New Guitar (Broken Headstock)

[mudface]

I'd give the Gibson Custom Shop a call, ask them what a re-neck would run including shipping both ways, then have the seller cut you a check.

If I were to buy that guitar from you I'd pay more money for a factory re-neck than a repaired headstock.

I doubt Gibson would re-neck a replica.

Take a closer look.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

I doubt Gibson would re-neck a replica.

Take a closer look.

I'm not seeing it. I know for a fact they replace fretboards, why not necks?

 

[mudface]

I'm not seeing it. I know for a fact they replace fretboards, why not necks?

This guitar is not a Gibson,... even the OP covered the headstock to obscure the headstock logo in the pics.... the OP has never stated what this guitar is.

 

[Slick64]

Gentlemen,

Appreciate the comments. The seller and I working through this. I was merely looking for similar instances, and ways it was handled. The dollar figure is why I posted here.

I've purchased quite a few guitars from people in this section, and value different opinions.

It's a very quality made guitar which is why I purchased it.

Seems a full neck replacement is the consensus and that is what the seller and are leaning towards.

The good news is the Skinnerburst I purchased arrived at the same time. It's a beauty. I'll post up pics when I get back to the house.

 

[mudface]

Gentlemen,

Appreciate the comments. The seller and I working through this. I was merely looking for similar instances, and ways it was handled. The dollar figure is why I posted here.

I've purchased quite a few guitars from people in this section, and value different opinions.

It's a very quality made guitar which is why I purchased it.

Seems a full neck replacement is the consensus and that is what the seller and are leaning towards.

The good news is the Skinnerburst I purchased arrived at the same time. It's a beauty. I'll post up pics when I get back to the house.

This is a non Gibson replica correct?

 

[CB91710]

I hadn't thought of that factor. So that would be a a good precaution to take, then, to drop the string tension right down before shipping or to take strings/bridge/tuners off?

I could all see that removing the tuners would take a lot of inertia out of that kind of impact.

And then foam or other packing wedges.

I've seen mixed opinions on that.
Certainly not removed, but whether to slacken the tension is advisable or not.
While I don't have a problem removing all of the strings for a string change, some believe that Gibsons in particular are more prone to back-bowing and subsequent neck twisting. I don't worry about that for the short period for a string or pickup change, but I wouldn't leave them off for a month.

I don't have any confirming bias as to whether loosening or removing for shipping would be a problem.
The guitar is probably going to need a truss rod adjustment and setup anyway, but detuning may require a bit longer for the neck to settle.

 

[Skit]

Most likely the shipping company will require pictures of the packing material, the damage and pictures of the box.

 

[Deftone]

I lurk around here reading a bunch but don’t really post. Thought it would be interesting to share a different perspective on shipping. I’m a trumpet player mainly, wife plays woodwinds. It’s very common when buying online that the instrument is not shipped in its case bc of damage. Sometimes that means double the shipping, but so be it. The average instrument case is just not designed for how it will be treaded during shipping. I know they leave the factory like that, but if Gibson eats one every so often bc of damage, that’s just the cost of doing business. I can’t imagine shipping an expensive instrument in a case that has some slop in it. I would also seek a refund, better to start over in my opinion.

Ryan

Normally I would include packing material inside the case and around the guitar as well.

 

[Uncle Vinnie]

This guitar is not a Gibson,... even the OP covered the headstock to obscure the headstock logo in the pics.... the OP has never stated what this guitar is.

Ahhhh. Now I understand. I was assuming it was a Gibby.

 

[bad565ss]

Sorry to say I'd have to go for a return.

 

[CB91710]

Sorry to say I'd have to go for a return.

Ya... Thinking it was a Historic or actual "vintage" LP vs an $8k replica my opinion has changed.
Return it and let the seller file a claim with the shipper.
It's his responsibility until you receive it in good condition. It is not your responsibility to deal with the shipping claim.

There are a million other $8k guitars available without a broken headstock.

 

[CoolRene]

Must have been very disappointing but I t can be repaired. If it’s done professionally by a skilled luthier, it won’t leave any traces and should be even tougher than before.
Guitars, particularly with set necks, always have to be shipped with lower string tension, protection around the headstock and the fretboard, all empty spaces in the case being filled with newspaper rolled on balls.
Even then, transport can be a risk but at least you are drastically limiting it by taking these precautions. Many tutorials on YouTube.

 

[CoolRene]

My old VOS Beano had the headstock completely snap off in the care of Fedex...i had double boxed it, downtuned it half a step, put a bit of bubblewrap behind the headstock and used lots of bubblewrap around the hardcase...luckily, Gibson had arranged for Fedex and so the Custom Shop built me a brand new replacement.

You’ve been quite lucky… doesn’t always end that happily…

 

[bobsessed]

The seller is working with me, so I don't want to go there......I was thinking it was dropped flat. The box and case were in good shape. Nothing visible.

I would think a complete neck replacement might be the best option. Just looking for potential options for me and the seller to look at. First thing is to see how UPS responds.

