You be the judge: How messed up is this guitar I just bought

[vultures]

So I received this guitar the other day... And the first thing I really noticed is how high up off the body the trem was and the neck was a little weird. I lowered the trem to a normal height and you couldn't fret anything below the 10th fret. No problem, right? Just adjust the truss rod a bid, maybe heighten the trem again a tiny bit? Well I go to adjust the truss rod and it goes completely loose. Leaving absolutely no relief in the neck. If I took my PRS or Ibanez's and loosened the truss rod this much, the neck would look like a U.

I called Reverb and explained the situation, they told me to contact the seller. The seller said, "I wish you wouldn't have started adjusting it and took it to a professional for any adjustments the guitar needs." And filed a case against me. As if it's extremely far from the norm for folks to make adjustments in the trem or truss rod by themselves. So I took pics and took this video and sent it to reverb.. Making sure to note that the tools come WITH the guitar from the factory and the actions I performed are both non-invasive and well within the realm of what Caparison expects the customer to perform.

I was pretty nice to the guy, noted that the guitar was indeed in excellent cosmetic condition, but ultimately unplayable with the neck. From the message he sent me and the way the trem was set so damn high, it's become apparent to me that he knowingly sent the guitar to me like this.

 

[Faded Abyss]

Damn.. It sucks that a simple truss rod adjustment raises red flags. Makes me hesitant to buy high end guitars online. Used or new..

 

[jsp]

Holy shit, that is all sorts of fucked up, both of the guitar and for the seller to file a claim against you. There's no way they didn't know there was something wrong with that guitar.

 

[LunatiBSW]

I'd be pissed. Anyone that knows their way around a guitar can see the issue here

 

[eternal_idol]

if this was not listed as AS-IS /IN NEED OF REPAIR, which by the sounds doesn't sound like it was.

not to defend the seller in anyway, but did the package look like it took an impact of any kind?

if not I'd have Filed for refund immediately. and filled a dispute with credit card after he filed against you.

That is not excellent condition. you can see the bow without the straight edge...

why is this sorta thing becoming a trend lately...

I don't know how other stores do it, but if you bring a guitar into my local store, you get charged a small rate, the tech will do it in-front of you and teach you how to do it yourself (if your willing to learn OFC). every guitarist should be capable of routine maintenance.

 

[jammin1]

Anyone that would sell/ship a guitar like that is a complete asshole!

 

[Chester Nimitz]

You should adjust the truss rod with string tension.

Tune the guitar to pitch and then try.

The Trem looks whack, ive never seen one set like that.

If you still cant adjust the neck [with tension] you can try a small lock washer with the nut.

Another recommendation would be a Pro setup & fret level.

 

[mooncobra]

damn, this is happening too much these days. ridiculous. and the guy filed a claim against you, preposterous. so many dishonest sellers these days, scary. sorry this happened bro.

 

[vultures]

if this was not listed as AS-IS /IN NEED OF REPAIR, which by the sounds doesn't sound like it was.

not to defend the seller in anyway, but did the package look like it took an impact of any kind?

if not I'd have Filed for refund immediately. and filled a dispute with credit card after he filed against you.

That is not excellent condition. you can see the bow without the straight edge...

why is this sorta thing becoming a trend lately...

I don't know how other stores do it, but if you bring a guitar into my local store, you get charged a small rate, the tech will do it in-front of you and teach you how to do it yourself (if your willing to learn OFC). every guitarist should be capable of routine maintenance.

Exactly from the listing:

"This Caparison Horus M3 has no major dents, dings or scratches. It can be described as having typical wear and tear for a lighty used guitar.

This guitar does come with paper work, tools, tremolo bar, and the Caparison Guitars Edition Reunion Blues Continental Case. Will be shipped in the case with an outer box around it."

I called Reverb immediately and they told me to contact him for a refund. So Reverb has it noted that I claimed it was damaged right off the bat, but I guess he escalated the claim. Here's pics of the neck with the straight edge. It looks straight, just a verrrry slight hump.. The problem? The truss rod is completely loose. How it was shipped: http://i.imgur.com/070vOE6.jpg

Holding it down straight near the top of the board
http://i.imgur.com/eM7wejJ.jpg
Holding it down straight near the bottom of the board.
http://i.imgur.com/1cVUDjc.jpg
You can see me pushing to keep it flat, but it still sticks up a couple millimeters on either side.


Thanks for the validation everyone. Thought I was starting to lose my mind.

You should adjust the truss rod with string tension.

Tune the guitar to pitch and then try.

The Trem looks whack, ive never seen one set like that.

