Does this look "near mint" to you?

[GAD]

Bought this guitar on Ebay. Guitar was advertised as "near mint".

Damn thing is covered with dings, some of which go down to the wood. There's a bunch of finish cracks too, but they didn't come out on my first attempt to photograph them.

This IS a 30 year old guitar. The description said :

" Up for auction is a beautiful vintage Guild S-300 A-D in near mint condition. A stands for the ash body the D stands for the DiMarzio humbuckers. This is a very nice guitar with a vintage sound. This is a rare version of this guitar with the ash body and DiMarzio's. Every thing is original on this guitar. Very few inperfections on this. Neck is straight and frets are great. OHSC included. i hate to sell this but I have no choice. This is a must have for a Guild collector."

Guitar plays fine, though a couple of the deep dings are on the neck so I can feel them.

Here are the pics:

GAD

 

[GAD]

When I plugged it in, the bridge pickup produced no sound. After time it came on. Might be a bad solder joint or switch. Interestingly enough, the bridge has the saddles arranged almost in a strait line. Needs a serious setup. Not an issue with the "near mint" stuff, but it sounds like Hell up high. Poor thing seems to have led a tough life.

GAD

 

[Qvart]

Does this look "near mint" to you?

NO!!!!!

Man, is that the S300 you just got to replace the one you used to have?

WEAK.

That "M" word gets thrown around a lot when it shouldn't be used, which means it loses it's meaning. I mean, if you're selling a 30-year old guitar then be up front about all the dents and dings. Someone is still going to dig the hell out of it. No need to say mint. Pffffft.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi GAD; did you buy This One? Maybe the seller meant it's mint in all the places where it hasn't been dinged. Congratulations on your new Guild; does this mean the hunt for an SF is over? CJ

 

[GAD]

Yeah that's the one. No - I still desperately NEED a Starfire.

Seems I still need an S300A-D too...

GAD

 

[cjd-player]

That dime look pretty near-mint to me. I don't see any scratches or tarnish.

Why are you showing it with an old beat-up guitar?

:mrgreen:

 

[GAD]

Response from the seller.

"Never had that problem with the pickup. I stand by my description. You I
said there wher a few inperfections. For a thirty year old guitar felt it
was in great shape. I must not be quit as picky as you. Thanks, Kevin."

Man I hate this. Do I open a complaint with ebay/paypal?

GAD

 

[kostask]

GAD:

This is not to justify the attitude/response of the seller, as he clearly mis-represented the guitar, and should do something to make this up to you, but the guitar, if it is finished in nitrocellulose lacquer, most definitely can have almost all of the dings cleaned up and refilled by a good luthier. The new nitro will melt itself into the old, and if the luthier is careful with the color match, will become invisible, and will not detract from the value of the guitar. The dings that go down into the wood are another matter, and would have to be addressed by the luthier doing the work. Perhaps the nitro coating could be cleaned off, and thw wood steamed to allow it to swell to the previous level, and then a nitro touch up could be done. If you do decide to have this done, it have a cost associated with it, and that should be paid for, or at least partially, by the seller. If you live near a good luthier, it would be worth your while to get an opinion on whether the guitar fits the "mint" description, and what it will cost to address the dings as above. You now have written documentation to pursue the seller with.

You should open up an eBay/Paypal complaint, just to protect yourself. You can always drop it later if you come to a resonable agreement.

Kostas

 

[GAD]

Good advice - thanks.

Man I am so bummed. I'm tired of getting ripped off. Twice this month.

GAD

 

[Maxer]

Man, this is just me talking, but beyond the cat saying this was near mint and how he misrepresented the situation, none of the scars and dings you show here would stop me at all. To me they are quite minor and are just marks of character you would expect to find on any guitar that's been kicking around for three decades. If it were me I'd be pleased to have the sucker.

 

[GAD]

Man, this is just me talking, but beyond the cat saying this was near mint and how he misrepresented the situation, none of the scars and dings you show here would stop me at all. To me they are quite minor and are just marks of character you would expect to find on any guitar that's been kicking around for three decades. If it were me I'd be pleased to have the sucker.

