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  #76  
Old 08-11-2020, 01:50 PM
llew llew is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Graylocks View Post
Last year I took my Goodall Jumbo in to a local guitar to have a strap button installed. The owner had a slip of the hand and put a scratch on the neck. He owned the mistake immediately. Said he would evaluate to see if he could work with the guitar's finish and make me whole.

Long story short, he decided not to try it and shipped the Goodall back to california where James made it look perfect. Though I didn't have the guitar for about 2 months, I was not out one dime; the shop paid for everything.

That's how a reputable shop stays in business. Shout out to Righteous Guitars in Roswell, GA.
As it should be. They obviously get it!
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  #77  
Old 08-11-2020, 01:50 PM
Br1ck Br1ck is offline
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Look, you're 70. I'll be there in a matter of months. Life is too short to stress too much over this. The emotional currency you spend won't be worth it. Find a guy known to be a finish expert and have it fixed. These guys are good. I once saw a big divot a friend put in the headstock of his D 45. I knew exactly where it was. After he got it back from Gryphon, I had to take it out into full sunlight to sorta see where it had been.

Sure, you could seek justice, but forgiveness is the better bet.
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  #78  
Old 08-11-2020, 01:51 PM
Dwight Dwight is offline
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That's why their aren't a lot of luthiers, a ten dollar job turns into a thousand dollar mistake.
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  #79  
Old 08-11-2020, 02:13 PM
milerun milerun is offline
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Sounds like the OP is on path to a good resolution. I'd probably have blown my stack, too, initially. But, then again, if you're planning to keep it forever, resale value isn't really a concern after all. And, if it can be matched extremely close by a Martin authorized repair shop, that's not too bad. Now just think how chill you'll be the next time you bounce it off the corner of the coffee table...
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  #80  
Old 08-11-2020, 03:47 PM
darylcrisp darylcrisp is offline
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Mass Street Music is excellent, you will be in the best of hands.

Good for you on the outcome and less stress than it could have been. I'd have them do a top level setup while there.

keep us posted
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  #81  
Old 08-11-2020, 03:56 PM
LeDave LeDave is offline
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Glad OP got it resolved. And cheers to Jklotz for involving a happy ending. Can't wait for happy ending pics.
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  #82  
Old 08-11-2020, 04:02 PM
PetesaHut PetesaHut is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rixtoy View Post
Pardon my emotion, but you will soon see why . . .

-70 years old
- new player
- after much research bought a dream guitar for me - Martin D-28 Modern deluxe/Lefty
- after a couple of months decided to get strap buttons because I just couldn't get comfortable - I understand all the trade-offs.
- Took it in to a small guitar shop - owner is 82, been around forever and very reputable.
- Spent 30 minutes talking to one of his "sales" guys (old dude, guitar player, BS'er) about wanting the strap buttons and he even remarked - "Hey, the strings are upside down" - Funny, right?
- Assumed a luthier in the store would do the work. They told me I could pick it up at the end of the day.
-I go in and the owner shows me the guitar with the button and says "Well, we had a bit of a glitch. Even though you spent 30 minutes with Chuck, he forgot it was left handed and drilled it on the wrong side first, so it's got a blemish" and kind of laughed. I just stared at him trying to process all this. He said Chuck sure was sorry but these things happen".
- I am not really an explosive guy, but I just walked away and from him to decide what I was going to say. But, he kept trying to minimize it.
-I said pretty strongly "Dude - that is a $5,000 guitar. Or it was when I dropped if off."
He said "Well. we won't charge you anything - it was only a $5 button."
I said 'Well, it wound up being a lot more than a $5 button".
In walks Chuck. "Hey sorry about that screw-up" he said. I just stared at him and HE tried to say it is just a little blemish.
I said "It's a $5,000 guitar and I have to look at that freaking pock mark every time I play. Just put it in the case and let me out of here."

For some reason, he gathered I was upset.
He said, "Well I guess I could put another neck on it."
I said "Why in the world would I ever let you touch this guitar again?" and left.

Yes, I am sure all the employees think I was being WAY over the top, but this is not trivial to me.

OK- to the reality of the experience of this board-
Am I over reacting?
Is it like the first scratch on anew car you eventually forget about.
It wasn't even a smooth fill job.

Since it is a new MD, they have an asymmetric neck and the only place you could get a new one I expect is a factory repair?
I am at least going to ask the cost of replacing the neck.
any guesses as to the cost?
Would a reputable dealer have liability insurance to cover a screw up like that - I really don't want the old guy to have to pay $1,000 for his bone-head employees screw -up.
Its very simple for me, ok sometimes even pros make a mistake. However, as a professional, it's their responsibility to hand back the property in the same condition or better than what it was when it was given to them.
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  #83  
Old 08-11-2020, 04:17 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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I'm glad Rixtoy is on the path to a resolution. It will be interesting to see how the shop that caused this whole mess responds when presented with the bill.
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  #84  
Old 08-11-2020, 04:29 PM
jklotz jklotz is offline
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So glad to hear our exchange was helpful! We're all in this together, so glad I could help. Plus I've heard good thing about Mass Street. It sounds like you are in good hands. And yes, that shop that caused this mess needs to pay for those repairs, including shipping if needed.