If you still cant adjust the neck [with tension] you can try a small lock washer with the nut.

Another recommendation would be a Pro setup & fret level.

The guitar was shipped in Drop C with 13-52's on it, if my micrometer is correct. In the video and those pictures it is fully tuned up with the full tension in Drop C. The two strings were just moved to the side. Trem being wack is exactly what I thought, couldn't really anchor my wrist down on the guitar right when I first played it.

 

[spliffsperlunk]

I don't know if the sellers pictures showed it but that Trem being set up like that would have been a huge red flag for me .

 

[Chester Nimitz]

if this was not listed as AS-IS /IN NEED OF REPAIR, which by the sounds doesn't sound like it was.

not to defend the seller in anyway, but did the package look like it took an impact of any kind?

if not I'd have Filed for refund immediately. and filled a dispute with credit card after he filed against you.

That is not excellent condition. you can see the bow without the straight edge...

why is this sorta thing becoming a trend lately...

I don't know how other stores do it, but if you bring a guitar into my local store, you get charged a small rate, the tech will do it in-front of you and teach you how to do it yourself (if your willing to learn OFC). every guitarist should be capable of routine maintenance.

Exactly from the listing:

"This Caparison Horus M3 has no major dents, dings or scratches. It can be described as having typical wear and tear for a lighty used guitar.

This guitar does come with paper work, tools, tremolo bar, and the Caparison Guitars Edition Reunion Blues Continental Case. Will be shipped in the case with an outer box around it."

I called Reverb immediately and they told me to contact him for a refund. So Reverb has it noted that I claimed it was damaged right off the bat, but I guess he escalated the claim. Here's pics of the neck with the straight edge. It looks straight, just a verrrry slight hump.. The problem? The truss rod is completely loose. How it was shipped: http://i.imgur.com/070vOE6.jpg

Holding it down straight near the top of the board
http://i.imgur.com/qPxpax2.jpg
Holding it down straight near the bottom of the board.
http://i.imgur.com/pNUNfGj.jpg
You can see me pushing to keep it flat, but it still sticks up a couple millimeters on either side.


Thanks for the validation everyone. Thought I was starting to lose my mind.

You should adjust the truss rod with string tension.

Tune the guitar to pitch and then try.

The Trem looks whack, ive never seen one set like that.

If you still cant adjust the neck [with tension] you can try a small lock washer with the nut.

Another recommendation would be a Pro setup & fret level.

The guitar was shipped in Drop C with 13-52's on it, if my micrometer is correct. In the video and those pictures it is fully tuned up with the full tension in Drop C. The two strings were just moved to the side. Trem being wack is exactly what I thought, couldn't really anchor my wrist down on the guitar right when I first played it.

Try tuning it to E flat ...

It could be that for most of the life of the guitar its never been properly tuned.
It can take 24 hours for a neck to take its new shape after adjusting the rod.

I would tune it to A440 standard and let it sit a couple days, then work my way down to E flat.

Also lower the pup & bridge height.

See how rock bottom low you can get and still have proper string height & action.

Its not uncommon for a neck with no load to be way out of whack.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

The trem height proves it was jacked before it was shipped. File a PP claim. Item received not as described. And stay on top of it. The neck is probably warped and/or truss rod is non functional. Ship it back... with signature confirmation upon delivery.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Yeah, was the trem in the listing pics shown to be that high? It does make me hesitant to ever buy a used axe again online unless I can return it. In fact, I haven't bought one in many years online. Always want to see it first

 

[Racerxrated]

The trem height proves it was jacked before it was shipped. File a PP claim. Item received not as described. And stay on top of it. The neck is probably warped and/or truss rod is non functional. Ship it back... with signature confirmation upon delivery.

Yup. Seeing that trem so high, and the truss rod completely loose/or stripped means the only way it could even approach being playable was to set the trem way high, as the neck is fucked. Seller knew this, and hoped you would miss it and now tries to push it off on you...what an incredibly douche lying scumbag move. Fuck him and get your money back immediately.

 

[thiswaythatway]

I bought a used Les Paul from Sam Ash like that. I knew it was somewhat fucked but I wanted to spend a day trying to adjust it. I told them if I can't get it right it's coming back. 2 days later I brought it back. That's the one good thing buying used at GC or Sam Ash, you can take used stuff right back.

If you used Paypal, hope you did, I'd contact them immediately. Reverb customer support is useless, they won't do shit for you.

 

[vultures]

I bought a used Les Paul from Sam Ash like that. I knew it was somewhat fucked but I wanted to spend a day trying to adjust it. I told them if I can't get it right it's coming back. 2 days later I brought it back. That's the one good thing buying used at GC or Sam Ash, you can take used stuff right back.

