rmnc Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I bought a new Gibson Firebird 2010 from a Canadian Gibson dealer. I received the guitar (on June 12 2011) with several faults, and I am currently talking with the dealer to rectify the situation, but I don't know what to do because I was charged $500 import tax by Australian customs, and if I send the guitar back to the Canadian dealer (~$220US shipping) I would have to pay a further $500US import duty to receive another guitar as a replacement (totaling ~$720US more than I would have payed if I had received the guitar without these imperfections, which was not my fault to begin with, but rather the poor quality control checks). Issues and photos; 1 - The nut is cut far too shallow for even the light gauge strings the guitar came with. The strings do not sit well in the slots, and the slots do not span enough of the length of the nut, resulting in insufficient contact/coupling with the guitar, which I believe is affecting the resonance and sustain of the guitar, not to mention the obvious implications of strings falling out of the nut. Although an inconvenience, I wouldn't have bothered with trying for a replacement if this was the only issue as re-cutting a nut is a simple thing. (photo: http://i.imgur.com/jEknJ.jpg) 2 - The finish is cracking away where the tailpiece studs enter the body, which is the worst at the bass side stud. When I received it, finish had already cracked away, and some had already come away from the body and is yet to fall off completely, although this has not gotten worse in the 6 days i've owned it because I have kept it untouched in the case. This I imagine will continue to happen over time, especially after numerous string changes/changes in pressure applied over the guitar by the strings. This I believe is due to the holes/pilot holes for the studs having been drilled too fast. (photo: http://i.imgur.com/TZA1O.jpg) 3 - My main concern, and the reason I can not accept this guitar; There is a triangular shaped gouge in the fingerboard just below the nut, between the B and high e string. I believe this happened at the factory while scraping the excess binding from the neck between the frets. The red circles I annotated on the photo shows the gouge in the fingerboard, and the blue circles show a faint line scratched into the neck going perpendicular to the grain. There are also faint lines going perpendicular to the grain just below the nut. These faint scratches I believe show that the tool used to scrape the neck binding came into contact with the fingerboard and whilst removing the neck binding, gouged a small piece of the oiled fingerboard off. I am afraid this gouge will eventually splinter off as a result of string bends, regardless of if the hole is re-oiled (it would have to be filled). Just to clarify, this is not merely an odd grain pattern, as I have taken the strings off and gently run a guitar pick over the hole, and I can feel it fall into the hole, unlike the grain. (photo: http://i.imgur.com/JDPps.jpg) A local dealer (The Rock Inn - Mt Lawley, Western Australia) has the same guitar in stock. As I said before, I can't pay for the guitar to be returned to Canada plus the import tax for accepting the replacement guitar as it is completely unfair for me to have to pay a further ~$720US when this guitar should not have passed Gibson quality control checks in the first place. Is there a way I can swap my guitar with the one at my local dealer, and have them ship my guitar back to Gibson? I received my guitar brand new in box on June 14 2011, and it is as I received it, and I can not accept a repair as this is how I received the guitar to begin with. Does anyone have any advice? Also, I can't contact Gibson through the 'Talk 2 Us' form, as my message exceeds 450 characters, is there an email available or is this only available to the dealers/do I leave this issue to my deal to organise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 The issues in the photos arn't anything I would worry about if the guitar were mine. If it's bothering you that much I guess you're going to have to pay the return taxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 I would have happily kept it if it was just the nut (easy fix) and finish cracking, but I can't live with the fingerboard, and the photos don't accurately show the severity of the damage on the fingerboard. Do you know if Gibson would arrange for me to swap with my local dealer who has one in stock, or even return to the AU distributor for a replacement? I'm having no luck finding an email address and I expect the 'Talk 2 Us' method of communication to take quite a while to reply to my question re: contact methods which don't have a 450 character limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 While it sucks that the guitar came with those issues from factory they are minor and fixable. The nut should be pleked at factory why does it look like that? it can be fixed, The cracking finish is actually where they did not scrape off the paint from the metal inserts, again it can be easily fixed. the mark on the fretboard does not affect playability and can also be fixed. It sucks but I would not return the guitar given your position. Hell, my new SG has a few spots on the binding that look shoddy but I am not returning it as they can be fixed. Gibson needs better quality control on their USA line for sure, and Henry should note. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 A local luthier can cheaply fix your nut in no time, likely while you wait. The rest are non issues for me, as well. