Author Topic: No Warranty  (Read 3847 times)

Dakell

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No Warranty
« on: June 20, 2017, 10:36:41 AM »
One comment I hear over and over on all four guitar forums is the warranty doesn't transfer with the sale of a used guitar. I'm stymied by this concern. Some have used it as justification for ridiculous lowball offers on used guitars. I don't get the concern. In almost 50 years of owning countless guitars I've never encountered anything that became a warranty concern. Even if I did I'd probably handle it with a local repair dude. It's not like a car even where you might get a loaner while your warranteed one is in the shop. What gives?

tedtan

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2017, 11:11:01 AM »
It's part of the price of a new guitar, and offers a degree of comfort should a major issue need warranty work (e.g., a neck reset on a set neck guitar could be ~$800).

But like you, I have never owned a guitar that needed warranty work, so I it's not a a selling point for me.

Dakell

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2017, 11:13:58 AM »
It's part of the price of a new guitar, and offers a degree of comfort should a major issue need warranty work (e.g., a neck reset on a set neck guitar could be ~$800).

But like you, I have never owned a guitar that needed warranty work, so I it's not a a selling point for me.

I never considered the warranty as part of a new guitar cost. I wonder if a substantial decrease in price would happen if you could opt out of the warranty?

Guitarsan

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2017, 11:23:34 AM »
One comment I hear over and over on all four guitar forums is the warranty doesn't transfer with the sale of a used guitar. I'm stymied by this concern. Some have used it as justification for ridiculous lowball offers on used guitars. I don't get the concern. In almost 50 years of owning countless guitars I've never encountered anything that became a warranty concern. Even if I did I'd probably handle it with a local repair dude. It's not like a car even where you might get a loaner while your warranteed one is in the shop. What gives?

Your comment about lowballing is right on. You have a valid point, especially with Taylor guitars, the need to ever use the warranty is very, very low. Anything that could happen can be readily repaired by a competent luthier for not serious money. A neck reset with the NT Taylor neck is trivial by a Taylor qualified tech or luthier, for example. Even an internal brace coming loose, or cocobolo cracking on its own (not due to humidity problems, it's an uncommon problem, but it happens) won't set you back much in the rare case it happens.

A warranty does still provide some level of comfort and has some inherent value, but what that value is has to be determined between the seller and buyer of a used instrument at time of sale.
"The guitar is the perfect drug because when you play it you're in no pain, and when you put it down, there's no hangover." Paul Reed Smith

2021 Taylor 914ce LTD Sinker Redwood/EIR
2016 Taylor GS Mini-e Flamed Koa

Minnesotaman

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2017, 06:19:43 PM »
If a warranty is important to you, then buy a new guitar. I have never considered it part of the price of a guitar. I have however bought new because of the warranty when I wanted one.

sergeko

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2017, 06:21:36 PM »
I think the warranty is especially useful for the electronics.
Taylor 312ce 12-fret V-Class (2019)

M19

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2017, 09:03:35 PM »
A neck reset is more like $400, at least in the mid-west.
Marty B.
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Epic Audio

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2017, 08:52:43 AM »
Most manufactures tout the warranty as a way to increase their prices, with some validity.
In my decades of owning guitars I have never has a warranty issue.
I have had dealers tell me that more often than not when a guitar is returned for warranty issues the blame is usually (also with some validity, I believe) put on the owner for the issue - kept in a bad climate, wrong stings/tension, not transported correctly...
I have met people this has happened to and in most cases it sounded like the guitar company was right. One guy returned a fairly expensive 6 month old guitar because it had finished crack. He lives in New Hampshire, the guitar was a Christmas present and he kept it near his wood burning stove.
I also see the low-ball offers made for used guitars. No reason to sell to a low-ball offer unless you're desperate.
In my experience a contemporary, mint or as new condition guitar (model still in production and in some demand) sells for about 75 to 80% of the going rate (not list price) for the new, warranty version.

Dakell

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2017, 10:00:14 AM »
Most manufactures tout the warranty as a way to increase their prices, with some validity.
In my decades of owning guitars I have never has a warranty issue.
I have had dealers tell me that more often than not when a guitar is returned for warranty issues the blame is usually (also with some validity, I believe) put on the owner for the issue - kept in a bad climate, wrong stings/tension, not transported correctly...
I have met people this has happened to and in most cases it sounded like the guitar company was right. One guy returned a fairly expensive 6 month old guitar because it had finished crack. He lives in New Hampshire, the guitar was a Christmas present and he kept it near his wood burning stove.
I also see the low-ball offers made for used guitars. No reason to sell to a low-ball offer unless you're desperate.
In my experience a contemporary, mint or as new condition guitar (model still in production and in some demand) sells for about 75 to 80% of the going rate (not list price) for the new, warranty version.

