newbie scores F512, says hello

[Moriati]

Ouch :shock: If it were me and I paid the price for a guitar that was in excellent condition I would want it to be in excellent condition, otherwise I would have paid a lower price for one with a crack and finish damage. If the seller would give me a refund due to the shipping damage I would gladly send it back for the refund. Too bad the damage probably could have been avoided just by the end pin being removed for shipping and some newspaper stuffed in the bottom of the box

It sounds like Elderly is doing the right thing by their customer, you might even talk with them and see if they could locate you another one in the condition this one was before the damage occured.

Sorry about the bad luck man, I can only imagine the heartache when you saw the damage

I agree entirely - I have no problem buying or playing repaired guitars - as long as I know about it and the damage is taken into account in the price. In this case you were not expecting the damage. What price disappointment? I'd follow Frankieb's good advice.

Good luck.

Moriati

 

[taabru45]

If you love it, maybe live with it.... I bought a D50 with 3 large cracks running from the bottom to at least the bridge, the 'finish' had been done badly, the rest of the guitar is beautiful, but when I strummed it, back came the familiar voice and memories of my first Guild a mid-late 60s Braz D50....its such a keeper that I may be selling my new 2009 D50...... :shock: So....if you love it...and the saddle looks good too if the action is good.... Steffan

 

[bluesypicky]

If you love it, maybe live with it.... I bought a D50 with 3 large cracks running from the bottom to at least the bridge, the 'finish' had been done badly, the rest of the guitar is beautiful, but when I strummed it, back came the familiar voice and memories of my first Guild a mid-late 60s Braz D50....its such a keeper that I may be selling my new 2009 D50...... :shock: So....if you love it...and the saddle looks good too if the action is good.... Steffan

The difference here Steffan is, you bought it AWARE of the cracks and finish flaws.....
But you're right when you say it's all about how much you love it and your will to compromise.

 

[chazmo]

Randy, tough call. Go with your heart, man. Looks like a beautiful guitar, but no question about the shipping damage. Maybe you can call Elderly and negotiate. Or, maybe they don't do that; I don't know.

What a shame about the shipping, but definitely a beauty!!! I'm a little confused about why Elderly didn't take more precaution during shipping. I always pull the end pin and pack bubble wrap around the body inside the case. Sigh.

 

[twocorgis]

What a shame about the shipping, but definitely a beauty!!! I'm a little confused about why Elderly didn't take more precaution during shipping. I always pull the end pin and pack bubble wrap around the body inside the case. Sigh.

You'd think that Elderly would be very well-versed shipping guitars at this point. Whenever I ship, if I can't get the end pic out (which happens some times) I surround it with styrofoam and put it back in the case. I've had a couple make it to Oz that way with no mishaps. In all fairness, it might just have either been an oversight, or just plain bad luck. Sucks either way.

If it were myself in this position, I'd either return it, or try to get some restitution from Elderly.

 

[bluesypicky]

If it were myself in this position, I'd either return it, or try to get some restitution from Elderly.

I believe we have reached a consensus here.... :wink:
Keep it if you feel you must Randy, but someone has to accept the responsibility for the damage, and it shouldn't be you.

 

[12stringer]

What a shame about the shipping, but definitely a beauty!!! I'm a little confused about why Elderly didn't take more precaution during shipping. I always pull the end pin and pack bubble wrap around the body inside the case. Sigh.

You'd think that Elderly would be very well-versed shipping guitars at this point. Whenever I ship, if I can't get the end pic out (which happens some times) I surround it with styrofoam and put it back in the case. I've had a couple make it to Oz that way with no mishaps. In all fairness, it might just have either been an oversight, or just plain bad luck. Sucks either way.

If it were myself in this position, I'd either return it, or try to get some restitution from Elderly.

Well put....I had a similar experience and the seller reimbursed enough money to get the guitar fixed. Best of luck,
Randy

 

[frankieb]

I had a similar experience and the seller reimbursed enough money to get the guitar fixed. Best of luck,
Randy

If it were me I would want to try to get the amount the guitar is devalued reimbursed or return for a full refund if possible. As GardMan pointed out earlier the damage could devalue the guitar by 20-30% which is considerably more than what it would cost to get the crack glued and cleated. Personally, I would not accept just the cost of the repair being reimbursed because in the end I would have still paid a premium for a guitar in excellent condition that is permanently devalued by the damage even after the repairs if for any reason I ever sell it.

 

[charliea]

512's show up on eBay regularly, and sometimes you can get a pretty good deal. For that matter, Elderly gets them from time to time. Send this one back, and tell Elderly you want dibs on the next one to come along.