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Like I said the only issue that makes me want a replacement is the fingerboard. I've heavily modified all my other Gibsons, and I wouldn't have wanted a replacement if it had a ding in the body or other finish imperfections, but i'm under the impression that fixing the fingerboard would be a risky procedure? I do alot of heavy bends and i'm worried that it would splinter over time. This isn't something i'd expect from a guitar company synonymous for being a leader in guitar manufacture. The cracking finish is actually where they did not scrape off the paint from the metal inserts, again it can be easily fixed. Are you sure that this is the case? This is the first stoptail i've seen which doesn't have a washer that is higher than the body (it is actually indented around the inserts, unlike the bridge inserts which sit on top of the finish). I'm reluctant to scrape some of the finish off incase it is wood underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 You should be able to get the jobs done by a local Luthier and bill Gibson. Email them and ask them. I can understand people saying that they are minor flaws. But there should be 'NO' flaws on a Gibson. Whoever put the studs in should have done it properly. The fingerboard should be flawless. I've just bought an Ibanez for $120. It's perfect. You've paid ten times that. It should be perfect. Gibson should replace it at their cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Does anyone know the procedure for requesting a replacement or if I should leave it up to the store I bought it from (apparently they are going to begin talking with Gibson? And lastly does anyone know a way I can contact Gibson besides over the phone/Talk 2 Us form (only allows 450 characters)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 Yeah, it lists everything I said I don't need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 No. I don't know any better way to contact Gibson but honestly you're better off letting the shop do the talking for you. That's what you paid them for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enmitygauged Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I would have happily kept it if it was just the nut (easy fix) and finish cracking, but I can't live with the fingerboard, and the photos don't accurately show the severity of the damage on the fingerboard. Do you know if Gibson would arrange for me to swap with my local dealer who has one in stock, or even return to the AU distributor for a replacement? I'm having no luck finding an email address and I expect the 'Talk 2 Us' method of communication to take quite a while to reply to my question re: contact methods which don't have a 450 character limit. Contact AMI http://www.gibsonami.com/ They may help. Your problem as far as I have been told is that Gibson Dealers in North America are (now this is complete hearsay) are not allowed to send new product into another market. This is done to protect the local importer and local store from Dumping. You will probably find that if your dealer tells them that they sent it to Australia they may lose their agency to sell. I had a similar problem with a Martin I had sent from my brother in Boston. He bought it on my behalf and sent it as a gift (no tax) it came in and even though at the time it was 1200 USD it was 4900 here. the neck was out so badly I couldnt tune it. Intonation was a swear word. I took it to the local Martin Dealer and asked them who fixes them. I then went to the repairer who told me its not covered. I fought for 5 months as Martin say they have a world wide warranty. Finally after posting some not so flattering emails from martin on their forum they quickly changed their tune. I sold it the day after it was fixed for 2400.00 AUD My next step was to write a song and post it on youtube using the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingarmadillo Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Contact AMI http://www.gibsonami.com/ They may help. Your problem as far as I have been told is that Gibson Dealers in North America are (now this is complete hearsay) are not allowed to send new product into another market. This is done to protect the local importer and local store from Dumping. You will probably find that if your dealer tells them that they sent it to Australia they may lose their agency to sell. I had a similar problem with a Martin I had sent from my brother in Boston. He bought it on my behalf and sent it as a gift (no tax) it came in and even though at the time it was 1200 USD it was 4900 here. the neck was out so badly I couldnt tune it. Intonation was a swear word. I took it to the local Martin Dealer and asked them who fixes them. I then went to the repairer who told me its not covered. I fought for 5 months as Martin say they have a world wide warranty. Finally after posting some not so flattering emails from martin on their forum they quickly changed their tune. I sold it the day after it was fixed for 2400.00 AUD My next step was to write a song and post it on youtube using the guitar. Actually, as I read the warranty information on the Gibson USA website, his problem is that the country of sale determines the warranty. I didn't see any mention of a "Worldwide" warranty on the Gibson site. If you buy a guitar in Canada the Canadian distributor is responsible for the warranty. Gibson's distributor in Australia is under no obligation to honor a warranty from any other country, although they might do so as a courtesy. My suspicion would be that the Canadian dealer who sold it knowingly sent