*Good: Sweetwater, American Musical and Willcutt Guitars.* Both of my brand new Gibson Les Pauls and PRS were exactly as pictured and described. *Bad: Wildwood Guitars.* Bought a used Gibson Les Paul Reissue from them. Neither the pics nor the salesperson who described it to me over the phone depicted the severe nitro rash/deterioration around the strap buttons. This damage was impossible to miss in real life. I got burnt for *$150* in shipping costs.
Sound advice all round there sir. And kudos for not naming and shaming (even though after that level of service they more than deserve it). For perfection (I'll keep pushing it) you need to get yourself to a local luthier, true pride and craftsmanship with the bonus of specs tailored to you. Belting vid as ever sir, very honest and very informative.
Great presentation Danny..I also would be willing to bet that PRS would make this right for you....Reack out to them explain what happened. We will all be waiting to hear the results.....
Good video, and cautionary advice. Sometimes all the wrong circumstances line up to delivery an bad result. You could look at the positive, and see that you saved about $2,000, took the initiative and put together your own guitar and learned the critical factors to what makes a good guitar, and you taught everyone a valuable lesson. Thanks
At the end of the day that’s why I buy my guitars at Guitar Center . A lot of people like to slam them but you’ll never have return issues like you did. I also like to go put hands on the guitar. But even if you can’t…..their return policy is great. Always buy your guitar from a retailer that has a good return policy
GC had sold me damaged guitars before. In fact one time the pic they showed was perfect condition and when opening the box in the store, a chunk of the headstock was broken off. I was so upset. Ever since then i request it shipped to store and open it in front of the manager.
It’s a shame that most people today cannot get to the music stores to try out the instruments for themselves, especially if they are top dollar, so many horror stories about mail order.
I bought a 250.00 guitar at Guitar Center in the Woodlands. A bass. It had a very minor scratch on it. I asked the counter guy if he had a new one in the back he said it was the only one. I showed him the tiny almost invisible scratch and asked if there was a discount for that. He said no, no discounts. I laughed and said no problem and bought it. But a couple weeks later I changed my mind about it and returned it not because of the scratch but for other reasons. Well it happened to be the same guy at the counter and he picked up the bass and looked around at it and said hey, it has a scratch on the back. It did not have this when I sold it to you. I said, oh yes it did. It was exactly this condition. I have not even touched the guitar since I bought it. I said, in fact, I even asked you for a discount because of that tiny scratch, he denied it but gave me the money back anyway , it was a very awkward feeling especially since I’ve spent at least $200,000 at Guitar Center in the past 30 years. And it shows on my name how much I’ve spent there and everything. I started to really start some crap about his attitude because he had a horrible attitude, but I let it go. Hopefully they don’t keep him very long. His people skills were awful.
Sorry to hear this happend danny stuff like this drives me wild feels like youve been robbed it shouldnt happen hope you have better luck in the future! Love your videos very informative and allways standing for the truth keep up the great work dude
Your explanations about PRS is touch my heart… they (he) have so much confidence. Anyway i still have some of the core and WL. They are so good for decorating When we pay premium, we expect the premium…PRS
Recently ran into this. I'm glad you posted your experience and sorry you went through all that. So stressful and very classy of you not to disclose the dealer's name. I agree with you that the root of the issue was PRS's quality assurance. Maybe they are slipping. I purchased an SE semi hollow not too long ago and the frets were sprouting left and right, the bridge saddle springs were fatigued and rattling, and there were finish issues. I know that's a lower end guitar, but you'd still expect a decent finish and setup for something that costed a little over $1000. Fortunately I purchased from a large retailer, so I could return it, no questions asked. Great advice Danny!
It's unfortunate that some business people have no training in Customer Service. I have had similar complaints with U.P.S. I only ship via FedEx anymore and have always had excellent service from them. I'm also super cautious about buying instruments that I haven't seen and held in my hands. Business practices have really deteriorated in the recent past. The old adage "Buyer Beware" holds true here. It's a bummer that you lost $75 but in the long run, it was inexpensive compared to what it could have been if they refused to take the guitar back. I think you handled the situation as good as it could be handled by anybody. Stay strong!
Personally have had good experience with Sweetwater and American Musical. Mostly but not always good with Guitar Center. Just my experience. My local Mom and Pop is great but charges slightly more but gives great service / experience. It's a matter of what you want. You must investigate and do your own due diligence before committing to buy. Like anything/everything else you want.
Honestly a slight discoloration is nothing to worry about. All of my hand made guitars have little unique things like that. Better than just some cookie cutter machine made exact duplicate. I bought a guitar from Sweet Water and didn’t like it, sent it back. They charge you for the shipping both ways when you do that. It ended up costing me about $150 in total.
Hi Danny 😢. Sorry to hear about your dilemma with the PRS. I was in a store in England that had been Visited by Paul RS for the purpose of setting up for the PRS Official dealer a couple of years prior to my visit and the store was great new and was an individual store not a chain . All the PRS marketing stuff was there posters and photos of Paul. From the inception of the certified dealship. I asked the owner how come they don't have such a big selection anymore of PRS,s and he told me that on a 4 Grand guitar he only makes about 100 pounds profit. I could see the point of operating at such a low profit margin. What's it all about?. Best regards 😺. John.
I have been buying PRS for many years. All of my customer service experience has been amazing. As soon as you had the problem with the vendor, you should have contacted PRS with your situation.
Im sorry to ask, are you in US correct? Im from Bangkok, Thailand and my experience is opposite from you. The sentence and words that they reply me… reminds me that im from the third world
I had an absolutely hellish experience with Hughes & Kettner that is reminiscent of this. It's sad because the company has lost a customer, yes, but now I have this crappy memory anytime I see the brand come up. Thank goodness I was working with Sweetwater, as they were large enough to just absorb the return and make it right.
