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New bass repair.....Thunderbird..

Unclejackrock

Unclejackrock

Jul 13, 2006
212
1,178
#1
So I have received a brand new Gibson Thunderbird in Cherry finish.....God, I love it....BUT it came like this.

chip1.jpg


Musician's Friend says that they will make it right, but the problem is that the cherry finish is discontinued, and that they may not get any more in that color. That is the only color that I want, so if the time comes that I have to decide to keep the damaged bass and have it repaired, how much and where do I get it PROFESSIONALLY fixed? I've wanted one for years, and having it now in my hands is a bit of a mixed emotion. I want to go to work changing to my strings, installing straplocks, etc, but it still doesn't feel like it's mine. Would Gibson repair the damage in house to new condition???

Tbirder's...HELP!!!!!!
 
#2
Unclejackrock said:
So I have received a brand new Gibson Thunderbird in Cherry finish.....God, I love it....BUT it came like this.

chip1.jpg


Musician's Friend says that they will make it right, but the problem is that the cherry finish is discontinued, and that they may not get any more in that color. That is the only color that I want, so if the time comes that I have to decide to keep the damaged bass and have it repaired, how much and where do I get it PROFESSIONALLY fixed? I've wanted one for years, and having it now in my hands is a bit of a mixed emotion. I want to go to work changing to my strings, installing straplocks, etc, but it still doesn't feel like it's mine. Would Gibson repair the damage in house to new condition???

Tbirder's...HELP!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Ouch.

Step one: get some kind of restitution from MF.
Partial rebate, gift certificate, or something.
If that fails, you could always file a claim with the shipper, although that can be a real vortex.

Don't count on Gibson for refinishing work.
They will almost certainly charge an arm and a leg.

Any good guitar finisher (there are many bad ones) should be able to repair this pretty well.

If you're on the East coast, I'd recommend:

GERHARDS GUITARWORKS - CUSTOM GUITARS

West Coast:
Welcome to Pat Wilkins™ Custom Guitars & Finishes
Link Removed

The T-birds AFAIK still come with Nitro lacquer finishes, which are not too bad to repair.

Good luck!
Martin
 
#3
Was it damaged in shipment or is there no way to tell that? If it was certainly it was insured for it's resale value which mean the vendor (MF) should be able to file a claim and either have the bass refinished by Gibson or pay for the cost of having a local luthier do it for you.

I guess were all assuming you didn't order the "scratch and dent" model. ;)
 
#5
Thanks to everyone that replied.... This bass was BRAND NEW....FULL PRICE.. I absolutely loved it for about 90 seconds, until I found the chip. It was in the Gibson hard case which was in two other cardboard boxes, one of which had the Gibby logo and had a red tape on the end that said "Security Tape" which was intact.... The boxes were not so much as ruffled at the edges and the OHSC is virgin, which leads me to believe that it came from the factory like this. MF has said that in the next ten days they will know if they will get more and if they do then I get a new one, but if they don't get any...?"?????? I really love the bass and don't want to let it go. I think that I would rather keep it and maybe get it fixed.....hence the post.. Thanx again..
 
#6
Unclejackrock said:
Thanks to everyone that replied.... This bass was BRAND NEW....FULL PRICE.. I absolutely loved it for about 90 seconds, until I found the chip. It was in the Gibson hard case which was in two other cardboard boxes, one of which had the Gibby logo and had a red tape on the end that said "Security Tape" which was intact.... The boxes were not so much as ruffled at the edges and the OHSC is virgin, which leads me to believe that it came from the factory like this. MF has said that in the next ten days they will know if they will get more and if they do then I get a new one, but if they don't get any...?"?????? I really love the bass and don't want to let it go. I think that I would rather keep it and maybe get it fixed.....hence the post.. Thanx again..
Click to expand...

Unclejack it's surely sounds to be as if it came out of the Gibson plant that way. If you can prove that (and it seems like you can based on how you described it's shipping cartons and hard case) I would think they either owe you a new one in a cherry finish or a factory repair of that one.

