Tribute Comanche thoughts and questions

[OldDaddy]

Last month I ordered an "open box" Tribute Comanche from Musician's Friend. In the description, it was listed as scratch-and-dent (what they call, "Level 3"), and in the photos there were three dings on the back of the guitar. When it arrived, there was damage well beyond that pictured, including large chunks of finish missing and other cracks and chips. It sounded good, needed a setup (no surprise), but I couldn't live with the damage at the price I paid, so I returned it.

I then bought a used, immaculate-looking guitar of the same model from Guitar Center. It looks great, but was buzzy, had high action, and the bridge pickup was quiet. I brought it to the local guitar repair guy for a setup. He told me that the neck is a little warped, but a fret dressing should solve the problem. He did this and adjusted the height of the pickups to equalize output. Now the bridge pickup is significantly higher than the other two, but it sounds more balanced. The bridge pickup was actually so high that the high E string buzzed on it when fretted at the 22nd fret. I lowered it a little to compensate.

The action is lower and it feels good, but there's still buzzing on the E and B strings above the 12th fret. It's not very noticeable when the guitar is played through the amp, but it irks me some. The guitar tech said that audible buzzing is normal when an electric guitar is played without amplification. I should only have him adjust it if it's audible through the amp. Does this sound right?

Also, should I be concerned about the height of the bridge pickup—is this type of disparity normal for this instrument?

I should also mention that I really like the sound of the Comanche, especially with PTB adjustments. I also tried the recommendation in the "How I learned to love the Comanche" post and used a parametric EQ to reduce output 5db at 2KHz. I thought this frequency would be too low, but I tried 3–4KHz and 2KHz does seem to be the right spot. It sounds much more strat-like with this adjustment, especially in the 2 and 4 positions.

[DanDoulogos]

It's your guitar. *You* get to decide how much string buzz is okay.

There are a lot of guitar set up guys who will tell you that if you can't hear the buzz through an amp, then it is an acceptable amount of buzz. The typical triad of "this buzz is okay" if [1] if you can't hear it through an amp, and [2] it doesn't noticeably affect sustain (through an amp), and [3] it only buzzes momentarily in the moment the string is plucked, then the buzz is acceptable.

I say only the third instance is truly acceptable. You'll lose sustain if there is a buzz, maybe not a lot, and you may not notice it if you're playing with a lot of feedback or effects - but if you're playing clean, even a little loss of sustain will irk you.

You may need to compromise on just how low your action has to be, but don't let anyone tell you that you a buzz that you don't like is perfectly acceptable. It may be find for the next guy, but you're the one spending the money.

That's what I think.

[FZTNT]

What he said...

Tom

[john o]

i don't like fret buzz, just bothers me. i run my string action a little higher to keep it away, and use 10-46 strings.
i keep just a micro-hint of relief in the neck/truss rod setting.
i think mfd p'ups sound better lower, though of the 3 pups on my comanche, the bridge pup is set highest, but nowhere near where yours is by your description.
if you want a beefier bridge p'up, G&L used to make a "Will Ray" Z-coil that is overwound, some say it's better. i don't know if it's still available. last year they were selling them at reduced cost. my stock bridge z-coil is fine, so i don't need that.
good luck with yours!

[sam]

Hey OldDaddy,

Looks like these guys have you on the right track, my only .02 here is with the Will Ray pup. Having a Will Ray model and a Z-3 that I put a WR bridge pickup in I am a believer in that pickup. Like John said, I think it's beefier, louder and clearer than the standard Z-coil bridge pickup. They still have them on sale in the online store. http://guitarsbyleo.com/ This is such a great deal I may get another for a parts guitar with a Z-coil bridge pickup.

Post some pics and let us know what you decide to do.

[tomanche]

+1 on the Will Ray pup in the bridge.
I used to have my Comanche pups at perhaps 1/4 inch from the strings. But I've had them for the past 6-7 years nearer the "Leo spec" for MFD pups. It's a lot closer (1/32 on the high E side, 2/32 on the low E side, when pressing the string at the 22nd fret) but I like it.