I have two PRS guitars from 1984-85 and the polyester finish just peels right off in inch wide strips thats WHY they went to a nitro finish. Nitro is great is your smart enough to take care of it.
@@stuco It's chemically the same as old celluloid film. It degrades over time into a highly flammable mush. If you've ever lit a pick on fire, and seen how it goes up like a christmas tree, be aware that nitro finish is made of the same stuff
MR. Medic, what is your take on Fender/Squire? I believe it to be far better value than Gibson/Epiphone? I have a squire telecaster that I paid less than $200 new, and could not believe the quality as it was fantastic!
yes, the binding was overexposed you can see it, but they insisted the photo showed no marks as proof there was no marks when they shipped. Either they ignorant or they were trying to con me. either means not a good company to do business with
I have heard several people say PRS customer service is fantastic but unfortunately I have heard more say that PRS customer service is horrible 😐 my personal experience with PRS customer service was horrible!
Always buy guitars in the store so you can inspect and play the guitar in person. I never buy online cause I can’t play and inspect it. Just saying. Rock on.
I bought a PRS s2 594 thin line double cut. Mine was incorrectly wired. It had a really bad setup and even though it was supposed to go through inspection and set up it was clearly lip service. The coil tap didn’t work as the pickup wires were wired incorrectly for the neck pickup. It just seemed a lemon and the fret work at the top end of the guitar was not great as it hadn’t had the fall off done correctly as it just had some buzz and a dead fret. I contacted the shop, they satiated it had definitively gone through setup I said well if it did your qc is poor as it went through PRS qc and wasn’t noticed and then yours. Oh well the tech doesn’t test every single function of the guitar…. To which I’m internally shaking my head going lazy bastards either do it or not. They said I could either have a refund or discount I said well you have an identical one listed I’ll have that please. They replaced the guitar and collected the faulty on at the same time. That one was so much better. It still needed a set up after their setup as the truss rod wasn’t adjusted correctly but everything else was spot on intonation action and nut height as soon as the extra relief set back to 10 ‘000 That was in the UK from a pretty long standing company that’s been going easily since 70’s 80’s I’m short I think the qc for covid period built guitars (mine was something like early 21 the first one )has been lacking and they just needed to get stuff out of the door from the stuff Paul has said about lockdowns and staff issues reading between the lines. But the fault was definitely with factory as I can’t understand how a none working coiltap can get through QC and some crappy fret work At least the shop I bought from didn’t try and con me like you experienced. They accepted that occasionally there is a duff PRS but did state they are usually perfect out of the box and require very little effort compared to many other brands
If you watch guitaristas channel, he was sold what was supposed to be brand new gibson, and the finish was ALL MESSED UP. also from a shop in the UK... and that shop denied everything... lots of horror stories I hear about ppl not buying in person.
I used to sell guitars if I got a scratch on it 😂 don’t ask why but I fell in love with a Strat Custom Shop Heavy relic after playing it and now I love the wear of Nitro Lacquer paint and all kinds of scratches on my guitar, it makes me play different. Caring less about the guitar and more about the music
Good content and very truthfull account of the all too typical policies online retailers have adopted to cover shipping costs. To be honest my friend, it really doesn't matter the size of the outfit your buying from. The relationship you have with your sales associate has become almost holy ground. It shouldn't be that way, but the reality is, you have to play the game. I chew most of 'em up, and spit them out with alarming frequency sometimes. But once you settle on the right cat, it's still worth the hassle in the long run. Don't lose faith, there's good guitars out there if your willing grind it out in the online buying trenches. Your too nice. I probably would've called them out.
Sorry to hear your bad experience. I'm not sure I would have been so hard on PRS without contacting them directly. Stuff happens for sure but give them a chance to make it right. The imperfections you describe could have been retrofixes by the dealer or someone else. Even if they weren't I know PRS would want to know about it. The correct thing to have done would have been to contact PRS. I am sure they would love that feedback on their distributor, your unnamed guitar store.
I would definitely say which dealer this was. We (as customers) should not have to deal with dealers like this. Very unprofessional! Let’s close this place down. Ridiculous!
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic it seemed 100% based on that BS video they sent you. But I understand. Just can’t believe they would treat you like this.
I dont think PRS should have all the blame. What if the blemish happened in the store? The "scratches" was not PRS fault. In fact, did anyone reach put to PRS? Im guessing that guitar has sat in the store blemished on the sales floor or got blemishes by others playing it.
I highly believe that is a factory flaw because the guitar is in super good condition, and the discoloration is under the clear coat. But as I found out, the clear coat is done by a robot... but QC person should have noticed it.
No need to tell, but you should sue them. If the customer has paid the price they asked for then they should deliver the quality they display. No level of excuse can negate this.
Buying a guitar my mail without trying it first has its risks. Unless you are buying something 'as-is' for such a low price that you can accept any minor defects it is my opinion that buying a guitar without being able to try it first and fully inspect it s not a good way to get what you want. Sure , if you are not satisfied with a new guitar that you purchased the store might accept a return and give you a full refund but in this case, that did not happen. Was it worth all the unboxing , inspecting, re-boxing and time spent haggling with the store about the $ 75.00 ? It wouldn't be for me.......great video though. Also, respect to you for not naming the dealer.If they keep up this kind of poor customer relations the word will get out anyway.
which was why in my quest for a mccarty s2, I bought from reverb used, and I am very satisfied with it. lots of scratches and one little ding, and it stinks (smells) currently airing it out.
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic I didn't realize that you had bought two of them. Glad that the second one worked out. The word on the street is that PRS quality is top notch -I can't say as I have never owned one.
