Return Epiphone Casino Elitist because of cosmetics ?

[Leos]

Hi,

 

I have just purchased a beautyful Epiphone Casino Elitist from an online store - no music store in my country stocks these.

I previously had a japanese made Casino "pre-elitist". Lovely guitar but with some issues - and unfortunately the neck was too narrow.

The elitist I received unfortunately have some fretboard scratches. Not anything you can feel, but they are definately there and can be see when lights strike the fretboard at an angle.

Now to my real problem: the online store offered me a discount instead of sending the guitar back.

The guitar plays perfectly, with a lovely acoustic "ringing" that far surpases my older MIJ and also an IBLJ (MIC) I tried in a local shop recently.

Action is perfect, no buzzing anywhere (my previous Casino had some..)

Unfortunately, the online stores idea of a suiting discount came today: 2,5% off.

I cant help but feel, that if I keep the guitar, I am not getting my money's worth.

I mean, if I didnt care for the finnish very much I could as well have bought a much cheaper Casino. A second hand on for that matter.

I am really in doubt what to do now - and this beeing the only Elitist I have seen ever: more importantly, will I forever regret letting go on this one with a cosmetic issue maybe in return for a prettier model that sounds bland ?

Is the Elitist QC such, that the chance that the next one will have issues too ?

What do you think about the 2,5% offer ?

 

 

Thanks for any feed back - I guess I need I life, but I really cant make up my mind :)

[L5Larry]

The guitar plays perfectly, with a lovely acoustic "ringing" that far surpases my older MIJ and also an IBLJ (MIC) I tried in a local shop recently.

Action is perfect, no buzzing anywhere

 

Sounds to me as if you have received a very fine guitar and are quite satisfied with the sound and playability. Isn't sound and playability the reason we buy specific guitars?

 

As for the "fretboard scratches", it's hard to envision exactly what you're describing without photos. Could it be something as simple as an open grain line of the wood? I know everyone wants a "perfect" guitar out of the box, but I'm not sure they exist. AND...... any guitar will acquire some "wear & tear" even from normal playing, so even a "perfect" guitar will not be that way for very long.

 

By offering a discount, the on-line dealer is making a direct effort at "customer satisfaction". Without seeing photos, it sounds like a win/win situation to me.

[milod]

I'd say Larry nailed it.

 

Be happy with an exceptional guitar.

 

m

[crust]

Keep it, play it until you have worn grooves in the fretboard. The scratch(s) will no longer show up :)

[Versatile]

Be happy...

 

And perhaps learn the gentle art of covering scratches with board oil or something...

 

Most guitars look great from where I'm standing

 

V

 

[kidblast]

like everyone is saying, ignore the cosmetic flaws for now, take the discount and keep the axe. Down the road, those will probably just blend in over time, (we'd have to see photos to get the full story) but I get it, new guitar, you hope/want something pristine..

 

but a year or two form now, it's a used guitar anyway. and if you let er go,, you'll settle for an inferior replacement.

 

you can probably minimize the appearance of these blems,... ask around, do some googles, just don't try anything too invasive on your own... some good fretboard conditioner may help, but don't over use that, it has a nasty way of dissolving the frets glue seal. once your playing it, you wont see the scratches, so play, play play...

[Gunner]

Another vote for keeping it. The 2.5% discount is a bit of an insult, but a special guitar is worth a lot if you plan to play it and keep it long term.

[Jayyj]

If the scratches really bother you, take it to a local repairer and ask how much it would cost to polish out - that will tell you whether 2.5% is reasonable. It's difficult without seeing the scratches but if the dealer didn't pick up on it (assuming they didn't just ship an unopened box) it's hard to imagine it's going to be more than 15 - 20 minutes work, so 2.5% could well cover it. I had to remove a couple of weird looking scratches from the fingerboard of a US Special Tele that couldn't be felt but were annoying the customer the other week, and some fine grade wire wool made short work of it.

 

On the whole though I'd be inclined to agree - if you have a great guitar that is what you're looking for in terms of playability and sound and a small cosmetic flaw was the only issue I'd probably choose to keep it rather than risk getting a replacement that I might not like as much.

[Dennis G]

I faced a similar dilemma a few years ago, although I hadn't actually taken delivery. I had an Elitist Casino on order with Sweetwater for a few months. When it finally arrived, they found a small ding on the back of the guitar during their "checklist/inspection". My guy called me and emailed pics. My choice, take a discount (which we only briefly talked about, along the lines of "how much would it take to fix that" kind of thing) or wait for the next one to come in. I waited and a couple weeks later had a great Casino in my hands.

