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So My Buddy Buys a 335 at Guitar Center


badbluesplayer

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My buddy brought over his new (2013) 335 Cherry Figured that he just bought Friday at GC in Knoxville. Oh god, what a disaster. :rolleyes:

 

I don't know if it was a floor model or what. I think he said it was in the back. They have zero selection at GC except for random floor models. Anyway, the fret sprout was horrible, with the binding cracked all the way up one side of the neck and down the other side. we looked to see if the binding had separated from the fretboard. He was squeezing the binding and you could see some oil that he just applied squishing in and out of the space between it and the fretboard.

 

We talked and he decided to return it and when he called them, they called around to the "other" stores and they only had one 335 at any of the shops anywhere that wasn't a floor model. GC is becoming an absolute disaster.

 

I advised him to return that POS ASAP and get his cash back and call his (any my) guy Ryan Murphy at Sweetwater. No sales tax plus he gives like 8 to 10 percent off right off the top and the stuff they sell is absolutely top notch.

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Sad to say this isn't the first time I've heard a story like this about GC. Yet I just bought a small pa system from them...it was/is perfect and was shipped from Kansas to Florida without so much as a scratch. Yes the box looked like he** when it got here, but the contents were perfect. Rumors are that they are going down in flames. Supposedly there is one not too far from me up in Ocala, but I've never been.

 

Sorry for your friend's bad experience. Lets hope it gets resolved quickly.

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There are of course lots of stories like this about Guitar Center, but over the years I've purchased many new instruments from them that were in perfect overall condition. What you don't get when you order from Sweetwater & others is the opportunity to compare a number of similar instruments side by side. Many times I've been lucky enough to find three examples of a given model in stock regionally, and almost always, one stands out above the crowd.

 

Another GC advantage is being able to purchase used instruments online, and have them sent directly to your door to try. If you don't like it, return it within thirty days (three days for vintage stuff). A huge plus if you live 75 miles away from the big city, as I do. Have purchased many used instruments & amps in this manner, and currently have another used Gibson acoustic on the way. If it's a winner, it stays in the house. If it's a loser, I drive into town on the weekend & return it to the nearest GC, and then pay a visit to my daughter or run other errands.

 

There are lots of guitars & lots of ways to buy them. The trick is to consider & utilize all the options to your fullest advantage.

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I assume it has "nibs"(?)

 

Cracks I consider normal, but sure as hell not separation. (In fact, I think what causes the little ctacks to appear at the fret ends is mostly due to the binding being glued well a NOT seaparating with movement).

 

Anyway, curious: What kind of wood for the fingerboard? I wonder if this might be the result of some of these "new" fancy woods Gibson has been using?

 

Wonder also, if this might be one of the reasons why Gibson has done away with "nibs" on the Gibson USA models?

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I assume it has "nibs"(?)

 

Cracks I consider normal, but sure as hell not separation. (In fact, I think what causes the little ctacks to appear at the fret ends is mostly due to the binding being glued well a NOT seaparating with movement).

 

Anyway, curious: What kind of wood for the fingerboard? I wonder if this might be the result of some of these "new" fancy woods Gibson has been using?

 

Wonder also, if this might be one of the reasons why Gibson has done away with "nibs" on the Gibson USA models?

 

Yeah, it had nibs. It was a rosewood board and it mustn't have been dried enough when it was built.

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most of the time fret sprout is caused by lack of moisture. So for this one, they left it on the rack to sit and wait for a home,

 

Meanwhile, without any sort of humidification the fret board wood dries out, and shrinks, while the frets on the other hand don't shrink..

 

Moral of the story:

 

Friends don't let friends buy guitars from Guitar Center

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I've bought multiple guitars, both electric and acoustic, new and used from GC and have never had a problem. One of my purchases from GC I was looking for something very specific, and the girl I've always dealt with had to look all over the place to find it for me. I've bought guitars from Sweetwater and no problems either.

 

So, I guess it depends on the people at each location.

 

Glad your friend got a good one in the end! [thumbup]

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most of the time fret sprout is caused by lack of moisture. So for this one, they left it on the rack to sit and wait for a home,

 

Meanwhile, without any sort of humidification the fret board wood dries out, and shrinks, while the frets on the other hand don't shrink..

