Are expectations too high on new gear?

  • Thread starter Thread starter maddnotez
  • Start date Start date

Are expectations too high on new gear?

  • Yes

    Votes: 9 34.6%

  • No

    Votes: 17 65.4%
  • Total voters
    26
maddnotez

maddnotez

Banned
Well-known member
As the title states. I stole this exact title from a thread on SS.ORG and I am curious to see what others think as I have just recently got a brand new guitar for over $1k that had issues.

I will post the reply I left there but also wanted to add (sorry for rant) that I had posted something similar on Facebook recently and was kind of mindblown from all of the people who actually expect to get and are ok with getting guitars that have problems.

Maybe times have changed for the worse or maybe I am just out of touch with reality? Who knows but if I am getting a product that does not meet my expectations I am sending it back.

Would you go buy a new Car, a new TV or Phone or literally anything in the world with issues and be ok with it? Oh damn, that brand new TV has scratches all over it...No big deal, it is just a scratch right?

Anyway here was my reply and I am curious to see what you guys think. For the record my issue is being addressed by the company themselves and things are seeming to look like a very good experience in the end but we will see the final outcome.


Hell no, you guys are the ones allowing companies to produce shit by accepting crap.

I bought a Jackson performer for $500 in the 90's and it was flawless. I have gotten more expensive guitars without any issues as well. There is absolutely no reason to have to spend double that amount to get a guitar with tons of flaws.

I expect it to play good and yeah I expect no finish flaws.

I just spent over a grand on an LTD with cracks all over the binding plus more issues. That got sent right back even though the guitar played and sounded great.

ESP reps said they are going to make it right and get me a nice one without any issues and that is how it should be. I guess everyone will have issues but if they fix the issue than I am good with that.


Andromalia said:
I'd still say that whatever the product, it shouldn't have defects. Sure, a cheap guitar will have cheaper components, maybe shorter lived ones, but "cheap" isn't a reason to sell microphonic guitars or frets suited to cut ham. Entry level stuff like Squier are often pretty good in that regard, there is no reason to accept blemishes on any product.
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This is the answer ^^^
 
Depends on what I am paying,I guess.

I don't expect a $800 import guitar to be perfect. But for 2k plus for something custom? I want it to be spot on.
 
Yes and no.

I have expectations within each price point. I think a guitar should be well made within that price point with no manufacturing defects, and I think all manufacturers should seek to resolve legitimate issues with their products.

Where I get irritated is when people's expectations are out of line with the price they paid for it. If you want your guitar to perform like a $2000 guitar, quit whining and go buy a $2000 guitar.

Where I get really irritated is when people set out to destroy a company's reputation online because they're pissed off about something... particularly if it's something that's a design spec. A good recent example I've seen is someone trashing a brand because their nitro finished guitar was developing cracks and is showing wear.


Long story short... don't complain that your $500 guitar isn't a $5000 guitar, and don't complain that your vintage spec instrument has the same problems as a vintage instrument.
 
I don't think it's too much to expect a new guitar to be without flaws. especially for what they charge for imports now.
 
some dude":2sbkqm62 said:
Yes and no.

I have expectations within each price point. I think a guitar should be well made within that price point with no manufacturing defects, and I think all manufacturers should seek to resolve legitimate issues with their products.

Where I get irritated is when people's expectations are out of line with the price they paid for it. If you want your guitar to perform like a $2000 guitar, quit whining and go buy a $2000 guitar.

Where I get really irritated is when people set out to destroy a company's reputation online because they're pissed off about something... particularly if it's something that's a design spec. A good recent example I've seen is someone trashing a brand because their nitro finished guitar was developing cracks and is showing wear.


Long story short... don't complain that your $500 guitar isn't a $5000 guitar, and don't complain that your vintage spec instrument has the same problems as a vintage instrument.
Click to expand...

I agree, price must be considered as to the expectations.

Quality does seems to be a lost art though.
 
Not in the particular instance you referenced, but I think expectations are way high in terms of the difference some folks believe a particular piece of gear will make to their playing/life. :lol: :LOL:
 
Fractal users expect the most from every firmware update and the Fractal team delivers every time. And most fractal fanboys want the world to know about it, and strike those down who don't want to hear it.
 