@@paulsadoff3661 the finishing touches arent perfect, but excellent build quality those things... the one I got a 20-21 model with almost no wear on the frets. came with scratches and one dent but I polished it up to near factory condition and the dent is on the bottom and barely noticable: th-cam.com/video/E5_j-UPMuLk/w-d-xo.html
Oh Danny, I'm down with you on this. Most of us are. But don't argue with the trolls commenting below on your page who are just trying to get you mad, for their amusement. There are some sorry excuses for human beings in this world. As far as the store in question, in my opinion the best way to punish them is call them out by name on your show so they lose far more business in the future than just this one guitar. Many of your YT friends will be ringing their phone off the hook, telling them we'll never buy a f--king thing from them, ever, and we'll each tell ten friends about this incident so they won't either. It's called a 'boycott.' As far as the guitar, you can afford to tell them to stick this guitar up their asses, anyway. Don't make this about $75 or a flaw in the finish. They should've handled it fairly, they didn't, that's history. This is now, and it's about honesty and principle. You've already won because you're right. Unscrupulous shops like that have no doubt victimized other people besides you and don't deserve to be in business. You've been given an opportunity to expose them in the open marketplace and help solve a problem. Give them one more chance to make this right. They probably won't though, so next take this up the ladder to PRS because they can put real pressure on this shop. When you report that it will help PRS too and they know it.
If you are MAD about losing 75 dollars maybe you shouldn’t be buying 3 Thousand dollar guitars, but I agree with you PRS was the NUMBER 1 problem, I also agree BUY from the big shops their return policies are the ABSOLUTE BEST!
Hi Danny, thank u for sharing your horrific experience of buying the PRS guitar. However I would have to disagree of your advice of not buying off small guitar stores n instead buying from big established music stores to avoid what u had experience. I strongly believe what caused your predicament was a matter of honesty. An honest dealer , regardless of financal backing or reputation would have come clean on their mistake n would have rectified it immediately. Please dont stop supporting the small music stores . Just buying a pack of strings or picks would help them alot. Pls post more videos too :)
Thats not even a big deal compared to some gibsons. This is why i usually only buy higher end japanese guitars. They seriously follow the rules ans look things over like their reputations are on the line
The white binding on my gretsch is turning mostly yellow. Nitro will do that. Even if the prs had been perfectly white when you got it, it would turn yellow eventually. The guitar dealer should have taken care of you however. They basically stole 75 bucks from you. Not cool.
I know that alot of packages are inspected by both UPS and Fedex.Especially if you order a guitar.Ive found holes poked in the box of a harley benton guitar I recently received.What better way for someone to ship firearms, than to conceal it in a guitar case or box.I would say there is a good possiblity that if the guitar was in a case.It was taken out for closer inspection,and the box resealed.The workers are probably in a hurry to do this and possibly might have damaged the guitar.The clue is the packing piece is missing in their video.Unfortunetly UPS probably doesnt have any video.And even if they did.They would probably tell you for security reasons it wouldnt be available to the public.I can understand why your P*issed off.Maybe calling PRS first and letting them know might have been a better choice.They might have sent you a new guitar from the factory.My opinion.
Its hard to imagine UPS inspecting boxes that are shipped from In USA to In USA.. Firearms shipping? I live in NYC, shipping OUT firearms would be something no one here does, shipping IN firearms is what everyone wants because the firearm laws here suck balls like nitro... but thanks for watching, and maybe calling PRS could have been something, but PRS's warranty card says it does not cover discoloration.. so who knows...
The argument you made is don't buy from a small store, buy from a big store, with great return policies. The truth is that there are big stores (guitar center) that sell people "new" items, that are clearly return/refurb, and there are small shops like where you did business that are small for a reason, and don't process returns smoothly. The real logical resolve here should be to shop at "good" stores. Small shops like wildwood are legendary, big shops like sweetwater are legendary, but neither category of store is without flaws.
"The argument you made is don't buy from a small store, buy from a big store, with great return policies. " actually: The point is that small stores have more to lose with returns, so it is best to go IN PERSON to a small store and see for yourself before buying, and IF one needs to buy via mail order, go with BIG STORE that have a good return policy.
That is a nightmare for sure, and unfortunately the state of affairs lately in every market. I think it's because people are struggling in general. Mad respect for not putting out the name of the dealer,but... Regardless of weather the shipper opened it, the dealer handled it poorly to say the least. At that point, I wish I knew who it was so I don't make the mistake of buying from them. I live in MD and my friend owned a music store ( recently closed the 30+ yr business) and was a PRS dealer. I literally played hundreds over the yrs. They are above any manufacturers in my opinion on quality control. I'm certain they would want to know about your experience, and probably would have gotten involved, knowing what I know about them. When you ship as meny guitars as they do, some are bound to get through the cracks. If it's a great guitar, I would overlook it, and look at it as the "character" of the instrument. But I totally understand wanting it in perfect condition. The dealer should be ashamed of himself. Dont sell guitars over the internet if you don't wanna (assume) responsibility!!