[mikemjr12]

I've had a couple of Tribute Comanches and I'll also say I was not impressed with the quality of them. The fret ends were sharp, the action was very difficult to set, and it just had a cheap feel to it. Plus the ice pickiness that I find inherent in most of the MFD pickups annoyed me. So I ended up selling them. Too bad because I like the concept of hum-free single coils, but I ended up selling them.

[OldDaddy]

Thanks, everyone. I'll probably have the guitar tech adjust a bit for the buzz. Last night, for whatever reason (humidity?), the buzz was more around the 8th–11th frets for the B & E strings, and beyond the 12th for the G string. If the action were slightly higher, I think most of these issues would be better.

I've been eyeing the Will Ray bridge pickup on sale on the G&L website. The price is great at $70, but I have a hard time justifying spending any more money on guitar stuff right now.

Here are a couple photos. Sorry they're fuzzy—they looked better on my phone. I notice that the high strings are more offset from the pickup pole pieces than the low strings at the bridge pickup. I don't know what effect this has, if any.

[DanDoulogos]

I've had a couple of Tribute Comanches and I'll also say I was not impressed with the quality of them. The fret ends were sharp, the action was very difficult to set, and it just had a cheap feel to it. Plus the ice pickiness that I find inherent in most of the MFD pickups annoyed me. So I ended up selling them. Too bad because I like the concept of hum-free single coils, but I ended up selling them.

Testimonies such as yours make me cringe at the variance in quality control over the years (as as it pertains to contracted overseas workmanship). I hear far more stories like my own (below), but every now and then I hear a testimony like this and remind mys that my experience is by no means the universal one.

I picked up my 2008 Comanche Tribute (used obviously) in August of last year. It was well maintained, and setup prior to my receiving it, and it is easily the best "bang for my guitar buck" purchase I ever made - and I've been buying and playing high-end quality (Fender/Gibson/Martin) guitars for over 30 years. I wouldn't hesitate to compare my Tribute Comanche (build quality, tone, play-ability, and looks) with any of the other guitars I've owned and played.

I never get tired of posting pictures of her... and she looks so much better in person..

[OldDaddy]

I picked up my 2008 Comanche Tribute (used obviously) in August of last year. It was well maintained, and setup prior to my receiving it, and it is easily the best "bang for my guitar buck" purchase I ever made - and I've been buying and playing high-end quality (Fender/Gibson/Martin) guitars for over 30 years. I wouldn't hesitate to compare my Tribute Comanche (build quality, tone, play-ability, and looks) with any of the other guitars I've owned and played.

I never get tired of posting pictures of her... and she looks so much better in person..

That is a beautiful guitar. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of current options for Comanche Tributes: black or white, no fretboard options, but I'm not a performance musician at this point, and I like the black well enough. I do intend to replace the tophat knobs with knurled knobs like the ones you have—as it is, it's silly-difficult to pull up the center knob for the additional pickup configurations.

[DanDoulogos]

...

That is a beautiful guitar. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of current options for Comanche Tributes: black or white, no fretboard options, but I'm not a performance musician at this point, and I like the black well enough. I do intend to replace the tophat knobs with knurled knobs like the ones you have—as it is, it's silly-difficult to pull up the center knob for the additional pickup configurations.

The 2008 Tributes still had the Toggle switch rather than the push/pull pot - which I much prefer.

When I first began looking for a Comanche Tribute, I was less than enthusiastic about the black. It's nicely done and all, but I wasn't feeling it. I was however willing to buy one, because that is how much I wanted to try out one of these Comanches. I was combing eBay daily for just the right mix of quality and price including shipping. I had all but settled on one particular black one, when I noticed this one. I couldn't believe the price - it was way lower in price than the lowest other one I could find - and this one had a nice flamed figure in the wood, and a pretty sweet burst to show it off. It also had the Gun Oil Tint ("Vintage") finish on the neck - trust me the photo does NOT do it justice, in short, I thought, even if this guitar sucks to play and sounds like crap -- it looks friggin' fantastic! But I thought it must me stolen, or maybe there is something wrong with it - or perhaps this is a scam? I remember turning off the computer for the day, and lamenting that such a deal couldn't be real.

