Spend additional $$ on used guitar or just buy new?

[JackB1]

Ok. Here’s my issue...

Two weeks ago I bought a used 2015 214ce dlx online for $700. The guitar is in nice 8/10 condition. Looks nice. Took it for a setup to find that it needs fret leveling/crowning work. The setup cost me $80 and this would be an additional $145. Kind of bummed out, but I know this is the risk when you buy something over the internet without seeing it in person first. So now what to do? I really like the 214ce deluxe model and definitely want one. I am GASing over a new sunburst one, but I digress... So here are my choices as I see it:

1-pay the additional $145 and have the fretwork done. So I would now be paying $925 total for this guitar (possibly ask the seller for some compensation - read additional comments below)
2-resell it and hopefully recover most of my $700 and find a better 214ce dlx
3-resell it and spend the extra $$ to get a new one.

Let me also add that the online seller claimed this guitar was "only played a few times", which I feel was not truthful. My luthier said that this guitar was "heavily used" and showed me the wear on the back of the neck versus the badk of the headstock. The fret/buzzing issue was not mentioned in the listing either. Also the bridge had string grooves in it, which wouldn't have formed had the guitar "only been played a few times". Also I feel like the guitar wouldn't need fret leveling/crowing if it was only "played a few times".
This is a "high fret" issue and the guitar was scanned on a high end "Flek" machine. I guess this issue could have some from bad humidity practice rather than heavy playing. The luthier said there's no way to tell how the issue happened. Should I ask for compensation from the seller if I choose to keep it and get the fretwork done? I feel a bit deceived by him stating that the guitar "was only used a few times" when it was clearly not.

[fazool]

I would give the seller the facts: "you stated barely used" and the luthier says "heavily used".


Give him the choice - full refund including all shipping costs and related expenses or a partial refund to cover the costs of making it as advertised.

[jaan]

You’re going down a rabbit hole IMHO. I’d imagine you could buy the guitar new for a few hundred more once the repairs are figured in. I wouldn’t pay to repair a fairly new guitar with undisclosed issues, id send it back.

[FlyWilde]

Send it back.

You already have one transaction with the seller where accuracy and honesty fell by the wayside. Why would you think an adjusted price or 'working something out' would go any differently?

I would also leave feedback on the seller in whatever venue is available. I know this sounds harsh but when I buy a guitar on line I check seller feedback first. A lot of transactions with no negative feedback will cause me to pay a little more. If there are bad reviews I pass. Does not matter how great the deal is.

Do as you wish but from my experience with more than a few on line transactions, 'working something out' with the seller, rarely, if ever ends up with the buyer feeling satisfied.

[dodge]

Return the guitar or ask the seller to pay for the repairs.

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by fazool

I would give the seller the facts: "you stated barely used" and the luthier says "heavily used".


Give him the choice - full refund including all shipping costs and related expenses or a partial refund to cover the costs of making it as advertised.

^^^^^^^This.

[fitness1]

disregard.....

[VJP5]

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

^^^^^^^This.

I third this course of action

[lovgren]

Just get the work done and move forward. The guitar is fine. The frets will be better than new if your guitar tech is using this type of equipment. Enjoy the $80 setup and the $145 specialized fretwork.

The rest of it - how much it has been played, etc - doesn't really matter at the end of the day. Enjoy your guitar.

[blakey]

Ebay? Photos are your friend. Start a return. Put as much photographic evidence you can in the return section. Parcel it up already for the return slip. Job done. Money back.

[JackB1]

Ok, here is the issue with getting a refund....

I already spent $80 on a setup
I will probably have to spend another $75 on shipping it back

But yes, it's one option.

I guess I will follow "Fazool's" advice and see what the seller says. My guess is that he's going to say he didn't know about the buzzing/fret issues and stick to his story that the guitar was barely used.

I just went back through my earlier correspondence with the seller and when I asked him if the guitar was kept properly humidified he said he just kept it in the case in a climate controlled house. He said he lived in Texas and then Colorado. This could be the cause of the high frets issues. I didn't see any other signs of humidity damage though. And the 214 is laminate back/sides.
What would be the first place to check for tell-tale humidity issues? I didn't see any checking in the top wood or feel any sharp fret ends.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Ok. Here’s my issue...