If you used Paypal, hope you did, I'd contact them immediately. Reverb customer support is useless, they won't do shit for you.

Yikes. I'll contact paypal first thing in the morning.

 

[Chester Nimitz]

Paypal has a money back guarantee, they have always squared things for me.

 

[vultures]

I haven't even gotten a chance to call paypal yet, and I received an email from Reverb. Looks like I'll be getting a refund AND a packing slip to return the instrument. I'm delightfully surprised by the support from Reverb. It's a damn shame because the guitar looks absolutely phenomenal, and I love the feel of the raw neck. I was really thinking about keeping it if he was willing to accept the fault and pay for repairing it.

 

[maddnotez]

if this was not listed as AS-IS /IN NEED OF REPAIR, which by the sounds doesn't sound like it was.

not to defend the seller in anyway, but did the package look like it took an impact of any kind?

if not I'd have Filed for refund immediately. and filled a dispute with credit card after he filed against you.

That is not excellent condition. you can see the bow without the straight edge...

why is this sorta thing becoming a trend lately...

I don't know how other stores do it, but if you bring a guitar into my local store, you get charged a small rate, the tech will do it in-front of you and teach you how to do it yourself (if your willing to learn OFC). every guitarist should be capable of routine maintenance.

Exactly from the listing:

"This Caparison Horus M3 has no major dents, dings or scratches. It can be described as having typical wear and tear for a lighty used guitar.

This guitar does come with paper work, tools, tremolo bar, and the Caparison Guitars Edition Reunion Blues Continental Case. Will be shipped in the case with an outer box around it."

I called Reverb immediately and they told me to contact him for a refund. So Reverb has it noted that I claimed it was damaged right off the bat, but I guess he escalated the claim. Here's pics of the neck with the straight edge. It looks straight, just a verrrry slight hump.. The problem? The truss rod is completely loose. How it was shipped: http://i.imgur.com/070vOE6.jpg

Holding it down straight near the top of the board
http://i.imgur.com/qPxpax2.jpg
Holding it down straight near the bottom of the board.
http://i.imgur.com/pNUNfGj.jpg
You can see me pushing to keep it flat, but it still sticks up a couple millimeters on either side.


Thanks for the validation everyone. Thought I was starting to lose my mind.

You should adjust the truss rod with string tension.

Tune the guitar to pitch and then try.

The Trem looks whack, ive never seen one set like that.

If you still cant adjust the neck [with tension] you can try a small lock washer with the nut.

Another recommendation would be a Pro setup & fret level.

The guitar was shipped in Drop C with 13-52's on it, if my micrometer is correct. In the video and those pictures it is fully tuned up with the full tension in Drop C. The two strings were just moved to the side. Trem being wack is exactly what I thought, couldn't really anchor my wrist down on the guitar right when I first played it.

Try tuning it to E flat ...

It could be that for most of the life of the guitar its never been properly tuned.
It can take 24 hours for a neck to take its new shape after adjusting the rod.

I would tune it to A440 standard and let it sit a couple days, then work my way down to E flat.

Also lower the pup & bridge height.

See how rock bottom low you can get and still have proper string height & action.

Its not uncommon for a neck with no load to be way out of whack.

@Vultures, I can't watch the vid while at work so I cannot see the trem. Maybe it is fucked beyond repair.

I won't pretend to be a tech or know much about guitars but I have had a guitar where I thought the neck was fucked. Major buzz down low on the high frets and nothing I could do would fix it.

It sat in the case for the better part of 6 months and no joke the guitar fixed itself. The next time I took it out I tuned it up, adjusted the floyd and it was fine. Not sure if it was the weather or a new tuning it wasn't used to or what but this quoted post sounds right to me.

If you know the guitar is messed up I guess return it but if you really like it maybe some time and small adjustments would take care of things?

 

[mchn13]

I haven't even gotten a chance to call paypal yet, and I received an email from Reverb. Looks like I'll be getting a refund AND a packing slip to return the instrument. I'm delightfully surprised by the support from Reverb. It's a damn shame because the guitar looks absolutely phenomenal, and I love the feel of the raw neck. I was really thinking about keeping it if he was willing to accept the fault and pay for repairing it.

Yeah imo that would have been the best situation. It's a gorgeous guitar. He shoulda just ponied up on getting it fixed. I've stopped buying online except GC or sam ash where they will just refund you at your local store. Even guitars tha,t I get locally and other guys think are straight, I end up getting some fret and nut work done. I don't even want to think of what has to be done to repair that one.