About ten minutes later, I thought to myself - I always wish a once-in-a-lifetime deal would drop itself at my feet. Maybe the reason they never do is because I am such a skeptic, that when anything too good to be true comes by, I pass on it out of fear of being embarrassed or ripped off. So I turned the computer on, and quickly bought it at the "buy now" price. If it was a hoax, or a scam, well, at least I wouldn't be living with regrets.

Well - all I can say is the guitar is much, much better in person than it ever could have been. It sounds unreal, and plays perfect. I've never had a guitar that was so perfectly setup "out of the box" - I haven't had to adjust anything, and the finish is much deeper looking in person - it just looks incredible.

Here I am - many months later, still gushing over it.

If you can find one of these 2008 Comanche Tributes, I'd say buy it without hesitation. I couldn't be more satisfied with mine - If I ever come across another, I'll probably buy it too. Just in case.

[mikemjr12]

I will add that the quality, for the price, was perfectly fine. Obviously not as good as the American made G&Ls. But with a little tweaking and work, I probably could have eliminated most of the annoyances myself. I've had several other Tributes and the quality on them is definitely acceptable at the price. I do think that tributes reputation is a bit overblown when it comes to their quality. I've had several that were meh, good enough. With the comanches though, there were enough of those things that I personally didn't like about it that I ended up moving on. YMMV. I should note that I am super picky/like to try a lot of different guitars and brands.

[OldDaddy]

...

That is a beautiful guitar. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of current options for Comanche Tributes: black or white, no fretboard options, but I'm not a performance musician at this point, and I like the black well enough. I do intend to replace the tophat knobs with knurled knobs like the ones you have—as it is, it's silly-difficult to pull up the center knob for the additional pickup configurations.

The 2008 Tributes still had the Toggle switch rather than the push/pull pot - which I much prefer.

When I first began looking for a Comanche Tribute, I was less than enthusiastic about the black. It's nicely done and all, but I wasn't feeling it. I was however willing to buy one, because that is how much I wanted to try out one of these Comanches. I was combing eBay daily for just the right mix of quality and price including shipping. I had all but settled on one particular black one, when I noticed this one. I couldn't believe the price - it was way lower in price than the lowest other one I could find - and this one had a nice flamed figure in the wood, and a pretty sweet burst to show it off. It also had the Gun Oil Tint ("Vintage") finish on the neck - trust me the photo does NOT do it justice, in short, I thought, even if this guitar sucks to play and sounds like crap -- it looks friggin' fantastic! But I thought it must me stolen, or maybe there is something wrong with it - or perhaps this is a scam? I remember turning off the computer for the day, and lamenting that such a deal couldn't be real.

About ten minutes later, I thought to myself - I always wish a once-in-a-lifetime deal would drop itself at my feet. Maybe the reason they never do is because I am such a skeptic, that when anything too good to be true comes by, I pass on it out of fear of being embarrassed or ripped off. So I turned the computer on, and quickly bought it at the "buy now" price. If it was a hoax, or a scam, well, at least I wouldn't be living with regrets.

Well - all I can say is the guitar is much, much better in person than it ever could have been. It sounds unreal, and plays perfect. I've never had a guitar that was so perfectly setup "out of the box" - I haven't had to adjust anything, and the finish is much deeper looking in person - it just looks incredible.

Here I am - many months later, still gushing over it.

If you can find one of these 2008 Comanche Tributes, I'd say buy it without hesitation. I couldn't be more satisfied with mine - If I ever come across another, I'll probably buy it too. Just in case.

Wow. Super jealous! But I like my guitar. At the same time, I will keep my eye out for one of those 2008 models.