Gil Yaron 59 Replica Headstock Repair

[rlord1974]

To answer a bunch of questions:

- Replacing the set neck requires a lot of work and refinishing. Same amount of time and effort to build a new one. That said, I am on my own.

Is that what he told you? Yeah, it's time consuming and a lot of work to replace a set-neck, but it certainly is not the same amount of time and effort to do a complete re-build of the guitar from the ground up! That's just ridiculous. If that was true, nobody would ever waste their money having a LP's neck re-set! Wouldn't you rather have the guitar with a good, non-repaired neck (i.e., a new, replacement neck) and a less than 100% finish at the neck joint, than a guitar with a headstock repair?

- Refund not possible. He blames the shipping company. It was suggested by Gil that I make a fraudulent claim against them. What?

The fact that he insured the guitar proves that he understands it is ultimately his responsibility to protect himself and his customer(s) from shipping damage. The insurance is step 1, packing it properly is step 2 - which he failed miserably at. So, he screwed up - he can't blame the shipping company for that. He didn't pack the guitar to either (a) industry-standard spec's for shipping a stringed musical instrument or (b) FedEx's spec's, which was confirmed by the FedEx rep laughing at the packing job upon inspection. Bottom line: it is not the shipping company's fault.

Unbelievable how he can deny all responsibility and leave you hanging. Read on TGP that he has bought quality cases for future builds (can you post a link to this thread please?), that's acknowledging he was in the wrong if you ask me.

The fact that he has now also publicly disclosed that he has bought better cases is an admission that the case he used to ship yours was not appropriate.

 

[AndyK]

That box - it looks like the box my son's $99 Squire Strat came in! And the fact that Gil didn't loosen the strings? Un-real.

Like everyone has said, all it would take is for Gil to say "Sorry dude, send the guitar back to me, give me a month or so, and I'll fix it up for you". Not "Hey, lets create a shipping fraud scheme!"

Damn! Sorry to read all of this!

 

[Telephant]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

 

[Telephant]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

To clarify, I'm not trying to stir shit, I'm legitimately curious. I feel like I'm missing something. Perhaps there is a bunch of work ahead of Steve's LP?


Again though, this whole situation is awful. I feel for you Steve.

 

[Les Zombie]

I was considering buying one of these guitars and was waiting to find out if steve liked his but due to the shipping situation and the way Gil is handing things i wont buy one now. Steve knows i love les pauls and i dont mind spending to get one that i will love. Its too bad things worked out like this because i think there will be a few others like myself that wont buy one now even if it is awesome.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

To clarify, I'm not trying to stir shit, I'm legitimately curious. I feel like I'm missing something. Perhaps there is a bunch of work ahead of Steve's LP?


Again though, this whole situation is awful. I feel for you Steve.

I'm no expert, but there's much more to it than just applying glue and taping/rubber banding it into place. I can't speak for the person doing the repairs, but I suspect the old head stock will be removed in a precise way allowing for a custom made replacement to be inserted, contoured back in to be seamless, then refinished in the "old school" methods, none of which is easy or quick.

 

[AndyK]

Another hard to believe part about this whole mess - how could Gil NOT insure the guitar for more than it's worth?
And, even at $1000 insurance, UPS wouldn't take a box looking like that. Guess the Israelis don't have the same shipping requirements?

 

[steve_k]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

Don't know. Ask Greg @BCR. He's the one repairing it and the subject of this thread.

Steve

 

[steve_k]

I was considering buying one of these guitars and was waiting to find out if steve liked his but due to the shipping situation and the way Gil is handing things i wont buy one now. Steve knows i love les pauls and i dont mind spending to get one that i will love. Its too bad things worked out like this because i think there will be a few others like myself that wont buy one now even if it is awesome.

I can probably make you a good deal on this one in a couple months.....

 

[Telephant]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

To clarify, I'm not trying to stir shit, I'm legitimately curious. I feel like I'm missing something. Perhaps there is a bunch of work ahead of Steve's LP?


Again though, this whole situation is awful. I feel for you Steve.

I'm no expert, but there's much more to it than just applying glue and taping/rubber banding it into place. I can't speak for the person doing the repairs, but I suspect the old head stock will be removed in a precise way allowing for a custom made replacement to be inserted, contoured back in to be seamless, then refinished in the "old school" methods, none of which is easy or quick.

If they're actually replacing the entire headstock and the dude is making it by hand then yeah, that's a totally different story.

 

[Telephant]

That said I haven't seen that happen very often. Usually it's glued up, dropped in a vice for a few days and refinished. Course this isn't your average LP either!

 

[steve_k]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

To clarify, I'm not trying to stir shit, I'm legitimately curious. I feel like I'm missing something. Perhaps there is a bunch of work ahead of Steve's LP?


Again though, this whole situation is awful. I feel for you Steve.