In the early 90s I had a pawn shop, and I "specialized" in guitars. I bought lots of guitars that UPS broke the necks on. I don't like UPS. My wife recently bought an antique cake stand off the Etsy site, and UPS delivered a box of pink, milk-glass sand. I don't like UPS.

 

[Charliep]

Oh I wasn't saying the seller damaged it.
I'm positive it happened while in the care of UPS.

A replacement is one option. I honestly don't know what would be a bigger value hit.
That clean of a break, a proper repair with splines will end up being stronger than the original, and thus, a replacement.
A good guy can make that repair pretty well hidden, though the transparent finish it will always be apparent.

If it is a clean break with no other cracks going thru it a spline or splines aren't needed. I repaired one about 7 years ago and it is still solid. Sounds and plays great!

 

[DonnaB]

Have heard of them, never seen one in person until today and I've bought and sold over a hundred guitars.

This arrived like this today.......

The seller and I are working something out, but need to wait 24hrs for the claim to be filed. What I'm looking for isn't blame right now.

It was fully insured. I'm wanting to know has anyone had this happen, how was the claim addressed, how long did it take, was the guitar repairable. etc....

What type of value hit would the guitar take. It was roughly $8K.

View attachment 505372 View attachment 505378 View attachment 505375 View attachment 505377 View attachment 505376 View attachment 505379

I had that happen to an SG standard that I shipped. I bought the full insurance for the guitar. Fedex denied my insurance claim because I packed the guitar myself. I had to give the buyer back his money & Fedex sent my SG standard back to me with broken headstock.
Pay attention here:
***Turns out that if you pack the guitar yourself they (Ups, FedEx) will always deny the claim citing that you may have not packed it properly (detuning it, enough packed space betweethe box & case etc.). The ONLY way the seller can get their money back by an insurance claim is to let a representative of the shipper pack the guitar. That was a hard $$ lesson to learn.

 

[Shawnee76]

This is horroristic

 

[gearhead63]

I'd DEFINITELY take the money and RUN!
If it were a vintage, VALUABLE Gibson, and you REALLY REALLY wanted that particular unit, I'd send it to Gibson for the repair. Having Gibson (or an AUTHORIZED repair shop) repair it and provide documentation will retain it's value. had a good friend that had his in the trunk of his car and got rear ended. Snapped the neck. Collected insurance and he had Gibson repair it. They stamp the original serial number on the new neck and give you documentation to prove they did the repair. it's still worth more than he paid for it.

 

[VancoD]

I have lost one to UPS. It was double-boxed as both UPS and FedEx require of "personal electronics". The seller called UPS and they came and took it away the next day. Got a full refund and was fortunate enough to find another at a similar price.

http://imgur.com/tgCYfUq

http://imgur.com/lRr4GiL

One of the biggest issues I've seen WRT other damage I've had on shipped guitars is the seller actually using too much packing material, in effect making the packaging a "solid mass" on the guitar rather then provide actual buffering from shock.

 

[MojoR]

i’ve had experience as a seller of an item the was destroyed by UPS in shipment. UPS was brutal about the claim process...

They wouldn’t allow me, the seller/shipper, to file the claim, even though I paid for the shipment AND the full insurance. They said the person in possession of the guitar must file the claim because they require an investigator to go out and view in person the original packing materials and the damage.

In my case, the buyer #1.wouldn’t file the claim as he was adamant that as the shipper, It was my problem. Then, #2. The buyer had thrown away all of the original packing materials after taking thorough pictures of everything. ... So, I was out of luck.

In the end, after about 20 calls to UPS, and them leaving it as “pictures of the packing materials do not satisfy the requirements of an insurance claim, we require our investigator to view everything in person, you do have the option to bring it up in litigation if you disagree”.....

Now, the item I sold/shipped was a handwired Bluesbreaker combo. It was double boxed with 3 inches of bubble wrap surrounding the cabinet. They buyer had pics of the whole deal even before he opened it. He immediately photographed it before opening because the package looked like it was dropped from a plane lol... both boxes were torn through on the top right corner and the somewhat exposed amp cabinet showed that there was probably significant damage... The amp was damaged so badly that the chassis was severely bent lol... it required in the end a replacement cabinet, chassis, grill cloth, one of the speakers, and a couple caps etc... (The tubes ai shipped separately as they were NOS and I didn’t want to take the chance, so I got lucky there I guess)

The buyer from the get go demanded a full refund and would only ship the amp back to me on my dime as well. I very unhappily gave him a full refund lol, and never received a dime or even an apology from UPS....

I ended up having the cabinet, the grille cloth, and chassis replaced as well as some things like a couple of cracked caps, one of the speakers (frame had been bent on speaker and it developed bad cone cry...) and other components. In the end it cost me about $1400 plus shipping of the amp back to me and then to Louis Electric for repair and of course back to me....

I had done a search online for others who had similar experiences with UPS claims on damaged music gear shipments, and MOST of what I found were examples in which UPS would not pay out on the claims....

In looking for better options moving forward, I was turned on to Shippingguitars.com They are AWESOME, you get a discounted price up to begin with, and while they do use UPS for the actual shipping, they handle their own insurance claims and from what I’ve read and been told, they are very good about getting claims done easily and quickly. I highly recommend them.