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I understand wear. I have a Gibson Les Paul Faded Special that I bought in early 2007. It's fallen flat on its face a few times, the finish is wearing off from my arm rubbing up against it, and I had to have a tuner reattached because I broke it off while purposely hitting the headstock against a microphone stand. These are all due to normal use or my choice (yes, the microphone thing was one of these > ). I happily accept all of these dings and smudges as "character" or "battle damage" or good ol' wear and tear. I do not accept a ding on a brand new instrument caused by a salesperson who was being careless. That does not fit the criteria of anything listed above. Had I brought it home flawless, took it out of the case, played it, and then bonked it while I was putting it back in the case for the first time, I would have said FUCK, then smiled and accepted it.

I don't buy a new guitar everyday. It's been three or four years since I bought my Gibson, and I was super-excited to get this Tele. The fact of the matter is that I'm pissed off about this impersonal nick, and that's how I feel. I'm very good at shrugging things off, but this $1,000+ instrument purchase matters too much to me for shrugs.

C

starcastic wrote:Once I get a guitar in my hands I fuck it up regardless. First show gets at least 3-5 dings when I smack it up, flip it and rub it down. But if someone else does the fucking-up I want $$ off that.

^^^^^this ^^^^^

i don't give a fuk about scratches on a guitar what so ever BUT in your situation i'd be a bit pissed....then if i really dug the guitar it wouldn't matter again.

check these out if you keep it:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_s ... _Pads.html

get the discount and rub the scratch out.

good luck.

i'm usually not one to care about cosmetics, but if I was paying that much bread, I'd want the thing to be 100%.

masked elwood wrote:

starcastic wrote:Once I get a guitar in my hands I fuck it up regardless. First show gets at least 3-5 dings when I smack it up, flip it and rub it down. But if someone else does the fucking-up I want $$ off that.

^^^^^this ^^^^^

i don't give a fuk about scratches on a guitar what so ever BUT in your situation i'd be a bit pissed....then if i really dug the guitar it wouldn't matter again.

check these out if you keep it:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_s ... _Pads.html

get the discount and rub the scratch out.

good luck.

It's more of a slight dent. Have you used these things?

C

oops...will not work on a dent. sorry about that.

I have a repair book somewhere that tells you how to fix a small dent with a soldering iron and a damp cloth... it's in a box... somewhere...

Yeah, I've heard of steaming dents out like that...

people will never believe you when you say "i love my guitar" and its immaculate.

Hi again.

The showroom manager has been more than fair in giving me the option to have it buffed by a local luthier on their dime or to give me a replacement guitar. My concern with the buffing is that the dent is right in the edge of the guitar, and not on a flat surface. I think I'll go with the replacement.

Now that the issue has been mostly resolved, I feel alright in mentioning that the shop in question is Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan, which is of course world-renowned for their selection and service.

C

Good to hear, customer service at it's best. Tell the sales guy you'll take care of any clean up this time around, maybe you can get your NEW guitar home scratch/dent free.

Everything I've heard about Elderly has been positive. Glad you could work something out!

Yep.

I'm sure they'll do a setup kind of deal when the guitar comes in... other than that I'm going to tell them to put it in the freezer 'til I get there.

C

Welp.

Almost three months later and I still do not have my Telecaster. I'm a patient guy, but I got a bit frustrated, and Elderly offered to refund the cashe (as they required all of it for a deposit to order the new one). Yes... I was polite about it. I realize it's not their fault that Fender's US production is glacial, but I bought the original one on January 29th, so naturally I thought I'd have had it for everything I've been working on (recording and shows) since.

Anyone have any advice on buying/ordering guitars from anywhere else? I hesitate to buy an American Standard Tele without playing it first. I could order one into Guitar Center up the road a little ways, or I could get one from many of the online dealers... just not sure if I wanna do that.

Any good or really bad experiences that you might share?

C

Wow, that's crazy you're still waiting!

My buddy works at GC and orders guitars for me all the time. If they come in and play/sound/look sub par, he just orders another until we get a good one. Unfortunately, it usually takes more than one attempt to get a good instrument, although I've had far better luck with Fender than Gibson. GC can also order one through their online site and have it sent directly to you, which is way faster than a in-store special order from Fender. Return policy is all the same, regardless, so if you can't play it first, at least you can exchange/return no questions asked.

Also, I'm sure you're aware but GC, Musicians' Friend, Music 123, and a few others are all the same company, ship from the same warehouse. Same goes for zZounds, American Musical Supply, and Same Day Music.

You gotta treat it like the lady she is. Other men may have scared her, knocked her around, and been careless knowing that she wouldn't always be theirs. Unfortunately us good guys live with what the asshats do. If you are able to look past the blemish I truly believe it will be so loyal to you for never being so careless with it.