a defective guitar simply because they knew he couldn't do anything about it and they wouldn't have to deal with a warranty return. While he might be able to shame them into it, the best thing would be to get a local luthier to fix the problems, then send the bill to the Canadian distributor. It still should be cheaper than another import fee. I don't know what sort of consumer protection laws Canada has, but it might be good to get them involved too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Does anyone know the procedure for requesting a replacement or if I should leave it up to the store I bought it from (apparently they are going to begin talking with Gibson? And lastly does anyone know a way I can contact Gibson besides over the phone/Talk 2 Us form (only allows 450 characters)? Break your question into less than 450 characters and let them know there's more coming............. Keep on the problem, Gibson will resolve your issues............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 So, I live in the UK. I've looked at guitars on the Wildwood site. If I bought one and had it shipped here I wouldn't have warranty? This sounds the same as the 'grey' import saga we had in the UK on motorcycles. It was so that dealers could keep the prices high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 You paid top cash, expect nothing but quality!! Gibson customer services are very helpful!! They may point you to the area with a Gibson authorised repair specialist. Regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flight959 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I'd suggest phoning Gibson. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I think, we all have to realise that when we buy from a dealer, that is where the majority of the responsibility lies. You paid the dealer, not Gibson. You also had a business arrangement with you dealer, not Gibson. It is kind of hard to hold Gibson resonsible for things they have no control over, right? When we buy online, we are NOT inspecting the product before we get it. Whatever expectations of right of return upon inspection is strictly between the buyer and seller. So, by agreeing to buy a guitar from a dealer you also agree to whatever process and options they provide. To be honest (and I hope you don't get mad) if you have bought from another country to save some money by paying the shipping and import duties yourself as opposed to buying from a local dealer, you have to stand by that, because that was your choice. You can't expect another dealer local to you to have to eat a cost because of a foreign dealer, and you can't expect Gibson to ask them to. A local dealer has to pay these things to give you the pleasure of having guitars to buy and try. But, truly, EVERYTHING you have shown is easily fixable. Including the fretboard. The fretbaord is likely the only thing I see as an accident or defect (from the factory or dealer) and really should not cost much to make it right. Fretbaords get that often from inlay work or fret jobs, and no one ever notices the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoyVader Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sorry to hear that you are not happy with your new Gibson... Speak to Gibson customer services...In my limited experience with them they have always been more than fair... Hope you get things sorted.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sorry for your disappointment like others have said looks like mostly minor stuff but you need to be happy, but you also need to ask your dealer a few questions - Both the scratches which look like tool marks and the nut polishing and filing look like a bad set-up from a careless or inexperienced tech after a string gauge change or lowering the action at the nut, I know the guitar is new to you but you said it's a 2010 right? Did they set it up at the store? If so they are probably the ones to blame. Sadly Ive seen more than a few brand new Gibsons and other expensive guitars damaged in ways that look exactly like this from shop techs thinking they were pro's and doing set-ups when they didn't know what they were doing. I recently turned down buying a nice goldtop because it looked exactly like this guitar and the store was bragging about how it was set-up by their in-house tech so it was perfect with a nice low action and a custom adjusted nut. When I pointed out the damage and the improper nut angles and bad polish they also tried to say oh it came like that from Gibson that's why we set them up here maybe this one hasn't been done yet. Right I hope they got the story straight before the next person bought it. Also just a question but - How is Gibson somehow always to blame for you and others losing money by paying your own countries high import taxes? Sounds like a question for your own elected officials not the Gibson forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freak show Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 I bought a new Gibson Firebird 2010 from a Canadian Gibson dealer. I received the guitar (on June 12 2011) with several faults, and I am currently talking with the dealer to rectify the situation, but I don't know what to do because I was charged $500 import tax by Australian customs, and if I send the guitar back to the Canadian dealer (~$220US shipping) I would have to pay a further $500US import duty to receive another guitar as a replacement (totaling ~$720US more than I would have payed if I had received the guitar without these imperfections, which was not my fault to begin with, but rather the poor quality control