Gibson USA warranty

[blazer]

Just purchased my first brand new Gibson Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute Gold Top and loving it.

 

I'm hopping for some clarifacation on the warranty.I reside in Ontario Canada and the warranty card I recieved with the guitar says one year limitd warranty and is from Yorkville Sound but Gibson USA say's it has a life time limited warrant with the original owner.Does this mean Yorkville warranties it for a year and after that I send it back to Gibson?My dealer tryed to sell me a extended warranty which didn't really make sence with the life time warranty.

 

Any help would be appreciated

[Gibson CS]

Just purchased my first brand new Gibson Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute Gold Top and loving it.

 

I'm hopping for some clarifacation on the warranty.I reside in Ontario Canada and the warranty card I recieved with the guitar says one year limitd warranty and is from Yorkville Sound but Gibson USA say's it has a life time limited warrant with the original owner.Does this mean Yorkville warranties it for a year and after that I send it back to Gibson?My dealer tryed to sell me a extended warranty which didn't really make sence with the life time warranty.

 

Any help would be appreciated

 

Guitars that we export to our Canadian distributor Yorkville Sound are covered only by the Yorkville warranty.

[neilpanda]

But thats ok, its not like you would let anything happen to your baby!

congrats! and post up some pics or the axe!

[ne14t?]

Guitars that we import to our Canadian distributor Yorkville Sound are covered only by the Yorkville warranty.

 

Wow I am kinda pissed reading that, if I had of known Gibson doesnt cover my guitar now that its in Canada I probably wouldn't have bought it. Out the window goes the idea of purchasing another one if that's the case. Not cool guys, I deal with several American manufacturers and they all warranty there product regardless of what distributor resold it.

[swleary]

My email and the CEO of Yorkville sound last email

 

 

Hi Steve,

 

I did buy a Gibson from your Cambridge store in 2010. One question though, If say the glue that Gibson use had a defect and the neck or maple cap came undone ,What would Long & McQuade do for that after the year is up?

 

I would say to bring it into the store and let us have a look at it. Very often issues with guitars are caused by lack of humidity, but very often problems can be solved very easily.

If it is a known manufacturing issue we will definitely consider trying to sort it out after the warranty expires. If you bought the guitar in 2010 it can't be too far out of warranty so I would hope we could resolve the problem to your satisfaction. It is always our goal to come up with a fair solution to every problem.

[ne14t?]

My email and the CEO of Yorkville sound last email

 

 

Hi Steve,

 

I did buy a Gibson from your Cambridge store in 2010. One question though, If say the glue that Gibson use had a defect and the neck or maple cap came undone ,What would Long & McQuade do for that after the year is up?

 

I would say to bring it into the store and let us have a look at it. Very often issues with guitars are caused by lack of humidity, but very often problems can be solved very easily.

If it is a known manufacturing issue we will definitely consider trying to sort it out after the warranty expires. If you bought the guitar in 2010 it can't be too far out of warranty so I would hope we could resolve the problem to your satisfaction. It is always our goal to come up with a fair solution to every problem.

 

Its good to know that Yorkville Sound is kind enough to state they will try and help even if its outside the warranty period, but for Gibson to state they will not warranty any of there products sold in Canada is just depressing, if thats the case take about $500 off the price of your guitars in Canada, no reason for me to pay full price if there isnt even a warranty of any kind. I can spend a fraction of the price on a offshore made guitar and when it breaks feel alright about it.

[Riverside]

I suspect that Canada might have some odd-ball warranty laws... American cars don't have great warranty coverage in Canada, either.

 

Go out and vote.

[Tim Plains]

blazer, just a 1 year warranty if you buy the guitar in Canada; lifetime warranty if you buy it from an American authorized dealer.

Honestly, Gibson's warranty is useless if you modify your guitars because you void it the moment you do.

If you ever have any problems, which you likely won't, just take the guitar to a competent luthier.

If you're near St. Kitts, Freddy's Frets is king.

 

Some more info.