Damn Danny, that sucks that this happened. I blame PRS, but I also blame the dealer for being total d***heads. I don't believe the bs about UPS either. Even if UPS did open the box, they wouldn't take the cardboard stuffing out and replace it with plastic. Not all, but some of these dealers are a bit more cutthroat than the big box stores. Some owners are highly practiced in fighting returns and instruct the salespeople to be the same way. It's true that smaller shops have more to lose but that lack of customer service is absolutely unacceptable. I saw a comment below from Mr. Mark S suggesting that you take it up with PRS. That might not be a bad idea. Despite the faux pas on their part, PRS might care about this a bit more because they do care about their reputation. Keyword might. I'm not asking you to disclose the dealer, but there are some shops in Vegas with shady reputations. One starts with an R. Another starts with an A. I've heard some nightmare stories about some seriously grifty business practices from these and others. You're right to be leery about buying guitars online anyway even from reputable dealers with outstanding customer service. Guitars are all unique. If you go to a shop and play three of the same Les Paul, Strat, McCarty, etc, you'll find that there are subtle differences in weight and tone even between supposedly identical models. The best way to buy a guitar is to physically go to a shop and fall in love with something that you've actually had in your hands. Guitars can be a little like cats sometimes. They pick you. Cheers Danny, I hope you have a better experience on your next attempt at a premium guitar.
I respect your decision not to name the vendor but you should consider providing a bad review for them on Google, BBB or sale sites like eBay. That will be a red flag to others that this business does not always provide good service.
This is why I use blue duct tape around the outside of the box. It pretty much makes it tamper proof. You should not have accepted a refund minus 75$. That’s an easy ups claim they have insurance. On the other hand I think you severely overreacted in the first place without seeing it in person. The photo you provided looks like binding on every guitar ever. You should however name the dealer because you are allowing people to get caught by the same scam. If no one calls them out how the fuck is anyone going to know where not to shop. That’s bullshit in my opinion.
I will recap: small businesses have alot more to lose with shipping charges, if must buy from small, buy in person. If must buy sight unseen, buy from big. this applies to new of course, when buying used-as-is it is okay to buy from anyone because you are accepting it as-is. cheers and merry
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic im fine with this but you should rewatch your video. The words don’t buy from mom and pop stores go to Guitar center the king of BK and miss use of public funds is asinine. I’m sorry you got what you think is a bad deal. It happens they are wood and magnets no matter where you buy it your dealing with an organic product. I’m sorry but you video which was the fist I’ve ever seen of you made you look like a whinny asshat and the fact that you got so offended by constructive criticism shows me you are what we thought you were.
Your video and evidence was very succinct. However, the blemish was very minor, and most of us gigging musicians, would not have cared at all about the discoloration on the binding. After all, people out there are paying top dollar for a lot more damages (relicing). I agree about your camera over exposure theory. Because I understand that how that works. But at the end of the day Danny, that was very minor I would not have gone through all that for that small amount of binding issue
So you would be fine if you paid close to 2 grand retail price for a new guitar and it showed up like that? Dont answer that. I know the answer already, it really depends on how rich the person is. For me, I dont mind this stuff on my harley bentons, but to me, a couple of grand item should NOT have left the factory that way... but had I been a billionare, I woulda just threw it into the bonfire and ordered another one.
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic No my friend what I meant was that as a gigging musician, I’m going to bang it up, I’m going to put marks on it, I’m going to ding the hell out of it, so I’m not going to worry about a little bitty smudge on the binding. If I like the guitar I’m going to use it as a tool. And as it gets used, it’s going to show signs of wear.
@@BBQROCKSTAR178 oh I see. So in that case, you would benefit from the "scratch and dent" collection from some retailers because they mark it way down from full retail price, which I was considering because of the huge savings.. but I dont believe a blem guitar should be sold as new, for the new price as in what happened to me... Can I live with a discolored binding? YES, but not at full retail I will not!
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic I understand your point Danny. It’s a principle of good business practice for the seller to disclose any blemish. I agree.
Why torture yourself with buying that overpriced crap they sell at PRS? They are American made, so you know the QC is will be horrible. Get a proper guitar made in Japan where people get paid enough to give a shit about the work they do.
I blame Gibson
LOL.. thank you!
*Good: Sweetwater, American Musical and Willcutt Guitars.* Both of my brand new Gibson Les Pauls and PRS were exactly as pictured and described.
*Bad: Wildwood Guitars.* Bought a used Gibson Les Paul Reissue from them. Neither the pics nor the salesperson who described it to me over the phone depicted the severe nitro rash/deterioration around the strap buttons. This damage was impossible to miss in real life. I got burnt for *$150* in shipping costs.
Good to know, I was thinking about buying a Les Paul from Wildwood. I have had good experiences from AMS and Sweetwater.
Sound advice all round there sir.
And kudos for not naming and shaming (even though after that level of service they more than deserve it).
For perfection (I'll keep pushing it) you need to get yourself to a local luthier, true pride and craftsmanship with the bonus of specs tailored to you.
Belting vid as ever sir, very honest and very informative.
Great presentation Danny..I also would be willing to bet that PRS would make this right for you....Reack out to them explain what happened. We will all be waiting to hear the results.....
Good video, and cautionary advice. Sometimes all the wrong circumstances line up to delivery an bad result. You could look at the positive, and see that you saved about $2,000, took the initiative and put together your own guitar and learned the critical factors to what makes a good guitar, and you taught everyone a valuable lesson. Thanks
At the end of the day that’s why I buy my guitars at Guitar Center . A lot of people like to slam them but you’ll never have return issues like you did. I also like to go put hands on the guitar. But even if you can’t…..their return policy is great. Always buy your guitar from a retailer that has a good return policy
I get 10% off anything at guitar center too! I loved their String Club when they had that!
GC had sold me damaged guitars before. In fact one time the pic they showed was perfect condition and when opening the box in the store, a chunk of the headstock was broken off. I was so upset. Ever since then i request it shipped to store and open it in front of the manager.
It’s a shame that most people today cannot get to the music stores to try out the instruments for themselves, especially if they are top dollar, so many horror stories about mail order.