I'm no expert, but there's much more to it than just applying glue and taping/rubber banding it into place. I can't speak for the person doing the repairs, but I suspect the old head stock will be removed in a precise way allowing for a custom made replacement to be inserted, contoured back in to be seamless, then refinished in the "old school" methods, none of which is easy or quick.

If they're actually replacing the entire headstock and the dude is making it by hand then yeah, that's a totally different story.

 

[steve_k]

I'm still confused why it would take two months to repair a headstock. That should take a matter of days.

To clarify, I'm not trying to stir shit, I'm legitimately curious. I feel like I'm missing something. Perhaps there is a bunch of work ahead of Steve's LP?


Again though, this whole situation is awful. I feel for you Steve.

I'm no expert, but there's much more to it than just applying glue and taping/rubber banding it into place. I can't speak for the person doing the repairs, but I suspect the old head stock will be removed in a precise way allowing for a custom made replacement to be inserted, contoured back in to be seamless, then refinished in the "old school" methods, none of which is easy or quick.

If they're actually replacing the entire headstock and the dude is making it by hand then yeah, that's a totally different story.

I don't think there's a need for replacing the headstock....

Not sure what the process is going to be really. The way it splintered, it looks to be most of the wood is still in tact, but depends on what is missing and how much stiffening material is required. The epoxy set is going to be more that a one stage process. Then there is filler on the surface and some touching up with the finish.

Greg runs a business and has other things going on. I didn't expect him to drop everything and tend to the repair. He will post as he goes on the MLP thread,


Steve

 

[preeb]

To answer a bunch of questions:

- With the Gibson lawsuit, I was advised to be a little concerned of shipping the guitar out/in as there may be a Customs flag and could be confiscated.

- Gil is not covering the work. He considers his job to be done.

- I am covering the repair work and shipping.

- Gil is still making 59 Replica's. I was led to believe otherwise.

- Replacing the set neck requires a lot of work and refinishing. Same amount of time and effort to build a new one. That said, I am on my own.

- Refund not possible. He blames the shipping company. It was suggested by Gil that I make a fraudulent claim against them. What?

- I still have a couple of cards to play.

- Gil was pretty good to work with, right up until the point of final payment.

- Right now, I wouldn't let him change the strings on my fucking guitar.

- My asshole still hurts from the reaming and no lube.

My name is Gil Yaron and I am the builder of Steve's guitar posted here.
It is an unfortunate event indeed to have a snapped HS on such a beautiful guitar and I understand Steve's frustration completely.
I tried to keep away from posting anything in reply to the many accusations that were brought on this forum and a few others but I believe the line has been crossed.

I could clearly see that many of you judge me harshly based on the information provided by Steve alone but here's my side of the story.

Steve King contacted me and asked to get a guitar built.
I have presented him with all the needed info and terms, answered all his many questions and he placed his order with me directly a few months ago and got on the waiting list.
A few days later Steve cancelled the order saying that he wishes to get an earlier build slot that Cliff at DAG had already reserved.
I cancelled the order.
From this point on it was supposed to be between me and Cliff but I still got many direct custom requests from Steve which I gladly fulfilled and gave him the best service one can ask for.
When the guitar was ready to ship it got packed very well. Here's how I pack all my guitars:
* I use good quality wooden or Aluminum/ABS hard shell cases. Nothing fancy that will cost a lot to the client, but definitely a rigid case.
Steve knew he was getting a $100 case from day 1. This doesn't mean the case was not good enough for shipping, but if one believes expensive cases give better protection... think again. I've fixed broken HS on LP's that were shipped in $1000 Anvil cases.
* Any voids between the guitar body and the case are filled tightly with news paper. I fill it so tightly that the guitar can not move at all inside the case.
* Packing material is placed above the guitar body to get a tight fit against the case cover, once again, to prevent movement.
* The outer cardboard box is only there to protect the case surface! I find the triangular boxes better because it prevents the shippers to place it upside down and it clearly shows that it is a guitar. There's nothing wrong with that cardboard and it is as good as any other.
No way you can trust a box to prevent a HS break. HS breaks when the guitar is pushed hard against the top on the case as a result of a strong impact.
* I make sure to use many big "Fragile" stickers on the box
* The guitar is fully insured to cover my cost in case of a total loss so a new one can be built
* I ship with a trusted shipper that has served me for the last few years with no issues

It didn't look like that on the inside

or like that on the outside

Not sure if the box had been opened for inspection or otherwise.

I've been instructed by Steve to ship the guitar to his mother in the U.S. and so I did.
Steve told me he will have it shipped to Saudi Arabia himself. I warned him about that and told him to do a local pickup since I never had any experience with guitars going there and it's better to minimize the potential risk that exists with ant guitar shipping. I even invited him to stay with me and my family while he's in Israel.