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/67945-gibson-gold-warranty/

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/68015-gibson-warranty-outside-the-us/

[Dan41]

i don't understand, me i live in Ontario and the seller told is lifetime warranty when i bought my Les Paul Studio '50s Tribute and when i bought my Les Paul Traditional too

[BigKahune]

i don't understand, me i live in Ontario and the seller told is lifetime warranty when i bought my Les Paul Studio '50s Tribute and when i bought my Les Paul Traditional too

 

As has been said - the Gibson lifetime warranty is for new guitar purchased in the USA from authorized dealers and only for the original purchaser.

[blazer]

Thankyou for the reply but I really take exeption to this.I paid my hard earned money for a great product which my Gibsons are but I am getting ripped off for the warranty.I own two Gibsons which I could never part with and was considering a Gibson Acoustic but considering Gibson doesn't feel Canadians should be treated equally I can't really see that happening.I'm unaware of any other product that does not honour their warranty outside of the US.

 

Shame

 

Guitars that we export to our Canadian distributor Yorkville Sound are covered only by the Yorkville warranty.

[blazer]

Thanks Addict for the info

blazer, just a 1 year warranty if you buy the guitar in Canada; lifetime warranty if you buy it from an American authorized dealer.

Honestly, Gibson's warranty is useless if you modify your guitars because you void it the moment you do.

If you ever have any problems, which you likely won't, just take the guitar to a competent luthier.

If you're near St. Kitts, Freddy's Frets is king.

Some more info.

http://forum.gibson....-gold-warranty/

http://forum.gibson....outside-the-us/

[milod]

I don't think this is exactly a Gibson "thing" as much as a law thing where sometimes the U.S. and Canada go different directions on products from the other. For what it's worth, there are at times similar difficulties involving U.S. states on certain sorts of product, although somewhat less now than in the past.

 

Heck, I have owned several firearms products that are perfectly legal where I live, and under U.S. federal law, but just owning them could get me a long-term mandatory prison sentence in California.

 

When I ran a small sports magazine I also ran afoul of Canadian law that functionally forced us to cease sales of the magazine in Canada. I've got to admit too that I'll not drive my vehicles into Canada for fear I may have an item or two that I normally haul perfectly legally in this region Canadian Customs wouldn't care for. Although I've gotta admit I doubt Manitoba or Alberta would be as nasty about firearms or ammunition to an old fellow Northern Plains country boy as California.

 

So... again, I doubt that it's Gibson wanting to treat Canadians as second-rate customers but rather some other legal-oriented difficulties. Ah, for the good old days even I remember when in ways, the border was more like state lines in the U.S. and provincial lines in Canada. In spite of what I consider "family spats," when one is on some other non-Anglophone continent or island, it's odd how Americans and Canadians end up feeling like they're each other's home folks - which is true regardless. Perhaps it's more true for those of us from northern prairie regions, but then again, that's my own rodeo-oriented prejudice.

 

I do wish the two nations could make things go easier for commerce. We also have difficulties nowadays with beef cattle and beef products when IMHO we should be battling as a single producing "nation" fighting for overseas exports from livestock that functionally have pretty much the same excellent genetics. But again, some U.S. states have been nasty to other U.S. states over both livestock and various sorts of vegetation.

 

So... <grin> That's my anti-political sermon of the day, I guess.

 

m

[BillyGibson]

It only covers defects in material and workmanship as it "deems appropriate at its sole discretion".

Everything else is excluded - 11 items actually and including electronics after one year. Seems

reasonable, because everyone treats their instruments differently and are subjected to different

environments.

 

If a defect hasn't surfaced yet, chances are it won't. It's like a car. You get a limited time for

the bugs to be worked out, if there are any. Then if something breaks, you get it fixed

and keep driving.

 

Now go play it, mod it, enjoy it. But don't drop it, because that's not covered.

[blazer]

Understood, but we are paying for a warranty we do not recieve and thats just wrong

.

It only covers defects in material and workmanship as it "deems appropriate at its sole discretion".

Everything else is excluded - 11 items actually and including electronics after one year. Seems

reasonable, because everyone treats their instruments differently and are subjected to different

environments.

 

If a defect hasn't surfaced yet, chances are it won't. It's like a car. You get a limited time for

the bugs to be worked out, if there are any. Then if something breaks, you get it fixed

and keep driving.