I bought a 250.00 guitar at Guitar Center in the Woodlands. A bass. It had a very minor scratch on it. I asked the counter guy if he had a new one in the back he said it was the only one. I showed him the tiny almost invisible scratch and asked if there was a discount for that. He said no, no discounts. I laughed and said no problem and bought it. But a couple weeks later I changed my mind about it and returned it not because of the scratch but for other reasons. Well it happened to be the same guy at the counter and he picked up the bass and looked around at it and said hey, it has a scratch on the back. It did not have this when I sold it to you. I said, oh yes it did. It was exactly this condition. I have not even touched the guitar since I bought it. I said, in fact, I even asked you for a discount because of that tiny scratch, he denied it but gave me the money back anyway , it was a very awkward feeling especially since I’ve spent at least $200,000 at Guitar Center in the past 30 years. And it shows on my name how much I’ve spent there and everything. I started to really start some crap about his attitude because he had a horrible attitude, but I let it go. Hopefully they don’t keep him very long. His people skills were awful.
Sorry to hear this happend danny stuff like this drives me wild feels like youve been robbed it shouldnt happen hope you have better luck in the future! Love your videos very informative and allways standing for the truth keep up the great work dude
thanks, but i do see it this way too… for $75 I had content for a very interesting video!
I have a PRS authorized dealer in Va, getting ready to see them this weekend, please tell me it’s not Matt’s Guitars
Danny thanks for sharing this. Absolutely shameful. Sadly you are most likely spot on about what happened.
Your explanations about PRS is touch my heart… they (he) have so much confidence. Anyway i still have some of the core and WL. They are so good for decorating
When we pay premium, we expect the premium…PRS
I’d recommend Sweetwater for general purchases and Wildwood Guitars for high end stuff. They’ll treat you right.
I heard the name wildwood a few times... I will check them out...
Recently ran into this. I'm glad you posted your experience and sorry you went through all that. So stressful and very classy of you not to disclose the dealer's name. I agree with you that the root of the issue was PRS's quality assurance. Maybe they are slipping. I purchased an SE semi hollow not too long ago and the frets were sprouting left and right, the bridge saddle springs were fatigued and rattling, and there were finish issues. I know that's a lower end guitar, but you'd still expect a decent finish and setup for something that costed a little over $1000. Fortunately I purchased from a large retailer, so I could return it, no questions asked. Great advice Danny!
$1000 for an SE??? my lord! times have changed!!!
have u looked into harley bentons?
It's unfortunate that some business people have no training in Customer Service. I have had similar complaints with U.P.S. I only ship via FedEx anymore and have always had excellent service from them. I'm also super cautious about buying instruments that I haven't seen and held in my hands. Business practices have really deteriorated in the recent past. The old adage "Buyer Beware" holds true here. It's a bummer that you lost $75 but in the long run, it was inexpensive compared to what it could have been if they refused to take the guitar back. I think you handled the situation as good as it could be handled by anybody. Stay strong!
Thank you for such encouraging words
Personally have had good experience with Sweetwater and American Musical. Mostly but not always good with Guitar Center. Just my experience. My local Mom and Pop is great but charges slightly more but gives great service / experience. It's a matter of what you want. You must investigate and do your own due diligence before committing to buy. Like anything/everything else you want.
What a fantastic video
I'm sure glad I watched this video.
Honestly a slight discoloration is nothing to worry about. All of my hand made guitars have little unique things like that. Better than just some cookie cutter machine made exact duplicate. I bought a guitar from Sweet Water and didn’t like it, sent it back. They charge you for the shipping both ways when you do that. It ended up costing me about $150 in total.
Hi Danny 😢. Sorry to hear about your dilemma with the PRS. I was in a store in England that had been Visited by Paul RS for the purpose of setting up for the PRS Official dealer a couple of years prior to my visit and the store was great new and was an individual store not a chain . All the PRS marketing stuff was there posters and photos of Paul. From the inception of the certified dealship. I asked the owner how come they don't have such a big selection anymore of PRS,s and he told me that on a 4 Grand guitar he only makes about 100 pounds profit. I could see the point of operating at such a low profit margin. What's it all about?. Best regards 😺. John.
I have been buying PRS for many years. All of my customer service experience has been amazing. As soon as you had the problem with the vendor, you should have contacted PRS with your situation.
Im sorry to ask, are you in US correct? Im from Bangkok, Thailand and my experience is opposite from you. The sentence and words that they reply me… reminds me that im from the third world
I believe the shop is located in CA. Will be avoiding them...
I had an absolutely hellish experience with Hughes & Kettner that is reminiscent of this. It's sad because the company has lost a customer, yes, but now I have this crappy memory anytime I see the brand come up. Thank goodness I was working with Sweetwater, as they were large enough to just absorb the return and make it right.
I have two PRS guitars from 1984-85 and the polyester finish just peels right off in inch wide strips thats WHY they went to a nitro finish. Nitro is great is your smart enough to take care of it.
84 85 is prob too old
I've found another way around this... avoid nitrocellulose AT ALL COST!!!
Nitro finishes catch fire over time too. It's chemically unstable and outgasses.
@@stuco It's chemically the same as old celluloid film. It degrades over time into a highly flammable mush. If you've ever lit a pick on fire, and seen how it goes up like a christmas tree, be aware that nitro finish is made of the same stuff
MR. Medic, what is your take on Fender/Squire? I believe it to be far better value than Gibson/Epiphone? I have a squire telecaster that I paid less than $200 new, and could not believe the quality as it was fantastic!
I have no experience with fender/squire I have no opinion
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic thanks for your response!