I've listed two guitars in that range along with the comment to make an offer. How does it get any better than that? Frankly I'm amazed at the current state of the guitar market. A scant 3 years ago I sold the last of 8 luthier made guitars I had. On 2 or 3 of them as I recall a bidding war happened. Then there are the lowball offers. I've listed a pristine condition from 1989 Fullerton 1957 reissue Fender Strat in a rare custom color. Dropped the price quite substantially from what these highly collectible guitars sell for, actually by more than a few grand. I get an offer for literally a fourth of asking price along with a winded explanation of why the offer is fair. Ludicrous. My friend's brother has already said he's completely willing to store the guitars until the used market picks up as he in no way needs the money. My concern with him doing that is the climate in Houston, TX being extremely humid and the guitars being put away in a closet and forgotten for who knows how many years!

tedtan

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #9 on: June 21, 2017, 11:07:24 AM »
My friend's brother has already said he's completely willing to store the guitars until the used market picks up as he in no way needs the money. My concern with him doing that is the climate in Houston, TX being extremely humid and the guitars being put away in a closet and forgotten for who knows how many years!

This is definitely a buyer's market, so if getting the full value of the guitar is important, holding on to it until the market picks back up is a good idea.

Also, I live in Houston and can tell you from experience not worry about the high humidity as that is just the outside humidity. We also have pretty high temperatures, which means we run our central air conditioning units 24/7 most of the year and these drop the inside humidity to around 45-50% (pretty much perfect for guitars). The only time to worry about humidity here is for the six to eight weeks of the year that it is actually cold enough for us to run our central heating units, as that may dry out the interior air to much (I've seen it drop into the 30-35% range in really cold years, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it drop below that).
« Last Edit: June 21, 2017, 11:09:55 AM by tedtan »

Dakell

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #10 on: June 21, 2017, 11:20:51 AM »

[/quote]
Also, I live in Houston and can tell you from experience not worry about the high humidity as that is just the outside humidity.
[/quote]

Sounds like you might be just the guy to swing by and see these guitars to verify my description of the Custom GS as having an otherwordly tone! They are in north part of Houston a few miles off the freeway.

Guitarsan

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #11 on: June 21, 2017, 12:20:45 PM »
A neck reset is more like $400, at least in the mid-west.

For a Taylor??? If so, they do say there's one born every minute. You know about NT necks, right?

Try $65 to $100 tops for that, plus might include a setup as well.

"The guitar is the perfect drug because when you play it you're in no pain, and when you put it down, there's no hangover." Paul Reed Smith

2021 Taylor 914ce LTD Sinker Redwood/EIR
2016 Taylor GS Mini-e Flamed Koa

Dakell

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #12 on: July 22, 2017, 07:27:13 PM »
The BTO custom GS from my friend's estate sold today. An old guy from my regular Friday jam drove 4 hours to Houston to get it. He agrees with me it is the finest sounding acoustic on the planet. Final price came in less than half of original asking price. My friend's brother has seen the light on the current used guitar market. The pristine Builder's Reserve Series 3 with matching amp is still available. Someone can get it now for fire sale prices. Just make an offer.

I hated not getting the custom GS myself but the buyer would be an approved caretaker by my friend so all is well.

timfitz63

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Re: No Warranty
« Reply #13 on: July 22, 2017, 10:42:18 PM »
The BTO custom GS from my friend's estate sold today. An old guy from my regular Friday jam drove 4 hours to Houston to get it. He agrees with me it is the finest sounding acoustic on the planet. Final price came in less than half of original asking price. My friend's brother has seen the light on the current used guitar market. The pristine Builder's Reserve Series 3 with matching amp is still available. Someone can get it now for fire sale prices. Just make an offer...

I have an interest in the BR III set, but have a couple of practical considerations working against me at the moment:
  • I would prefer to play the guitar before making a final decision about buying it.  But I'm away from my residence in Texas until October...  And even then I'll only be in for about a week before heading back to my job site.  So I'm not likely to have the time to drive over to Houston (~3 hours) to evaluate it, given everything else I'll be trying to get accomplished while I'm there...
  • I just had to replace the entire HVAC system in my house, so I'm kind-of financially tapped out in the near term...
... I hated not getting the custom GS myself but the buyer would be an approved caretaker by my friend so all is well.

Well, I kind-of know the feeling.  Back in 2011, there was a particular collectible car I wanted to buy, but couldn't come to terms with the seller.  Frankly, we were miles apart on price.  A year or so later, I learned that the car had sold -- for not much more than I was offering.  I learned it from a chance meeting with the guy who bought it, and struck up a friendship with him and his wife.  Whenever I see him, I jokingly ask him, "Are you taking good care of my car...?"  He smiles, knowing that the underlying message is I'm throwing my name in the hat if he ever decides to sell it.

So the next time you see your jam-session buddy, just smile and ask him if he's taking good care of your guitar.  Eventually, it might find its way into your care...
DN: 360e, 510ce, 510e-FLTD, 810ce-LTD (Braz RW), PS10ce
GA: 414ce, 614ce-LTD, 714ce-FLTD, BR-V, BTO (Makore, 'Wild Grain' RW, Blkwood), GAce-FLTD, K24ce, PS14ce (Coco, Braz RW, "Milagro"), W14ce-LTD
GC: 812ce-LTD TF, BTO TF ('Sinker'/Walnut, Engelmann/"Milagro"), LTG #400
GO: 718e-FLTD, BTO (Taz Myrtle)
GS: Custom 516e, BTO 12's (Taz Tiger Myrtle, 'Crazy' RW), 556ce, 656ce, K66ce, PS56ce ("Milagro")
GS Mini 2012 Spring LTD (Blackwood)
T3/B: Custom (Cu & Au Sparkle)
T5: C1, C5-12, S (Aztec Gold)