New R9 and a binding issue

[scgarman]

But neither of you think the *dealer* should know what they're sending out? I really don't get this "Sweetwater (of whoever) are great it's all Gibson's fault" bit. The duff ones shouldn't leave the dealer, simple as. OR you could actually go to the dealer and take a look yourself, which would save one level of incompetence... But you won't. Or possibly can't now the "buy online, I want cheap" bit has killed so many b&m stores. You wanted cheap? You got it :/

Please consider many don't have a Gibson retailer in close proximity to their home. B&M retailers selling musical instruments are becoming few and far between. Online retailers like Sweetwater have been booming for several years now. Just look at 48th st music row in NYC. It is all long gone!

 

[aintitthelife98]

Please consider many don't have a Gibson retailer in close proximity to their home. B&M retailers selling musical instruments are becoming few and far between. Online retailers like Sweetwater have been booming for several years now. Just look at 48th st music row in NYC. It is all long gone!

This right here ... there was no local retailer who had this guitar in the burst that I wanted so there was no option to play and buy local.

 

[gitmohair]

It is all long gone!

I wonder why? You get what you pay for.

 

[scgarman]

I wonder why? You get what you pay for.

Changing times. Internet shopping has made shopping malls extinct. Guitar stores also.

 

[CB91710]

Here are head on shots of the nut .. would they really go to the effort of shimming a nut from the factory rather than making a new one or is it just finish over the bottom creating that illusion??

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It's just finish.
The R series use nylon nuts, the edge you see is the edge of the clearcoat where the binding was masked.
The small amount of red on the forward edge of the nut is the edge of the masking when the cherry was sprayed.

My R4 nd R8 are probably identical... will have to look when I get home.
The only issue with yours is the scalloped edge from scraping.

 

[CB91710]

This picture pretty clearly shows the outline of the nylon nut compared to the mahogany and binding
That color change in the cherry is the nut... not a shim.

 

[diogoguitar]

Hey everyone. I was looking for a special, lifetime/keeper guitar to commemorate my dad who just passed and I had been looking to get a Les Paul for a while as all my other electrics are Fender so I took the plunge on this R9 from Sweetwater. I've only had a few days with it but so far it's been great weighing in at 8lbs, 9oz. I looked at a bunch they had available but kept coming back to this top.

Now onto the binding issue. While spending some time with it tonight, I noticed this "chip/issue" in the neck binding right up by the nut. I know these are hand made and there are always going to be imperfections and I also acknowledge that this is purely cosmetic but is this something that would be expected on a guitar in this price range? I have a few vintage Gibson acoustics but this is my first new Gibson electric so I want to make sure my expectations aren't out of wack.

Thanks in advance for the help!

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it's hard to unsee in this region of the fretboard... especially on the bass side. I'd ask like 10% back for its location relevance and have someone good taper off this gouge so it's not super obvious.

For anything less than 10% off, I'd just send it back. No excuses for a guitar of this price.

 

[Note Milker]

Yep.
If it is still proud of the board, it can be fixed.

Looks like it's shy. Can't sand out a low spot. You'd have to take down the rest of it. I guess then it would be rolled. Rolled pretty far.... Then even out the hi e side too.....

It must play fine, I wouldn't want to look at that on a 7k guitar. Off to the lab with it.

Sweetwater is cool, but their not cheap. Priced within a few bucks of any other shop. But now that ma and pa are dead and gone.... There's not many places left. We lost a few local shops around here over the last couple of years.

The last two Gibsons I got were my most expensive ones. I had to go to reverb. R9 from Bizarre Guitar Reno. And my priceless '04 oxblood from a private seller. Where are you going to find a '54 oxblood? He drove a tough deal. I gave full asking price. I'm way happier than him though..... He spent the money. The oxblood is a dream guitar. So I had to go reverb.

Sweetwater and Gibson slipped on that binding, anyone could see that from a mile away. Surprised it didn't show up in the pictures, they do a nice job in the listings. Off to the lab with it.

 

[Note Milker]

If you Love the guitar keep it. This is an easy fix. I'd look for a discount on your guitar and a fix included from either them or take it to someone

How can this be an easy fix? A low spot in the binding. Kinda like a missing front tooth. You can always put a gold one in there.

If you sand it to "blend it right in there" you're looking at a blender. It's no easy fix. I could be wrong again..... How would a pro fix this?

