My guitar arrived today .. does this seem normal?

[adey]

If it's a good player' date=' I'd keep it and maybe ask for a discount. A good guitar in hand is worth more than a potentially crappy one in the box.

 

EG[/quote']

 

Amen to that.

 

Actually, thinking about it, I don't recall ever getting the original box, warranty card, guitar wrench etc on a new guitar purchase. The stores get them - open the boxes - then stick the instruments on the wall.. At any one time, one store I go to has dozens of empty white boxes in a skip outside - probably all full of warranty cards and allen key wrenches..

 

And that doesn't bother me at all. I still consider them to be new guitars

 

When I ask to try a guitar - take it down and play it - then that's the guitar I want to go out of the shop with if I decide to buy. An untested (by me) guitar in a sealed box has no appeal to me at all. The instruments usually have the stickers, hanging labels. protective film etc already on the guitar. They usually dig out a generic Epiphone/Fender/Yamaha/Gibson etc manual and give you that at the time.

 

I wouldn't dream of buying a car without driving it first. Ditto on a guitar.

[lab34]

Hello,

My two cents:

 

I bought the Casino of my son at MusikProduktiv.

Last model in stock, and no more stock on thomann, euroguitar, woodbrass, etc...

Just after I paid online, the stock falled to zero.

After two days, the guitar was not shipped, I emailed Musikproduktiv to ask about a possible stock problem, and ten minutes later the guy answered me that there was no problem, the guitar would be shipped on the afternoon.

That was true, we received the confirmation, and a few days later, the guitar.

 

First, we were frigthened: the box was... a Gretsch 5120 box !

So we opened the box nervously (few days before birthday !) and the casino was here, in the white protective bag.

No allen tool, no user manual, no poster (dont know if it should have been here), but there was the sticker with the price around the neck, the strings were new, the set up was good (height, intonation...) the adhesives were on the pickguard and the stickers on the pickup. No scratch, nice finition. The only accessory we bought was the sangle: it was on the same box.

Plus, the adhesive was gently removed just over the E logo of the pickguard (I read on the forum that the E can fall when you remove hardly the adhesive, so I presume the guy at MusikProduktiv knew that)

I presume the guitar was the last one, and was on the wall of the store...

So we decided it was not a bad deal. We kept it and we are very happy with it !

[taxman]

An untested (by me) guitar in a sealed box has no appeal to me at all.

The idea is to take it out of the box and test it yourself.

Don't like it, put it back in the box.

Like it, buy it.

[Tinman1281734269]

Did you get the new guitar yet? You got more pics for me to drool over?

[Bender 4 Life]

I have several Epis, Gibsons, Fenders, a Washburn, an SX and an Agile(same mfgr. as SX).

The only guitar i've gotten an owners manual with was my GLP 30th. Anniversay Plaintop.

I've only gotten warranty cards with it, and my Telecaster.

Bumper stickers......only with the Tele.

Poster? only with my '56 Goldtop ELP.

GC in Birmingham Al. even tried to cheat me out of the HSC for my Ebony Flying-V (Gibby), it's NOT a faded or B-stock, and when I refused to buy it w/o the case, they produced one for a WHITE V (Still wonder if the salesman bragging about buying a faded V the previous week is enjoying the case he STOLE.)

Cables? only with my Blackstar amp-head (nice touch Blackstar) but I bought a new braided speaker cable anyhow.

allen wrenches? PLEASE, I have 6 full toolboxes 2 tool crates, and an attic full of tools.

 

I never sent one back or refused purchase over case candy if the guitar it's self was a keeper and I got the IMPORTANT stuff with it.

I can figure it out w/o a manual

I don't trust 99% of "warranty work", i'd rather do it myself & KNOW it's right

Bumper stickers/posters.......i'm 46.......the only poster up in my L/R is Bettie Page in a teddy astride a burning barstool

 

I'd 10x rather have a good instrument than all this junk they sometimes send with it.

[StrYk3D]

This is why i buy guitars in the shop, U can check everything i got my guitar with 2 extra cables: The normal one from1 ,5m

and a Cordial (for SG) 6m with a Poster and all the other crap:D (Even with a Allen key!!)

One tip buy at your local musicshops!:-

[iStrumAmpGoBoom]

My Epiphone DOT was a display model at Guitar Center. It had all the stickers and protective films on it. I got the warranty card but not a truss rod tool. More importantly' date=' I got it for $250 with a new set of strings on it.

 

[/quote']

Same. I was wondering why I didnt get a truss rod but I did notice that there is no truss rod input.

