NGD...gone wrong? Advice please!

[dsky]

Hey forumites, long time reader, love these forums, you guys are awesome!

I ordered a used 2019 Majesty Stealth Black from a major retailer that will for now remain nameless. It was not local but I was able to get a manager on the phone who gave me the backstory on the guitar, and answered all my questions to ensure the guitar was indeed in “like new” condition as advertised. It said it included a case, and I confirmed it’s the original case including original paperwork etc.

Fast forward to earlier today: I received the package loosing my mind from excitement after years of dreaming of owning a Majesty and finally saving enough pennies, cut open the top of the box, pull out a piece of bubble wrap.......and exposed the headstock of the guitar. In an unorganized loose mess of bubble wrap. No case. Tremolo arm installed. Yes, you read that all correctly. My heart sank when I saw that bare headstock.

There is no apparent physical damage I can see, though having the opaque paint job makes it impossible to actually see the wood of course. But I’m especially concerned with the seemingly complex and relatively fussy electronics getting jostled around from the shipping company half way across the country over the span of a week, and the potential issues that could arise from that, especially not having the manufacturers warranty purchasing the guitar used.

A store manager apologized and called the massive error of not shipping the guitar in its case an “oversight”, and they are supposedly shipping the case to me next day air. But that doesn’t solve the fact that the guitar was already shipped naked, barely covered in cheap bubble wrap. And it leaves me with concerns about potential problems in the future due to unknown handling during shipping without being in the case.

So I ask you all for advice please: given the circumstances of being without any manufacturers warranty, what would you do? Is this situation crazy? Or am I being nuts?

Thanks in advance for your time and advice! Cheers

 

[beej]

Oh wow.

Hopefully you took photos of the shipping job, etc? I would certainly inspect the guitar like crazy for damage. But if there's nothing visible and it plays well, you're probably fine. (I've had guitars shipped to me that way before and never had a problem.) The electronics aren't likely to have problems from having been shipped like that, and they're well protected inside the body cavity.

Given the circumstances, I would likely call the seller and ask for a small refund to cover the inconvenience and potential damage. (You're considering returning it anyway, I assume, so might as well see what they'd do to avoid the hassle.) I would also reach out to Daniel at MM ([email protected]) and let him know what dealer that was. I suspect they would want to know.

Have any photos of the guitar?

 

[tbonesullivan]

wth??? Why would it ever be separated from the case in the first place? I would have thought someone down the line would have noticed that a guitar was being shipped without ANY packaging, not even a box.

 

[bmorepunk]

If your guitar doesn't show any damage due to hitting the box in an unprotected area, it probably wasn't really packed any less safe than if it was in the case. It might look hacky and stupid, but the appearance of effectiveness of protection and actual effectiveness are two different things. Being able to move around slightly during impacts and absorb it can be better than a form fitted hard case, so long as the headstock/neck isn't taking the weight of the body. Just jamming bubble wrap in there doesn't mean you'll get that kind of situation, although you can.

From what I've seen of EBMM's electrical/electronic and soldering work (absurdly good work), I wouldn't be concerned at all. The kind of impact it would require to damage those components likely would have resulted in physical damage to the guitar.

I second beej in that I'd try to get some kind of concession out of the seller for their error. But the likelihood that something is damaged on the electrical/electronic front is really small and it sounds like the guitar itself is fine. If it was me I'd keep it unless I had another good option at the same price and could return it.

 

[bmorepunk]

If you're not seeing any physical damage, the likelihood of internal damage to electrical/electronic components is really low. It would take some kind of freak situation for that to occur.

 

[Razzle]

Sorry to hear that, and welcome to the forum.

I'd return it, their mistake.

You can get another one, all day long.

 

[dsky]

Oh wow.

Hopefully you took photos of the shipping job, etc? I would certainly inspect the guitar like crazy for damage. But if there's nothing visible and it plays well, you're probably fine. (I've had guitars shipped to me that way before and never had a problem.) The electronics aren't likely to have problems from having been shipped like that, and they're well protected inside the body cavity.

Given the circumstances, I would likely call the seller and ask for a small refund to cover the inconvenience and potential damage. (You're considering returning it anyway, I assume, so might as well see what they'd do to avoid the hassle.) I would also reach out to Daniel at MM ([email protected]) and let him know what dealer that was. I suspect they would want to know.

Have any photos of the guitar?

As soon as I saw the bare headstock, I handed my phone to a buddy and had them film me unboxing the guitar. The bubble wrap job was so haphazardly done. I totally understand that some guitars are shipped without the case, but - obviously - that's not how this was supposed to be shipped. And from what I gather, no Majesty ships from the factory without its case. I was hoping the manager would have offered something right from my phone call for me to consider, but he did not. My initial thoughts, if I decide I would like to keep the guitar, were to - as you suggested - request some sort of discount and/or extended warranty. I don't think that would be unreasonable considering the circumstances.

A friend suggested I request to return this guitar and receive a brand new model for the price I paid for the used one since I did not receive it as I should have, and arguably the opportunity to own this guitar at the purchased price has been compromised.

I haven't had an opportunity to get photos of just the guitar yet, but I will do so ASAP and will be sure to post them!

wth??? Why would it ever be separated from the case in the first place? I would have thought someone donw the line would have noticed that a guitar was being shipped without ANY packaging, not even a box.

I asked the same questions man, both to myself and to the manager. To which I was told it must have been an "oversight". Truly mind blowing, if you ask me. ESPECIALLY considering that the "USED CASE FOR ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN MAJESTY" was listed as a separate line item from the guitar on the order.