Thanks man. I'd be OK with it too, for maybe 1/2 - 2/3 of what I paid ya'know? Just tell me what it REALLY is and I'll bid accordingly. For $600 I'd be all over this guitar. For $1300+ shipped? No way.

GAD

 

[Qvart]

I'd be OK with it too, for maybe 1/2 - 2/3 of what I paid ya'know? Just tell me what it REALLY is and I'll bid accordingly. For $600 I'd be all over this guitar. For $1300+ shipped? No way.

GAD

Exactly. Like I said, sellers need to be more upfront about the actual condition of their items. This is not a matter of personal opinion, as the seller tried to characterize it. An objective opinion on this item would be less than "mint," and you are certainly warranted in filing a complaint. It would take too much time, effort, and money to get it looking more like his description, more like a $1300 guitar. This person really should work with you on this one, although it doesn't sound like he's open to your "opinion." So get yourself on record and have someone check it out.

I know how you feel. I grow so tired of complications in my life caused by other people and the stupid things they do. Or because they aren't honest. Or because they're too self-serving. I'd like to have more faith in people but I'm too realistic for that.

And I'll stop here because if I get on my soapbox about how people present items on Ebay I'll never stop. I run a business and it's my job to drive sales so I know what's it like trying to entice buyers, but I'm ALWAYS honest.

Good luck GAD.

 

[GAD]

Took the strings off and gave it a GOOD cleaning. From a distance, or from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about guitars, they might say it looks mint. While cleaning I discovered:

One of the pickup rings is cracked.
All of the tuners were loose, some so bad that the nuts rattled.
I don't know if I mentioned this, but the bridge had all the saddles in a straight line. Weird.
It's a three-piece body. They took great care to match the pieces though. It's hard to tell from the front or back.

More pics coming.

GAD

 

[GAD]

"Nice" S300A-D Pics

From a distance someone would say it looks mint. In fact if I saw my own pics in an auction I'd jump at it (These pics, not the ones highlighting the dings).

GAD

 

[Maxer]

That's a 3 pc! Wow, that's surprising. She sure looks nice all the same. Great grain on the body. Very handsome guitar.

Think of it this way: you got dinged, yes. But in a few years' time it won't matter. This thing will only be all the rarer. Keep good care of it and it's just going to become more special as time goes by.

 

[stclrob]

Seeing how the seller has sold about 150 items, you could really mess with that rating with a bad review. I'd contact eBay and say "Very few inperfections" meant extra change had to be dished out for repairs. On the plus side, if you're gigging with it, WOW is that going to look nice and I assume sound nice, too! :wink:

BTW, no one has mentioned so far, but is still a pretty sweet instrument. Congrats once this dust settles.

 

[capnjuan]

Hi GAD; the seller did say: "Very few imperfections on this." ... which is the same thing as saying there are some imperfections. Your pics indicate some imperfections ... so ... I admit I don't follow these closely but I have to say I'm surprised that it went for nearly $1,300. :shock: CJ

 

[jp]

I've noticed that the older the guitar, the fluffier the terms "mint" and "excellent" become. It all depends on what kind of guitar as well. This doesn't help you, though.

I agree that for that much coin, for that guitar, you should expect a pristine example. However, as CJ stated, you'll have problems contesting the "few imperfections" phrase of the ad. I also feel that any reputable dealer would definitely label "excellent" on it. I've seen some pretty nicked "excellent" guitars. I suggest you try to negotiate for a few bucks back to compensate for the pickup issue. That cannot be contested. You may also be able to get a few off for the number of nicks.

I've had great luck with this in several eBay situations. Maintain a civil discussion, and you can come out feeling much better about it. Make sure you have a reasonable number in mind first, but get the seller to throw out the first conciliatory offer.

If he absolutely refuses . . . find out where he lives, and one of the LTG "mechanics" will set a flaming bag of poo on his doorstep and ring the bell.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

The pickup not working could easily be a switch needing cleaning. My St 302 mostly sat for 25 years. When I started playing it again, it soon became silent. I removed the switch and cleaned it well with contact cleaner and Q tips. Perfect contact now.

jack

 

[saltfuture]

Jet glue and wet sand.