 

I would agree with the others, that some fretboard scratches, if the guitar is otherwise a "keeper", will over time become invisible so to speak. The ding on the back of mine, well, not so much and if it wasn't going to be a "ding of my doing", well, no thank you. If you're happy with the guitar, I'd say don't gamble on getting a lesser one as a replacement. YMMV.

[capmaster]

I had two of these cases in the past, and twice I went with the guitar.

 

1) After having ordered it online, the dealer posted me pics of a tiny ding on the top of a Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul Standard Figured close to the binding near the lower strap knob. You won't see it from more than 30 cm (about 1 foot) distance, and they offered a discount off about 4.78%. I accepted, bought the guitar, found it playing and sounding nicely, kept it and am fine with it.

 

2) After having bought a Gibson USA Les Paul Standard Quilt via web and payed cash on delivery, I found circular dull areas and scratches around the upper strap knob, and flaws in three of the four top hat knobs. After e-mailing them, they offered me a credit voucher of about 2.09% which I could use up for buys to come, regardless of order value. I accepted and kept the guitar. It was a rare one - the last of a special run I found worldwide in online stores - which plays and sounds fantastic, and I had planned from the start to replace the top hat knobs with speed knobs. I like the latter much better, especially on push/pull pots which this guitar is featuring, too.

[ArchtopBill]

Guess I am in the minority but get your money back. An Elitist is supposed to be a pro instrument. This is not an Epi LP with a bolt on neck that came in a box with a dinky amp and gigbag. The scratches will annoy you forever. Also, as Epi fingerboards have a satin finish you cannot "oil away" the scratches.

 

Seriously, demand the best.

[Campbell]

I recently purchased a Sheraton II from an online retailer. When it arrived it had the one slight flaw where the neck joins the body. Though I was delighted to discover I got the now no longer produced five piece neck (which I was told by the retailer they no longer had and by Epiphone/Gibson, that they were no longer making), I was kinda bummed to discover this rather slight flaw.

 

It has no effect on the sound nor playability of the instrument and, being on the back, it's not at all visible. I thought of returning it in pursuit of the "perfect guitar". After all, this was an Epiphone Sheraton II, one of their flagship models, shouldn't it be flawless? But everything else about the guitar is perfect. the wood grain is beautiful (which is important since it's the Natural finish model), the aforementioned five piece neck, etc.. So I decided it would not be worth the gamble of sending her back, risk getting the tree piece neck and perhaps a less attractive wood grain design and maybe even another issue more substantial than my minor "flaw".

 

I'm glad I kept her and have been playing her so much my hands hurt...and still I play even more! I love this guitar. I look at this minor flaw as having given her some character. I've added a close up picture here, but the picture makes it look more pronounced than it really is in person. In fact, it seems like it's not as pronounced now as it was when I first received her. But, love is blind.

 

[Leos]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

[Bender 4 Life]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

 

looks like "fingernail/stringbending marks".....lemon oil should make them disappear.

beautiful piece of rosewood btw !

 

happy playing!

[kidblast]

Those look superficial to me. Maybe they happened when the frets were being dressed for the final time.

 

if oiling doesn't help then I think a light buffing 0000 steel wool (going in the direction of the grain of the wood) will take those out.

 

Just lightly buff the rose wood between the frets, of course you need to get your strings out of the way, and as an added precaution I would cover the pickups with a cloth or if this is really close to the neck join, maybe with some masking tape. you don't want any of the small particles from the steel wool to find it's way to the pickup area.

[Campbell]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

Thanks for the compliment. My guitar thanks you, as well.

Those slight scratches do not all that bad. They are not gouges nor dents. I bet in time you'll barely notice them.

[Spamonkis]

..if oiling doesn't help then I think a light buffing 0000 steel wool (going in the direction of the grain of the wood) will take those out.

 

+1

[capmaster]

I recently purchased a Sheraton II from an online retailer. When it arrived it had the one slight flaw where the neck joins the body. Though I was delighted to discover I got the now no longer produced five piece neck (which I was told by the retailer they no longer had and by Epiphone/Gibson, that they were no longer making), I was kinda bummed to discover this rather slight flaw.

 

It has no effect on the sound nor playability of the instrument and, being on the back, it's not at all visible. I thought of returning it in pursuit of the "perfect guitar". After all, this was an Epiphone Sheraton II, one of their flagship models, shouldn't it be flawless? But everything else about the guitar is perfect. the wood grain is beautiful (which is important since it's the Natural finish model), the aforementioned five piece neck, etc.. So I decided it would not be worth the gamble of sending her back, risk getting the tree piece neck and perhaps a less attractive wood grain design and maybe even another issue more substantial than my minor "flaw".