 

Now go play it, mod it, enjoy it. But don't drop it, because that's not covered.

[BigKahune]

.

This topic has been discussed before and it's disappointing to say nothing has changed. I recall a couple of Canadian forum members saying they live close enough to purchase in the USA and therefore get the warranty.

[milod]

No, you didn't pay for a lifetime warranty if you bought it from Canada. You technically bought a one-year warranty which may or may not be in effect in Oz.

 

It's the same thing with gray market cameras in the US for ages. Yes it's a Nikon or Canon, but no, since it was for the market on Mars or wherever, the US warranty does not apply. Period.

 

m

[blazer]

I payed what you pay in the US and factored in that price is the life time warrenty which I do not recieve, so yes I do pay for the warranty I do not receive

 

No, you didn't pay for a lifetime warranty if you bought it from Canada. You technically bought a one-year warranty which may or may not be in effect in Oz.

 

It's the same thing with gray market cameras in the US for ages. Yes it's a Nikon or Canon, but no, since it was for the market on Mars or wherever, the US warranty does not apply. Period.

 

m

[blazer]

I'm not sure thats possible because I think you need a US address but I could be wrong

 

.

This topic has been discussed before and it's disappointing to say nothing has changed. I recall a couple of Canadian forum members saying they live close enough to purchase in the USA and therefore get the warranty.

 

 

 

 

 

[milod]

Actually you did not pay the same as though you purchased it in a U.S. store and reside in the U.S. Seriously, it's the same with cameras and many, many other items.

 

You bought a piece of merchandise from a Canadian store under Canadian law with a Canadian one-year warranty. The price tag, whether greater or lesser than one might have paid in the U.S. is irrelevant under the laws of both nations.

 

You, the retailer and Gibson all have no choice but to live with the law. You might have sufficient political connections to see whether there might be something to change import/export laws in Canada and/or the U.S., but given our common legal foundation I doubt seriously it would apply ex post facto whether for guitars, cameras or other products.

 

Technically were I to have bought a guitar in Canada and returned with it to the U.S., it remains a purchase under Canadian law and warranty. Ditto were I to have purchased a new pro-level Nikon in Canada, Germany or Korea. A warranty on a purchase outside one's national borders offers no certainly whether it's worth the paper it's printed on for me in the U.S. In fact, almost certainly not.

 

As I said, it may not seem "right," but once different national laws and such are involved, that's in the political arena and everybody has to figure how to work within that context.

 

Also as I've written before, somewhat similar apparently unfair circumstances exist even among U.S. states and, I'm told, among Canadian provinces.

 

This fact also is why, when I was in another life and traveling overseas a lot, my purchases were limited to products I didn't really care whether they had warranties or not. Had a Nikon gone down I might have taken a different viewpoint. I would have made my decision on whether or not I had a need that would offset the price of pro-level camera that worked with my lenses - or whether I could get by with a lesser piece.

 

m

[Bender 4 Life]

warrantys aren't worth the paper they're typed on anyhow........if it's not sent back immediately after purchase with some glareing defect that the mfgr. can't claim is the purchasers fault, they'll find a way out of any future warranty work, or make it such a hassle that you'd rather pay someone else to repair it.

" I see you have straplocks on it....your warranty is voided"

[This_Dying_Soul]

I don't think this is exactly a Gibson "thing" as much as a law thing where sometimes the U.S. and Canada go different directions on products from the other. For what it's worth, there are at times similar difficulties involving U.S. states on certain sorts of product, although somewhat less now than in the past.

 

Heck, I have owned several firearms products that are perfectly legal where I live, and under U.S. federal law, but just owning them could get me a long-term mandatory prison sentence in California.

 

When I ran a small sports magazine I also ran afoul of Canadian law that functionally forced us to cease sales of the magazine in Canada. I've got to admit too that I'll not drive my vehicles into Canada for fear I may have an item or two that I normally haul perfectly legally in this region Canadian Customs wouldn't care for. Although I've gotta admit I doubt Manitoba or Alberta would be as nasty about firearms or ammunition to an old fellow Northern Plains country boy as California.

