mads1980

FYI the local authorized dealer spent 30 minutes with me on the phone and will get things sorted out (even though I bought the guitar somewhere else). So I guess it should be resolved soon. Thanks for everyone's input.

I wouldn't be so sure. The item was defective before "I broke it". In any case, I wouldn't mind paying for it. But replacement original Hummingbird pickguards are nowhere to be found. My first reaction was "well, I'll just buy a new pickguard and be done with it", but when I found I couldn't do this, that's when I figured I would contact Gibson. Other posters have expressed similar problems with flubberguard-type pickguards. So much that there are entire threads on this topic: In some cases Gibson eventually provided replacement pickguards at no cost, even the true historic "celluloid" type, instead of flubberguard.

Even if this were not covered by warranty (I'm not claiming it is), I would still expect a response from Gibson. Not replying at all would be just plain rude according to my customer service experience (which of I have a fair amount). But I still give them the benefit of the doubt given the long weekend and all.

Yes, I understood what the different posters meant. I just did not realize just how many people would be off considering 4th of July was on a Sunday. Hard to know local customs from afar. Anyway, it's been 10 days already and still no reply from Gibson. I did contact the only authorized dealer in Buenos Aires today and they called me back within one hour. So hopefully I'll get some kind of response soon.

@Larsongs I hear you. But given that English is not my first language, and that I need to furnish proof-of-purchase for service under warranty (would Gibson expect me to fax the invoice over the phone?), I thought that email would be a better choice. It's 2021 after all. In any case, I will call Bozeman if I don't hear back from them over the next few days.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I figured going through the dealer would be a waste of time, since they would only turn around and contact Gibson anyway. I don't need to send in the guitar for repairs (that would be a whole different story). My issue is that the flubberguard pickguard I received with my 2018 Hummingbird was defective (curled up all over the place and wouldn't stay stuck, even after clamping it down for two weeks), and when I removed it to attempt regluing, it came apart and became ruined. So basically I need a replacement pickguard to be shipped to me (I guess at no cost since the guitar is brand new and under warranty - I registered the purchase and provided proof of purchase to Gibson by email as well). One further comment: I am located overseas (Argentina) and local "dealers" (more like importers, really) have notoriously bad customer service. So I skipped the hassle and went direct to Gibson figuring it would be faster. In any case, I would expect Gibson to reply "you must go through your dealer", but I am surprised that I still got no reply at all. Perhaps the 4th of July holidays has something to do with it ... I wouldn't know. Perhaps I am spoiled because I am in tech industry, and every company I work with has some kind of automatic CRM that replies and tracks every customer service issue. We do this ourselves at our company. Maybe I'm just not used to dealing with "old school" manufacturers?

Sent an email 5 days ago to service@gibson.com regarding a Hummingbird pickguard (the guitar is brand new and under warranty). No reply at all. Not even “we’ll get back to you”. This is the first time I ever contact Gibson for service. Is this normal or expected? Any info appreciated