checks). OK, I'll start off by saying I'm not an expert on Australian customs policies, but in the countries where I have lived, one is entitled to a refund of import tax paid when one returns the merchandise. That would mean in this case that you would get the first $500 back upon returning the guitar. As to the issues themselves: I agree that this guitar isn't a great example of an effective Quality Control Department, but the problems are minor. Actually, IMO the dealer should have at least warned you about the gouge in the fretboard or sent the guitar back to Gibson. Selling it as a new guitar was wrong. I would ask them if they could refund you a bit. On the other hand, the repair itself is fairly simple. Here's a link: http://www.frets.com/fretspages/Luthier/Technique/Frets/FBoardDivot/fboardivot.html Good luck on finding a solution you can be happy with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmnc Posted June 20, 2011 Author Share Posted June 20, 2011 Thanks for all the helps guys. Contact AMI http://www.gibsonami.com/ They may help. Emailing them now, thank you. Both the scratches which look like tool marks and the nut polishing and filing look like a bad set-up from a careless or inexperienced tech after a string gauge change or lowering the action at the nut, I know the guitar is new to you but you said it's a 2010 right? Did they set it up at the store? If so they are probably the ones to blame. Sadly Ive seen more than a few brand new Gibsons and other expensive guitars damaged in ways that look exactly like this from shop techs thinking they were pro's and doing set-ups when they didn't know what they were doing. I recently turned down buying a nice goldtop because it looked exactly like this guitar and the store was bragging about how it was set-up by their in-house tech so it was perfect with a nice low action and a custom adjusted nut. When I pointed out the damage and the improper nut angles and bad polish they also tried to say oh it came like that from Gibson that's why we set them up here maybe this one hasn't been done yet. Right I hope they got the story straight before the next person bought it. Also just a question but - How is Gibson somehow always to blame for you and others losing money by paying your own countries high import taxes? Sounds like a question for your own elected officials not the Gibson forum Yes, it's a 2010, but i've always been under the impression that Firebirds don't sell that well. I don't think they lowered the action at the nut considering the nut is actually too shallow, if that was the case the nut should be at least deep enough for low/medium gauge strings. The seller mentioned at one point that their "tech did not notice the imperfections when we shipped the guitar". The guitar wasn't exactly set-up for low action, the bridge didn't seem to be adjusted for low action, the only noticeable thing was that the bridge pickup was set far too close to the strings, so I can't tell if it was attempted to be properly set-up. By saying it is unfair I pay additional shipping and import tax I meant because I asked if the guitar had any cosmetic issues (on the fingerboard specifically) and the Canadian dealer said it was in perfect condition, no issues - I don't see a difference between this scenario and if I had found imperfections when I took the guitar home from a local dealer (the local dealer would be responsible for sending the guitar back to Gibson, not me). Obviously I have no issues paying import tax and shipping if the guitar has been as described, but I don't think its realistic to say its fair that I pay import tax and shipping twice when the guitar was not as described. OK, I'll start off by saying I'm not an expert on Australian customs policies, but in the countries where I have lived, one is entitled to a refund of import tax paid when one returns the merchandise. That would mean in this case that you would get the first $500 back upon returning the guitar. As to the issues themselves: I agree that this guitar isn't a great example of an effective Quality Control Department, but the problems are minor. Actually, IMO the dealer should have at least warned you about the gouge in the fretboard or sent the guitar back to Gibson. Selling it as a new guitar was wrong. I would ask them if they could refund you a bit. Good luck on finding a solution you can be happy with. Interesting thought, I will contact customs tomorrow and ask if I can claim a refund, in which case I'll swallow the burden of paying return shipping. To be honest (and I hope you don't get mad) if you have bought from another country to save some money by paying the shipping and import duties yourself as opposed to buying from a local dealer, you have to stand by that, because that was your choice. You can't expect another dealer local to you to have to eat a cost because of a foreign dealer, and you can't expect Gibson to ask them to. A local dealer has to pay these things to give you the pleasure of having guitars to buy and try. I've been burnt before from buying guitars online, although it was a used Les Paul, so the saving was not the reason behind buying online. In fact, the local store that has a Firebird that I mentioned is actually selling it for $100 less than what I payed after tax and shipping. I bought it online because Firebirds are not popular in Perth AU, when I bought it no local dealers had one in stock and when I attempted to order one, 2 dealers couldn't tell me how long it would take to receive it (2 - 4 months they said), which is why I ordered online. In retrospect, I should have ordered it from