Finish Cracks in the neck pocket (RANT)

[lcampz]

Why lie about it!?!?!

Just to prove myself right, a short while ago, I purchased a Jackson DK2 which I was told had "finish cracks". I was assured that the cracks didn't "go down into the wood". I thought to myself, "you, sir... are a liar... have you looked under the finish?". Nevertheless, to prove it to myself I bought the guitar. I then took it home and painstakingly hand sanded the body, so as not to place any stress on the neck pocket or neck in the process. And what did I find? You already knew the answer. The body of that bad boy was cracked for sure on both sides. The crack opened up (neck moved) with even just slight pressure on the neck. When I confronted the seller he insisted that I damaged the neck pocket when I sanded the finish off and the guitar was now altered and unreturnable. I had to remind him that I was not asking for my money back. What I was doing, was NOT being another quiet consumer getting taken for a ride. I was confronting him with his falsified, if not just plain ignorant, sales pitch and guarantees. He didn't get it. How many times does someone have to assure you they are not a criminal!? PLEASE!! Do finish cracks and checking occur? Absolutely, but if you see one in a neck pocket... ... ...proceed with extreme caution. I use to see these pop up in auctions all the time, perhaps they still do. Tagged on to the description is always the lovely statement, "does not affect play". What!?! Flawed is flawed. Neck pocket cracks can be fixed; but, chances are it's going to be expensive and cost more than a new guitar with no issues.
Not long ago I stopped in to a local guitar shop with great prices on 7 or 8 Fenders. Yup. On close inspection ALL of them had neck pocket "finish" cracks. Once again I was assured there were no structural issues! Before that day, this was my favorite local axe shop. I left politely without saying a word and vowed never to return. That guitar shop is now out of business; gone. I don't believe in Karma... but...
Be careful. It's dangerous out there folks. Ok, rant over. I'm done. Thanks for listening.

[worldoftone]

Ummm . . . OK.

Caveat Emptor.

- WOT

[lcampz]

Caveat Emptor.

"Let the buyer beware"

will have to do; since,

"Let the seller be honest and knowledgeable"

seems to be a seldom applied art. What a shame. However, if this rant prevents even just one person from buying a nice looking but, busted axe... I'm a happy man.

[Mars Hall]

Thanks for the heads up! I don't know, that I would have ever thought the body underneath was damaged.

But isn't that going a little out of your way to prove a point. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you bought the guitar just to show that guy he was wrong.

Hopefully, you did pay much for this guitar. Hope this doesn't come off wrong, I'm being sincere.

[lcampz]

Thanks for the heads up! I don't know, that I would have ever thought the body underneath was damaged.

But isn't that going a little out of your way to prove a point. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you bought the guitar just to show that guy he was wrong.

Hopefully, you did pay much for this guitar. Hope this doesn't come off wrong, I'm being sincere.

Nope, didn't come off wrong at all... ...and I did kinda go out of my way.

But, I had the extra cash at the time and had been watching this seller for a while. (It's kind of like tube sellers on ebay that are knowingly selling bogus Mull's and Tele's and Bugle Boy's.) At some point, I just believe frauds should be called out, if for no other reason than to prevent someone else from being ripped off. Perhaps people who have been playing for a long time should know; but, what about that 15 to 18 yr. old newbie who see's a really cool looking Fender or Charvel (or whatever) and saves up 3 to 5 hundred (heaven forbid any more) to pay on a broken axe? I think that's a pretty lousy initiation. I do have the capacity to be a real ___________ (fill in the blank) sometimes; but, confronting this seller just seemed liked the right thing to do at the time. Guitar playing shouldn't be an experience that bums you out.

...anyway, that's why I did it.

[fillmore nyc]

Why lie about it!?!?!
When I confronted the seller he insisted that I damaged the neck pocket when I sanded the finish off and the guitar was now altered and unreturnable. I had to remind him that I was not asking for my money back. What I was doing, was NOT being another quiet consumer getting taken for a ride. I was confronting him with his falsified, if not just plain ignorant, sales pitch and guarantees. He didn't get it. How many times does someone have to assure you they are not a criminal!?
Before that day, this was my favorite local axe shop. I left politely without saying a word and vowed never to return. That guitar shop is now out of business; gone. I don't believe in Karma... but...
Be careful. It's dangerous out there folks. Ok, rant over. I'm done. Thanks for listening.

The way of the world, my friend!!
A few years ago, I was in a store in New Jersey looking at 2 guitars... a '58 and a '59 Historic LP. The '58 was really better in all respects--it was $1000 cheaper, lighter in weight, had a really nice top, a HUGE neck, and a very nice dark rosewood fingerboard. Played like a monster.
The '59 was also really nice, had an even better top, but was noticeably heavier, and had one of those gross light colored rosewood fingerboards. It played well, but not as well as the '58.
The caveat was that the '59 had a very noticeable scratch on the back, next to the neck heel. I figured I could live with the scratch, made the COLOSSAL mistake of not mentioning it to the salesman, and bought the '59, knowing that the store had a 14 day return/exchange policy.
Well, as nice as it was, that '58 kept haunting me, and the following weekend, I went back to exchange the '59 for the '58. NOT LOOKING FOR A RETURN, just an exchange, of course with the difference in the purchase price back.
The salesman, who I had known for years, and was faked out into thinking was a "good guy", immediately goes into a rant about how I scratched the guitar, and that Im trying to "pull off a fast one" in the exchange. I had to listen to this bullshit for 15 minutes, trying (in vain) to convince him that the scratch pre-existed the sale. He tells me that he "KNOWS" none of his guitars are scratched. I proceeded to have him take a couple of PRS's, and LP's down from behind the counter, ALL of which had some sort of finish scratch... after all, people occasionally play them!!! Its GONNA happen!!!
He (very) begrudgingly did the exchange, but absolutely burned any bridge that ever existed between us, and I've never returned to the store, but DID find out that this salesman was since fired. (Boo-fuckin'-hoo )
This shit happens with almost ANYTHING you can purchase: cars, houses, guitars, etc.

The moral here: Salesmen are salesmen, period. They might act like your friend, but unless you've known them since childhood, they are NOT your friend, and you are not their friend... your MONEY is their friend, and they will say or do ANYTHING to get your money, and some of them dont have the smarts to know how to keep you returning to their establishments, as evidenced by their behavior AFTER they get your money.
Thats exactly why so many store go out of business, but Im just as happy to have this kind of person weeded out of the system. They do it to themselves.