Which guitar purchase disappointed you the most?

Rosewood99 · #1 06-20-2019, 08:12 AM

For me it was an all mahogany custom Santa Cruz. I had heard so much about Santa Cruz guitars but the sound was just OK. After six months I ended up selling it. Maybe I just got a bad one but it was a big letdown as I thought this was going to be my lifetime guitar.

JAMKC · #2 06-20-2019, 08:14 AM

a Martin OM-15. Got it new and it sounded like a box o' socks. Took a real beating on it.

Shades of Blue · #3 06-20-2019, 08:23 AM

In the store, the Collings D1 was the most disappointing. More in look and feel than sound. But, I wasn't whipping out the wallet for the sound either.

Purchase wise, it has to be the Martin GPCPA1 Plus. Very little low end, and the fact that I waited 3 months for it made it even the more disappointing.

jaymarsch · #4 06-20-2019, 08:25 AM

For me it was a Gibson LC1 Sonoma. About a dozen or so years ago, there was a limited edition series that Gibson made in their Bozeman factory that sported all-local sourced woods. I had played a number of them at festivals and decided to get one in cedar and walnut. I ordered it through Tall Toad and they were great to deal with but the factory made a number of errors in the build - wrong nut width, wrong finish. Since it was a custom order I had to pre-pay for it and Gibson refused to take any responsibility for the errors and tried to pawn the issues off on the dealer. I had the paperwork that was submitted and it was correct on the order. To make a long story a bit shorter, I decided to keep the guitar and live with the differences which were not too major. However, that guitar just never sounded like the others that I had played and I never really bonded with it. With the help of a friend, I sold it about 7 months later for exactly what I had paid for it. The guy that bought it absolutely loved it so that made for a nice ending. Later someone who was connected with a guy at Gibson said that the factory had been going through some personnel changes at the time and he wasn't surprised by my experience. Sometimes these things work out and sometimes they don't.

Best,
Jayne

TokyoNeko · #5 06-20-2019, 08:25 AM

Right at the top of my head... Taylor GC4. I've come to learn that Ovangkol is one of my least favorite tonewoods; it did absolutely nothing for me.

Paddy1951 · #6 06-20-2019, 08:47 AM

While I have liked and do like some guitars more than others, I wouldn't say any of them were disappointing.

I have only purchased 2 guitars without playing them over a period of 25 years. I bought both from Elderly instruments. A Taylor 355 12 string and the current Old Town OT-22 LG 2 clone.

The Taylor was a fine guitar- I decided a 12 wasn't necessary for me.

The most recent OT-22? A very fun and serious guitar. I really enjoy it and it sounds like a more expensive guitar. It is easy for me to play as I have some difficulties these days.

So no real disappointments. I am a believer in buying locally and being able to play and compare guitars. That said, Elderly has always been a great source for me and not that far away.

lodi_55 · #7 06-20-2019, 08:50 AM

Gibson Songwriter many years ago. It’s tone was both muted and muffled. Definitely a head scratcher.

6L6 · #8 06-20-2019, 08:57 AM

My first Martin. It was a then-new 1976 HD-28.

The more I played it, the less I liked it. Sold it on.

Silly Moustache · #9 06-20-2019, 09:04 AM

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, and I don't want to be seen as a brand basher, but the most expensive guitar I've ever bought was in 2008 when I had a Huss & Dalton DS12 made with a slightly wider neck (1 &13/16" nut).

It arrived on time for my 50th birthday, and was "wrong" from the start. the Nitro sunburst finish looked great but was so soft that it could be (and was) smeared /dented by finger pressure, the whole set up seems odd, and the top was (I was advised by an independent luthier) too thin, floppy, and too lightly braced, and so could not be payed without buzzing without an action height of at least 1/8".

Whilst I understand that most/many foreign made (US,China etc,) brands pass the warranty responsibilities to the dealer, but H&D absolutely refused to talk to me, which I felt insulting. The dealer tried so hard to make it workable but failed.
In the end, the dealer and others had worked on it so much that he didn't feel I could return it, (which I understood) but took it back and gave me a Larrivee as part compensation - nice but not what I wanted.

My error was to expect that such an expensive guitar could not be as bad as it was - I should have rejected it immediately.

Some time later I acquired a very similar Santa Cruz "RS" which has been absolutely fine from the outset, and I have discussed matters direct with Mr Hoover who seems happy to liaise with end users, as do Collings, and Dana Bourgeois - not that I've ever had such an issue with them.

fitness1 · #10 06-20-2019, 09:06 AM

Bought a mid 90's Larrivee C-72 presentation Brazilian about 6-7 years ago - was very excited about it.

It was dead as a door nail, as they say. Gorgeous though

capefisherman · #11 06-20-2019, 09:07 AM

Recently? Eastman D-size double top. And I really like Eastmans. Maybe this one was just a dud.

ctvolfan · #12 06-20-2019, 09:10 AM

Well I have two or three. Most disappointing was a Taylor 320. I thought I wanted a Taylor with a warmer sound like a Martin so I bought the 320. After getting it I really didn't like it at all. I think I really just don't like hog guitars.

jklotz · #13 06-20-2019, 09:25 AM

Mine was a Martin HD-28. Bought it new in 2014. It sounded great, but developed a crack in the top within a week of getting it. It was not humidity related. The dealer took it back and got me a new one under warranty. The replacement showed up and I took it home without playing it. When I got home, it was a dog, just sounded dead, lifeless and dull. I held on to it, hoping it would get better but it never did. I recently moved it along.

rokdog49 · #14 06-20-2019, 09:30 AM

After all the Gibson and Eastman bashing over the course of my time on here, "I find it hard to believe that any guitar made by an individual luthier or any other manufacturer could be a dud"...he says, words dripping with sarcasm.
Thanks, I'm ok now.

backdoc · #15 06-20-2019, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAMKC

a Martin OM-15. Got it new and it sounded like a box o' socks. Took a real beating on it.

Wow! Was that one of the LA guitar customs? I have one of those and it is one that I will never get rid of. I did however buy a Martin 000-18 from Ted at LA Guitars and it showed up right out of the box with a neck that needed reset. Ted wouldn't do anything about it, so it went back to Martin. They did a beautiful job on the reset, but I still never was wow'ed by it. I love the sound and playability of my Eastman OM so much more that I'm probably going to move the Martin on.