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Rush

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Aug 13, 2004
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BlackSapphire%20001.jpg


At first glance this thing is stunning, but upon further inspection I found this:

2 stress cracks on right and left side. One of them is in the same place that defected on my silver sparkle. Perhaps a change needs to be made where they are spraying where the neck attaches to the body.

There were some small indentions on the very top of the headstock that looks like it was bumped into something. Not a big deal, but a defect.

There was a clearly visible skuff on the left side of the nut. Could be mistaken for lighting, but it isn't.

This is a BRAND NEW instrument and should arrive and look like a brand new instrument. If there are defects I would like to be the person to put them there. ;)

Here's a few pics of the problem areas
http://www.davidrodgers.net/archive/indoorstorm/
 

koogie2k

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Dec 28, 2002
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Moyock, NC
Dude, you are really having a heck of a time with your guitars........

Hope you get them all worked out. I know it has got to frustrate you. It would me, that's for sure. :cool:
 

jongitarz

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With all the drama this guitar went through being lost and all, it sounds like maybe UPS mishandled it.
 

brentrocks

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Paw Paw, MI
as far as the stress cracks....i wonder if they are letting their wood cure enough before they paint??

the scuffs...**** happens, it doesn't make it right. i guess if i paid the $$$ i would be upset too!
 

jimmyp

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Mar 25, 2004
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N Ireland normally
Rush said:

This is a BRAND NEW instrument and should arrive and look like a brand new instrument. If there are defects I would like to be the person to put them there. ;)

][/QUOTE]

I agree totally with you on this one. My Sil Special seems to be cursed as well. I've sent it back because of neck pocket cracks twice now. The first time I was without it for 4 1/2 months. I sent it off again at the start of November and still don't have it back! Believe it or not, the new body etc. was shipped a couple of weeks ago but was damaged in transit somewhere along the way, so I'm waiting for yet another body (this was definitely not EBMMs fault). I genuinely believe if I ever play this guitar again, I'll be struck by lightning... :(
 

fqjcior

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Aug 3, 2004
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82
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Poland
Rush - I think you just have to give up with EBMM guitars. Try some Ibanez, Peavey or anything else's stuff. Let us know if it works...
 

saplingg

Active member
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Mar 2, 2005
Messages
26
Yeah I bought mine with a couple of dents in the neck near the nut. I would have had to pay like $500 more if I shipped a new one in, so I guess I didn't really care.

I guess these little things don't matter much if the guitar sounds and plays like it should.
 

slukather

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Joined
Feb 17, 2003
Messages
1,589
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Rush said:
BlackSapphire%20001.jpg


At first glance this thing is stunning, but upon further inspection I found this:

2 stress cracks on right and left side. One of them is in the same place that defected on my silver sparkle. Perhaps a change needs to be made where they are spraying where the neck attaches to the body.

There were some small indentions on the very top of the headstock that looks like it was bumped into something. Not a big deal, but a defect.

There was a clearly visible skuff on the left side of the nut. Could be mistaken for lighting, but it isn't.

This is a BRAND NEW instrument and should arrive and look like a brand new instrument. If there are defects I would like to be the person to put them there. ;)

Here's a few pics of the problem areas
http://www.davidrodgers.net/archive/indoorstorm/

Dude, you're not having much luck, UPS looses the guitar, they finally find it and it's damaged. UPS sound like complete f^&k ups. I'd be taking a large chunk of meat out of their a$$es.

jongitarz said:
With all the drama this guitar went through being lost and all, it sounds like maybe UPS mishandled it.

I was thinking the same thing Jon.

Scott.
 

Jimi D

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Feb 27, 2003
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Ottawa ON
I feel for you Rush - if I were you, I'd be very frustrated right now. Lucky for you that your groovy bowser's around to commiserate and make you feel better by throwning a ball or going for a walk! :) Anyway, I've got stress cracks in some of my guitars, and to me it's no biggie, but they didn't arrive with the cracks when new! As for UPS "abuse", I think that if the box/case arrive undamaged, the guitar certainly shouldn't have any stress cracks in it; it's the case's job to protect the guitar in transit.
 