If it's any help to you many many years ago a bass I ordered came damaged far more seriously than that. The entire control cavity was smashed in. I won't name the manufacture but it was obvious the damage wasn't done in shipping and someone in the plant didn't want to take responsibility so they passed it, packed it and shipped it.

Then they filed a claim for the loss with the shipper so they didn't need to eat the loss and shipped me out another. There was no way that bass sustained that amount of damage in shipping.
 
#7
Call Gibson and talk to them. Explain the situation and see what they say. Then go from there. They may fix it at no charge under warranty, or they may request you to send it back to MF. Don't worry about the color being discontinued - they use the same color on SG's etc... I've worked with Gibsons CS department a few times and they have been very helpful, and have even sent me small parts like bridge saddles for free when I've lost them.
 
#8
So I called Gibson today and they said that I could send it back to them (on my dime, by the way), and they should be able to repair it with a 4 to 6 week turnaround, or I could deal with Musician's Friend and see whether they get any more in to replace it. I LOVE the bass, it is a beauty, and seems to play well. I just wonder if I should risk getting another one that may or may not play as well as this one.....:help:
 
#12
Unclejackrock,
Skaught from Musician's Friend here. I'm so sorry to hear about your bass! Please email me at [email protected] so I can see what else we can offer you. We appreciate you choosing our company and I want to make sure you are happy you did so.

Thanks and I hope to hear from you soon!

Skaught
 
#13
Since Gibson said they'd fix it, (and since you seem to like this particular bass) I'd sent it back to them (probably only $50.00 to ship) AND get a gift cert or partial rebate from MF. I doubt if MF and Gibson will communicate on this issue, so the possibility of double dipping is almost a sure thing.
 
#16
Not sure if i would call it QC-Personally I dont see how that was boxed up at gibson with that chip in it-I still think that happened at some point in transit.

I bet MF crunched numbers, after all they are a business. I am sure it is cheaper to not unpack and inspect every guitar then just deal with the minority of returns. I am also sure they get super cheap discounted shipping from UPS due to all the shipments they make.
 
#17
A-Step-Towards said:
Not sure if i would call it QC-Personally I dont see how that was boxed up at gibson with that chip in it-I still think that happened at some point in transit.

I bet MF crunched numbers, after all they are a business. I am sure it is cheaper to not unpack and inspect every guitar then just deal with the minority of returns. I am also sure they get super cheap discounted shipping from UPS due to all the shipments they make.
Click to expand...

What does any discount that MF might receive from UPS have to do with this issue at all?
 
#19
Forgive me for reviving an old thread, but I just wanted to let you know I ended up purchasing the damaged bass as a Level 3 used item from Musician's Friend for a good price and had Third Coast Guitar Service in Chicago repair the ding. My total cost was still less than the price of a new one. I can't tell where the chip was and have to look at the "before" picture to remember. My point is that it looks like both the OP and I ended up okay after what started as an unfortunate situation. I am very happy with the neck size on this bass, given my small hands and short fingers. It is now my go-to bass.
 

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#20
Purple Tornado said:
Forgive me for reviving an old thread, but I just wanted to let you know I ended up purchasing the damaged bass as a Level 3 used item from Musician's Friend for a good price and had Third Coast Guitar Service in Chicago repair the ding. My total cost was still less than the price of a new one. I can't tell where the chip was and have to look at the "before" picture to remember. My point is that it looks like both the OP and I ended up okay after what started as an unfortunate situation. I am very happy with the neck size on this bass, given my small hands and short fingers. It is now my go-to bass.
Click to expand...


That's AWESOME!!! MF did right by replacing my bass, and I'm thrilled to hear that she ended up in the hands of a player... I've got to say that the first one felt better than the one I have now, even though I LOVE mine... Isn't she beautiful!!!!
 

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