GC strikes again!!!

[hubberjub***]

Today, I witnessed the most slimy act I have ever seen at GC. If I hadn't been dealing with a salesman who is a very good friend and bandmate of mine I would have just become a statistic. I stopped by my local GC on my way home from work tonight to talk to my friend. The first thing I see as I walk through the door is a Fender American 62 Hotrod Stratocaster. This guitar sells for $1600 normally. It's brand new and has a clearance tag marked $856. I couldn't help myself. I already have two Strats but at this price how could I resist. I notice that the guitar has pretty high action so I tell my friend that as long as they set the guitar up I'll take it. He says "Great, I'll tell the manager." My friend comes back a couple of minutes later and says, "I'm not supposed to show you this, but the neck is really twisted." I looked and saw that the neck was way beyond repair. This would be something that GC would typically send back to Fender but they marked it as sold and wrote it off as a loss to offset the cost of a guitar that had been damaged on the floor. Instead of trying to be honest with customers the manager marked the guitar as new and hoped that someone wouldn't take the time to check it out because of the price. That someone was almost me. Buyer beware.

[duhvoodooman***]

Slimeballs. Unfortunately, the world's full of 'em.

Like the old saying goes, "If a deal seems too good to be true, it usually is."

[Viking Power]

Yikes!

So where does a guy who doesn't know the ins-n-outs of "what to look for" go to shop?

Seems like just about everybody else is going out of business and GC is one of the few with a large selection......at least in the Seattle area.

Anybody have better luck with the small shops?

[duhvoodooman***]

A lot of folks seem to do their browsing/trying out at GC and then purchase from smaller local shops. You can often get a price match, but even if you can't, it's probably worth paying a little more if you're not totally confident of your judgment or able to do your own set-up and basic repair work.

[Robert****]

Trust no one but yourself, when it comes to buying gear. That way you can only blame yourself if you end up with a crappy product.

[duhvoodooman***]

Trust no one but yourself, when it comes to buying gear. That way you can only blame yourself if you end up with a crappy product.

I understand your point, Robert, but if you're a novice, it helps to have a knowledgeable friend along and/or a trustworthy store to deal with.

[Brian Krashpad]

But wait... if sold as new, should be under warranty from Fender. So, since you've already got two and don't need to play immediately, buy, send back to Fender and get new neck.

Am I missing something?

[Viking Power]

But wait... if sold as new, should be under warranty from Fender. So, since you've already got two and don't need to play immediately, buy, send back to Fender and get new neck.

Am I missing something?

Didn't even realize guitars came with a warranty....:

[Viking Power]

A lot of folks seem to do their browsing/trying out at GC and then purchase from smaller local shops. You can often get a price match, but even if you can't, it's probably worth paying a little more if you're not totally confident of your judgment or able to do your own set-up and basic repair work.

Oh, I would definitely have a pro do setup, I'm just concerned about not having the knowledge to pick-up on a twisted neck when looking to buy..

[marnold***]

But wait... if sold as new, should be under warranty from Fender. So, since you've already got two and don't need to play immediately, buy, send back to Fender and get new neck.

Am I missing something?

I'm not sure how Fender handles those things, but you may be right. If you don't mind going through the rigmarole, you'd get a deal anyway.

[Brian Krashpad]

Didn't even realize guitars came with a warranty....:

Yep, new ones, sold as such by bigtime reputable companies (Fender, Gibson, Hamer, G&L, Peavey, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, etc.) generally do. And they should certainly cover a twisted neck, which is a factory defect.

[Viking Power]

Yep, new ones, sold as such by bigtime reputable companies (Fender, Gibson, Hamer, G&L, Peavey, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, etc.) generally do. And they should certainly cover a twisted neck, which is a factory defect.

That's actually quite reassuring.

I'm going to find some sort of checklist for inspecting new guitars and memorize before I seriously shop though.

"Buyer Beware" as the saying goes.

[Brian Krashpad]

That's actually quite reassuring.

I'm going to find some sort of checklist for inspecting new guitars and memorize before I seriously shop though.

"Buyer Beware" as the saying goes.

Yes, caveat emptor!

I always advise inexperienced buyers to bring along a more experienced person. I've offered to do so for lots of my friends. The lead singer in my side band figures he'll just cut out the middle man and buy stuff directly from me. I know I've sold him at at least 4 or 5 guitars over the years. He knows if I bought it in the first place, it's not crap. Also, one time when there was a good deal on a Ric locally and I had no funds, I sussed him to it. That Ric is now his #1.

[Rocket]

Yes, caveat emptor!

Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

[Ch0jin]

Quid quid latine dictum sit, altum videtur.

Please direct me to the closest bath house as my feet are odorous from the march?

[hubberjub***]

But wait... if sold as new, should be under warranty from Fender. So, since you've already got two and don't need to play immediately, buy, send back to Fender and get new neck.

Am I missing something?

I thought about that but my friend stated that GC had marked it as sold so he wasn't sure whether the warranty would still be good.

[tjcurtin1]

Please direct me to the closest bath house as my feet are odorous from the march?

[TS808]

I've always had good experiences with GC, so I'm hoping this is a reflection more on the manager rather than GC itself...

Nonetheless, the disadvantage of GC is often times, when I walk in, I have more knowledge of their products than their salespeople do. Salespeople in GC work on straight commission, and it's hard making a living selling guitars, so my experience has been other than a few diehard musicians who work there, most of the staff are people trying to make a buck by selling guitars instead of cars or houses.

I think it's always good to educate yourself on products...forums like these are a big help by other people giving their opinions about particular guitars, amps, etc. Another plus is that alot of times members of these types of forums post videos on youtube, etc., where you can get a good idea about how an amp sounds, etc.

Just reading some of the threads on here has turned me towards alot of good guitars and amps, and also provided some good information about those products too.

[Rocket]

...and nothing beats actually juicing it up and playing it, which would have demonstrated that the neck was twisted.
Who goes into a guitar store and buys a guitar off the wall, (or stand) without playing it?