 

Moral of the story:

 

Friends don't let friends buy guitars from Guitar Center

Yea and no.

 

Lack of humidity does cause wood to shrink, but 100%, maybe 99%, they can sit all day for years where ever without any special treatment and not get an issue from being dry. Talking mostly electrics.

 

Accoustics, I get tops that change and require a truss rod treak to make up for the change in action at the extremes, but not really enough to cause fret spout.

 

Basically what I'm saying, is it ain't the environment being too dry, it's the wood being to "wet" when being built. A guitar should not get that messed up just being "stored", regardless of who or what shop. (Of corse, if the store is in an "extreme" xlimate...)

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He brought the guitar over yesterday and it's a beauty. Just perfect. We tweaked the setup a hair and it sounded great. I'm not so sure I dig the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combination as much as the 57's that are in mine.

 

Everything was going great and then his wife texted some smackdown on him and he had to go home and be good. [unsure]

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So he called Ryan at Sweetwater and got a nice 2015 Figured Sunset Burst for 22% below street price. No fuss, no muss! Boom!

 

Wow, that's over and above the typical discount you can get just by asking. You oughta get a commission! And yeah, SW really checks over their guitars before putting them up. I love their photos of the actual guitar you're buying, usually with four to choose from. Your buddy got a beauty!

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He brought the guitar over yesterday and it's a beauty. Just perfect. We tweaked the setup a hair and it sounded great. I'm not so sure I dig the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combination as much as the 57's that are in mine.

 

Everything was going great and then his wife texted some smackdown on him and he had to go home and be good. [unsure]

 

Hahhahha! Too funny! I am sure the guitar is worth it! [biggrin]

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My experiences with GC have not been good. I bought an amp online from them that arrived missing a knob and with the reverb broken. I bought an American Standard Strat that ended up having a defective neck and getting returned. I bought a Les Paul and asked for some minor setup adjustment. They just pretended to adjust it and plugged it into an amp with a ton of distortion to cover up the string buzzing. Oh, yeah, then there was the time I drove 3 hours to GC to look at an ES-339 listed in "excellent condition". The thing was trashed! It had the worst buckle rash I've ever seen. I'm through with GC.

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He brought the guitar over yesterday and it's a beauty. Just perfect. We tweaked the setup a hair and it sounded great. I'm not so sure I dig the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combination as much as the 57's that are in mine.

 

Everything was going great and then his wife texted some smackdown on him and he had to go home and be good. [unsure]

 

 

I've got the burstbuckers in one of my -335's and I'm definitely not happy with them. As much as I hate to admit, I totally prefer the '57's in my dot neck -335.

 

I've been looking at throbak humbuckers as a replacement.

 

What is it you don't like abt the burstbuckers?

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He brought the guitar over yesterday and it's a beauty. Just perfect. We tweaked the setup a hair and it sounded great. I'm not so sure I dig the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combination as much as the 57's that are in mine.

 

Everything was going great and then his wife texted some smackdown on him and he had to go home and be good. [unsure]

Hahhahha! Too funny! I am sure the guitar is worth it! [biggrin]

I second that opinion. :)

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I've got the burstbuckers in one of my -335's and I'm definitely not happy with them. As much as I hate to admit, I totally prefer the '57's in my dot neck -335.

 

I've been looking at throbak humbuckers as a replacement.

 

What is it you don't like abt the burstbuckers?

 

I think the Burstbuckers make the guitar sound a little darker or heavier than the 57's. I'm comparing his guitar to my guitar, so maybe there's a difference in the guitars other than the pickups. But I'm not really sure. I have some 57's that he may try swapping out to see how it sounds. The new 335's also have a smaller capacitor on the neck pickup, which makes the pickup a little brassier when you turn the tone down. Like the woman tone. I'm not so sure I like that.

