2021 R9 Finish Flaw???

[Mosster47]

The Nashville platinum room has a freaking sweet collection in there.

 

[musicmaniac]

Yeah, I say he comes back from Nashville with one!

 

[Dilver]

Like anyone, I started off looking, but after playing it was seriously considering buying. Needed some time to think it over because this issue with the finish was concerning. Posted this thread yesterday, and after figuring out it was likely wood filler decided to go back today and have another look and see if I could get past it.

Was in enough of a buying mindset to take enough physical cash with me to make the buy if I decided to go for it.

Buuuuuut... in the process of trying to talk to the salesman about the finish issue (and me saying I believed it to be wood filler) he vehemently disagreed, and after bit of back and forth about it, grabbed the guitar from my hands and said (and I quote), “This isn’t the guitar for you!”... then hung it back on the wall and locked it in. I stood their kinda stunned for a moment, then said basically that I was trying to talk through it and be ok with it, but he again repeated that it wasn’t the guitar for me. So, I turned and left (again, with a pocket full of cash)... more than a bit nonplussed.

Oh well....

What an asshat. I just assume that any time I go to any Guitar Center and speak with any of the staff that they are uninformed, misinformed and incapable of providing me with any useful information. It just makes it a lot easier if my spoken interaction with GC staff is kept to a bare minimum. Besides, from what I’ve seen, Guitar Center seem to get the worst looking Historics - essentially the leftovers after House of Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, The Music Zoo, Chicago Music Exchange and a handful of other independent dealers that take the time to work with Gibson to select their inventory.

 

[1allspub]

What an asshat. I just assume that any time I go to any Guitar Center and speak with any of the staff that they are uninformed, misinformed and incapable of providing me with any useful information. It just makes it a lot easier if my spoken interaction with GC staff is kept to a bare minimum. Besides, from what I’ve seen, Guitar Center seem to get the worst looking Historics - essentially the leftovers after House of Guitars, Wildwood Guitars, The Music Zoo, Chicago Music Exchange and a handful of other independent dealers that take the time to work with Gibson to select their inventory.

I think that is generally true (ie, that GC gets leftovers), but sometimes a good one slips through. Case in point, there was a beautiful 2021 R9 (both its color and its flame) in Factory Burst Gloss at the 1st GC I went to. When it comes to RIs I prefer VOS to Gloss (or even to aged)...and as cool as Factory Burst is, it’s not on top of my list of colors.

The thing is, being able to play a potential $6700 purchase in person is worth sacrificing a bit of aesthetics to me, if necessary (IOW, I’d buy a less visually appealing guitar I could play in person—and loved its tone and now it played—over a more visually appealing one online that I had no idea how it was gonna play/sound).

Like most of us here, I have bought online (both new and used) and can honestly say, that a few of those guitars I purchased online probably would have gotten passed on were I able to play them beforehand. Such is the nature of online buying. Real rock and a hard place kinda situation.

I really want to hold out to play, in-person, whatever R9 I eventually end up with. We’ll see though, I am a dude... and a pretty face can still turn my head and make me make poor decisions.

 

[soyboi]

Man the top on that guitar is spectacular. Ask for a discount and grab it!

 

[AJK1]

If I was sure I wanted the other one this is indeed what I would do. But that wood filler issue does bother me... just can't seem to get past it. I know, I know... I'm shallow....

Forgeddaboudid

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Like anyone, I started off looking, but after playing it was seriously considering buying. Needed some time to think it over because this issue with the finish was concerning. Posted this thread yesterday, and after figuring out it was likely wood filler decided to go back today and have another look and see if I could get past it.

Was in enough of a buying mindset to take enough physical cash with me to make the buy if I decided to go for it.

Buuuuuut... in the process of trying to talk to the salesman about the finish issue (and me saying I believed it to be wood filler) he vehemently disagreed, and after bit of back and forth about it, grabbed the guitar from my hands and said (and I quote), “This isn’t the guitar for you!”... then hung it back on the wall and locked it in. I stood their kinda stunned for a moment, then said basically that I was trying to talk through it and be ok with it, but he again repeated that it wasn’t the guitar for me. So, I turned and left (again, with a pocket full of cash)... more than a bit nonplussed.

Oh well....

You know what man?? He was absolutely right, that was not the guitar for you, and neither was that shop.Guitar center is not what it used too be, and i sure would not buy one of these there, if that guitar center looks anything like mine anyway, ..That was fate..That wasnt for you,

Keep looking somewhere else, you will find one trust me on that.

