on Sept 13, 2021 21:14:58 GMT
I would return the guitar as soon as possible, in my opinion the neck can't be repaired, it's been made incorrectly.
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 21:42:39 GMT
My pleasure. The neck does not need what your guy is saying. If he is not a National guitar expert, which I can see he is not, do not let him touch it. Call Marc Schoenberger. Shine On Michael Hi Michael, Would you have a minute to elaborate? What do you think it needs? As I said, my guy has not seen it, he was just going by what I told him over the phone. Thanks! |
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 21:43:16 GMT
I would return the guitar as soon as possible, in my opinion the neck can't be repaired, it's been made incorrectly. Damn, I was afraid of that.... |
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 21:52:46 GMT
Also, does anyone know of a reso expert in the Boston area? I'm not trying to ignore Michael's recommendation of Marc Schoenberger, but he's in California, correct? If I have to go through the trouble of shipping the guitar all the way out there and waiting for it to come back, etc, I'd probably just as soon return it and buy something else.
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 13, 2021 21:58:34 GMT
I am suggesting that you should speak to Marc for a reason, because he has had experience with Mule guitars and may help you make the decision about what to do with it.
Shine On
Michael
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 22:02:38 GMT
Ahh, understood. Thanks.
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Post by resotonic on Sept 13, 2021 22:05:24 GMT
Why not get in touch with Matt Eich at Mule in Michigan? After all, he built the guitar....
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 13, 2021 22:12:32 GMT
Why not get in touch with Matt Eich at Mule in Michigan? After all, he built the guitar.... I did send him a note, but since I bought it used and not brand new direct from him I'm not sure if or when he'll get back to me. We'll see. |
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Post by resotonic on Sept 13, 2021 22:20:31 GMT
Why not get in touch with Matt Eich at Mule in Michigan? After all, he built the guitar.... I did send him a note, but since I bought it used and not brand new direct from him I'm not sure if or when he'll get back to me. We'll see. At the least he can tell you about a truss rod or lack of. I have communicated with him via email & he has been helpful. |
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Post by sedandelivery on Sept 14, 2021 21:14:37 GMT
Unfortunately, upon luthier inspection, the neck on this guitar mostly likely has a manufacturing defect and will need to be completely replaced. He speculated that the location or angle of the stick may be incorrect. I'm paraphrasing this from memory. He looked inside the upper bout with some mirrors but he didn't open the guitar. I know expertise with resonators should be taken into account with luthiers, but the tech in question is long tenured and well respected in the Boston area. I trust his assessment that the neck is beyond saving without majorly reworking or replacing it. Heck, I can pretty much tell that with my untrained eye, but I wanted a professionals opinion to back that up. I have contacted Marc S and Matt Eich, but I assume by the time they get back to me, I will have returned the guitar.
I'm not trying to put down Mule, I'm sure 99% of their stuff is fantastic. This stuff happens. Plus, who knows how well the previous owner took care of it? I hope the retailer ships it back to Mule for a replacement neck and somebody gets a great guitar down the line.
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Post by purpleorange on Sept 14, 2021 23:48:37 GMT
I have contacted Marc S and Matt Eich, but I assume by the time they get back to me, I will have returned the guitar. The Mule website gives me the impression that Matt won't be too interested in providing support for anyone who has purchased one of his guitars secondhand. It also suggests that the guitar should have a truss rod. Quote from website below: Warranty covers craftsmanship for the instrument while it’s owned by the original owner. Forever. Pretty cool eh? The warranty covers things that I'm responsible for. This decision will be made by me. I love my work and want it to be a representation of that. If I attach a neck upside-down (don't worry, just an example), that's on me. If you break your truss rod because you don’t know what you’re doing, that is not covered. Don’t touch it. Warranty is only extended to the original owner. That is because as guitars change hands, it gets further away from the relationship I have with the original owner. I like to think of them and I as friends by the end. After customers receive their guitars they send my bottle openers, beer, pictures, cards with money for drinks… it’s great. As it gets farther away from that, it’s hard (impossible) for me to determine what is warranty and what is not. So if you purchase a used instrument, it’s up to you to do your due diligence, and the owner to describe it accurately. My guitars have not always been at the current price, in fact when I started they were around $1000. If guitars are being sold for the current price, keep in mind the original owner bought it for (perhaps much) less. The benefit is you can jump ahead in line. That may be worth a lot to you. Cool. Keep in mind, I’ve changed my prices to reflect my experience learned by the number of guitars I’ve made. The price the guitars are at now is the price I believe them to be worth, this is important—-when I get to that point in the wait list. —–There can be many guitars between now and then. So if you are buying at guitar at $1600-$1800 now, there may be a chance what you are buying is a $1200 or $1400 guitar, with no warrantywww.muleresophonic.com/pages/warranty-and-used-guitars |
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