I think the camera flash on the dealer photograph washed out the binding imperfections .
yes, the binding was overexposed you can see it, but they insisted the photo showed no marks as proof there was no marks when they shipped. Either they ignorant or they were trying to con me. either means not a good company to do business with
if you want a awesome guitar thats worth it get a buzzo standard from electrical guitar company you cant go wrong
i suspect the dealer of selling factory seconds as top shelf and keeping the profits as a likely scenario for the blemish
i also suspect
Is it a certain place that’s based in Chicago
What are you complaining about Gibson would charge you an Xtra 4500 for Murphys aged binding
So true... to recreate that, would take murphy's team alot of research and development...
I have heard several people say PRS customer service is fantastic but unfortunately I have heard more say that PRS customer service is horrible 😐 my personal experience with PRS customer service was horrible!
Always buy guitars in the store so you can inspect and play the guitar in person. I never buy online cause I can’t play and inspect it. Just saying. Rock on.
I sure learned MY LESSON!!! I will not be buying pricy guitars unseen from now on... Thomann bentons are okay, I like fixing them ! LOL
I definitely blame Gibson.
you CAN, those sons of bees
I bought a PRS s2 594 thin line double cut. Mine was incorrectly wired. It had a really bad setup and even though it was supposed to go through inspection and set up it was clearly lip service. The coil tap didn’t work as the pickup wires were wired incorrectly for the neck pickup. It just seemed a lemon and the fret work at the top end of the guitar was not great as it hadn’t had the fall off done correctly as it just had some buzz and a dead fret.
I contacted the shop, they satiated it had definitively gone through setup I said well if it did your qc is poor as it went through PRS qc and wasn’t noticed and then yours. Oh well the tech doesn’t test every single function of the guitar…. To which I’m internally shaking my head going lazy bastards either do it or not. They said I could either have a refund or discount I said well you have an identical one listed I’ll have that please. They replaced the guitar and collected the faulty on at the same time. That one was so much better. It still needed a set up after their setup as the truss rod wasn’t adjusted correctly but everything else was spot on intonation action and nut height as soon as the extra relief set back to 10 ‘000
That was in the UK from a pretty long standing company that’s been going easily since 70’s 80’s
I’m short I think the qc for covid period built guitars (mine was something like early 21 the first one )has been lacking and they just needed to get stuff out of the door from the stuff Paul has said about lockdowns and staff issues reading between the lines. But the fault was definitely with factory as I can’t understand how a none working coiltap can get through QC and some crappy fret work
At least the shop I bought from didn’t try and con me like you experienced.
They accepted that occasionally there is a duff PRS but did state they are usually perfect out of the box and require very little effort compared to many other brands
If you watch guitaristas channel, he was sold what was supposed to be brand new gibson, and the finish was ALL MESSED UP. also from a shop in the UK... and that shop denied everything... lots of horror stories I hear about ppl not buying in person.
I used to sell guitars if I got a scratch on it 😂 don’t ask why but I fell in love with a Strat Custom Shop Heavy relic after playing it and now I love the wear of Nitro Lacquer paint and all kinds of scratches on my guitar, it makes me play different. Caring less about the guitar and more about the music
Good content and very truthfull account of the all too typical policies online retailers have adopted to cover shipping costs. To be honest my friend, it really doesn't matter the size of the outfit your buying from. The relationship you have with your sales associate has become almost holy ground. It shouldn't be that way, but the reality is, you have to play the game. I chew most of 'em up, and spit them out with alarming frequency sometimes. But once you settle on the right cat, it's still worth the hassle in the long run. Don't lose faith, there's good guitars out there if your willing grind it out in the online buying trenches. Your too nice. I probably would've called them out.
Sorry to hear your bad experience. I'm not sure I would have been so hard on PRS without contacting them directly. Stuff happens for sure but give them a chance to make it right. The imperfections you describe could have been retrofixes by the dealer or someone else. Even if they weren't I know PRS would want to know about it. The correct thing to have done would have been to contact PRS. I am sure they would love that feedback on their distributor, your unnamed guitar store.
I would definitely say which dealer this was. We (as customers) should not have to deal with dealers like this. Very unprofessional! Let’s close this place down. Ridiculous!
I myself will not take action without 100%... None of that salem witch trail stuff and etc...
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic it seemed 100% based on that BS video they sent you. But I understand. Just can’t believe they would treat you like this.
@@popskustom7382 thanks
he did the same to me!
sad how some people conduct themselves in business..remember,if they chose to ship u.p.s. they should be dealing with them not the customer..
I dont think PRS should have all the blame. What if the blemish happened in the store? The "scratches" was not PRS fault. In fact, did anyone reach put to PRS? Im guessing that guitar has sat in the store blemished on the sales floor or got blemishes by others playing it.
I highly believe that is a factory flaw because the guitar is in super good condition, and the discoloration is under the clear coat. But as I found out, the clear coat is done by a robot... but QC person should have noticed it.
Busted !
Man, this is very stressful. I have not had similar problem but have returned guitar and I know how annoying it is
I guess Music Zoo by the picture
No need to tell, but you should sue them. If the customer has paid the price they asked for then they should deliver the quality they display. No level of excuse can negate this.
Buying a guitar my mail without trying it first has its risks. Unless you are buying something 'as-is' for such a low price that you can accept any minor defects it is my opinion that buying a guitar without being able to try it first and fully inspect it s not a good way to get what you want. Sure , if you are not satisfied with a new guitar that you purchased the store might accept a return and give you a full refund but in this case, that did not happen. Was it worth all the unboxing , inspecting, re-boxing and time spent haggling with the store about the $ 75.00 ? It wouldn't be for me.......great video though. Also, respect to you for not naming the dealer.If they keep up this kind of poor customer relations the word will get out anyway.
which was why in my quest for a mccarty s2, I bought from reverb used, and I am very satisfied with it. lots of scratches and one little ding, and it stinks (smells) currently airing it out.
