creekster52 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I was thrilled to find a Crestwood reissue still available from GC at $299 w/case! When I completed the order, I noticed it was shipping from a GC in Emryville, CA. I anxiously waited, and it arrived today. It turned out to be a floor model, which I would not normally mind, especially on a model with such limited supply. This is obviously one of the last ones available anywhere, other than a few on Ebay for considerably more $$$. So, I felt it was a great deal anyway, until I really looked it over... 1) wooden tailpiece cover/logo missing 2) pickguard logo missing 3) scratches on pickguard top and underside & small paint chip on white painted section 4) scratches on back (although pretty light) 5) missing indicator on one tone control 6) no change in tone between both/neck positions, and very muddy tone in both positions (bridge position seems fine) OK...I can live with most of these issues except #6. The missing tone control indicator, and the scratches under the pickguard, make me suspect that there were known issues with pickups or wiring. Has anyone else experienced the muddiness and switching issue on their Crestwood RI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer91 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Wow .... if you read my follow-up/reply post in my "overdue NGD" thread, I think you'll see you might have got the one I sent back that I got delivered from the San Diego GC store, but with a poor job of fixing the tone control. I bought it during one of GC's 15% off deals, so delivered @ $274. I ended up paying $399 for a really nice one off eBay, and was happy to find it. If the same one, it was missing the tone knob, nut and special pointer when I got it, but it played fine. It sounds like they tore off some wires when they 'semi-fixed' it. Sorry to read you had issues too. They are really nice Indonesian made guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekster52 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 Wow .... if you read my follow-up/reply post in my "overdue NGD" thread, I think you'll see you might have got the one I sent back that I got delivered from the San Diego GC store, but with a poor job of fixing the tone control. I bought it during one of GC's 15% off deals, so delivered @ $274. I ended up paying $399 for a really nice one off eBay, and was happy to find it. If the same one, it was missing the tone knob, nut and special pointer when I got it, but it played fine. It sounds like they tore off some wires when they 'semi-fixed' it. Sorry to read you had issues too. They are really nice Indonesian made guitars. Yeah Flyer, I found your NGD post just a few minutes ago. I can possibly live with the cosmetic issues, but the tone issue is something that will need to be remedied by GC. I use the "Both" position a lot, and with this particular guitar it's just mud. The odd thing is that in the both position, both pups are activated, but no change in tone. I assume you do not have the same muddiness in your 2nd Crestwood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyer91 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Yeah Flyer, I found your NGD post just a few minutes ago. I can possibly live with the cosmetic issues, but the tone issue is something that will need to be remedied by GC. I use the "Both" position a lot, and with this particular guitar it's just mud. The odd thing is that in the both position, both pups are activated, but no change in tone. I assume you do not have the same muddiness in your 2nd Crestwood? No, not at all ... in either of them. The one I sent back had the tone pot just floating in the hole in the body, due to the missing knob, nut, and washer. But the guitar worked as it should. I really suspect that if you pop the cover off you might find a wire disconnected, or a capacitor lead knocked off ... etc. WRT: both pups being on, I 'believe' it's wired like a Les Paul, and that the volumes are not completely independent. So when in the middle position of the pup selector either/both pups can appear to be 'off' depending on where the volume knobs are turned, but the only time they should both be 'on' is when in the middle of the pup selector switch. If they are both on at either end of the selector switch then the wiring is buggered up, and will need to be sorted out. If I'm off on this, somebody/anybody please feel free to jump in and correct any part that needs it. I hope it's an easy fix and they are willing to compensate you significantly enough so its worth it for you to keep it. Other than the cosmetic issues (assuming it's the one I had) I felt (for the brief time I played it) that it 'was' a nice playing guitar, as is the new one I have ... even though I have not yet done any set-up on it at all. Nice low action, no fret buzz, and a comfortable neck, in a light guitar. I can't speak to the tremolo and how well it does or doesn't hold tune well, because I just haven't played it enough to even get the strings stretched yet. But there are others on the forum that have them, and if they read this, hopefully they will chime in, as they might be able to address that better than I and help you plot another point for or against keeping it. Oh, and BTW: on the one I had, it was the bridge (lower) tone knob and hardware that was missing. Once again ... good luck with it .... and let us know how it all turns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomse Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 I got mine when they first came Down in price i pay 399.00 for it . its one nice guitar i have on problems with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
byrds1965 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Since you bought it "new" and have the receipt see if Epiphone will fix the issues under warranty........if not back to MF with the thing! That is the route I would try. You should have enough time with the 45 day MF/GC return policy to get an answer from Epiphone first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekster52 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Share Posted February 6, 2015 I'm waiting to hear from the store manager at Guitar Center in Emeryville, CA. His response will determine how I proceed. I checked out the wiring today, and everything looks normal there. I did discover that the muddiness in the middle position is the result of a bad volume pot on the neck circuit. When I back off the volume about 1/2 notch, the bridge pickup kicks in, and it sounds just fine. I have never experienced that phenomena before. If I do keep this Crestwood, I will probably replace the selector switch and all of the pots. At least I now know the pickups are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I really like mine, one of my better guitars. Maybe I got lucky. This guitar is really quite the thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekster52 Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 I took mine to N. Dallas GC this morning. They are going to try to locate the rosewood tailpiece insert for me, but I am not very hopeful. The production run was 2 years ago, and a limited production run at that. I did not get a satisfactory explanation on what I believe to be sub-standard switches and pots. There is just an almost imperceptible tonal difference between the both position and the neck position, so I just ordered a new wiring harness with Bourns 500k pots, L-type switch, .022 Hi-Q caps and Switchcraft jack off Ebay ($44). As far as the light scratches on the pickguard and back go, I can live with whatever will not buff out. After all, I bought the guitar to be used as a player, not as a collectible. I will post an update when I finish installing the new harness. NOTE: If there had been a replacement available for this guitar, I would definitely have sent this one back. But, I like the guitar, it plays well, and the mini humbuckers provide the different sound I was looking for. Also, I surely can't complain about the price. At $299 including the case it's like getting the guitar for $200 + $44 for the harness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekster52 Posted April 21, 2015 Author Share Posted April 21, 2015 Update: Epiphone came through with the rosewood tailpiece cover at NO CHARGE! They deserve recognition for this since it wasn't a warranty issue. To the best of my knowledge, Guitar Center did nothing to assist with my issues, so I will not be giving them any future business at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Flesh Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Congrats, Creekster52, on your fully restored Crestwood 62 Ri! How well did the new switch and pots work out? Update: Epiphone came through with the rosewood tailpiece cover at NO CHARGE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekster52 Posted April 27, 2015 Author Share Posted April 27, 2015 It worked out great Freddie Fish. I just got it back from my tech with the new control section and a new Tusq XL nut. The new wiring is the 50's SG layout, which gives me a "master volume" when in the "both" position. Also added the treble bleed circuit. I will post pics whenever I can get around to buying a new digital camera, but it looks really nice with the black pickguard and black nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freddie Flesh Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Cool. Let's see those pix when you get them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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