Beyond Black":y840qtj8 said:
"Frets suited to cut ham." :hys: :hys: :hys:
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:lol: :LOL:

There is a little truth to that.

danyeo":y840qtj8 said:
Fractal users expect the most from every firmware update and the Fractal team delivers every time. And most fractal fanboys want the world to know about it, and strike those down who don't want to hear it.
Click to expand...

I wish most companies were like Fractal then. I know its apples and oranges here but I bought a discounted B stock AX8 and there was barely even a mark on it. Some of the guitar companies sell brand new with tons of flaws.

Oh well to each their own. Seems like everywhere I ask has a 50/50 kind of crowd and i guess it only matters what I think on the topic for me.
 
Stealthtastic":1w0e1ghr said:
In short, yes.
Click to expand...

And the long version? I mean no offense but you are a dealer so naturally I feel like I know what side you would be on and why but I am curious to hear.
 
Years ago I was able to pick up a guitar and tell a huge difference between a few hundred dollars and a few thousand dollars. These days, it is up in the air in a few instances. On one hand it is good that cheaper guitars can play as great as higher end ones but unfortunately in a lot of cases the higher end guitar quality has gone down.
 
If I paid $1k for an Ltd it better be perfect. If I paid $1k for a Suhr i'd expect some battle scars... That being said I would never pay $1k for an Ltd, which sucks because the only Ltds I'm remotely interested in are $1k+...
 
Last year I bought a neck thru Ibanez Destroyer brand new out the door with a hard case for $450 with tax. Was on the floor for a while but finish was excellent, neck is nice and straight, no oddball frets and nice action. All hardware worked with no issues. I have friends who have spent a few grand on new Gibsons that were a joke compared to that Ibanez. Frets out of whack, finish flaws, etc... Thats unacceptable. PERIOD. NO EXCUSE. NO JUSTIFICATION!! :doh: I am not just calling out Gibson, but ANY company that would send out a guitar that had flaws or play ability issues.

I used to be a tuner @ Kramer in NJ way back. One day Berardi calls all of us into his office and says we are being too critical with our guitars as he had just come back from NAMM and there were quite a few guitars that were unplayable for whatever reason, so we should start "easing up" on our rejects. The thought was that once it was sent out that either the shop owner or the buyer could contact warranty service if it was something major, or just pay a tech for a proper setup and fix any minor flaws that the guitar had.
How many of you just got a kickass guitar that you loved for one reason or another but werent quite happy with something but would not send it back for fear of getting a worse one?? Happens all the time.

On the other side of things there are a whole lot of nutjobs with unrealistic expectations of what they spent their $$ on. The cheaper guitars MOST of the time use cheaper parts which sometimes result in sub par instrument. Dont buy an Epiphone and expect boutique sound and play ability. If you do get that then thats awesome :rock: ... but its not really the norm.

No matter what I spend I need to adjust my expectations accordingly. On a $300 guitar I dont expect to see shitty fretwork, but I dont expect the no name tuners to work as smoothly as a name brand. If I am spending a few grand on a guitar damn right I want it to be a proper instrument, and by that I mean a working trussrod, tuners, bridge, electronics, straight neck with no fret problems or board issues and absolutely no finish flaws. Streaks and natural imperfections in the wood is one thing, but when the paint work is botched or the thing is scratched to shit its going back!!

Sorry for the rant!
Basically not asking for miracles.
 
I think you get what you pay for in most instances, that goes for guitars, amps, cars, trucks and clothes, etc... If I pay for high quality, made in the USA gear, then it should be just that. High quality, no flaws and if they made a mistake, they should fix it and be generous about it, that’s another perk in paying the extra dough.

All the factory, made in X, I expect it be be good. It has gotten pretty good in my opinion. But I can overlook small things or fix it myself.
 
I think part of a higher price includes higher quality, better materials, better attention to detail.
 
Just my opinion, but you should always get what you pay for, whether it's $1 or $1000 or $1000000. As far as guitars and amps, if it's a minor adjustment that is in the realm of normal tweaking, I won't care. If it's a quality control issue, it needs to be made right.

I'm glad that ESP is going to make this right for you. Honestly, I'm quite surprised that it passed through Sweetwater, although I have seen a few (much more minor) things pass through their inspection. It just sucks that you have to wait on something that shouldn't have ever left the factory (from what it sounds like to me).

Any idea how long it'll take them to make it right?
 
If its got flaws, I send it back. Sent back a Kiesel and an Ibanez RG in the last year. I think even if I spent 500 bucks or less and the axe had reasonable issues, I'd send that back too.
 
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