Last edited:

Rush

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USA
Jimi D said:
I feel for you Rush - if I were you, I'd be very frustrated right now. Lucky for you that you're groovy bowser's around to commiserate and make you feel better by throwning a ball or going for a walk! :) Anyway, I've got stress cracks in some of my guitars, and to me it's no biggie, but they didn't arrive with the cracks when new! As for UPS "abuse", I think that if the box/case arrive undamaged, the guitar certainly shouldn't have any stress cracks in it; it's the case's job to protect the guitar in transit.

The case is in MINT condition and so is the guitar except for the few issues I mentioned. The skuff is no biggie, and the indentions in the headstock aren't too bad and don't look like they could have caused the cracks. Looks like it might have been bumped, but not dropped. The stress cracks are SO COMMON on these instruments I have to lean towards defective rather than damaged during transit, especially given the condition the guitar is in. There is also the fact that paint is thin and white isntead of the sapphire black right where one of the stress cracks originates. I have the same white stuff in parts of my silver sparkle that were not sprayed correctly. Most notably inside the bottom corners of the trem cavity.

I'm in contact with many folks who own the EBJPM and have had to send it back because of the stress cracks. I've owned 5 of these instruments myself and 3 of them were flawed, one of which was sent back to get stress cracks fixed and came back, but in worse shape than when it left. Amazes me it even made it through QA being like it is.

Here are some newer pics of both guitars.
EBJPM Damage Pics

I guess at this point I can take the refund from the dealer and send it back to EB for them to evaluate. That will cost me $55, and if they determine that the stress cracks were not a defect then I'm pretty much stuck with it like that forever. It would benefit me more to just to send it back to the dealer and get the other one I put on order a few weeks ago when it arrives.
 

Eddie Van Halen

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Oct 2, 2004
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270
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Edmonton, Alberta Canada
I can understand the finish issues, sparkle paints are more normally defective because its alot thicker then normal finishes, which is why i just stick to transparent quilt finishes, the stress cracks are inexcusable though. I think it migt have been the handling of UPS, the fact that they lost it. The guitar could have been in an unusual temperature causing the stress cracks, who knows. :confused:
 

ernie1966

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Joined
Dec 12, 2002
Messages
1,271
There is no way that the guitar left EBMM with the damage to the headstock. Since it was seperated form its box and bounced around a UPS warehouse, you have no idea what could have happened to the axe or who could have actually opened the case up and played around with it. Stress cracks are one thing and I can see your issues with improper spraying, but dents and dings are a whole other story. You should put in a claim with UPS.
 

jongitarz

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Sep 15, 2003
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Here
ernie1966 said:
There is no way that the guitar left EBMM with the damage to the headstock. Since it was seperated form its box and bounced around a UPS warehouse, you have no idea what could have happened to the axe or who could have actually opened the case up and played around with it. Stress cracks are one thing and I can see your issues with improper spraying, but dents and dings are a whole other story. You should put in a claim with UPS.


Thank you...we haven't seen the guitar so I,m not going to say one way or another how we will handle this, but like you said, the guitar was lost, out of the box, and there was damage to the headstock. Maybe Rush should ask the authorized EB/MM dealer he bought it from if it shipped like that. My guess is it didn't, so it seems like a UPS problem IMO.
 

Rush

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Aug 13, 2004
Messages
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USA
jongitarz said:
Thank you...we haven't seen the guitar so I,m not going to say one way or another how we will handle this, but like you said, the guitar was lost, out of the box, and there was damage to the headstock. Maybe Rush should ask the authorized EB/MM dealer he bought it from if it shipped like that. My guess is it didn't, so it seems like a UPS problem IMO.

Yeah.. the headstock dents are definitely something caused by somebody taking it out of the case or just bad handling. I just couldn't bring myself to settle with it in this condition so I sent it back to the dealer and he's sending me this envy green limited instead.

I've also decided to just go ahead and buy the other Sapphire Black one I had on order. I'll have to decide which I want to keep once they are both in my possession in a few months. I'll probably stick with the Sapphire, but this envy green is limited is pretty sweet too.

I am having a hard time putting down the 7s.. they feel and play so much better than the 6stringers to me at this point.

geb031.jpg
 
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