 

So... again, I doubt that it's Gibson wanting to treat Canadians as second-rate customers but rather some other legal-oriented difficulties. Ah, for the good old days even I remember when in ways, the border was more like state lines in the U.S. and provincial lines in Canada. In spite of what I consider "family spats," when one is on some other non-Anglophone continent or island, it's odd how Americans and Canadians end up feeling like they're each other's home folks - which is true regardless. Perhaps it's more true for those of us from northern prairie regions, but then again, that's my own rodeo-oriented prejudice.

 

I do wish the two nations could make things go easier for commerce. We also have difficulties nowadays with beef cattle and beef products when IMHO we should be battling as a single producing "nation" fighting for overseas exports from livestock that functionally have pretty much the same excellent genetics. But again, some U.S. states have been nasty to other U.S. states over both livestock and various sorts of vegetation.

 

So... <grin> That's my anti-political sermon of the day, I guess.

 

m

 

 

I really do think it's some sort of legal issue. And as for the extended warranty offers, sometimes they cover problems that the standard warranty won't cover, so it could be worth it and the store should be making a point of explaining to you what the extended warranty offers if it does anything more than extend the duration of the warranty. Although, it would not surprise me if it has something to do with the climate in Canada more than any Canadian laws. Not that the climate is much different from the US's northern most states (except Alaska), but if the company determines that our air winter air is too dry and makes their guitars prone to issues they certainly could offer a different warranty.

 

The same thing happens with Yorkville Sound products sold outside North America. Traynor Amplification is a division of Yorkville Sound (as is the Long & McQuade music store chain) and their warranty for their amps is 2 years Unlimited "within" North America, but only 1 year in countries outside North America.

 

However, knowing this little detail now, I would definately consider ordering a guitar off Musicians Friend or some other US based website. There would be the drawback of not being able to try before you buy; but at least in the case of Musician's Friend there is a trial period where you can return the guitar for exchange or refund.

[blazer]

Well I guess it is what it is we could guess all day at the reason but Gibson is the only one who really knows and they do not seem to want give a reason.Sorry I don't buy the boarder/law thing for a minute,most stuff today we purchase come from other countries and the good companies honour thier warranty.I love my Gibsons but thier is definitly a black spot on Gibson for me.

Man even Europe gets two years and I'm 45 minites from the boarder

I really do think it's some sort of legal issue. And as for the extended warranty offers, sometimes they cover problems that the standard warranty won't cover, so it could be worth it and the store should be making a point of explaining to you what the extended warranty offers if it does anything more than extend the duration of the warranty. Although, it would not surprise me if it has something to do with the climate in Canada more than any Canadian laws. Not that the climate is much different from the US's northern most states (except Alaska), but if the company determines that our air winter air is too dry and makes their guitars prone to issues they certainly could offer a different warranty.

 

The same thing happens with Yorkville Sound products sold outside North America. Traynor Amplification is a division of Yorkville Sound (as is the Long & McQuade music store chain) and their warranty for their amps is 2 years Unlimited "within" North America, but only 1 year in countries outside North America.

 

However, knowing this little detail now, I would definately consider ordering a guitar off Musicians Friend or some other US based website. There would be the drawback of not being able to try before you buy; but at least in the case of Musician's Friend there is a trial period where you can return the guitar for exchange or refund.

[BillyGibson]

So this has me thinking...

 

Since the warranties in both countries is mostly limited, even

though "life time" in USA, but still limited; if there were

no warranty after one year, how much lower should the price be?

 

I didn't even read or know about the warranty until after I bought

my LP. So, It's all good to me. I got a nice discount anyway. But

if Gibson knew they would never see a guitar after the first year,

should they lower the price to reflect that?

[Eracer_Team]

I think the question people should be asking is..

How many times have you returned a guitar for 'warranty' repair after 1 yr of owner ship?

 

L&M has something like a 30 day no questions asked return policy and if there was some sort of material defect in the nitro don't you think it would show up before the end of 1 year?

 

I can't remember ever getting 'warranty' work done to any guitar