 

[CB91710]

You know what man?? He was absolutely right, that was not the guitar for you, and neither was that shop.Guitar center is not what it used too be, and i sure would not buy one of these there, if that guitar center looks anything like mine anyway, ..That was fate..That wasnt for you,

Keep looking somewhere else, you will find one trust me on that.

Ditto.
I've got a couple of Sam Ash stores near me that are pretty nice, well stocked, and have moderately attentive staff.

Last few times I've been to GC, it was like walking into a Sears or a K-Mart, and the employees were no better.

 

[1allspub]

Ditto.
I've got a couple of Sam Ash stores near me that are pretty nice, well stocked, and have moderately attentive staff.

Last few times I've been to GC, it was like walking into a Sears or a K-Mart, and the employees were no better.

Agreed... our local Sam Ash is actually great! They just never have an RIs in stock.

 

[Rogueaverage616]

Ditto.
I've got a couple of Sam Ash stores near me that are pretty nice, well stocked, and have moderately attentive staff.

Last few times I've been to GC, it was like walking into a Sears or a K-Mart, and the employees were no better.

Exactly my experience, man when i first started playing guitar in 1996, Guitar Center opend a brand new store right near me in Danvers massachusetts, and the guitars and amps i got there, ..i checked them out off the wall, and if i decided to get it, they brought me out a brand new sealed in the box , model…and they had another 4-5 more of each

Once i got my drivers license a few years later, the guitars were put away, for a few more years, by the time i picked it back up, i couldnt believe it.The selection was gone and so was the great staff.

I had certain salesman that i would only buy from, if they werent there that day, i waited, because he bent over backwards to take care of me

They were filled with les pauls, SG’s all the Custom Shop Fenders, i didnt really pay any attention to Gibson That much, so i didnt notice about the Custom Shop selection, as they were pretty new around then??

And they were way out of our price range…”My parents bought me my first few” after learning the are you experienced Album note for note , after teaching myself to play, 6 months earlier.

My Grandfather was a guitar player, and my uncle plays Bass, and collects vintage Fender Bases and strats from the 50’s and 60’s so we are a guitar family

Back to what i was saying before, my parents were impressed so daily trips to guitar center were a daily occurrence, and they grabbed me my first guitars

What a shame, about Guitar Center, thats all i have around here really.My first Gibson a 1995 Gibson les paul studio was bought at Bills music of salem, a good little store

 

[DanD]

I think it was a twisted sales ploy.

Tell that guy with the fat wad he can't have it and watch him run to buy it when I'm not here....

Must've been the manager.

 

[moreles]

That'as a defect in the wood that would have been rejected out of hand before the current fad for banged-up guitars kicked in. Mineral streaks (the black lines) were a cause for rejection, as were knots like that one. Thing is, sometimes those defects are not evident until revealed by carving into the top. What Gibson used to do was try to cover flaws with the burst (a "darkburst") or on the headstock, with a stinger (also used when the glued-on "wings" did not match the neck wood). Gibson is famous for letting instruments through with glitches and flaws -- they always have -- but until now, that defect would have been goldtopped or sold as a second. No knots and filloer on a LP top!!! I'm sorry, but it's ugly and there are other LPs out there so why buy it? A big discount could make it look better!

 

[1allspub]

That'as a defect in the wood that would have been rejected out of hand before the current fad for banged-up guitars kicked in. Mineral streaks (the black lines) were a cause for rejection, as were knots like that one. Thing is, sometimes those defects are not evident until revealed by carving into the top. What Gibson used to do was try to cover flaws with the burst (a "darkburst") or on the headstock, with a stinger (also used when the glued-on "wings" did not match the neck wood). Gibson is famous for letting instruments through with glitches and flaws -- they always have -- but until now, that defect would have been goldtopped or sold as a second. No knots and filloer on a LP top!!! I'm sorry, but it's ugly and there are other LPs out there so why buy it? A big discount could make it look better!

It does seem like that guitar should have been sent to the Murphy Lab where that booger could have been made to look like a gouge/aging effect. Then it could have been sold for an extra $4k!

 

[Luboy]

having any sort of attitude toward the customer when he/she is about to drop 6k+ on a production guitar is disgusting. if anything they should be ready to make a discount regardless of the quality of the guitar. that's how you sell these, otherwise you can charge 10k and leave it at that.