Best warranty

TDavis · #1 10-22-2020, 08:20 AM

There is a thread here regarding the pros/cons of buying a new Martin guitar vs. buying a preowned one...and someone mentioned that the new Martin is basically “worthless” in comparison to how it used to be. That’s sad. Frankly to buy a $3000+ guitar that a manufacturer wind solidly stand behind should not happen.

That said...who, among the major, non-boutique builders have the best, most inclusive warranty?

Earl49 · #2 10-22-2020, 08:29 AM

My approach to buying almost anything is that if I have to really factor in the warranty, then maybe I need to reconsider the product altogether. In other words it worries me when warranty coverage is a major concern.

Taylor is superb at customer support, but I have never needed to make any warranty claim. Martin fought tooth and nail refusing to cover two neck resets, but eventually relented and covered both. One was a brand new guitar in its first year, so clearly a manufacturing defect. The other was a custom shop guitar that needed a neck reset after about five years. It also had other issues that they flat out refused to cover. I spent about $400 fixing those things. Guess who I won't buy any longer?

scotchnspeed · #3 10-22-2020, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

My approach to buying almost anything is that I have to really factor in the warranty, then maybe I need to reconsider the product altogether. In other words it worries me when warranty coverage is a major concern.

^^^Precisely. Never have I ever purchased any guitar wondering about the Warranty.

OKCtodd71 · #4 10-22-2020, 11:32 AM

I bought an Eastman AR805ce new in 2005 and played it all but exclusively for 11 years. About 6 months ago the bridge/saddle posts bent forward (I did use .13 D' Chromes). Eastman doesn't source their bridges but carves their own, albeit with non standard post pacing. I contacted customer support asking if I could purchase the new parts. They asked for my address and 3 days later I had a whole new bridge base plate, saddle and thumb screws. That's amazing support for a 15 year old guitar; don't think you'll get any better than that!
Of course it's also a wonderful guitar.

89bruin · #5 10-22-2020, 02:32 PM

I had fits with Martin’s warranty service ... mainly due to gross incompetence from both the local authorized service center and the factory. As others have said, I wouldn’t factor any warranty into a purchase but would, instead, consider the company’s reputation for quality and service. That said, Larrivée not only honors their warranty but goes above and beyond ... way beyond.

RP · #6 10-22-2020, 02:40 PM

I would say that Taylor stands behind its guitars as much if not more than any other manufacturer...

zoopeda · #7 10-22-2020, 08:58 PM

The Martin warranty is helpful in that it sets a standard for their work. If the binding or neck fall off—and you can prove it was impeccably cared for—they’ll fix it for the original owner. But they don’t cover any routine stuff like neck resets any more, so really the odds of needing warranty work on a Martin is quite slim. And their customer service is now trained to jump first to the knee jerk accusation the owner mistreated the guitar...lots of reports of people having to talk to multiple levels of leadership before getting repairs approved. Not to mention, you send it to the factory once you finally get approved, and they have it for six to twelve months. Repairs there take forever.

So yeah, given the odds you’ll actually have an issue that gets covered under warranty, you’re far better off saving the extra 10-20% on a used guitar and spending a portion of that savings should anything go wrong—and with a repair shop of your choosing. 2 cents.

Mbroady · #8 10-23-2020, 08:02 AM

I was impressed with Boucher in regards to a new guitar purchase, and how they handled an issue. The guitar was purchased in Canada and shipped to WNC. When I contacted both the dealer and the builder about an issue, without hesitation they agreed to have the work done by my local tech and they covered the bill. And my local guy is not cheap.

Rev Roy · #9 10-23-2020, 09:45 AM

Over the years I’ve had warranty work done by Martin and Gibson. Both were great experiences. The issues were quickly fixed at no cost to me.

M19 · #10 10-23-2020, 09:46 AM

I've had experience with warranty support with a Gibson ES-175 a few decades back and a Taylor BTO about 5 years ago. Both were finish issues, and both companies stepped up to the plate regarding their obligations. Taylor performed flawlessly in their fix. Gibson took two tries and was marginal.

neomastino · #11 10-23-2020, 09:51 AM

Thank you to all on the heads up on Martin and how they handle warranty work. to me the ease of getting a company to stand behind their products speaks volumes on the company as a whole and given that i am on the precipice of shelling out over 5k on a martin it has given me some things to think about.

BigOrangeBox · #12 10-23-2020, 12:52 PM

I've only had two encounters with Martins:

20 year old HD-35 with Binding and neck reset issue on 20 yr old guitar. They did a fabulous job. Actually even the neck reset without charging.

New out of box D-42 with neck issues. Truss rod not placed correctly. Shipped to them a couple of times. They refused to believe me and the service center. Shipped back and forth a couple of times. Finally they agreed to make me a new neck once I recorded a few clips for them. This fiasco took a year to resolve.

BUT despite some drama, they took responsibility.

Jonathon

D41Fan · #13 10-23-2020, 08:27 PM

Well, thanks to Martin, I am now out $800 for a custom D41 that split both the top and back seams after 2 months of ownership.. That was 1 and a half years ago and I still dont have the guitar after 3 months of ownership. It was a crappy guitar anyways, just a custom D41 made with Madi and Sitka.
The local tech is still arguing with Martin because there is no way possible that should have happened.
I;m not going into the story again, just thanks for NOTHING CF MARTIN!!!!!!!!

Ovation1 · #14 10-24-2020, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earl49

My approach to buying almost anything is that if I have to really factor in the warranty, then maybe I need to reconsider the product altogether. In other words it worries me when warranty coverage is a major concern.

Taylor is superb at customer support, but I have never needed to make any warranty claim. Martin fought tooth and nail refusing to cover two neck resets, but eventually relented and covered both. One was a brand new guitar in its first year, so clearly a manufacturing defect. The other was a custom shop guitar that needed a neck reset after about five years. It also had other issues that they flat out refused to cover. I spent about $400 fixing those things. Guess who I won't buy any longer?

Let me guess, Martin?

BigOrangeBox · #15 10-24-2020, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D41Fan

Well, thanks to Martin, I am now out $800 for a custom D41 that split both the top and back seams after 2 months of ownership.. That was 1 and a half years ago and I still dont have the guitar after 3 months of ownership. It was a crappy guitar anyways, just a custom D41 made with Madi and Sitka.
The local tech is still arguing with Martin because there is no way possible that should have happened.
I;m not going into the story again, just thanks for NOTHING CF MARTIN!!!!!!!!

So I forgot to say in my previous thread that I had to really prove my case a few times before Martin would fix the neck on my brand new D-28 Modern Deluxe. I insisted that they didn't leave me hanging and provided evidence multiple times until they finally relented. So you might need to go to battle for a while =/ I wish you the best