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View Full Version : NGD ... but may have to send it back, need your opinions please



Lev
June 22nd, 2011, 02:46 PM
I took delivery of a new Cherry Red Epiphone Dot today and I really like it a lot. It plays really nicely and has some lovely tones but there are some problems that I'd like to get your opinions on. Firstly there's some ugly looking scratch marks on the finger board all along the top E string from the third to the 9th fret. These might come out with a bit of a clean and polish but at the moment are a little annoying.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110622-00109.jpg

Next and probably more concerning there are some hair line cracks along the neck coming from the nut on both the top and underside of the neck. These look to be just on the finish but the fact that they are on the top on bottom makes me think this guitar may have taken a knock along the way.

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110622-00112.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110622-00103.jpg

I ordered unseen from a large European music store and they have a 30 money back gauruntee so I can send it back with no questions asked. I tried a couple in local stores and they had scratchy pots, loose pickup toggles etc. so I decided to just order online instead. So should I keep it and just accept that you're likely to get these kind of flaws on a relatively inexpensive guitar or send it back and get a replacement?

I do really like the guitar, as does my daughter :socool

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110621-00102.jpg

Eric
June 22nd, 2011, 02:59 PM
Hmm. Well first of all, that's a pretty guitar! Secondly, I'd wait for someone with more expertise in guitar repair, but that second neck picture seems pretty questionable to me. I guess maybe some glue could help it if it actually starts to crack? Honestly, I have no idea. So why am I posting???

Well, good luck in getting it sorted out.

NWBasser
June 22nd, 2011, 03:17 PM
With those finish cracks on both sides of the neck, I'd definitely return it for a new one.

It looks like it took a bad whack.

Eric
June 22nd, 2011, 03:29 PM
Well, now that I've actually read everything you wrote, I revise my statement. Do you think the cracks could be structural? Does the neck show any ill effects playing-wise? If no and no, I'd keep it. It's usually a pain (and you have to pay for shipping) to send a guitar back, so while you might get lucky and not have any problems the next time around, if it truly is just a finish crack, I guess I might lean toward keeping it.

Hopefully more opinions come in here.

MAXIFUNK
June 22nd, 2011, 03:35 PM
When in doubt send it back for a new one!!!!!

duhvoodooman
June 22nd, 2011, 03:37 PM
With those finish cracks on both sides of the neck, I'd definitely return it for a new one.

It looks like it took a bad whack.+1. I'd be concerned that a blow hard enough to cause finish cracks on both sides of the neck might have structurally weakened the neck right there at the headstock-neck junction. There are few bigger guitar bummers than the headstock snapping off. And if that happened a few months down the road, you'd have no recourse. I'd return it....

Bookkeeper's Son
June 22nd, 2011, 03:45 PM
Looks like shipping/handling damage to me, too. In any case, take advantage of the return policy, and get another one.

Tig
June 22nd, 2011, 04:43 PM
Keep the daughter,
send the guitar back. :D

Seriously, the cracks scare me unless you spent very little and got a super deal. I mean a very good, cheap deal.

Lev
June 22nd, 2011, 05:01 PM
Thanks for the feedback. I've re packed it all up and i'm going to request a replacement in the morning. I'm hoping they'll pay the shipping given that the guitar is somewhat defective.

Unfortunately this store use DHL to deliver and DHL have recently out sourced the local leg of deliveries in Ireland to the national postal service. So our local postman who previously used to happily skip along with his bag of letters now has a van load of boxes to deliver and he ain't best pleased about it. I've seen him bounce boxes out of his van, he really doesn't give a s--- about whats inside. I'm worried the replacement might meet a similar fate, or worse. Anyway if the next one has problems I can always seek a refund.

Thanks again to everyone for your advice!

Bookkeeper's Son
June 22nd, 2011, 05:13 PM
They ABSOLUTELY should pay for return shipping. Accept nothing less.

ZMAN
June 22nd, 2011, 05:28 PM
Lev, I have heard of many guitars being shipping via the mail to have arrive with the headstock completely broken.
They ship them with the tension on the strings and all it takes is for someone to drop the package and the shock will snap it like a twig. I would take no chances with it and send it back. I have seen a lot of guitars that had to have their necks repaired going for 1/3 of their value. Not something you should be worried about with a new guitar. Shipping is of course their responsibility. They will usually send you or print out a label for return.

oldguy
June 22nd, 2011, 05:47 PM
Unfortunately this store use DHL to deliver and DHL have recently out sourced the local leg of deliveries in Ireland to the national postal service. So our local postman who previously used to happily skip along with his bag of letters now has a van load of boxes to deliver and he ain't best pleased about it. I've seen him bounce boxes out of his van, he really doesn't give a s--- about whats inside. I'm worried the replacement might meet a similar fate, or worse. Anyway if the next one has problems I can always seek a refund.