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Sad to say this isn't the first time I've heard a story like this about GC. Yet I just bought a small pa system from them...it was/is perfect and was shipped from Kansas to Florida without so much as a scratch. Yes the box looked like he** when it got here, but the contents were perfect. Rumors are that they are going down in flames. Supposedly there is one not too far from me up in Ocala, but I've never been.

 

Sorry for your friend's bad experience. Lets hope it gets resolved quickly.

I'll bet your order was shipped ups!!

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Personally, I stopped buying anything at GC. They attempted to screw me a while back and I just ended the relationship. unfortunately, GC is not the only mega store loosing customers. Musician Friends started pissing me off lately shipping previously returned guitar pedals that did have any of the warranties, paperwork, etc. Then they don't automatically provide Credit Card credit unless you demand it. Instead they provide store credit but they don't tell you that you have a store credit during your next purchase either. When you talk to the customer service about one problem they're trying to sell you other stuff as well. Sam Ashe got nothing I personally want anymore either even though they are the closest store near my home.

 

Sweetwater is about the only store that provide good service without trying to sell you something you don't want. Speak to Patrick Dennis, he's my guy.

 

Jazz,

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  • 2 weeks later...

Personally, I stopped buying anything at GC. They attempted to screw me a while back and I just ended the relationship. unfortunately, GC is not the only mega store loosing customers. Musician Friends started pissing me off lately shipping previously returned guitar pedals that did have any of the warranties, paperwork, etc. Then they don't automatically provide Credit Card credit unless you demand it. Instead they provide store credit but they don't tell you that you have a store credit during your next purchase either. When you talk to the customer service about one problem they're trying to sell you other stuff as well. Sam Ashe got nothing I personally want anymore either even though they are the closest store near my home.

 

Sweetwater is about the only store that provide good service without trying to sell you something you don't want. Speak to Patrick Dennis, he's my guy.

 

Jazz,

 

Guitar Center IS Musician's Friend and if I'm not mistaken, in addition to owning Musician's Friend they also have controlling interest in Gibson. If you are going to shop MF, only shop the Private reserve GUitars and work with Chris Swope. Prior to MF, Chris worked for several years in the Gibson Custom Shop building guitars for the people like Joe Bonamasa.

 

I too now go to Sweetwater where I bought my last 2 guitars. My guy Ed Needler has taken good care of me.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I was unable to find any connection to Gibson Guitar Corp; Gibson is privately owned. A quick read on wiki.

 

Guitar Center staffs and stocks 262 locations. Sweetwater: 1. Musicians Friend: 1. Sam Ash: 45.

 

Guitar Center offers a 'Platinum Room' in select locations. This platinum room can easily be shopped via internet. When shopping wood grains; being picky about book matchings; platinum room is a great way to look at all the locations inventory in real time.

 

A guitar from a Platinum Room is already set up, truss rod tightened, playable. If you've made into one of these platinum rooms you can seal yourself away with some choice amps, away from all the baseline shoppers and really get a feel for what you buy. There is no better experience in the industry in my opinion.

 

I also catalog shop from all of the suppliers. AMS. ZZounds. Full Compass. Sound Pure. Recording gear and accessories? All day long. Hands on with a one of a kind Gibson? I drove across 3 state lines to get to mine, didn't want it shipped freight, no 30,000ft flight; from their caring hands to mine... down the road.

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Guitar Center IS Musician's Friend and if I'm not mistaken, in addition to owning Musician's Friend they also have controlling interest in Gibson. If you are going to shop MF, only shop the Private reserve GUitars and work with Chris Swope. Prior to MF, Chris worked for several years in the Gibson Custom Shop building guitars for the people like Joe Bonamasa.

 

I too now go to Sweetwater where I bought my last 2 guitars. My guy Ed Needler has taken good care of me.

 

 

I think Chris Swope is still out on his own building guitars and no longer with MF. Swope guitars

 

Guitar Center, Musicians Friend, Private Reserve, Guitarsale and a few other names are all owned by the same company and the do not own any portion of Gibson brands.

 

I prefer to deal with places like (in no particular order) Dave's, Wildwood, Rainbow and Music Zoo. I have not had any experience with Sweetwater yet. A local GC is great to run in and buy a pack of strings though.

 

 

 

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