NGD ... but may have to send it back, need your opinions please

[Lev]

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.



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.




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

[Eric***]

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]

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***]

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]

When in doubt send it back for a new one!!!!!

[duhvoodooman***]

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]

Looks like shipping/handling damage to me, too. In any case, take advantage of the return policy, and get another one.

[Tig***]

Keep the daughter,
send the guitar back.

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

[Lev]

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]

They ABSOLUTELY should pay for return shipping. Accept nothing less.

[ZMAN]

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]

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***]

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?


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

[Duffy]

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]

Lovely guitar! I bit Hagstom Viking'esque if I may say so! Especially in cherry. (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***]

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]

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]

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]

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.