Question Questionable details about the arrival of my new Majesty-6 Hydrospace

[MLGuitarist]

I bought my new Majesty-6 in Hydrospace from Musicians Friend. Through this purchase I discovered that Musicians Friend owns Guitar Center and that my guitar was actually coming from a Platinum Room from a GC store somewhere. I eagerly anticipated its arrival, but when it arrived I was less than thrilled with what I found. The first thing I noticed was that the box showed signs of significant mishandling, it had been opened, and retaped shut. When I opened the case I was pleased to fine a beautiful instrument, but I immediately took notice to two concerns. The first was some slight “pitting” on the bridge palm rest. The second was that the strings were extremely old, very corroded, and were wound so loose that they were touching the fretboard. Next I began checking my paperwork. Again, as I said, I bought a Majesty-6 in Hydrospace that is 1 of 175 worldwide, but the certificate of authenticity accompanying it is for a Majesty Dargie Delight 3 manufactured on 07/26/18. Considering I invested close to $6,000 for the instrument I am significantly disappointed with the overall package I received. My #1 concern no is that I acquire the correct Certificate of Authenticity for the instrument I purchased. I called Musicians Friend and spoke to a representative there. He sent me a blank email with a request that I respond to him with all the details of my experience. I will include a transcript at the end of this message. My question is has anyone else experienced a similar issue and if so, how did you get it resolved.

Following is the email I sent to MF:
Hello JC,

As per your request I'm sending you all the information I conveyed to you verbally a few moments ago. I appreciate your help in getting this issue resolved. I'm by no means a super "picking" person, but after investing nearly $6,000 on an instrument I obviously want every "I" dotted and every "T". crossed.
Earlier today I received my Ernie Ball Majesty-6 in the Hydrospace finish. The package (box) arrived in fairly rough shape, which will be apparent in the included photos, but upon unpacking the guitar I was relieved to find the contents undamaged. When I opened the case it was apparent the guitar had received no "setup" from the store whatsoever, as I found the strings were very old and corroded and completely loose and "wobbly" on the fretboard. Though not very happy with what I initially found (considering this being a very expensive instrument), these are all things I can resolve myself. However what really concerned me is that the certificate of authenticity was for a completely different guitar! The certificate is for a Majesty "Dargie Delight 3", serial #M0B300, number 7 of 76, manufactured on 7/26/18. I want the correct certificate for the instrument I now own so please get this resolved for me as soon as possible. I've attached photos of the box as it arrived, the instrument in the case, and with the accompanying paperwork that shows I received the incorrect certificate. Feel free to reach out to me if you require any additional info or to convey and info to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Regard, James E. Maxwell Jr.

 

[dalto]

It was probably hanging on a wall at a guitar center. When they went to ship it, they put in a case for a majesty. But not the specific case your majesty came in. That is pretty common stuff for GC.

About all you can do is contact them. They may or may not have the correct certificate for your guitar still.

You could also trying calling the store it came from directly.

You might want to start thinking about what your priorities are if you can't get the correct certificate.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Does the serial number actually stamped on the guitar come back with the correct information? Definitely looks like they sent the wrong case, and unfortunately I fear that Guitar Center / Musician's friend will be less than helpful. I would demand to know which store it was at so you can contact them directly to see if they have the COA.

 

[DrewH]

MF and GC are inept and really do need to go out of business. I just tried to order a Charvel Guthrie Govan from them. Ordered it from Tampa FL GC store stock. Called the next day after my order just to confirm nothing was awry since I didn't get a shipping notification. Dude says, oh I'm sorry, we couldn't ship it because it didn't have a case. What??? Said more or less that the wrong cases go with the wrong guitars more often than they should. Some person probably bought a pro mod and got the hard case that should have been with the Guthrie. How stupid can people be? The worst part is they weren't even going to call me. They just automatically reclassified it as a special order from Charvel. I swore off doing further business with them after that. Done. Sweetwater, Willcutts, American Musical, ect. Anyone but them.

PS.... The best part of this story. I got a Sabre from them instead. Had to get something from them. Was sitting on store credit.

 

[John C]

It was probably hanging on a wall at a guitar center. When they went to ship it, they put in a case for a majesty. But not the specific case your majesty came in. That is pretty common stuff for GC.

About all you can do is contact them. They may or may not have the correct certificate for your guitar still.

You could also trying calling the store it came from directly.

You might want to start thinking about what your priorities are if you can't get the correct certificate.

Agreed; MF even said it was on the wall in a location's Platinum Room. GC stores are notorious for mismatching instruments and cases - as @DrewH found out when he tried to get that Charvel that was missing it's case.

 

[MLGuitarist]

It was probably hanging on a wall at a guitar center. When they went to ship it, they put in a case for a majesty. But not the specific case your majesty came in. That is pretty common stuff for GC.

About all you can do is contact them. They may or may not have the correct certificate for your guitar still.

You could also trying calling the store it came from directly.

You might want to start thinking about what your priorities are if you can't get the correct certificate.

In the future my priorities will be to stick with Sweetwater like I usually do. The only reason I resorted to MF this time is because the Hydrospace isn’t available through them. Any future purchases will be governed by Sweetwater stock, period!

 

[morsecode]

Congrats on that purchase! The top on that guitar is a stunner. Production with the Hydrospace finish ended probably a few years ago now so it really would be next to impossible to find new old stock anywhere. It is too bad that it wasn't set up properly before it was shipped and hopefully the pitting on the bridge isn't all that bad. If you reach out Music Man's customer service, they might be able to re-issue you a correct Certificate of Authenticity?

 

[MLGuitarist]

It was probably hanging on a wall at a guitar center. When they went to ship it, they put in a case for a majesty. But not the specific case your majesty came in. That is pretty common stuff for GC.

About all you can do is contact them. They may or may not have the correct certificate for your guitar still.

You could also trying calling the store it came from directly.

You might want to start thinking about what your priorities are if you can't get the correct certificate.

My simplest priority was to receive precisely what I paid for, but I have learned that apparently this is a roll of the dice when dealing with MF or GC. My only goal for posting here was to learn if there was any easy way of acquiring the certificate that matches my guitar. Apparently there is not so I’ve learned my lesson with MF/GC! I only dealt with them on this occasion because the Majesty-6 in Hydrospace is not available from Sweetwater. In the future I will deal strictly with Sweetwater and my gear choices will be guided by their inventory only! Burn me once, shame on me, burn me twice…, nope you’ll never get the chance to!

Congrats on that purchase! The top on that guitar is a stunner. Production with the Hydrospace finish ended probably a few years ago now so it really would be next to impossible to find new old stock anywhere. It is too bad that it wasn't set up properly before it was shipped and hopefully the pitting on the bridge isn't all that bad. If you reach out Music Man's customer service, they might be able to re-issue you a correct Certificate of Authenticity?

Thank you so much for the additional information and for the suggestion of contacting Ernie Ball for a replacement cert. I’ll definitely do that!