inter-state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sense you have asked the dealer specifically about the condition of the fretboard, the dealer SHOULD have inspected the guitar for you and let you know if there was anything you MAY have been unhappy with, and I think that goes back onto the dealer. As Freak Show has suggested, perhaps they will give you a further discount. I have heard of MF doing that on occasion for legitimate flaws in the guitars they sell. I feel I have to commend you on your attitude and your ability to accept criticism with an open mind. In doing so, it allows others to glean experience and wisdom from this thread. Using the finish around the tailpiece studs as an example. Some would consider it an issue, and some would not. Most would think it unsightly, but on the other hand if that was how the guitar was built and there was not a scratch on it, it could be called perfect. It could go either way, and either view could be legitimate I think. Most feel that it is always better to play the guitar before you buy to get one that you like the way it sounds and plays (impossible to really tell buying online) but I think this is another lesson for all of us why it is so much better to buy from a local dealer, and the issues with buying online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gibson CS Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 rmnc, PM sent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtherainbo Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 Sense you have asked the dealer specifically about the condition of the fretboard, the dealer SHOULD have inspected the guitar for you and let you know if there was anything you MAY have been unhappy with, and I think that goes back onto the dealer. As Freak Show has suggested, perhaps they will give you a further discount. I have heard of MF doing that on occasion for legitimate flaws in the guitars they sell. I feel I have to commend you on your attitude and your ability to accept criticism with an open mind. In doing so, it allows others to glean experience and wisdom from this thread. Using the finish around the tailpiece studs as an example. Some would consider it an issue, and some would not. Most would think it unsightly, but on the other hand if that was how the guitar was built and there was not a scratch on it, it could be called perfect. It could go either way, and either view could be legitimate I think. Most feel that it is always better to play the guitar before you buy to get one that you like the way it sounds and plays (impossible to really tell buying online) but I think this is another lesson for all of us why it is so much better to buy from a local dealer, and the issues with buying online. Hello, Fellow Babies Man, I can appreciate that your anticipation and expectations of a new guitar are high; especially when the maker is world renowned for craftsmanship. And you laid out a lotta bread to get it, and then you had to wait for a couple of months. Okay anything wrong with your new baby is a big deal. I'm sorry to say though, that I agree with stein, here. The problems are easily fixed by any competent luthier. You'll spend lots of money un-neccessarily and generate a lot of annoyance if you insist on sending the guitar back, or insist on a trade for a different guitar. You might talk to the dealer, explain your unhappiness, and you might yet get some sort of adjustment in price over the gouge. I had exactly the same reaction to a guitar once in the distant, long ago time of my youth. I was examining the guitar with intent to buy, and I could detect a little, tiny, ensie teensy discoloration that might have been a bit of glue under the finnish at the neck joint. Ah Ha --- some lazy, not very qualified, bored, lazy ham-fisted factory worker thought he could slip crappy quality past my eagle eye! We are of course talking about an area that might have been about 3 by 30 mm; and I'll even allow that with the passage of time, my memory may have magnified the dimensions. That crappy guitar just didn't measure up to my high standards. I was in Ernie Ball's music shop in Tarzana at the time, and in fairness, he wouldn't have tried to sell any guitar with any serious flaw to anyone. I just figured old age was catching up on ol' Ern, maybe he was slipping in his judgement, and he just couldn't see that glue -- 'til I showed him. And he should have been grateful I would lend my young eyes and giant expertise to help him out after he couldn't cut it anymore... Okay, okay he was maybe between 35 or 40 then, but after all, I was 13, and he seemed pretty damned ancient to me. Besides, **I** knew everything there was to know about guitars. It was only later that someone explained the significance of something I caught out of the corner of my eye. After I pointed out this huge, eye-popping, freaking, flaw, Ernie, with frowny eyebrows, looked over to my friend and made cranking motions around his ear, "Why'd you bring him to my shop?" Bearing in mind that I am certainly the the cheapest guitar lover you'll ever meet, and I'm one person on this site least likely to willingly part with even a fraction of the money you've spent, I think your problem is that you a seeing the situation with way, way overly sensitive, highly critical eyes. Look, mnc, I'm sorry if I sound unsympathetic here, 'cause I haven't spent that kinda money for a guitar in years; I know that if I did, I too would be very hard to please. That's why I don't do it, a big purchase brings on a case of buyer's remorse that will leave me high on the ledge of a downtown building calling the