My New Gibson 60s J45 --

[3mar67]

Hi everyone,

I just bought a brand new Gibson 60s J45, and really like it.

I've had it a week now.

BUT -- I just noticed strange imperfections in the finish all around the left side of the bridge.

It's only really visible when the light hits it at a certain angle.

Upon close inspection, I'm certain the bridge has been re-glued, and the area around it sanded, and the finish blended in.

Also, should there be a warranty pamphlet or QC checklist in the guitar case? (none to be found)

Anyway, the guitar plays and sounds very nice.

Any opinions on keeping a new guitar with these purely cosmetic issues as opposed to returning it?

Thanks

 

 

[jedzep]

This is a new guitar?   If so, I'd b  ***** about that big time.

Edited February 3, 2022 by jedzep

[QuestionMark]

Have you contacted the seller for answers?  Or, tried Gibson’s customer service?

 

QM aka “ Jazzman” Jeff

 

 

[j45nick]

Did you buy it from a Gibson dealer, who sold it to you as a brand-new guitar?

[jchabalk]

Agreed, did you get it from an authorized dealer?

[3mar67]

1 hour ago, QuestionMark said:

Have you contacted the seller for answers?  Or, tried Gibson’s customer service?

I emailed Gibson.

No reply yet.

 

 

 

 

[3mar67]

50 minutes ago, j45nick said:

Did you buy it from a Gibson dealer, who sold it to you as a brand-new guitar?

I sure did.

[3mar67]

30 minutes ago, jchabalk said:

Agreed, did you get it from an authorized dealer?

Yes I did.

[3mar67]

I tried to take a picture of the area, but it's impossible because of the reflections -- it doesn't show up.

Here's a pic I found online of the same guitar, which shows the same flaw at the edge of the bridge.

Mine has the same thing. plus the area around the affected side of the bridge shows horizontal sanding marks and some slight runs or wrinkles in  and under the finish.

In normal light, it looks fine.  It's just when the light hits it a certain way.

So, maybe it's just poor quality control -- or I'm expecting too much.

Also should I be concerned that there is no warranty booklet with QC list, or do these things get lost on a regular basis with new guitars?

The other accessories were there (humidipak, cloth, truss wrench, keychain).

I'm thinking if the guitar was returned from a previous buyer the humidipak would have been gone or opened.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by 3mar67

[jedzep]

There shouldn't be any signs of refinish, repair, or adjustment,  period.  You'll eventually get to Gibson with annoying persistence both to the seller and to Gibson warranty.  The slight risk of swapping it for a 'dud', is another chapter.

Good luck.  Don't back off.

Edited February 4, 2022 by jedzep

[j45nick]

It almost looks like buffing compound residue to me, but I would take it back to the dealer and ask for another guitar, if you are concerned.

There seems to inconsistency in what documentation is delivered with new Gibsons.

I have never bought a brand-new Gibson, but have several recent Gibsons, both acoustic and electric. Both acoustics came with the pre-pack inspection checklist. The other documentation varied. One came with a copy of the warranty, and an "owner's manual" fold-up pamphlet.

Another also came with what is basically a certificate of authenticity, but that one is a Legend-series guitar.

One came with a trussrod adjustment manual.

My electric came with a fancy COA in a padded black folder, as well as hangtags for virtually every component of the guitar.

I have heard of others, however, coming with nothing.

[Dave F]

I’ve bought a lot of new Gibsons and never had a Humidipak come with it. Sounds like a returned guitar. 

[egoidealmusic]

The new Gibsons do come with a humidipack, and most definitely with the warranty card, so to me that's the biggest red flaf.  That bridge looks more sloppy to me than a reglue, but that's just based on one picture--I got a brand new one and there's one spot where glue wasn't cleaned up very well.

 

You do have to be dilligent calling the Gibson customer service line, but if you are they're great once you finally get them.  If you're not happy, send it back or let Gibson know, as they do seem to try to make things right.

[3mar67]

I'm on Day 10 of a 30-Day return window -- so it's probably going back to the store.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

59 minutes ago, 3mar67 said:

I'm on Day 10 of a 30-Day return window -- so it's probably going back to the store.

 

None of my new or used Martin’s have ever arrived like that, but let’s hear the neck reset and binding pop BS about them. It’s okay it’s a Gibson. Oh wait I need to go to the AGF to hear about it. No wait let’s blame it on the store.

