Perry Mattingly

Welcome to the motorcycle world. I stated years ago as aa kid. Rode a neighbor farm kids Honda 50cc Superhawk. White. It was the beginning of a life time obsession. I put up hay all summer to buy a used 90CC Honda SS, then 150cc, Honda 305 dream, (it was a jump in style) Honda 450, Honda 750, Yamaha 650 Special, Yamaha race bikes, then Harley time. Can't remember all of them. I'm not physically able to ride anymore, but it's in the blood and and it doesn't wash out. Love motorcycles and you will too.

Welcome to the forum. I only came to complain but, I love my Gibson so I'm sticking around to help in any way I can. Perry

Update. I sent it to Nashville restoration warranty repair. Cost me $83 in shipping. They "said" by email the pick guard was loose. I wasn't worried about the pick guard. I was concerned about the yellow X, (I now believe it was capo) and two buffed through areas on the back and some lacquer over spray from their attempt to repair it. They stated it was done after it left the factory. I got it back the there day, They repaired it pretty darn good. The buffed places all but disappeared. Most of the over spray was cleaned off also. I'm 80% blind from diabetes but my wife says she can barely see one of them and can't see the other one. My only complaint is the X. It's still there but feels different, Duller than it was. Smudged looking. I don't care anymore, I love my guitar, I missed my guitar and I appreciate what ever they tried to fix. My son will love it when I hand it down. The way I feel lately it won't be long lol.

Update. Guitar arrived back to me. Although they said they only fixed pick guard, I noticed dramatic improvement on the back. Must have tried to buff out the blemishes. One is slightly noticeable to my wife, I can't see or feel it. The other near bottom is gone. Now as far as the yellow X, capo spot, magic marker, what ever that is, it looks worse. I can feel it and it feels rougher. My wife says it looks dull. Frankly, I'm just glad to have it back. I want to say sorry for anything I blamed Gibson for that isn't true. Not sure what that is because I do think it left the factory this way, butI LOVE this guitar, blemishes and all. I won't be purchasing anymore from them, but am not selling or trading this one. Guys get some D'Addario XS strings. I've always used the other most popular in the entire world string, but the store was out and I tried these. Never going back. Sustain out the A$$. Bright and loud. Elated with them. Perry

Thanks everyone for your input. I apologize for my awful spelling. I also apologize if this is my own fault for not inspecting it. Not making excuses here but I am 80% vision impaired from diabetes. I would never have seen the spots if not for my wife pointing them out. I can feel them though. It is well made structurally. The yellow X is the only thing I saw wrong when it went into the case. If I had seen the other spots I would have taken it back. The yellow X was a mark of being rejected only in my presumption, I couldn't think of any other reason for it to be there. Thanks for everyones opinion, and I concide you may be correct but in my heart I feel I am. Have a great day and sorry for the rant.

Well I've read few more comments and it appears if you love Gibson you're going to side with Gibson. That's fine. You can blame me and that's fine too. But not being accustomed to purchasing $1600 guitar or going to 6 states or using mirrors I errored. As far as Sam Ashe being anything but helpful, I commend them for helping me find the invoice, recipe, transaction record off the register. The record was kept in New York, they searched and found it. I thank them for that. Zombywoof, you have the story pretty much as accurate as it can get with my memory or lack thereof. I didn't understand Sting on the back part though. channels623, You must buy a lot of guitars, I don't. It took me 2 years to save up for that one. I do visit a lot of guitar stores and have never seen anyone use a mirror. As far playing it, I played the display of each brand, it had the normal pick scratches and he said I'll go in back and get a new one. I thought it was normal. Thats what they do with golf clubs. I can accept no help from Gibson, heck if I made a guitar and it looked like, I wouldn't want to admit it was my fault either. They yellow X part keeps coming up, it doesn't wipe off because it appears to have the clear coat finish over it. Hence done at the factory. Breaking through the clear coat with sandpaper or buffing wheel would require extensive time to refinish. Lacquer would need to be sanded down to wood evenly across the back, resealed, resprayed. Along with neck and headstock ( to remove yellow X) Not a huge deal at a factory but next to impossible at a Big Box Music store. But I'm beating a dead horse here and won't comment further. I appreciate some of your comments and understand some of the less than needed statements. BUT, Gibson is in error. Customer service is horrid, Regardless of you opinions. Most of the numbers for Gibson on the internet are not in service or disconnected, when you reach customer service it should be just that, customer service. Not a cold, aggravated , unsympothetic, crafty blame dodger. The phone call should have been something like this. Hello sir, I'm sorry you had an issue with one of our products could you be more specific as to the issue. Could you send pictures so we can discuss it further. I do see where the finish is blemished and has over spray. Did you purchase the guitar new ? Do you have the recipe ? I apologize again for your inconvenience. We would need to inspect it further to make a determination of how this happened. Please ship it to us at ..... Upon inspection or the back and head stock, a phone call would have been made about hat they saw. Not an email talking about the front of the guitar and a pick guard being raised up. No mention of X, no explanation of how I was supposed to have obtained the exact same wood stain and use the same exact lacquer to respray it. Ok, I'm off the soap box, Gibson is not what I expected quality wise or diffenately customer service wise. Terry Greene is anything buy customer service, Timothy Tucker isn't much help either. Enjoy your Gibsons and if need a mirror to see if it is built right, well your buying the wrong brand.