At the risk off P!ssing off your postman, I might recommend mentioning this to him........if that doesn't help, perhaps someone with more authority.

bcdon
June 22nd, 2011, 10:06 PM
At the risk off P!ssing off your postman, I might recommend mentioning this to him........if that doesn't help, perhaps someone with more authority.

Do you really want to piss off a US postman?
LL6ubXD9ZjY

Canadian, I could understand.. our postmen have been on strike for almost a week and I haven't even noticed
the difference.

Duffy
June 23rd, 2011, 01:15 AM
I totally support your decision to send it back without delay.

They should pick up all the shipping costs because it is defective. I hope you got pre-authoriztion before you sent it back. That is what they require around here to cover postage, etc., plus tracking. You don't want it to just show up at their warehouse with no indication about what is happening. This could lead to a time consuming communications breakdown.

Beautiful guitar for sure. I have an Ibanez like that, AS73. Should be a great guitar worth getting right. I recently bought a full hollow body, relatively expensive Ibanez electric that is outragelusly beautiful and feels and sounds great. I can relate to your desire to own this guitar.

Work it out with them and don't settle for less than a perfect one, within reason. Epiphone turns out some relatively perfect guitars.

I have been dealing with a broken necked LP Epi and it is not pleasant. The repair is mediocre at best and it does not look appealing. The guitar is probably worth one tenth of its original cost so keeping it is definitely happening, as long as it plays well. If it fails again it may be relegated to the junk depository.

There is absolutely no reason to start out with a severely messed up, so called new, guitar. You would be better off with a used, half beat up, guitar that has solid integrity and plays and feels good.

That guitar doesn't look to me like it sustained its cracks in shipment either. I'd say it slipped thru quality control or was a returned item they were trying to cycle out of their inventory to some unsuspecting buyer.

If you get a perfect new one of that cherry beauty, you will be doing well and probably should call yourself lucky. But with the Epi lifetime warranty that is what you should expect every time.

Good luck and have fun with the new guitar. It will be interesting to hear about. I hope you are totally elated with your new one.

sunvalleylaw
June 23rd, 2011, 07:55 AM
Lovely guitar! I bit Hagstom Viking'esque if I may say so! Especially in cherry. :D (i know, i know, Gibson and Epi did it first). But I agree with everyone else and you have already decided to send it back. Good decision. I would not accept a new instrument with those flaws. Hope the next one is a good one! Those semis are fun guitars!

hubberjub
June 23rd, 2011, 08:00 AM
Yep, you'll lose nothing by sending it back. I wouldn't be concerned about the marks on the fingerboard though. I've seen worse tooling marks on more expensive guitars.

ZMAN
June 23rd, 2011, 03:02 PM
The more I look at the pictures I am wodering if it could be a factory second. If not it should be. I have never seen marks like that on a number one guitar. If that is what they are getting out of China I would be letting Epiphone know. It may not be shipping damage.

NWBasser
June 23rd, 2011, 03:30 PM
The photo shows an en echelon fracture pattern consistent with brittle deformation. Given that it's on both sides of the neck, I'm fairly sure that the fractures are not limited to the finish. I have no doubt that the underlying wood has been seriously compromised.

No way in hell that I'd accept a guitar with that type of damage.

Lev
June 24th, 2011, 06:08 AM
The online store (Thomann) have come back to me with a UPS returns docket, I just have to call UPS and get it picked up - no cost to me. Unfortunately I'm out of town for a few days so won't be able to arrange for UPS to pick it up until later next week. But the customer service experience has been pretty good so far with this return. Obviously they won't ship a replacement until they get this one back so it'll probably be a couple of weeks before I get my hands on the new guitar.

sunvalleylaw
June 24th, 2011, 07:20 AM
I guess the waiting is the hardest part. So says Mr. Petty. But it will be worth it to have returned it. Hope your replacement is in good order! I bet you will love that guitar!