Edited February 4, 2022 by Sgt. Pepper

[Sevendaymelee]

2 hours ago, Dave F said:

I’ve bought a lot of new Gibsons and never had a Humidipak come with it. Sounds like a returned guitar. 

My brand new 2021 Southern Jumbo came with one, so Gibson is definitely packing them in with certain guitars. 

As to the OP, like me just take a stab in the dark here and say... Guitar Center? 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Sevendaymelee

[sbpark]

3 hours ago, Dave F said:

I’ve bought a lot of new Gibsons and never had a Humidipak come with it. Sounds like a returned guitar. 

My Epiphone USA Frontier (made in Bozeman) was delivered today and had a Humidipak set inside the case. 

[Dave F]

7 hours ago, Sevendaymelee said:

My brand new 2021 Southern Jumbo came with one, so Gibson is definitely packing them in with certain guitars. 

As to the OP, like me just take a stab in the dark here and say... Guitar Center? 

I’ll be looking for it. The last new one was 2020 and I have one on order that should be close to shipping. 

[BoSoxBiker]

Two out of three of my 2020-2021 guitars came with the humidipacks. Can't remember which one did not. 

Yes, stay on CS. Perhaps get the dealer more involved. Their response times can be maddening. They are effective. Just maddening to deal with.

Edit: for what it's worth, my most recent went to a local shop to have some playability concerns as well as a bunch of glue/buffer cleanup around the nut and bridge.

Edited February 4, 2022 by BoSoxBiker

[Boyd]

I have the J-50 version of this guitar and really love it, it's all I have played since I got it last spring. Got it used from Guitar Center online and had it shipped to my local store, it looked like new but $700 cheaper. Nothing like that on my bridge but maybe the black finish makes it more visible? No idea what originally came with the guitar, there was a Gibson polishing cloth and keychain in the case but no checklist or warranty.

I don't know, have not bought a new Gibson since my J-50 Deluxe in 1974. If I had those issues and the dealer had another one in stock then I might exchange it. But if I liked everything else about the guitar and would have to wait awhile for an exchange then I'd probably just keep it and play the hell out of it. 😀

[62burst]

'Agree with J45Nick's thoughts, it does look like buffing residue. That's quite a macro photo, maybe a pic of how it looks in a photo showing the whole guitar top (upload to imgur.com, select "direct imbed" if you don't have enough storage here on the forum). But yes, there is an imperfection in the finish on the outside edge of the bridge, bass side, and it appears to have some residue from the buffing process. Grab a slightly damp toothbrush, and clean that up a bit. It could be further lessened with a little Virtuoso cleaner, the V. polish. 

It's not uncommon to not get all of the things that are normally shipped with the guitar. Even if you did get the final build checklist- there is often some question if the actual string action height measurements are correct to that particular guitar. They could certainly change by the time the guitar gets to you, anyhow.

As far as looking like a bridge re-glue. . . Gibson finishes their guitars, then in order to allow better adhesion to the top, the finish is scraped in the area where the bridge contacts the top. Often some shrinkage occurs, exposing a little bit of a finish gap there. And as Boyd said, and you most likely know, everything is more noticeable on a black guitar.

 

[3mar67]

I emailed the store about the missing warranty card/QC checklist, and was told Gibson does not include those with the acoustic guitars, just the electrics. 

Anybody here buy a new Gibson acoustic (2021) and can verify this?

 

[egoidealmusic]

That's BS.  The new Gisbon acoustic I purchase had the warrant/QC card checklist, which also has a warranty registration card, so they're not being truthful.

[Sgt. Pepper]

3 hours ago, 3mar67 said:

I emailed the store about the missing warranty card/QC checklist, and was told Gibson does not include those with the acoustic guitars, just the electrics. 

Anybody here buy a new Gibson acoustic (2021) and can verify this?

 

If it is a big brick and mortar store the employees may have taken it out and done who know what with it. Who wants a QA card for a guitar you wont own?

[BoSoxBiker]

Mine has one, too. That said, it did not come with something that I thought was oddly omitted. In the end, I was just PO'd at the condition of the guitar itself and any little nit bothered me at that point. It did clean up well, though.