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic I didn't realize that you had bought two of them. Glad that the second one worked out. The word on the street is that PRS quality is top notch -I can't say as I have never owned one.
@@paulsadoff3661 the finishing touches arent perfect, but excellent build quality those things... the one I got a 20-21 model with almost no wear on the frets. came with scratches and one dent but I polished it up to near factory condition and the dent is on the bottom and barely noticable: th-cam.com/video/E5_j-UPMuLk/w-d-xo.html
A brick and one of the seller's store front window's can easily = 75 bucks !!
waaaaa
Oh Danny, I'm down with you on this. Most of us are. But don't argue with the trolls commenting below on your page who are just trying to get you mad, for their amusement. There are some sorry excuses for human beings in this world. As far as the store in question, in my opinion the best way to punish them is call them out by name on your show so they lose far more business in the future than just this one guitar. Many of your YT friends will be ringing their phone off the hook, telling them we'll never buy a f--king thing from them, ever, and we'll each tell ten friends about this incident so they won't either. It's called a 'boycott.' As far as the guitar, you can afford to tell them to stick this guitar up their asses, anyway. Don't make this about $75 or a flaw in the finish. They should've handled it fairly, they didn't, that's history. This is now, and it's about honesty and principle. You've already won because you're right. Unscrupulous shops like that have no doubt victimized other people besides you and don't deserve to be in business. You've been given an opportunity to expose them in the open marketplace and help solve a problem. Give them one more chance to make this right. They probably won't though, so next take this up the ladder to PRS because they can put real pressure on this shop. When you report that it will help PRS too and they know it.
Hi still doing Buffet reviews?
I do! which is working against my fitness goals but life is life...
If you are MAD about losing 75 dollars maybe you shouldn’t be buying 3 Thousand dollar guitars, but I agree with you PRS was the NUMBER 1 problem, I also agree BUY from the big shops their return policies are the ABSOLUTE BEST!
yes, big shops
Is that ten guitars behind you?
could be 20
Nitro is easy to repair and dries extremely fast and can be buffed to a very high gloss.
Per Hippa Code, you must admit that you bought the PRS from Gibson
LOL
Cool jazz bass
Danny,
UPS didn’t open that box. He is scamming you. If UPS had opened the box, they would have told you.
🤔
For 75 dollars. Riggggghhhhht
Hi Danny, thank u for sharing your horrific experience of buying the PRS guitar. However I would have to disagree of your advice of not buying off small guitar stores n instead buying from big established music stores to avoid what u had experience. I strongly believe what caused your predicament was a matter of honesty. An honest dealer , regardless of financal backing or reputation would have come clean on their mistake n would have rectified it immediately. Please dont stop supporting the small music stores . Just buying a pack of strings or picks would help them alot. Pls post more videos too :)
I will never buy unseen from any small dealer again NEVER.
Thats not even a big deal compared to some gibsons. This is why i usually only buy higher end japanese guitars. They seriously follow the rules ans look things over like their reputations are on the line
Im surprised your not trying to blame this on evil Gibson !!!
The white binding on my gretsch is turning mostly yellow. Nitro will do that. Even if the prs had been perfectly white when you got it, it would turn yellow eventually. The guitar dealer should have taken care of you however. They basically stole 75 bucks from you. Not cool.
I know that alot of packages are inspected by both UPS and Fedex.Especially if you order a guitar.Ive found holes poked in the box of a harley benton guitar I recently received.What better way for someone to ship firearms, than to conceal it in a guitar case or box.I would say there is a good possiblity that if the guitar was in a case.It was taken out for closer inspection,and the box resealed.The workers are probably in a hurry to do this and possibly might have damaged the guitar.The clue is the packing piece is missing in their video.Unfortunetly UPS probably doesnt have any video.And even if they did.They would probably tell you for security reasons it wouldnt be available to the public.I can understand why your P*issed off.Maybe calling PRS first and letting them know might have been a better choice.They might have sent you a new guitar from the factory.My opinion.
Its hard to imagine UPS inspecting boxes that are shipped from In USA to In USA.. Firearms shipping? I live in NYC, shipping OUT firearms would be something no one here does, shipping IN firearms is what everyone wants because the firearm laws here suck balls like nitro... but thanks for watching, and maybe calling PRS could have been something, but PRS's warranty card says it does not cover discoloration.. so who knows...
Woah unto those that piss off Danny! They tried to run game on you it seems. Sorry for your troubles!
The argument you made is don't buy from a small store, buy from a big store, with great return policies. The truth is that there are big stores (guitar center) that sell people "new" items, that are clearly return/refurb, and there are small shops like where you did business that are small for a reason, and don't process returns smoothly. The real logical resolve here should be to shop at "good" stores. Small shops like wildwood are legendary, big shops like sweetwater are legendary, but neither category of store is without flaws.
"The argument you made is don't buy from a small store, buy from a big store, with great return policies. " actually: The point is that small stores have more to lose with returns, so it is best to go IN PERSON to a small store and see for yourself before buying, and IF one needs to buy via mail order, go with BIG STORE that have a good return policy.
get a Collings
That dealer is shady man
That is a nightmare for sure, and unfortunately the state of affairs lately in every market. I think it's because people are struggling in general. Mad respect for not putting out the name of the dealer,but... Regardless of weather the shipper opened it, the dealer handled it poorly to say the least. At that point, I wish I knew who it was so I don't make the mistake of buying from them. I live in MD and my friend owned a music store ( recently closed the 30+ yr business) and was a PRS dealer. I literally played hundreds over the yrs. They are above any manufacturers in my opinion on quality control. I'm certain they would want to know about your experience, and probably would have gotten involved, knowing what I know about them. When you ship as meny guitars as they do, some are bound to get through the cracks. If it's a great guitar, I would overlook it, and look at it as the "character" of the instrument. But I totally understand wanting it in perfect condition. The dealer should be ashamed of himself. Dont sell guitars over the internet if you don't wanna (assume) responsibility!!
