I'm happy for your outcome, but surprised about Sweetwater's letting the first OM out their door, especially to a repeat customer. I've not bought a guitar from them, but thought I could do so one day because their advertised process is compelling, compared to other mass-seller online outlets. Sweetwater charges a premium price by $50 in the case of a lower-end ($500) instrument and for that premium they say you get a hand-selected item with individual set-up, sometimes to your spec. I assume they'd be more careful and selective with a mid-level Martin.
In your case, the binding issue got by the tech, and so did the dud sound, which a tech with lots of comparison experience via these set-ups should have noticed in the same way you would have, were you to evaluate several in person.
Some here have said my expectations from the industry are too high, and, though I disagree, that may objectively be so. From this experience, however, were I in the market for a new Martin, I'm more likely now to give Ted (LA Guitars) a call and plead for as near perfect a guitar as possible at his best price, knowing I'll receive that level of attention for my $$. Sweetwater's customer service after the fact may be great, and Aaron pleasant, but at the end of the day, it's the guitar that matters, to me. Again, I'm happy it worked out - the OM Martin sound, when healthy, is pretty amazing.
|