Bookkeeper's Son
June 24th, 2011, 10:53 AM
Obviously they won't ship a replacement until they get this one back so it'll probably be a couple of weeks before I get my hands on the new guitar.
Maybe not. Some sellers have a policy where they'll ship the replacement as soon as the return is in the UPS tracking system. Zzounds did that for me when I returned my defective amp. I was literally without the amp for 3 days. Ask Thomann about it.

ZMAN
June 24th, 2011, 11:21 AM
Good luck with the replacement. I have a an ES335 and a Sheraton II. I really like the Sheraton, and any of the Dots that I have played have been pretty close to the feel of my 335. I like the color as well. Enjoy!

progrmr
June 24th, 2011, 11:23 AM
That is a beauty! But I'd send it back ASAP. Otherwise you'll be seeing those flaws every time you play it and it'll drive you nuts.

Lev
June 24th, 2011, 01:31 PM
That is a beauty! But I'd send it back ASAP. Otherwise you'll be seeing those flaws every time you play it and it'll drive you nuts.

Thanks, thats really why it had to go back. Even if they were just finish cracks they would have eventually driven me mad!

ZMAN
June 28th, 2011, 01:41 PM
Any Updates Lev?

Lev
June 30th, 2011, 02:33 PM
Any Updates Lev?

I've been off on a short family vacation and couldn't get a UPS pickup organized before I left. So the old guitar is getting collected tomorrow. It may be a week or two before I get the replacement but I'm in no big rush. I ordered a Vox Tonelab ST which arrived with the Dot so thats been keeping me entertained in the meantime.

ZMAN
July 11th, 2011, 06:03 PM
Any resolution to this one yet Lev? Also on another note, did you see that there is a Vintage Guitar (by JH Skewes) forum now. I joined it today. Strictly for Vintage guitars.

otaypanky
July 11th, 2011, 08:18 PM
Back in the box !

Lev
July 12th, 2011, 04:13 AM
Got this on Friday..... <patiently waiting, tapping fingers on desk> :help

Hi there,
thanks for your mail.

We received the guitar back here and our colleagues from the guitar department will have it checked and replaced for you within the next few days time.

Thanks and
with kind regards

Lev
July 14th, 2011, 09:18 AM
The replacement has been shipped - I should probably get it early next week. I'm hoping the delay was because they were checking it over to make sure there were no cracks on this one! Thanks for the heads up on the Vintage forum Zman. I don't currently own any of their products right now but I found a new store in Dublin that stocks their guitars so I may be tempted by one again. Their new Slash AFD LP's look fantastic.

Lev
July 20th, 2011, 02:28 PM
New Dot arrived today and I'm pretty pleased I sent the original back. There's quite a few differences from the first one they sent me including;

1) No cracks or scratches in this one
2) First guitar was made in Indonesia, replacement is made in China
3) Tuning stability much improved on replacement
4) Intonation is perfect on replacement, it was going to need some adjustment on the original
5) Playability and feel of the first was a little better but I've just dropped the action on the new one and it feels much better now
6) The new one is a bit heavier, which isn't a bad thing
7) I think the new one sounds a bit darker, especially on the neck pickup but my memory may be playing tricks.

It's pretty amazing how different the 2 guitars are. I definitely think I made the correct decision in sending the first back. A change of strings & a fret polish and it'll be great!

ZMAN
July 21st, 2011, 07:18 AM
Glad to hear the replacement was a winner! I have owned two Korean Sheratons. I know they are not a Dot but I had an Ebony one that was quite heavy and I still own a Natural finish that is quite light. I also own a 335 so I can compare them. I really like the pickups on the Sheraton and I think the newer ones have much more responsive pickups. They are designed after the PAF/57 Classics and will be in the 7 to 8 range Neck and Bridge. I think you will really come to enjoy the Dot. Lets see some pictures as well.

Lev
July 21st, 2011, 03:29 PM
Here it is along side my new Blackstar amph
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110721-00133.jpg
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff250/plevins/IMG-20110721-00131.jpg

Robert
July 21st, 2011, 04:28 PM
Kool, mon!

Amazing what the Chinese factories are pumping out these days. 15-20 years ago - different story! :puke:

Tig
July 21st, 2011, 04:36 PM
Happy NGD, part 2!
That looks beautiful. :AOK

Katastrophe
July 21st, 2011, 10:10 PM
What a beautiful combo! Congrats, Lev!