Very frustrating and time consuming bad experience. Did you think of reporting the place to The Better Business Bureau?
Get a Hagstrom.
Now you have nice guitars now be happy play play maybe you get big now practice dancing with guitar.
Tell us the dealer's name please. A dishonest dealer needs to be called out and run out of business. Feelings aside, the weed needs to be plucked.
it aint the feelins its the lack of solid evidence
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic let us decide how much evidence we need😉
Buy a Knaggs , much better !
What! You make mistakes? Never !!! Okay, now tell me the dealer, shhh, quietly so no one else hears.
!
Damn Danny, that sucks that this happened. I blame PRS, but I also blame the dealer for being total d***heads. I don't believe the bs about UPS either. Even if UPS did open the box, they wouldn't take the cardboard stuffing out and replace it with plastic. Not all, but some of these dealers are a bit more cutthroat than the big box stores. Some owners are highly practiced in fighting returns and instruct the salespeople to be the same way. It's true that smaller shops have more to lose but that lack of customer service is absolutely unacceptable. I saw a comment below from Mr. Mark S suggesting that you take it up with PRS. That might not be a bad idea. Despite the faux pas on their part, PRS might care about this a bit more because they do care about their reputation. Keyword might.
I'm not asking you to disclose the dealer, but there are some shops in Vegas with shady reputations. One starts with an R. Another starts with an A. I've heard some nightmare stories about some seriously grifty business practices from these and others. You're right to be leery about buying guitars online anyway even from reputable dealers with outstanding customer service. Guitars are all unique. If you go to a shop and play three of the same Les Paul, Strat, McCarty, etc, you'll find that there are subtle differences in weight and tone even between supposedly identical models. The best way to buy a guitar is to physically go to a shop and fall in love with something that you've actually had in your hands. Guitars can be a little like cats sometimes. They pick you.
Cheers Danny, I hope you have a better experience on your next attempt at a premium guitar.
I think my premium guitar journey has come to an end, I have one that I made and I have one S2 Mccarty used from reverb.
I respect your decision not to name the vendor but you should consider providing a bad review for them on Google, BBB or sale sites like eBay. That will be a red flag to others that this business does not always provide good service.
I don’t want to buy from this vendor.
This is why I use blue duct tape around the outside of the box. It pretty much makes it tamper proof. You should not have accepted a refund minus 75$. That’s an easy ups claim they have insurance. On the other hand I think you severely overreacted in the first place without seeing it in person. The photo you provided looks like binding on every guitar ever. You should however name the dealer because you are allowing people to get caught by the same scam. If no one calls them out how the fuck is anyone going to know where not to shop. That’s bullshit in my opinion.
I have had over 30 guitars, no other have binding like that, and I said how to avoid this in my video.
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic not buying from mom and pops is like saying don’t support small business. Come on man
@@ScottDreyfus That is NOT what I said..Not at all..
I will recap: small businesses have alot more to lose with shipping charges, if must buy from small, buy in person. If must buy sight unseen, buy from big. this applies to new of course, when buying used-as-is it is okay to buy from anyone because you are accepting it as-is. cheers and merry
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic im fine with this but you should rewatch your video. The words don’t buy from mom and pop stores go to Guitar center the king of BK and miss use of public funds is asinine. I’m sorry you got what you think is a bad deal. It happens they are wood and magnets no matter where you buy it your dealing with an organic product. I’m sorry but you video which was the fist I’ve ever seen of you made you look like a whinny asshat and the fact that you got so offended by constructive criticism shows me you are what we thought you were.
Your video and evidence was very succinct. However, the blemish was very minor, and most of us gigging musicians, would not have cared at all about the discoloration on the binding. After all, people out there are paying top dollar for a lot more damages (relicing). I agree about your camera over exposure theory. Because I understand that how that works. But at the end of the day Danny, that was very minor I would not have gone through all that for that small amount of binding issue
So you would be fine if you paid close to 2 grand retail price for a new guitar and it showed up like that? Dont answer that. I know the answer already, it really depends on how rich the person is. For me, I dont mind this stuff on my harley bentons, but to me, a couple of grand item should NOT have left the factory that way... but had I been a billionare, I woulda just threw it into the bonfire and ordered another one.
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic No my friend what I meant was that as a gigging musician, I’m going to bang it up, I’m going to put marks on it, I’m going to ding the hell out of it, so I’m not going to worry about a little bitty smudge on the binding. If I like the guitar I’m going to use it as a tool. And as it gets used, it’s going to show signs of wear.
@@BBQROCKSTAR178 oh I see. So in that case, you would benefit from the "scratch and dent" collection from some retailers because they mark it way down from full retail price, which I was considering because of the huge savings.. but I dont believe a blem guitar should be sold as new, for the new price as in what happened to me... Can I live with a discolored binding? YES, but not at full retail I will not!
@@guitarhobbywithdannythemedic I understand your point Danny. It’s a principle of good business practice for the seller to disclose any blemish. I agree.
Well spotted. The guy is a scammer!
Why torture yourself with buying that overpriced crap they sell at PRS? They are American made, so you know the QC is will be horrible. Get a proper guitar made in Japan where people get paid enough to give a shit about the work they do.
japan ROCKS both as stuff and culture of people
Scam he opened it first 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅
Bet you it's Sweetwater lol they brag about being the best, not that they are not but they aren't perfect like they advertise
OR you could watch the video.
Is this a parody?
it is a true story.
Is it a certain place that’s based in Chicago