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EPIPHONE, PLEASE LOOK AND COMMENT


crust

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So, I ordered 2 of these, and both were received, broken at the neck heel. A lot of my time was wasted. My Christmas present to myself has not been exactly merry. lol... here's some pictures, of both guitars. Hey Epiphone, would you buy that ? Please comment.

Guitar #2

GEDC0182_zpsd86dd202.jpg

GEDC0185_zps5e3d0492.jpg

 

Guitar #1

GEDC0168_zpsa6f4697a.jpg

 

Sam Ash was the retailer for these 2 guitars, purchased online.

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I will continue to pursue this particular instrument [thumbup] . The return process went smoothly, no hitches on #1, so I do expect somewhat similar proceedings with this return also. Maybe [biggrin][unsure]

I also got a case with the order, that was OK :rolleyes: . My red SG is in that now [thumbup] . Nice case, perfect fit. :)

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I thought Jimi Hendrix passed years ago? He must be testing the finished products for EPI QC I guess. Hell no, I would want those and wouldn't pay the frt back either.

 

Aster

 

Well, this has been an interesting, if not unfortunate pursuit..lol. I'll keep updating. No one at Sam Ash on a Sunday night, I'll call in the morn.

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Most likely.

I did bring it up to proper "E" tune. The cracks look (through a magnifying glass)to be stable, just stress cracks in the finish...the glue and wood connection does not appear to be compromised and the cracks didn't open up when the guitar was tuned up. Still sucks, looks terrible (to me) and will be returned...But, man does it sound good [thumbup] ...too bad [sneaky]

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Yeah, I'm more inclined to blame the delivery process than Epi QC.

 

Sweetwater supposedly checks each guitar between receipt and shipping. I actually believe that they do what they say but - even that isn't a guarantee what you see is what they saw when they re-packed it. Climate variation in shipping can do odd things. I've even seen that at the "local" (if you call more than an hour drive in good weather "local") dealer's store where some guitars literally will have the strings lying on the fingerboard before yet another bit of adjustments.

 

As for the crack... I often wonder what all a given piece might undergo in transit regardless of company.

 

I could feature a guitar held a while in a warm, relatively moist environment could have done what you found if it then spent a cupla days at sub-freezing temps and catching some bit of being bashed around.

 

m

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Sweetwater supposedly checks each guitar between receipt and shipping. I actually believe that they do what they say

They do indeed milod. When I bought my Elitist Casino a few years ago, they called me because they found a ding on the back and wanted to know what I wanted to do (take a discount, wait for another, etc.).

 

I just bought a starter guitar for one of my kids for Christmas. I asked my sales rep if they checked those as well. He said they only do the 55 point check on guitars over (he thought) $300. I've bought probably 4-5 guitars from them and all have arrived in great condition

 

As for the NGD Crust, that really sux.

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Dennis...

 

Yup... and I got an Epi with the strings functionally laying on the frets from Sweetwater - which does NOT make me angry at Sweetwater because it pretty much proves my contention that many of the complaints of Epi/Gibson quality control have nothing to do with the company, or with Sweetwater. It's the transportation and/or warehousing to a large extent.

 

As I've seen that guitar store have the same difficulty with guitars getting a back-bow I encountered, I've gotta look especially at transportation and climate. I've also seen at least one guitar box with about an inch-wide hole in it from ???

 

So although I don't think any manufacturer is perfect, I'll wager that many of the problems, including the nice blue solidbody discussed here, arise from weather/climate conditions plus some interesting bashing around.

 

I think those of us where there is more difference between summer and winter temps will notice this more even with our own guitars - note the acoustic folks' tendency to purchase guitar humidifiers in winter. And shipping can be cruel.

 

Summer has its own challenges too. I'm surprised any guitars survive in black cases sitting in the sun in a vehicle.

 

m

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looking forward to this getting resolved for you, crust.

 

and as a business owner who sells to & ships merchandise to resellers, I know firsthand that how resellers handle my product has a direct bearing on how my products and my business are perceived, and reviewed. I've had to redo packaging over the years to try and cover how other entities merchandise and ship my products.

 

the onus ultimately comes back to me and my bottom-line sales figures reflect that.

 

 

:-)

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looking forward to this getting resolved for you, crust.

 

and as a business owner who sells to & ships merchandise to resellers, I know firsthand that how resellers handle my product has a direct bearing on how my products and my business are perceived, and reviewed. I've had to redo packaging over the years to try and cover how other entities merchandise and ship my products.