 

[twocorgis]

512's show up on eBay regularly, and sometimes you can get a pretty good deal. For that matter, Elderly gets them from time to time. Send this one back, and tell Elderly you want dibs on the next one to come along.

Though I've complained to sellers about the condition of some of the guitars I've bought and received consideration from their end, now that I think about it, I would return this one. As others have pointed out, they're not exactly rare, and can be had at some remarkably good prices if you hit it right. I often think of upgrading my D25-12 to an F512 or another Guild with an Ebony board, but I like the D25 so much. I can't rationalize having more than one 12er (yeah, that's me talking!) either.

 

[randyman]

Is my baybay DOA?

I appreciate all the advice you've been sharing... let me add one additional iron to the fire.

The luthier I brought the 512 to yesterday for a quick check is not someone I know; he also seemed to be quite a character, and I'm not sure how much of what he said was hyperbole, and how much should be taken as gospel.

The very first thing he said upon picking up and strumming the guitar was that "it's dried up and dead!" This was kind of hard for me to take at face value, as it was sounding pretty great to me, but then, what do I know.

So here, against my better judgment, is a few minutes of me sitting in my living room and demonstrating that I am, in fact, not a guitarist. What I'll ask all of you that have experience with Guild 12ers is: setting aside, if you can, my poor fretboard technique, do you hear any intrinsic problems with the sound of the guitar?

http://haikutweeter.com/guild/guildmix.mp3

I'm kind of leaning on the side of eating my words and sending her back... if you can identify problems with the guitar's projection or tone (that aren't my fault) it could tip the scales one way or the other. Thanks!

(Give the file a few moments for the file to load, or download it to your desktop; it will load, but it's larger than most MP3s.)

 

[12stringer]

Well from what I hear....pretty nice....clear highs and smooth through the overall range....bottom is a bit muddy but that is most likely the recording gear being placed in the wrong place or being inadequit...you have reverb on it which colors the sound a bit.
It really is hard to tell unless I am in the room with it, but I don't hear anything wrong.

 

[randyman]

a sad decision

This has been a tough one, but I've come to the conclusion that I didn't receive what I paid for, and I just emailed photos of the damage to Elderly along with my request to return the guitar for a full refund. I expect this will turn around pretty quickly, and I'll be shipping the package out tomorrow (Tuesday) after arrangements have been made. I'll keep you posted on my interactions with Elderly.

Sigh.

I'm hoping my card will be credited quickly, and I can resume the search. I may put less emphasis on finding a Westerly model, and just focus on finding a more recent F512 or F412. Dang.

Thanks again for all your help and kind words!

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Randy; welcome to LTG and sorry about your guitar. If it were mine, I'd follow this suggestion. Good luck whatever you do.

 

[evenkeel]

Welcome to LTG land. Sorry about the guitar. Just reading the story has been a roller coaster ride. I'm sure living it has been pretty upsetting. I think your decision to return and move on is probably the right one. If you keep the guitar everytime you look at the guitar you'll be thinking "if only".

FWIW I really question the "dried up and dead" comment. If the guitar came from New Mexico, Vegas or a north eastern state in the middle of winter, maybe. But from Elderly (where it's kept in pretty stable conditions) to RI, hard to imagaine it could be that dried up. Possible?? Maybe. Likely not so much.

 

[bluesypicky]

Re: a sad decision

This has been a tough one, but I've come to the conclusion that I didn't receive what I paid for. Thanks again for all your help and kind words!

You're doing the right thing Randy....Everything happens for a reason, and that means you'll get an even better deal on another one, just hang in there a bit longer!
And you're welcome... :mrgreen:

 

[randyman]

on its way back

Just a few moments ago, the damaged F512 was picked up by FedEx via the call tag provided by Elderly Instruments. I'll be tracking it as it makes its way back to Michigan.

Thanks to one and all for your comments and advice though this difficult experience. There may, however, be a silver lining.

In a day or two, I may have some very interesting news to report about my guitar search. I can't say anything until I'm sure, but as soon as I can, I'll pipe up again. Not to be mysterious, but... my fingers are crossed, and there's a smile on my face. My best to everyone, and have a great holiday!

Randy

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Randy; good luck with your new whatever-it-is and good riddance to the foul ball. Too bad; Elderly has a good reputation as do many of the other web-driven dealers but every now and then, either they don't take enough precautions or the guitar gets beat up en route. Anyway, it's reassuring to see Elderly step up ... somebody on their shipping dock is going to get lumps of coal in their stocking this year ... :evil:

 

[frankieb]

Good luck on your new adventure, hope all works out good for ya :wink: