New Martin HD-28 at Guitar Center with 7 Inch Crack!

[TennesseeWalker]

One can learn a good lesson from Bob Taylor on how to repair a long crack on a very dry guitar.
3-6 minutes in video one shows the improvements a little TLC can make - but good to watch both from the start

[aeisen93]

I stopped by Guitar Center today and they are still selling this cracked HD-28... for full price.... The crack has mostly been repaired, although you can still see the crack line in the photos below. Those photos were taken today, 3/8/21, one month after I first posted about the cracked guitar.

I'm really surprised they are selling it for full price, being that there was a terrible approx 7 inch crack. The crack starts right at bottom of bridge, and continues down to the end of the top.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by Boozehound

Yeah. That sound pretty much impossible. At a minimum you would think they would drop the price way down and sell as damaged.

The Sam Ash by me has a Hummingbird with a couple of top cracks that they are trying to sell. Unfortunately for them the repair job is terrible so it’s been there for years.

That's what they do at my local Guitar Center. They mark it down and describe the defect. However, I've seen some that said "As is" and, even worse, "No returns." Yikes.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

That's what they do at my local Guitar Center. They mark it down and describe the defect. However, I've seen some that said "As is" and, even worse, "No returns." Yikes.

They are selling the HD28 for full price. The crack has been repaired, it's not a wide open crack like it was a month ago, but you can still see the crack line in the photos. A guitar that was cracked like that should not be sold at full price.

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

I stopped by Guitar Center today and they are still selling this cracked HD-28... for full price.... The crack has mostly been repaired, although you can still see the crack line in the photos below. Those photos were taken today, 3/8/21, one month after I first posted about the cracked guitar.

I'm really surprised they are selling it for full price, being that there was a terrible approx 7 inch crack. The crack starts right at bottom of bridge, and continues down to the end of the top.

What are your thoughts on this?

First I would contact the store manager. Second, if that doesn't get you anywhere, ask for the district manager. However the last time I tried that the manager or whomever I talked to refused to give me that information. Third, you can call Guitarcenter.com and talk to a person who supposedly handling store complaints. But I remember once I did that and got an email saying, "We are currently looking into this and will definitely get back to you ..." or something like that.

And nobody ever contacted me again.

So I hope the manager will step in and help. But even if the manager promises to help you ... keep checking. I had a problem with a misidentified or mispriced item and I spoke to the store's GC manager who promised ... literally promised ... to take care of it. I checked back two weeks or more later and the item had not been changed. I contacted the manager a second time who blamed an employee for not following through on the request. This time, however, the description of the item was changed either later that day or the next.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

First I would contact the store manager. Second, if that doesn't get you anywhere, ask for the district manager. However the last time I tried that the manager or whomever I talked to refused to give me that information. Third, you can call Guitarcenter.com and talk to a person who supposedly handling store complaints. But I remember once I did that and got an email saying, "We are currently looking into this and will definitely get back to you ..." or something like that.

And nobody ever contacted me again.

So I hope the manager will step in and help. But even if the manager promises to help you ... keep checking. I had a problem with a misidentified or mispriced item and I spoke to the store's GC manager who promised ... literally promised ... to take care of it. I checked back two weeks or more later and the item had not been changed. I contacted the manager a second time who blamed an employee for not following through on the request. This time, however, the description of the item was changed either later that day or the next.

Thanks, but I'm not going to purchase this guitar, so I don't need to talk to a manager. I'm just surprised it's being sold at the regular price. Maybe if someone asked about the crack they would sell it at a discount? I still wouldn't want it. It did have a nice sound though.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by pagedr

No they wouldn’t try to sell it as new, but I’m sure they’ll repair the crack and still try to sell it.

As I stated in my update post today, they are actually selling it as new!

[roylor4]

I have seen cracked tops, busted top and sides at the lower bout (dropped on the endpin) and guitars that needed neck resets (straight from the factory) being sold as new at GC.

Not the employees fault they get that way, but managements fault that they STAY on the wall for sale that way.

I have never been treated poorly at a GC, but I have had interactions with employees there at all levels that showed an amazing degree of apathy towards customers and their jobs/duties. Then again, I have been in some local Mom & pops shops that were even worse.

Can't say that I blame them sometimes. If you have ever watched any of the videos of "My day at work at GC" on Youtube with 10 people doing their best EVH impersonation at once, it becomes somewhat understandable. It is like that there EVERY weekend, so I only go on weekdays when I do go.

[Ralph124C41]

Originally Posted by aeisen93

Thanks, but I'm not going to purchase this guitar, so I don't need to talk to a manager. I'm just surprised it's being sold at the regular price. Maybe if someone asked about the crack they would sell it at a discount? I still wouldn't want it. It did have a nice sound though.

I understand. But if it was me I'd do it just because I may help some unsuspecting buyer. Yes, I know. Return policy and let the buyer beware ... and I would normally think the GC store would not want to sell an item like that in that condition and not make the changes. Frankly, that disapoints me and I have been shopping at GC both in store and online for about 10 years and I don't think I've come across a situation like this before.

But as you said you are not buying it so you don't feel the need to bring it to the attention of a manager.

But ... you have felt the need to let the forum know about the problem.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by Ralph124C41

I understand. But if it was me I'd do it just because I may help some unsuspecting buyer. Yes, I know. Return policy and let the buyer beware ... and I would normally think the GC store would not want to sell an item like that in that condition and not make the changes. Frankly, that disapoints me and I have been shopping at GC both in store and online for about 10 years and I don't think I've come across a situation like this before.

But as you said you are not buying it so you don't feel the need to bring it to the attention of a manager.

But ... you have felt the need to let the forum know about the problem.

I would think the manager is well aware of the crack already. I wouldn't think a $3000+ guitar would get repaired without the manager knowing. I was just curious what other forum members would think of this. It's just surprising to me that it's being sold for full price. That really isn't right....

[kriso77]

Curious about which store this is. About a year to 18 months ago one of the stores here in NJ, fairly close to NJ had cracks and swelling in just about every guitar in their "expensive room". The place smelled dank for months as I think they had a flood at some point. Probably the opposite of the problem here, but makes me wish they had some guidelines to follow from their corporate offices on how to properly maintain their instruments.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

I have heard (on good authority - a GC employee ) that they take instruments like that and smash them and put them into their dumpster. To them, it's not worth the money and time to get them repaired to resell.

Really.

In this case they did try to repair it, and it's for sale at full price!

[SkipII]

Classic signs of pretty severe under-hydration.

It's always pretty obvious when a company is in the throes of death.

[pdx]

Technically it is not a crack but a separation at the seam. Just saying.

[aeisen93]

Originally Posted by pdx

Technically it is not a crack but a separation at the seam. Just saying.

It was a big crack originally. The pictures shown here show the guitar after it was repaired