Two weeks ago I bought a used 2015 214ce dlx online for $700. The guitar is in nice 8/10 condition. Looks nice. Took it for a setup to find that it needs fret leveling/crowning work. The setup cost me $80 and this would be an additional $145. Kind of bummed out, but I know this is the risk when you buy something over the internet without seeing it in person first. So now what to do? I really like the 214ce deluxe model and definitely want one. I am GASing over a new sunburst one, but I digress... So here are my choices as I see it:

1-pay the additional $145 and have the fretwork done. So I would now be paying $925 total for this guitar (possibly ask the seller for some compensation - read additional comments below)
2-resell it and hopefully recover most of my $700 and find a better 214ce dlx
3-resell it and spend the extra $$ to get a new one.

Let me also add that the online seller claimed this guitar was "only played a few times", which I feel was not truthful. My luthier said that this guitar was "heavily used" and showed me the wear on the back of the neck versus the badk of the headstock. The fret/buzzing issue was not mentioned in the listing either. Also the bridge had string grooves in it, which wouldn't have formed had the guitar "only been played a few times". Also I feel like the guitar wouldn't need fret leveling/crowing if it was only "played a few times".
This is a "high fret" issue and the guitar was scanned on a high end "Flek" machine. I guess this issue could have some from bad humidity practice rather than heavy playing. The luthier said there's no way to tell how the issue happened. Should I ask for compensation from the seller if I choose to keep it and get the fretwork done? I feel a bit deceived by him stating that the guitar "was only used a few times" when it was clearly not.

A couple of thoughts...

First is that if the issue is that the frets are high, it is not something caused by a lot of playing. Playing wear would usually cause low spots on the frets, as they are worn away from the strings being pressed down on them. If the Plek says they are too tall, then it may be environmental, such as having gotten to dry. Not to mention having been moved from wherever it has lived since 2015 to wherever it is that you live. And there is no guarantee that a similar issue might not occur with a new, out of the box, guitar. A new guitar often settles in as it "learns" to be a guitar instead of a pile of wood, metal, bone and shell. Including having a few frets rise. This can effect $5000 guitars every bit as much as it can effect $500 guitars A question for your luthier is if there are only a few tall frets, or many?

The other question, and the more important of the two, is this: how does it sound? There is no guarantee that a new, out of the box, guitar is going to sound the same. It might even sound better. It might sound worse. One advantage to keeping the guitar if you like it even if it needs a bit of work is that you will then have a guitar that you like the sound of, and that has been made to play just as you like it to play and made to play as easily as it can be made to play. In your hands.

Take a run at the seller for a partial refund covering the work that it needs? The worst that they can do is say no. The question that you need to answer for yourself is what you will do if they do.

OMMV

TW

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

A couple of thoughts...

First is that if the issue is that the frets are high, it is not something caused by a lot of playing. Playing wear would usually cause low spots on the frets, as they are worn away from the strings being pressed down on them. If the Pleck says they are too tall, then it may be environmental, such as having gotten to dry. Not to mention having been moved from wherever it has lived since 2015 to wherever it is that you live. And there is no guarantee that a similar issue might not occur with a new, out of the box, guitar. A new guitar often settles in as it "learns" to be a guitar instead of a pile of wood, metal, bone and shell. Including having a few frets rise. This can effect $5000 guitars every bit as much as it can effect $500 guitars A question for your luthier is if there are only a few tall frets, or many?

The other question, and the more important of the two, is this: how does it sound? There is no guarantee that a new, out of the box, guitar is going to sound the same. It might even sound better. It might sound worse. One advantage to keeping the guitar if you like it even if it needs a bit of work is that you will then have a guitar that you like the sound of, and that has been made to play just as you like it to play and made to play as easily as it can be made to play. In your hands.

Take a run at the seller for a partial refund covering the work that it needs? The worst that they can do is say no. The question that you need to answer for yourself is what you will do if they do.

OMMV

TW

The seller kept the guitar in it's case in a climate controlled environment, but didn't do anything additional to keep it humidified properly. He said he lived in Texas and then Colorado. In retrospect, the high fret issue is probably due to humidity issues. I didn't see anything else though on the guitar that looked effected by humidity, but maybe I didn't look hard enough.

The guitar sounds Ok, but I don't know how it sounds in comparison to other 214's. Maybe I should bring it to a GC and compare the way they sound to see it's it's worth keeping and fixing?

[Edgar Poe]

Ask the Tech to write out his opinion on what the guitars needs and send it to the seller and ask for a price adjustment.

Ed

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Edgar Poe

Ask the Tech to write out his opinion on what the guitars needs and send it to the seller and ask for a price adjustment.

Ed

Already have that. It needs fret crowning/leveling. Cost is 225.

Sent message to seller...waiting for response