RCT what else did he miss???? I paid full priced $1637 and sent recipe with guitar as instructed. If it was clearance I wouldn't be on here complaining.

To answer a few of your questions. How did I leave with that x on it. I asked the Manager at Sam Ashe for the best acoustic I could get for $1500. He handed me Martin Taylor, Gibson and let me play. My dad played Gibson during his touring days in Texas and I liked the scale length and look. So I decided on the J-15. He went to the back and brought me a new one in a case. He opened it at the check out and I looked at it. Never took it out of the case. Some of you may have dozens of guitars and think $1500 is chicken feed. I'm not in that category. I brought it home, played it and loved it. I played it everyday for a month. Changed strings and saw the X. I didn't go over it with a magnifying glass and didn't see anything wrong. I went in case and stayed there 3 years. I have Epiphone PS350SR I like to record with and I play that usually. I have a Epiphone Joe Pass I play occationally, and an Alvarez Baritone that just sits there. I didn't want to wear out the Gibson because I planned on giving it to my son when I check out. I'm old. My wife suggested just playing it because I loved it so much and won't live long enough to wear it out. So I did. Recorded several songs and the neck was sticky. I cleaned it and waxed the neck. When I was doing that my wife asked what those spots were. I held it to the light and saw all the flaws. Thats when I knew was a reject. Most likely failed inspection, was sent through again, camflauged and got sent out. I just happened to be the unfortunate fool who got it. I really didn't wat to hand down. a reject to my son so I called Gibson. I had a hard time even finding a person. Then I reached Terry Greene customer service. He said send pictures. I did. He said ship it up there but I pay shipping. $83. Shipped in case with recipe and in a Gibson J45 box I got from Sam Ashe. The refereed it to Timothy Tucker and then Terry Greene said It didn't leave factory that way and would not repair it. They said they would ship it back. It has never arrived but I assume it will one day. The facts simple. It should have never been sold.

I purchased it new in Tampa. When I changed strings I noticed a large yellow X on the back of the headstock. A few months later my wife saw spot on the back. Upon inspection I found two areas buffed through and then clear coated over, leaving overspray residue. Terry Greene Timothy Tucker and who ever the blind tech was, blamed me. Wh would I do that to my guitar? I paid $83 shipping and never have got my guitar back just a lie saying it was done after it left the factory. BS. It left factory that way and was missed by inspector. I have pictures but this forum won't allow it size wise.

I had the unfortunate luck of BS from Terry Greene and Timothy Tucker. I had purchased a J15 new at full price in Tampa music store. Only to find a large yellow X on the back and two buffed through areas on the back. They blamed me. Why in God's name would I put a large X in magic marker on the back of my headstock, buff though the back, then clear coat over it. And a crappy job of that.

I purchased a J-15 new at Sam Ashe in Tampa. When I changed strings I noticed a large yellow X in magic marker on the back of the headstock. It signifies a reject. I didn't know why, it played great. Some time later while cleaning if my wife saw places on the back. Upon inspection it appears to have been rejected because someone buffed thru the clear coat on the back. After many attempts I reached Terry Greene who said to ship it to them along with purchase receipt and pictures. I shipped it in case for $83. Then get an email from Terry Greene and Timothy Tucker it was assigned to a tech. He says pick guard was loose. I'm not worried about pick guard. The issues are on th back. Terry says it happened after it left he factory. BS. Why would I put a large yellow X on the back of the headstock, buff trough two places on the back, then clear coat over it leaving over pray all over. They just don't want to admit selling a defect at full price. I have pictures. They still haven't returned my guitar.