Hey, gang - I'm the fellow who returned said damaged 512.
Just a couple quick notes; to give credit where credit is due, Elderly refunded the full $1,500 purchase price to my card two days after they received the guitar - on their shipping ticket. Three days later, my bank actually applied the funds, and I had my money back. So, they played fair and square about that, and it's only right that I point that out. It really did a lot to make the pain go away.
I was told that it headed for their repair department as soon as it was returned. Ace, the manager who took care of me, said I shouldn't be surprised to see it back out for sale again; I said that I would assume it would go in their "as-is" section, or at least include the cracked soundboard and finish cracks in the description. He was noncommittal.
As I've mentioned before, the personal up side of this story is that in just a few days, I will be sending Son Le payment for his brand-new 512, and again, I just can't thank him enough for his kindness and patience throughout this process. I'm very, VERY jazzed about getting my hands on it!
For those who are looking, if you knew ahead of time just what the condition of the guitar was, I could see going for it... it sounded and played beautifully. Just remember that you are indeed inheriting all the baggage, as well as the benefits, that go with a 30-year-old guitar. But no one should *ever* have the experience of opening a case for the first time, and unexpectedly finding a cracked soundboard and finish cracks - it's heartbreaking. The instrument's history has to be part of the description.
And that infamous pink color - I was so traumatized by the guitar, I never even noticed it! The fact is, it's not the Barbie pink you see in the pictures; it's more of a rich purplish-pink. I absolutely *know* I've seen something that exact color before, perhaps some Mattel toy or play slime that everyone would recognize if I could just pin it down... but it won't come to me. It definitely is not that Pepto-Bismol pink from the photos.
Anyway, happy hunting, and I'll let you know when the new baby arrives!
Randy
Steffan