 

I'm glad I kept her and have been playing her so much my hands hurt...and still I play even more! I love this guitar. I look at this minor flaw as having given her some character. I've added a close up picture here, but the picture makes it look more pronounced than it really is in person. In fact, it seems like it's not as pronounced now as it was when I first received her. But, love is blind.

 

Great and very beautiful guitar - a real keeper in my opinion.

[Ed Zeplin]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

 

I can't believe anyone would consider returning a perfectly playable guitar for that. Those scratches are insignificant compared to what playing it is going to cause. Maybe it's my eyes but the wood isn't even gouged. Just play it hard and make your own scratches and enjoy your guitar.

[Ed Zeplin]

I recently purchased a Sheraton II from an online retailer. When it arrived it had the one slight flaw where the neck joins the body. Though I was delighted to discover I got the now no longer produced five piece neck (which I was told by the retailer they no longer had and by Epiphone/Gibson, that they were no longer making), I was kinda bummed to discover this rather slight flaw.

 

It has no effect on the sound nor playability of the instrument and, being on the back, it's not at all visible. I thought of returning it in pursuit of the "perfect guitar". After all, this was an Epiphone Sheraton II, one of their flagship models, shouldn't it be flawless? But everything else about the guitar is perfect. the wood grain is beautiful (which is important since it's the Natural finish model), the aforementioned five piece neck, etc.. So I decided it would not be worth the gamble of sending her back, risk getting the tree piece neck and perhaps a less attractive wood grain design and maybe even another issue more substantial than my minor "flaw".

 

I'm glad I kept her and have been playing her so much my hands hurt...and still I play even more! I love this guitar. I look at this minor flaw as having given her some character. I've added a close up picture here, but the picture makes it look more pronounced than it really is in person. In fact, it seems like it's not as pronounced now as it was when I first received her. But, love is blind.

 

 

Are you referring to the neck being slightly narrower than the body or is there something I'm missing?

[capmaster]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

Just for comparison: Here's a ding below the G3rd on the 2nd fret which my SG Supra came stock with - on a virtually scuffproof Richlite fretboard of a guitar priced closely to 3k:

 

 

As I found out in the shop, it is blindly tactile without strings but not when fretting the strung guitar. I took a deep breath and went with it. This was more than half a year ago but I never regretted my decision. Also look at the mismatched string spacings...

[Dennis G]

Those look superficial to me. Maybe they happened when the frets were being dressed for the final time.

 

if oiling doesn't help then I think a light buffing 0000 steel wool (going in the direction of the grain of the wood) will take those out.

 

Just lightly buff the rose wood between the frets, of course you need to get your strings out of the way, and as an added precaution I would cover the pickups with a cloth or if this is really close to the neck join, maybe with some masking tape. you don't want any of the small particles from the steel wool to find it's way to the pickup area.

What he said, but I'd mask off the p/u's and not rely on a cloth cover if you go the steel wool route. Those teeny little bits will find they're way in somehow if not masked off IMHO. And glad you like the guitar!

[old mark]

I own an Elitist Casino, bought as a demo for a lower price, but with a few scratches. I have not really found the original "flaws" but I have found the Casino to be the best hollow body guitar I have played in 50 years.

 

If you actually PLAY it, you would not even have to ask the question.

 

mark

[bobouz]

Also, as Epi fingerboards have a satin finish you cannot "oil away" the scratches.

There is no satin finish on an Elitist Casino fingerboard.

 

As mentioned, try a fretboard treatment product like "Guitar Honey" first. If that doesn't do the trick, 0000 steel wool will uniformly clean the board & almost certainly remove the marks - but you seriously do need to protect the pickups!

 

Personally, I'd use Guitar Honey & leave it at that. Those scratches are nothing compared to tone & playability issues. When I purchased my Elitist Casino, I had three to choose from. I took the one with a slight headstock finish flaw because for some reason it's tone blew away the other two. Absolutely no regrets.

 

Congrats on your new Casino - enjoy!

[Coz52]

Thanks a lot from all your comments.

And to Campbell: wow, what an absolutely beautyful guitar.

I guess I need to chill slightly and just enjoy my guitar - in a few years I am sure I will have managed to put some more "personal touches" onto the finnish. After all, I plan to keep her and play her as much as possible. What an absolutely STUNNING guitar. I am not going to take my chances sending it back, since I think my personalty is such that I will always be able

to find a fault if I look for it. Plus, this exact guitar is playing like butter and the tone is to die for. I wouldnt know, but

I would be afraid that a replacement would be lacking just slightly - and I would always miss this guitar.

I guess after years of use, she will need new frets and a polishing of the fretboard anyway :D

 

I have attached a picture of the scratches (they prooved hard to photograph, but under a light they are quite visible.

Dude......