Frustrating BTO story

[Tammany Tiger]

Here's a thought.

Unless the mahogany was super important to you, have the dealer/Taylor make it right by working a good deal on a new 714cewith the cedar top option. That gives you the top wood you want, the burst, and the electronics in a great sounding guitar that to me is very close tonally to a GA5. There is a good chance that the dealer has one in stock or can get one quickly.

I am hoping that this is not my  favorite Taylor dealer in Pittsburgh. If it is though, you can be sure that the owner will make it right and that they can get a 714ce pronto if one is not in stock.

Just a thought but that sounds like making lemonade from lemons.

[MR XXXXX]

It'a available.  I called.

[Tammany Tiger]

It'a available.  I called.

Make lemonade!

[cigarfan]

It feels good to vent; thanks to the forum for the opportunity.

^^ Just one of the benefits to be had here on UTGF.

This situation really sucks. I am truly sorry it has happened to you. But I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. And sometimes the reason never really becomes apparent. Maybe a test of your patience and ability to forgive. Just sayin'.

Hang in there ggj. I'm sure if you dig deep you will find, at the end of the day this is one of the smaller of life's lessons you will have to deal with.

Tammany has made an excellent suggestion. Maybe lemonade would be in order. And who knows, maybe a cedar topped 714ce is where you were destined in the first place.

Hope it all works out soon.   

[Taylor339]

You should dump Taylor and switch to Martin.   

[mgap]

You should dump Taylor and switch to Martin.   

Trouble maker!

[ewalling]

45 days is nothing. Try waiting 2-3 years for a custom. 

I understand the frustration & disappointment, but screw-ups happen.

Wait & get the guitar you ordered.
According to your sig, you've other guitars, so its not as if you've nothing to play in the interim.

Kevin

That would be my thinking, too. It wouldn't bother me to wait a bit longer to get what I had ordered.

[not darth]

I may be jumping to conclusions, but one lesson I take from reading this thread is that if one is going to do a BTO, best bet is to go with Jim or Ted who to many MANY of these, and are familiar with the nuances and particularities that go along with getting the 'perfect' guitar for you. 
Sure, mistakes may still occur, but I'd wager the odds would be higher that things would turn out to your satisfaction.
-K

[e8n]

I may be jumping to conclusions, but one lesson I take from reading this thread is that if one is going to do a BTO, best bet is to go with Jim or Ted who to many MANY of these, and are familiar with the nuances and particularities that go along with getting the 'perfect' guitar for you. 
Sure, mistakes may still occur, but I'd wager the odds would be higher that things would turn out to your satisfaction.
-K

I would say this is very correct (and I know there are a lot of other dealers out there that do a number of BTOs that could also do a great job).  These guys do this almost every day and know how to communicate what you want with Taylor.  When I was doing my GS with Jim I asked for some specifics with regards to my wood choice and while there were no guarantees it was communicated to Taylor and I did get what I wanted.  In general I think these guys know the right words to say to get what you want, particularly if it is something that is not 100% common or even on the BTO sheet (my wife was able to get one of the LTD inlays on her BTO after Jim made a couple of phone calls to Taylor even though they weren't on the sheet).  Sometimes there is more to ordering a BTO than just filling out the sheet.

-Dave

[Maynard9089]

I am not sure why this topic has veered off course but the problem is he spent a good deal of money to order an item that was to be made to his specifacations and he didn't get what he bought. Who cares why he ordered what he did? Thats his choice. Regardless of who made the mistake he should be made whole. The dealer in the least should be out front of the mess to make you happy. If it requires the regional reps involvement then so be it. The dealer took the order and regardless of who messed up, it is his job to deliver what was ordered. If they didn't want to take on the job of correcting it then they wouldn't get any more business from me.

[Von Beerhofen]

Having gone through such a disappointment myself, sortof just now but only 1/2 as bad, I think I 1/2 know how you feel. However if you cancel this altogether then another day will come where you want to do this all over again. Perhaps another dealer or another brand, but it's the same road with the same possible pitfalls as mistakes do happen.
I find the decision making moment one to be of utter exitement, so much that it keeps me awake for days thinking about it. You can get that again, with the option to adjust your choices when you're ready for it, perhaps a year or so from now, or carry this one through and get your dream guitar in 45 days.
Lord knows what the world will look like a year from now, imagine what could happen. Atom bomb, bank broke, housing market, pregnancy, jobless, chinese invasion, massive forrest fire etc. Nothing really serious, naaaaah just joking, but still,
Man I could be dead by then and then I will never get to see your BTO and I also won't be here to make these stupid remarks to lighten up the situation, what then eh?

Von Beerhofen

[Strumming Fool]

Having gone through such a disappointment myself, sortof just now but only 1/2 as bad, I think I 1/2 know how you feel. However if you cancel this altogether then another day will come where you want to do this all over again. Perhaps another dealer or another brand, but it's the same road with the same possible pitfalls as mistakes do happen.
I find the decision making moment one to be of utter exitement, so much that it keeps me awake for days thinking about it. You can get that again, with the option to adjust your choices when you're ready for it, perhaps a year or so from now, or carry this one through and get your dream guitar in 45 days.
Lord knows what the world will look like a year from now, imagine what could happen. Atom bomb, bank broke, housing market, pregnancy, jobless, chinese invasion, massive forrest fire etc. Nothing really serious, naaaaah just joking, but still,
Man I could be dead by then and then I will never get to see your BTO and I also won't be here to make these stupid remarks to lighten up the situation, what then eh?