 

the onus ultimately comes back to me and my bottom-line sales figures reflect that.

 

 

:-)

 

Sam Ash was fine with the return process, same as the first. They Emailed the the FEDEX return authorization stickers, and the truck came out and picked it up, so that went OK. I'm going to wait for the receipt confirmation before I do anything else.

 

Not blaming anyone, but I will say this, and have said it before. Epiphone should pack better than cardboard and styrofoam. A case for each and every one. [biggrin]

I take it all in stride, thanks for letting me share my story [laugh][thumbdn][biggrin]

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Too bad, Crust. I don't believe it being just casualty but are wondering the same as Bob did:

 

That sux. Have you the Samsonite apes on the delivery trucks in your area?

There must be some transportation employee who is treating goods in a rude manner during loading and unloading.

 

I don't believe in the climate thing. I had six instruments sent after buying them online, and another two due to not having enough money with when deciding for the buy. These two came in a very cold winter time. I gave them about six hours to acclimatize before unpacking, and everything was OK.

 

All of these instruments, three Gibson Les Paul guitars, two Gibson SG basses, two Gibson EB 2013 basses, and one Fender FMT Telecaster, came properly packed and missed standard tuning just by a few cent after arrival. But if there had been a person who had pushed them around very hard or dropped down too far, I guess they could have been badly damaged despite of packaging.

 

I hope you will have better luck the next time.

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Crust...

 

I wouldn't care to have even a $300 guitar lacking a hard case but...

 

I asked if Sweetwater would send a guitar I purchased from them in the case 'stedda the box. No, they said, it's safer in the box. Okay, two boxes at that. Dunno of that's correct or if it makes their shipping job easier, but... It's made me wonder.

 

So I dunno about the quality of shipping boxes either.

 

Cap... Yeah, Bavaria can be hot and cold too, although likely not to -40C unless on a high mountain? Not more than 37C (100F) in summer. But in the U.S. I can guarantee there are as many and probably more different climates compared to any other continent. Where I live, I have seen colder than -40 (C and F are the same at that temperature) and up to about +46C. The records temperatures are more extreme.

 

Where I live is 12 miles from where a world record was supposedly set for rapid temperature change. "On January 22, 1943 at about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was −4°F (−20°C). The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later (7:32 a.m.) the temperature was +45°F (+7°C) above zero. The 49°F (27°C) rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature had risen to 54°F (12°C). Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to −4°F (−20°C). The 58°F (32°C) drop took only 27 minutes."

 

Humidity changes can be similar.

 

m

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...

Where I live is 12 miles from where a world record was supposedly set for rapid temperature change. "On January 22, 1943 at about 7:30 a.m. MST, the temperature in Spearfish was −4°F (−20°C). The Chinook wind picked up speed rapidly, and two minutes later (7:32 a.m.) the temperature was +45°F (+7°C) above zero. The 49°F (27°C) rise in two minutes set a world record that still holds. By 9:00 a.m., the temperature had risen to 54°F (12°C). Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to −4°F (−20°C). The 58°F (32°C) drop took only 27 minutes."

 

Humidity changes can be similar.

 

m

[scared] This is awesome...

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Sam Ash was fine with the return process, same as the first. They Emailed the the FEDEX return authorization stickers, and the truck came out and picked it up, so that went OK. I'm going to wait for the receipt confirmation before I do anything else.

 

Not blaming anyone, but I will say this, and have said it before. Epiphone should pack better than cardboard and styrofoam. A case for each and every one. [biggrin]

I take it all in stride, thanks for letting me share my story [laugh][thumbdn][biggrin]

 

i completely agree.

 

epiphone representatives need to read this thread and take the topic seriously.

 

it's not a difficult task to reinforce packaging. it might take some tinkering in the shipping department, but this sort of tinkering typically result in fewer lost sales, fewer returns and happier customers.

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Agreed. Their packaging (OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS for heaven's sake!) is hopeless. Hasn't anyone in their Finance department explained that more investment in this area will make more net profit as it will virtually eliminate claims, clerical labour in handling claims and a lot more besides, not to mention prevent tarnishing of brand goodwill? I find it incredible that MUSICAL INSTRUMNENTS are made in the far east, plonked in a case (not a flight case mind you) with no bubble wrap to make sure there's no movement, slid into a single sheet cardboard box and then sent around the world! They then go from distributors to retailers. They then get shipped from retailers to customers. It's a miracle any arrive intact.