Guitar arrived to the U.S. and that was the last thing I could be responsible for. Anything that happened after that is a puzzle to me.
I shipped a large number of guitars worldwide with the same cases and boxes and with the same packing method and shipper with no issues except for a few very minor damages in the Italian customs which are well known for that (-; Never a broken HS or anything that happens as a result of a shifting guitar inside the case.

The first thing I did after I got an email from Steve about the broken HS was to call him.

Didn't take too long to figure out what happened.
1) No damage to the case
2) No damage to the outer cardboard box
This could only mean that the box has been dropped or fell very hard flat on its head.
I had the feeling that the inner packing material has been messed during inspection at some point. I know it's done properly by the U.S. customs but not so sure about what exactly going on in Saudi Arabia. I asked steve and he told me there are no signs of inspection tape anywhere. My next question was about the insurance. I was completely shocked to hear that the guitar wasn't insured for it's actual value. Steve told me he wanted to save on import taxes. That is a big mistake for such an expensive guitar and a big legal risk trying to fool the foreign authorities.
Steve asked if it can be fixed and I told him that it would be better to build a new one. I don't like to reuse a fingerboard that has been heat removed or do finish touchups and since I need to make the neck from scratch and do the entire prep and finishing anyway, I'd rather make a new guitar altogether.
Steve suggested that he will immediately ship the guitar back to the U.S. implying to get an insurance claim to cover his loss.
I told him that he shouldn't do it. Instead, I told him to do the right thing and contact his own shipper and try to get the lower amount claimed so we would at least have something back. I also promised to take good care of him and to make sure he'll be happy so no need to do anything irrational and add more mistakes to the list.
Steve agreed.

While Steve was supposed to take care of the claim within the short time frame it required, I immediately contacted Cliff at DAG (to remind you, Steve ordered the guitar from Cliff), and explained him the situation.
We had every intension to take good care of Steve as a valued customer and that included a FULL REFUND!!! regardless of his major mistake of not insuring the guitar while shipped to Saudi Arabia.
I never told Steve that I "consider my work to be done" or refused a full refund. Never! I told him I'll make sure to take good care of him and to keep him happy.

Anyway... I never heard back from Steve since that first and only phone conversation... only seen the public online posts.

Steve had a different plan. Instead of contacting me to follow through the issue and get a full refund or a new guitar he shipped the guitar to a 3rd party to be fixed and spoke to Cliff about getting compensation and keeping the first guitar as well (maybe trying to end up with 2 instruments?). Not sure exactly what he said to Cliff but I never heard Cliff so angry and disappointed (and Cliff is a great guy).

I don't feel I need to prove anything to anybody regarding my deep concern about having the highest customer service level and about building the best instruments I possibly can as there are many people out there that can testify that.

Regardless of the low language, coursing and bashing I had received from Steve online during the last few days I chose not to react and let him come to his senses but I can't stand lies and dishonesty, not to mention trying to scare my other clients away (not working BTW).

* There is no Gibson lawsuit.
* My cases are as good as any others (be it Warwick, Gator or any other brand I find sufficient for shipping) - once again... there was zero damage to the case and box!
* I never told Steve that I will not fully refund him (regardless of his insurance mistake)
* Steve never spoke to me about how we are going to solve his problem
* Guitars are packed very well by me and I make sure they are safe for international shipping
* All warning Fragile signs have been removed from the box and nor replaced (They had hebrew and English which Steve didn't want seen in Saudi Arabis ??)
* I fully insure my guitars to be able to build a new one if total lost
* I do not fool customs or insurance companies or shippers
* You will not find a single person among all my clients or anybody I dealt with who thinks like Steve
* I'm a proud Israeli Jew that actually values his clients more than money (-;
* My heart still hurts seeing this guitar broken like this

I can go on and on... and really tried to avoid replying because I believe this should have been discussed between Steve and myself but Steve obviously thinks otherwise and I'm very sorry for him.

I have all my cell phone calls recorded for reference including the only one I had with Steve.
I don't wish to step over anybody, especially not a customer, but Steve just took it too far.

Here's a small portion of the conversation where Steve suggests the guitar to be shipped back to the U.S. for insurance claim and my response to it.

There's a lot more in that story that Steve didn't exactly post with his story. If you are a worried client or want more info just contact me and I will answer the truth.

Have a great weekend and G_d bless you all.
Gil Yaron

 

[AmpliFIRE]

 

[charveldan]

IN ...

 

[lespaul3013]

Ohh shoot...

 

[shade]

I have to agree with him on the case... Have shipped and had shipped to me LPs with crappy cases and NO broken headstocks... However Gil, i made sure that every guitar was supported at the headstock. Just some damn bubble wrap is all that is needed. It stops the headstock from flexing if dropped.

 

[joepete77]

So if Steve sends the guitar back to Israel or to cliff will he receive a new guitar or a refund ? Seems that would solve everything.