Im guessing it the neck doesn't bend too much cause the neck is glued instead of bolted in like the regulars?

[LongMan]

Is this normal?

Not normal. All my brand new Epis came in a plastic foam bag inside the card box. Also the accessories are missing, there should be a postcard size user manual, an allen key for the truss rod and a guitar cable in the box.

[marvar]

When I used to work at an area music store, we were instructed by the owner to keep the truss rod wrench, and the registration out of the case. We would fill out the registration at the store, and then send it in- as most people don't bother with that. He also didn't want the truss rod wrench left there, because, too many people had tried to adjust the truss rod themselves, and would screw up the guitar, making more work for us. However, if the customer asked for those things, we would give it to them .

[pohatu771]

When I bought my mandolin, the first one they sent was obviously a store display that had been put back in its original box. I sent it back. I feel like this may be the case here, also.

 

The registration card should actually be a tag hanging from the tuners. There's no way it left Nashville without one.

[Mr. Bill]

When you buy a new guitar it should be new period! It should arrive packaged as it left the factory. THose of you who say they don't care about that are certainly entitled to that choice, however if the guitar has been on display it is no longer new. An ethical seller should disclose this fact. Whether they offer a discount is their prerogative. But if the guitar is in good shape, it should still be fair to ask for and fair to receive a 10-15% discount in the form of a credit.

[AS90]

Lets hope you dont get a crappy one for the sake of $3 worth of junk.

[KX36]

I got my Epi LP from the GAK online store. I bought a separate hard case with it and it came just in the case with no freebies (in a random plain brown box for postage). The sticky plastic was still on the pickguards adn pickups etc. I assume it's because I bought a case and if I hadn't it would have come in its box. I don't really mind about all that, I didn't know about it at the time and the guitar is a good one to my ears and fingers.

[AS90]

I got my Epi LP from the GAK online store. I bought a separate hard case with it and it came just in the case with no freebies (in a random plain brown box for postage). The sticky plastic was still on the pickguards adn pickups etc. I assume it's because I bought a case and if I hadn't it would have come in its box. I don't really mind about all that' date=' I didn't know about it at the time and the guitar is a good one to my ears and fingers.[/quote']

 

 

Damn those random boxes. They are just so random.

[albertimusprime]

Of the guitars that I have bought in recent years (quite a few) the only ones that came like new (ding free, plastic film, all the proper case candy) were those ordered from Musicians Friend, or special ordered from music stores.

 

Any off the rack purchases from music stores, well good luck finding one that actually looks new.

 

The main music retailer in this province (Long & Mcquade) rarely keeps the case candy straight for even expensive guitars.

I once bought a bass there, and they weren't even going to give me box for it, until I insisted.

And when I bought my Gretsch Electromatic, they tried to just put it in a big plastic bag.

 

Sounds like you got the same kind of service, just via the mail.

 

Complain - somebody should.

[atj13]

I agree with Sheila,

my son bought an epi g400 and had it imported from a Gibson agent in Melbourne Australia, it arrived with all the aforementioned items included. I would have been disappointed if it had not and would seek redress from Stevesmusic, all the good people out there would not be rushing to buy from said store if they do not put this right one way or the other. Was it a cheaper than normal price/ if so they should have disclosed the reason if it is an off the hanger unit. Good luck and let us know how you get on,

 

regards,

[pohatu771]

The idea of a new-in-box guitar is slightly puzzling - I prefer a new one to a rack model, but in the past, you bought what was on the rack. Ideally, they're kept in good condition. It's like a car dealership - it's a new car, but there are a few miles on it and people have driven it before.

 

I agree, though, that anything you order and have shipped to you, unless it's specifically stated that it's used or a display, should be in its original box. The only exception is if you order a case that isn't included - I'd rather have it shipped in the case than in the cardboard box.

[Digger]

Sorry Bender : "an SX and an Agile(same mfgr. as SX)." I hope this doesn't come across as picky but I thought that SX was Chinese and Agile Korean in origin?? SX might be reasonable value for money but I would have thought Agile was in a completely other class???

 

Or did you mean that they are both marketed by the same company in the States?

 

Am I under a misapprehension with that?

 

 

Dig

[taxman]

I'll tell you, Epiphone is the Miami Heat of case candy. I got my Lennon Casino last week and that case was loaded and ready to win championships. I love it. Look at what Epiphone gives you: (This is what you should get. If you don't, call Gibson cutomer service.):

 

 

- warranty card

- owner's manual

- desiccant pack

- case key

- truss rod wrench

- guitar chord

- poster

- bumper stcker

- pickguard and all the hardware and screws!