 

I posted this before but it seems appropriate to repeat it here. This was my two-piece Sheraton, collected by the retailer and then scrapped. The second one made it ok but one of the case hinges was broken this time! They sent me the case from the first one and are happy for me to simply throw away the broken one.

 

Sheraton_1.jpg

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I know it's relatively easy to hit the manufacturer for vicissitudes of shipping, but I guess I can't take that strong a position on it given what I've seen just in shipping guitars in the US.

 

A few years ago there were complaints from the UK about Gibsons with frets sticking out from the fingerboard. I'd almost guarantee they were not that way when they left the factory.

 

That's a weakness to wood, whether a fiddle or guitar - or anything else.

 

m

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I know it's relatively easy to hit the manufacturer for vicissitudes of shipping,

 

 

what does this mean? that epi is out of the responsibility chain for how their product arrives in the customer's hands? and by including epiphone in that chain, some of us are taking the easy way out of this?

 

am i reading that right?

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No, I do not blame Epi or Gibson for bad things that happen in the transportation chain - or major changes in climate that make frets stick out from a fingerboard. Or even wiring shaken loose.

 

I blame some trouble on climate changing during warehousing and transportation. I blame some on the transportation company. I blame the guitar company very little. I think that short of a hermetic seal and foam extruded onto the guitar to hold it tight inside a box, there will be some breakage from transportation. There will be some breakage even that way.

 

It is not the same as walking into a Gibson or Epiphone factory and buying a "perfect" guitar off the assembly line. Even that guitar can warp depending on climate in your house.

 

If the wood warps so that it cannot be played after it leaves the factory, that is a concern about the materials and the company's inspection of materials - but not about what an inspector sees in "quality control."

 

m

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Sorry to see your very nice guitars arrived broken. That sucks! And they look really nice! But in the end, the manufacturer or original seller are held liable and they usually have to go after the carrier.

I buy and sell a lot on eBay, and if an item I sold arrives broken, even if it's evident that it was damaged in shipment, I am ultimately responsible for that item. I've had to refund money, or send a replacement unit. I've had a couple items that were packed very well arrive damaged.And different carriers have different ways of dealing with damaged merchandise. USPS wants the receiver to file a claim, since they are in possession of the item. UPS usually wants the shipper to file a claim.

It really all comes down packaging and to the individuals that handled the item not giving a sh*t about HOW the item arrives.

The packaging has a lot to do with it though! If I threw my new guitar down on the floor in the original single ply cardboard box I wouldn't expect it to survive.

Epiphone, as well as many others, need to provide sufficient protection with their shipping containers. Bottom line! Maybe a FULL styrofoam enclosure that fits the guitar snugly, inside the cardboard box. The last guitar I received in the mail only had ONE PIECE of styrofoam behind the neck and a piece at the top of the neck and bottom of the body to keep it from sliding around. Makes for a broken neck real easy. At least Epiphone and their dealers are willing to try to make it right and give a refund or replacement.

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Scott... the hearsay in Europe was on this board.

 

As for temp change, I've personally seen it go many times from -20F (-29C) and two days later 52f (+11C). That's all it takes to truly mess up an instrument. Ditto humidity change. I have received an Epi from Sweetwater in the U.S. that was checked before it was sent to me, and the strings were on the frets just from humidity change. I also live at about 1,000 meters (3,100 feet +-100 feet) and that change even makes a difference in how one cooks and bakes one's food.

 

I am not saying that the guitar was not broken. I am not saying anything bad about the OP. I was very disappointed when I received a nice Epi that had a neck that bowed like a longbow. But I do not entirely blame the company for bad quality control, or the packaging. Another member of the forum noted after I made similar comments that a package driver left a guitar on his porch in the sunlight which was almost like putting the guitar into an oven.

 

Yes, I am convinced that some neck wood, especially for "mass produced" guitars, will have possible internal weakness. Add major changes in temperature and humidity, plus heavy vibrations from transportation and a weakness will be shown. For that I have some concern for the pre-manufacture and periodic manufacturing QC checks. But wood is never perfect and an Epi is an instrument built to a price. That's why Epi is a "good purchase," because it will almost certainly be replaced or repaired when such a situation happens.

 

The transportation from a retailer to a consumer can not, however, be blamed on the manufacturer. If I buy a Mercedes from a car dealer, and it is damaged in transport in a way that renders it undriveable, is that the fault of Mercedes?

 

m

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