suicide line. I can't cope with that very often, so I get it, Little Guy, you're unhappy, but I think you're seeing canyons where the rest of us are seeing dimples. Like the cracking in the finish at the wood edge around the studs under the stop tailpiece. Most likely those uneven edges were caused when factory techs pulled the tape or whatever substance they use to cover and protect the screw threads during the finishing process. If you try to cut it away,now that the finish has cured, with a razor or any other hand tool, it will almost certainly cause the finish to flake away such that it would be clearly visible beyond the edges of the tailpiece. After removing the strings and hardware, I would apply small drops - one at a time - of lacquer thinner to the edge of the wood. This would melt the cracked edges of the lacquer down flat, clean, glossy and invisibly into the immediate area of finish -- if done carefully. The shallowness of the slots in the nut is an easy fix, and is almost certainly deliberate. The factory couldn't possibly know the string gauge you prefer , so they have erred in favor of the use of lightest gauge strings leaving it to you to cut the depth appropriate to the string of your choice. The school of thought is that deep slots kill tone production by damping string vibration, so you want them as shallow as possible, leaving a slot just deep enough to retain the strings in place. Cut them too deeply or too close together and you then have to fill the slot(s) back up with a mix of glue and "bone" dust and file again, or replace the nut in the worst case. As for the gouge on the finger board, you're way over thinking and over stressing. It can't be more than 2 mm out from the nut, and unless you have a grip that could break Hercules' heart and make him cry, there is no way you're ever gonna bend the second string, tuned at anything remotely close to concert pitch, that close to the nut and cause more "damage." I could be wrong here, but the gouge looks too shallow to fill with a mixture of glue and rose wood dust as it is. To do that properly, it looks to me that such a repair would require cutting out the wood around the gouge deeply enough to create a pocket that would actually hold the mixture without it being knocked loose. You can fill a gouge that shallow with with a dark furniture crayon, and nobody will ever know.... If you aren't sure that these are tasks you can do, then find a local, factory trained and certified luthier. It wont cost you a fraction of the cost to send it back. And I honestly don't think the the issues you see are of a severity that will raise any sense that you have suffered an injustice, or arouse a of sense of shame in a dealer or luthier. And if you make a fuss over of them, I think you will lose a dealer or repairperson that could be a friend that could help you when you really need it. I do a lot of my own repairs --- it's a hobby. But when I go to a guitar dealer, it is with the attitude that I can learn and I'm always grateful for anything they can do for me or show me, even if I already know how to do the job. Usually I no longer have the tools or the patience, or I may be experiencing too much pain from old motorcycle injuries. This sounds corny, but a humble, non-combative attitude has gotten many people to help me when I needed it. Act like a jerk, and you'll never see that kind of help. Case in point, my brother and I recently visited a local shop for the electricians to check out a little, old Taxie 50 amp I had just bought. Turned out all it really needed was a new battery, which I paid for. In the meantime, my brother and I were having a friendly conversation with the techs. Turned out the older man was a harmonica freak, in fact he was interested in every instrument that depended on reeds for sound. Well we had a good conversation, cracked a few jokes and stories... after a few minutes, the guy dragged out his collection of harmonicas. Beautiful stuff - I had never even heard of a bass harmonica? He had one that was about two feet long, he had another rig where where it consisted of two big harmonicas mounted in a harness that held them in parallel. He wound up playing each of his harmonicas, and my brother played his fiddle with him. Jokes and stories all around, yatta ta yatta... the techs tested my amp in detail, and they did a quick repair to my brother's fiddle pre-amp.... Okay it was just re-soldering a cold joint, but they did the battery installation, cleaned up the interior, inspected the wiring, tested it to see that it worked properly, and fixed David's pre-amp --- for free. 'Cause we were friends by then. Good Luck, mnc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitaraddict1 Posted June 20, 2011 Share Posted June 20, 2011 "prestige,quality, and innovation" that's what the top of this page says right. The bottom line is that you did not buy an immitation or a copy. The guitar should be perfect. It's like buying a rolex, you have a reasonable expectation of what to expect based on the history of the product. Unfortunately as the other guy said when buying the way you did it puts a little bit of the burden on you. Perhaps you can return it. Will the store that sold it to you pay for shipping or go half and half? Then buy it from a local store. I understand your frustrations. Perhaps Gibson will pay for a local guy to fix it. On the Gibson website there is an 800 number you can call. I know people say it's an easy fix but, you bought it new. It shouldn't need to be fixed. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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