While you are there, maybe you can look at some less expensive "backup" guitars? Maybe used, not much money? There are some $200 guitars out there that are very playable and sound pretty good, believe it or not! Something you can use while you are waiting for the repair that you don't mind leaving out when the grandkids come to visit? We all need a "beater" from time to time, they do come in handy.

BTW - my luthier told me, in that same conversation, it's not easy to become certified by Martin to be an authorized repair center. That's why there are so few of them. They have to jump through a lot of hoops, pass multiple tests, purchase many specialized tools and go through a good bit of training, which they are later tested on. So feel confident any shop that has it a) knows what they are doing and b) has the resources, training and knowledge to make repairs to Martin's standards and c) has direct access to Martin for advice and materials.
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  #85  
Old 08-11-2020, 05:00 PM
Dbone Dbone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rixtoy View Post
OP Update -

I believe I may be on a path to a good solution . . .

I spoke with a luthier in Wichita who said no one is really qualified in town to do that level of work. But, he did suggest checking with Mass Street Guitar in Lawrence, KS (good 'ol KU - I am a K-State grad, but desperate). Coincidentally, I had received several other independent suggestions to contact them.

Then, I got a nice PM from JKLOTZ of this board who had checked with his own luthier in Atlanta who said it cannot be made to completely disappear, but an authorized Martin Service Center could likely make it very close to new. He said Martin makes sure their service centers have exactly the right mahogany and other materials to do the best match they can on Martin guitars.

So guess who the only Martin Authorized Service Center is in the state of Kansas? Yep - Mass Street Guitars in Lawrence.

I sent a picture to them and they echoed the Atlanta luthier that they anticipate they could do a very nice repair and match. Estimate $150 and 4 weeks to $250 and 6 weeks depending on how long the staining and blending take. I will be sending the original shop the bill for sure with a before and after picture to emphasize the crap they set me home with.

For me, this is an ideal solution and I will be going that route.

I will post before and after pictures when it is done and will probably drive it up this week-end.

Thanks for everyone's input and ESPECIALLY JKLOTZ and his luthier.
Well done, all.
Very sensible man. I have no doubt in my mind that this blemish will be virtually not even noticed once the right professional gets their hands on it to fix it up the right way. It will cost, and buddy should pay every penny of that professional service to compensate for his obvious negligence in this situation...Both in what he did to damage the guitar, and in how he tried to pass it off as nothing after the fact.

Smart direction on your part. You could have chosen a more aggressive path that might have just resulted in more problems. You’re being wise and measured in your response here in my view.

The reality is that you will probably put a blemish on that guitar in the next 6 months yourself that will make the repair look absolutely perfect.

Best wishes
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  #86  
Old 08-11-2020, 05:37 PM
hackathorn hackathorn is offline
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What a great use of this forum! It looks like you have a good solution notwithstanding your grief, emotion, and stress created by this little guitar shop. If it was me, I would reach out diplomatically to the shop that caused the problem, explain your choice of remediation, and offer them the opportunity to reimburse you any costs and provide a loaner since you may be without a guitar for several weeks. Best case, they humbly and graciously make it right, and worst case, you have the heavy option to trash their reputation with social media. Forgiveness should be cathartic and provide closure regardless of how the owner handles their error. Once done, let it go regardless and enjoy your beautiful guitar...
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  #87  
Old 08-11-2020, 05:56 PM
ataylor ataylor is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quickstep192 View Post
It will be interesting to see how the shop that caused this whole mess responds when presented with the bill.
One would think they should be relieved — the estimates Mass Street Music gave the OP for a top-notch repair seem both reasonable and downright palatable compared to other plausible scenarios that would have involved a new neck or replacing the guitar outright. They should consider themselves fortunate that the OP is taking this in stride.
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  #88  
Old 08-11-2020, 06:54 PM
TheJackal TheJackal is offline
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The shop that did the damage is responsible for making this right to your satisfaction. I would let them know of your plan to have the instrument repaired properly and that you expect them to pay for the repair. I would have this agreement in place in advance of having the repair work done. Otherwise, I suspect that the shop that damaged your guitar will deny all responsibility.

Just my $0.02
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  #89  
Old 08-11-2020, 07:05 PM
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TBman TBman is offline
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OP I'm glad you found a solution. I'd be just as angry as you were. Good luck with the repair.
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  #90  
Old 08-11-2020, 07:42 PM
loco gringo loco gringo is offline
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Personally, I would just write the other shop off entirely. I would not expend effort to collect anything. My time and blood pressure are worth more than the 200-500 repair quote. The world is full of incapable and clueless people. I try to distance myself from them as much as possible.

The positive outcome of the whole thing will be that by using Mass Street Music you will now know about one of the most amazing guitar shops around and you won't have to worry about podunk shops, anymore. I don't know if they are allowing customers in or not, but you could spends hours upstairs drooling over acoustic guitars.
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