Let me take my new '25 Shelby back to the body shop to get the unibody straightened.... It just slipped off the back of the truck a little and kinked the underside. Runs good though, and it's really shiny. Little dog walk going down the road....

Man, it's fun here!

 

[vechap]

Hey everyone. I was looking for a special, lifetime/keeper guitar to commemorate my dad who just passed and I had been looking to get a Les Paul for a while as all my other electrics are Fender so I took the plunge on this R9 from Sweetwater. I've only had a few days with it but so far it's been great weighing in at 8lbs, 9oz. I looked at a bunch they had available but kept coming back to this top.

Now onto the binding issue. While spending some time with it tonight, I noticed this "chip/issue" in the neck binding right up by the nut. I know these are hand made and there are always going to be imperfections and I also acknowledge that this is purely cosmetic but is this something that would be expected on a guitar in this price range? I have a few vintage Gibson acoustics but this is my first new Gibson electric so I want to make sure my expectations aren't out of wack.

Thanks in advance for the help!

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Wow... That bees an ugly, ugly one... Personally, I would not accept it. But that's just me.

 

[vechap]

You will never be able to un- see it, and $7k is far too much coin to not have something you are happy with. Take advantage of the Sweetwater return policy and let your rep hand select you a comparable guitar. These things are mass produced.

I second that emotion!

 

[vechap]

Appreciate all the discussion. I agree that both SW and Gibson should have caught this but here we are. I should be hearing from my rep at SW this morning but I have no doubt they'll make it right based on my prior experiences with them. Looking at the replacement options they have on their site right now, what does everyone think of this top? I guess it's a polarizing subject what sort of tops people like but always appreciate everyone's thoughts.

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Luv da grain on dat one!

 

[vechap]

This picture pretty clearly shows the outline of the nylon nut compared to the mahogany and binding
That color change in the cherry is the nut... not a shim.

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This is really quite common. It was so on all of my Gibson's, 2018, 2021 & 2023...

 

[CB91710]

It's just finish.
The R series use nylon nuts, the edge you see is the edge of the clearcoat where the binding was masked.
The small amount of red on the forward edge of the nut is the edge of the masking when the cherry was sprayed.

My R4 nd R8 are probably identical... will have to look when I get home.
The only issue with yours is the scalloped edge from scraping.

Here's the nut profile on my '21 R8

 

[aintitthelife98]

I appreciate all the discussion in this thread. I certainly understand the issues raised with the state of local music shops today. I always prefer to buy local and play before I buy but for this purchase it just wasn't an option.

My rep at SW and I have connected and we going to figure out the best option. Obviously their inspection didn't get the job done this time but in all my years of working with them, I've never had an issue with their customer service or their desire to make sure I'm 100% happy with every purchase.

The guitar is very good other than this one blemish which in my initial picture is exaggerated due to angle. I'm going to have my local setup/repair guy look at it later this week. He also happens to be a Gibson repair center so I think he'll be helpful in figuring out a good path forward.

 

[Leee]

I'm going to have my local setup/repair guy look at it later this week. He also happens to be a Gibson repair center so I think he'll be helpful in figuring out a good path forward.

Very cool!

I hope he offers a resolution you can live with so you can keep the guitar. Maybe he has an idea that Gibson will go for, and he gets a little dough outta the deal.

It’d be cool if Sweetwater kicked back a little cash to you as well.

 

[waxout]

Boy, thats a classic you can’t un-see it. And yet I know with your eyes all full of flamey maple you might miss it on first glance. That said, it's all about the tone and feel and if it really sends you over the moon, keep it, and see if they’ll give you a partial refund. They probably won’t but I shudder to think of what happens to guitars sent back to the island of misfit toys…

 

[NINFNM]

I'm surprised by the vast majority of comments. Yes, it's a blemish, but it is so small! if you just lightly pass a piece of sand paper over the edges of the indentation I'm sure it will become imperceptible.
If the guitar is nothing special to you, send it back, but I'm so picky regarding factors like color, weight, neck... which are specific to a individual guitar, that I would never miss a great one for a minutua like this:

 

[mjross]

If it really bothers you, I’d return it or suggest a discount!

 

[Jim Klein]

It doesn't look as bad as the first pics made it look . Seems like I saw a video of replacing missing nibs by melting some binding in acetone and buttering up the spots then sanding back to shape , I think this could be fixed , ask for a discount and play hell out of it.