You get what you pay for..DONT BELIEVE IT.

[Voxguy]

I have lived long enough to realize that sooner or later one tires of anything and you will want something new and different (and no I am not talking about divorces, but it applies there too). Knowing that sooner or later you will want a change, it is extremely wise to plan for the eventual resale, and that means, 1) buy a brand name guitar that everyone knows (Martin, Taylor, Fender, Gibson, Gretsch, Guild) and buy a time proven model (for example - Strat or Tele, not a Lead III, but limited editions of the time proven models can be best), 2) buy the correct matching hardcase of the same brand, 3) keep the guitar in excellent condition, 4) keep the guitar all original and complete (don't lose the tremolo arm, bridge cover, etc.), 5) keep it in a non-smoking environment, 6) keep it correctly humidified, and 7) keep the case candy. If you do all of the above, you are highly likely to recover your original cost 100% and you may realize some appreciation (the closer you stay to these guidelines, the more likely you are to make a profit).
A no-name custom build may be a fantastic guitar, but it likely will have very little resale value ever.

[Napman41]

Originally Posted by Athana

Thanks.
It makes no sense..my wife and I were so stupidly depressed for the rest of that day..it was ridiculous.
And on the other hand, I saw a Pink Relic beat up Strat last week and said to myself now THAT looks good. : )

You best HTFU because if a stain on a guitar ruins your day and your wife's day life may get pretty challenging in the future. Look at it this way, at least it ain't cancer.

[Napman41]

Fender CS Masterbuilts are relatively good guitars though they don't hold their value in the secondary market. At any given time you can find over a 100 of them listed on ebay alone and if you check the completed auctions you'll see that they sell very infrequently. When the Masterbuilt concept was first rolled out the MB pieces were basically built by one set of hands though looking at the number of MB guitars that have been produced over the last 10 years one has to wonder how those production numbers are met. I've owned 2 lefty MB guitars and they were pretty incredible but a bit sterile.

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Napman41

Fender CS Masterbuilts are relatively good guitars though they don't hold their value in the secondary market. At any given time you can find over a 100 of them listed on ebay alone and if you check the completed auctions you'll see that they sell very infrequently. When the Masterbuilt concept was first rolled out the MB pieces were basically built by one set of hands though looking at the number of MB guitars that have been produced over the last 10 years one has to wonder how those production numbers are met. I've owned 2 lefty MB guitars and they were pretty incredible but a bit sterile.

Incredible but a bit sterile sounds a little contradictory to me .
Can you explain this please ?

[Athana]

Originally Posted by Napman41

Fender CS Masterbuilts are relatively good guitars though they don't hold their value in the secondary market. At any given time you can find over a 100 of them listed on ebay alone and if you check the completed auctions you'll see that they sell very infrequently. When the Masterbuilt concept was first rolled out the MB pieces were basically built by one set of hands though looking at the number of MB guitars that have been produced over the last 10 years one has to wonder how those production numbers are met. I've owned 2 lefty MB guitars and they were pretty incredible but a bit sterile.

Nap Thanks..they really are built by one guy.
Your right 100 or so of them on ebay..they are priced used around what mine were new in 2009 which surprised me when I saw it. But I wonderif they actually sell.
I think its a bit of a wasted chance to order one new that is not tweaked in some way.

[Athana]

Originally Posted by aknow

I've played just 3 pre CBS strats. They sounded very different than my modern ones. If yours sounds like an older Strat and has that "lighter" weight, I'd say you acquired a great guitar and made a fair deal.

Thanks.
I have a 1965 Pre CBS that I got in early 1983.
There is a hollowness in the notes that no new guitar has.
But a Custom Shop Strat I got new in 1990 with a painted headstock,
in about 10-12 years, developed the sound of an old one.
Sounds like the real McCoy.
This Pink MB is sounding much more resonant and hollow than when it first arrived.
New guitars always seem to sound like they are a little water logged for some reason.

[Athana]

Originally Posted by mikealpine

I don't have time to read all of this. The Fender service pro dented your guitar. He should have business insurance, like Errors & Omissions, or similar. Regardless, he damaged it, did the right thing in offering to get it fixed, and could have resolved all the issues, stain, dent and stuck neck. You're not doing anything bad by taking him up on this. I've been in business and mistakes happen. Good businesses own up and fix it. It would be worse for him if he doesn't fix it and Fender finds out because they may not want him to rep them anymore if he doesn't show appropriate customer service. I'd let him get it fixed, then send a letter of praise to Fender, and send every bit of business I could find his way.

I asked him a couple of times, he says it will be out of pocket.. : ( ?
But very sensible advice thank you,I appreciate it.

[Napman41]

Originally Posted by Otterhound

Incredible but a bit sterile sounds a little contradictory to me .
Can you explain this please ?

Good catch and I probably used the wrong word, I should have said generic.

[Napman41]

Incredible in regards to fit, finish and attention to detail, generic in regards to the price of a MB in relationship to a team built piece or even some American guitars I've owned.

[Otterhound]

Originally Posted by Napman41

Good catch and I probably used the wrong word, I should have said generic.

I have a Masterbuilt Rosewood Tele and there is nothing generic about its sound .
In fact , the neck pup in it is truly special .

[mikealpine]

Originally Posted by Athana

I asked him a couple of times, he says it will be out of pocket.. : ( ?
But very sensible advice thank you,I appreciate it.

It's ok that it is out if his pocket; stepping up and fixing your mistakes is part of owning a business. He did the right thing in offering to fix it. He will benefit in the long run if you handle it well on your end. Refer him, use him again, post great things on Angie's List and Facebook, etc. Why should you accept back the guitar with a dent that you didn't cause? In the end, it will all work out.

[Napman41]

Originally Posted by Athana

Nap Thanks..they really are built by one guy.
Your right 100 or so of them on ebay..they are priced used around what mine were new in 2009 which surprised me when I saw it. But I wonderif they actually sell.
I think its a bit of a wasted chance to order one new that is not tweaked in some way.

I'm not convinced nor are others that only one pair of hands builds every single MB guitar. This is a debate that has been going on for years and even the CS has never stated that fact. Do a google search on the topic and the waters become very cloudy. The shear numbers of MB guitars credit to any particular master builder that come out of the CS every year are beyond what one MB could ever possible make singlehandedly even if he/she worked 7 days a week. Conventional wisdom is that the MB oversees a select group of technicians who work under his tutelage. There are definitely some pieces that are unique and mostly built by one MB, but the more common reissues and limited runs etc.are just too numerous.

[Athana]

So it turns out the black stains dont come off..great..just great..

[MBE]

Wait. Is this "you don't get what you pay for" with respect to the strap? Because that's the only part of the story where good money was paid and a crappy item was received. The expensive nitro-finished guitar is an expensive nitro-finished guitar...they both dent and mark way easier than cheaper polyurethane or polyester finishes.

[Tahitijack]

Every time I see Cindy Crawford, it reminds me that life is not perfect and just accept things as they are. As for the topic. I still think you get what you pay for most of the time. Exceptions here and there, but mostly good experiences when you pay for value added.