Thomas_

A little while ago I purchased a brand new Gibson Explorer from an authorized dealer. When I received the instrument I played it for a little bit but put it back in the case for a few days. Upon further playing and inspection I noticed deep gouges in the fretboard along with a few cosmetic issues (brush marks and other small imperfections I am less worried with) and decided to do some research online. Apparently this is pretty unique but the general consensus seems to be that this is unacceptable. Before purchasing the instrument pictures were provided by the dealer but did not show any of this present on the instrument. I contacted the authorized dealer by phone and they basically eluded to the fact that the instrument didn't look like this in their possession (crazy, I know) and that I shouldn't be worried about this. The store told me I could not return the guitar or swap it out. They refused to provide me any sort of solution to the problem but instead told me to contact Gibson. When I provided a Gibson support agent with the pictures and relevant information they said that they might be able to help me by swapping the instrument or through repair, but later retracted their statement and told me that this was normal and indeed should have passed through quality control. I asked about repairing the instrument and the agent dictated that the repair center would likely just send the instrument back because they wouldn't believe a repair to be necessary. Finally, they said I should reach out to a "reputable" luthier and if they stated the guitar needs repair then Gibson might be able to help. I've owned many Gibsons over the last few years, and also a few Martins as well. All of these guitars have some minor imperfections (uneven binding, small finish problems) but this stuff doesn't really bother me because it's all evidence of an instrument that was worked on by real people. However for the $2,000 this instrument costs I feel as though I should be able to get a decent fretboard that is even and doesn't have chunks cut out of it. Furthermore I think I should be able to get some decent customer service from both the authorized dealer that sold me the instrument and Gibson who made the instrument. I think the fact that the shop refusing to help me with the issue considering they misrepresented the instrument to me is ridiculous, and furthermore the fact that Gibson considers something like this acceptable is surprising. Lastly, I'm reaching out to fellow players to ask if something like this would also bother them, and if I should be worried about this at all. Personally, these marks are very visible to me but I'd like some reassurance to consider whether this is worth pursuing at all. I would also be grateful if someone could provide some options for me in terms of repair. Should I fill it, heat it to smooth it out, or do something else entirely?