If you're not seeing any physical damage, the likelihood of internal damage to electrical/electronic components is really low. It would take some kind of freak situation for that to occur.

Understood, but still disconcerting considering this scenario should have never taken place.

Sorry to hear that, and welcome to the forum.

I'd return it, their mistake.

You can get another one, all day long.

Thank you! Part of me has that exact thought; this guitar should have never been exposed to shipping in this manner...so return it. However, I've been scouring stores and the internet for a used Majesty I could afford (admittedly, with one of my preferred finishes/pickups), and this one was seemingly a rather good deal.


Tough to keep the emotions out of this, but it's really quite disheartening. Especially considering how much money I've spent over the years at this company; of which I don't have a lot of to begin with.

Thank you all thus far for your input!!! Truly appreciated.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Oh man, that's awful!

If you wind up sending it back to them please drop me a line - I've got a brand new Stealth Majesty 6 (with case!) here at the shop looking for a good home.

 

[DrKev]

Hi! I used to work in the warehouse of a music store as guitar tech, checking instruments as they arrived from manufacturers and distributors, packing guitars for shipping to customers, and handling returns from customers (often spectacularly badly packed).

Here's the thing: whether the guitar is in a protective case or not has no bearing on how the box it's all in gets thrown around. And many of the guitars we shipped had cases that were really not designed for anything other than storage. Many of the guitars were in those awful triangle cardboard boxes. And yes, sometimes I shipped guitars with little more than a canvas gig bag and bubble wrap. Done correctly, a guitar will survive just fine. Of the 4,000-odd guitars I handled at that store I am not aware of a single electronics failure that could be attributed to poor packing or handling. And as warranty issues went, electronics failures were rare and most of those were a stray wire and very easily fixed. On something like the majesty, so much of the electronic wizardry is on a circuit board which lessens the likelihood of problems due to physical mishandling.

If your guitar survived shipping intact, with no apparrent external damage due to rough handling in transit, I would not be worried. Any damage to the electronics should be evident in the first few hours of playing, if not immediately. If the paintwork is in good condition with no sign of cracking or damage, I would be confident that the wood is structurally as sound as it was the day it left the factory floor.

Ask the store to give you an extended return period, just in case, and for your piece of mind, but otherwise I'd say you are good to go. Name the guitar "Lucky" and play the hell out of it and enjoy!

And welcome to the forum family!

 

[bmorepunk]

Here's the thing: whether the guitar is in a protective case or not has no bearing on how the box it's all in gets thrown around. And many of the guitars we shipped had cases that were really not designed for anything other than storage. Many of the guitars were in those awful triangle cardboard boxes. And yes, sometimes I shipped guitars with little more than a canvas gig bag and bubble wrap. Done correctly, a guitar will survive just fine.

Just jamming some bubble wrap in a box could actually be more protective regarding drop impacts because it absorbs the impact and allows the guitar to decelerate less fast. The real advantage of a hard case is crush prevention. Well fitted cases. like EBMMs, will likely spread impact weight around more than a non-fitted case. But it still essentially immediately transfers all that impact right into the guitar instead of having material that will cushion it slower.

Sometimes you get the Gibson headstock snaps inside cases when they fall hard. All that energy ends up getting transferred right to the guitar. If you had it wrapped in bubble wrap in a cardboard box it would have likely been fine in the same situation.

 

[Wahoonc]

I don't know. That's a bit much for me. Hard to say what I would do for sure, but probably would be going back unless it was a super steal.

 

[dsky]

Thanks for your input everyone. Lots of different opinions.

Attached a few photos of areas of concern. The most concerning seems to be the crack up by the nut, seemingly on the underside of the fretboard. There are also some light marks between the 11th and 14th frets.

I also noticed a slight ridge below the knobs that does not appear in any of the photos on the EBMM Majesty webpage? Not sure if that's normal or not though. You can see the light catching the ridge.

 

[beej]

The crack at the nut would be enough for me to send it back. Why tempt fate. Get an unblemished one.

 

[LordRiffenstein]

Yeah man, I'd send it back with those potential issues.

 

[mikeller]

Play it safe, send it back. There will be other opportunities, and Pete has one!!!

 

[spychocyco]

That crack at the nut = return. If they didn't disclose that, my assumption has to be that it happened because of the poor packing in shipping.

 

[dibart77]

The crack at the nut is a non-starter. Send it back. I would bet $1000 that the crack at the nut is because the headstock was pressed or had pressure down/back on the headstock due to a package drop or something (because it was packed wrong). That seems like a serious issue to me. I do NOT think that is just paint. I think there is likely an underlying wood crack now. Which means (a) the neck will be more susceptible to humidity (and thus require more frequent adjustments) because of the paint crack; (b) over time you may have stability/tuning issues; (c) now that it's compromised, any minor hit (turning and accidentally bumping the headstock on an amp or a singer) or road/shipping bumps (even in case) may open that crack up more or even break off the headstock.

That guitar has to go back, and the seller needs to make this right by sending you a NEW guitar in OHSC at the same cost.

That's my 2c. Good luck!

​

 

[dsky]

The guitar is going to be returned. I'm currently going back and forth with the manager/company on a resolution. Hopefully I'll have another, and better, NGD post in the near future. Thanks all!

 

[thejone]

I had the same issue with an Iced Crimson. I brought it to a luthier and he said that it is a frakture that might need a fix in the future. He said that it most certainly happened during shipping. This injury is being discussed right now elsewhere here in the forum. My guitar was exchanged by my dealer and now it is just perfect. I hope your issue is solved as well to your linking. Good luck. Regards, J