Von Beerhofen

Yes, I suppose it could always be worse. In my case, I got exactly what I ordered, but was ultimately disappointed a few years back. Here's the one I ordered - very pretty, but not for me:

http://www.martinmusicguitar.com/products/acousticguitars/products.php?pcid=10064&cid=37393&pid=35312

[Von Beerhofen]

So what was wrong with it? It looks are fine and I'd say the materials used, as well as the brand, should guarantee a great sounding guitar, unless you found that you have a specific liking to a certain model and feel or a certain sound.
Did you keep it for a while and then run into one you liked better, or did you just grow to hate it as it didn't give the sound you were looking for, or did it just disassemble itself at an awkward moment.
I haven't been able to really compare accoustic guitars, I just had one for 35 years. It wasn't very expensive or high end, nor could I compare 10 of it. I just bought what I could afford, while jealously looking at the first Taylors in music magazines and reading about the people who played them. Consequetively I bought other guitars, all electric, traded them and bought a more expensive one, again and again. Still even now I really can't compare them with other available guitars, or some of the guitars I wanted too but never had the money to buy.
Perhaps that's my blessing, not knowing what else is out there and not being able to compare them. They were all fine for the job at the time and I miss all of em. I have what I have, no more money and it's getting late in my life. Should I look even further to see if there's something which can overshadow my current selection?
Does the fact that I miss my old guitars mean they were better then what I have now, or just different and with their own charactaristics. Your Cujo is a stunner but I'm sure I can't afford it, if I would play it I'd probably hate myself for not having the money to get one myself, which is why I'd rather not touch it if you know what i mean. Knowing it's there doesn't change the ammount of money I can spend and having the guitar doesn't make me a better guitarist but it's a beautifull peace of art and I'd be scared to have one if one of my friends would even look at it, lol. I think any upgrade is nice untill you learn you could have done better at which point you're sold, wether you have the money or not.
In the past 8 weeks I've not seen as many guitars as I've seen during my entire life, thx to the internet, and it didn't make life any easier, hehehe.
Did you get sold too when you touched that Cujo and played it the first time? I had that with my Gibson ES Artist Active and it's little brother the Les Paul Artist Active, man I was sold big time and something had to go. That's how it goes right, or am I the only one who suffers from guitar greed.

Von Beerhofen



edited for profanity

[michaelw]

sometimes the pretty guitar doesn't always 'win'
i've owned a good # of 614CEs & by specs, this should  have been pretty sweet (i think) -
premium sitka ab edged top

aa-quilted maple

its tone seemed to be a little too focused & 'controlled' to my liking & there was just something 'missing' -
i really, really like spruce top maple guitars (Taylors in particular), so this wasn't the 'wrong guitar' (on paper)

i feel that Taylor makes extremely consistent guitars, in terms of repeatability, build quality & materials used -
i've played & owned quite a few of them (& other makes/models of acoustics as well) & for me, i've found that
there are no guarantees, as wood is natural substance & there will always be variables, even to the point to where
if there were 2 'identical' guitars (same model, wood cut from adjoining sets, 'same' density/thicknessing, etc)
that there is very real possibility that player 1 might feel guitar 2 is 'better' & player 2 might feel guitar 1 is 'better'
or vice-versa, player 3 might feel both guitars are 'fine' (no discernable difference), while player 4 may dislike both

none of them are 'wrong' & there isn't necessarily something 'wrong' with the guitar(s) -
tone is 'what it is' ... it is subjective & what sounds 'great' to one person may not to another

getting back to the original topic of this thread -
an unfortunate error was made (the incorrect model was received with an option overlooked)

i believe that the dealer & Taylor will do what they can to rectify the situation -
the guitar may not  have been considered a BTO, but perhaps there should be (if there isn't already)
a 'Modify-A-Model' or Standard Model Options (SMO) sheet, similar in format to a BTO sheet that can be
filled out & signed by the customer, dealer (& rep) to verify that everyone is on the same 'book & page'

there are over 20 options for the GA5e, so perhaps even something seemingly as 'simple' as opting for
a tobaccoburst top should be noted on a physical form & once the order has been placed in the production
schedule & the serial # assigned, that the model/options should be again confirmed/verified, if needed

Ludwig, i'm glad that you were able to verify that your guitar was indeed 'new' &
i hope that the service center will be able to take care of your concern to your satisfaction

[Strumming Fool]

So what was wrong with it? It looks are fine and I'd say the materials used, as well as the brand, should guarantee a great sounding guitar, unless you found that you have a specific liking to a certain model and feel or a certain sound.
Did you keep it for a while and then run into one you liked better, or did you just grow to hate it as it didn't give the sound you were looking for, or did it just disassemble itself at an awkward moment.
Your Cujo is a stunner but I'm sure I can't afford it, if I would play it I'd probably hate myself for not having the money to get one myself, which is why I'd rather not touch it if you know what i mean.
Did you get sold too when you touched that Cujo and played it the first time?
Von Beerhofen
edited for profanity

There was nothing wrong with the guitar; it sold very quickly once I let it go. I didn't grow to hate it; I didn't like it out of the box. I tried to live with it for 2-3 months, but decided that it just wasn't for me. If the reasons are important, here they are:

1. After trying several GS guitars for varying lengths of time, I thought I'd like to have one. However, its portly shape proved to be too awkward and fatiguing for me.
2. I thought I would like a narrower nut width, but my fingers felt too crowded on the fingerboard.
3. I had owned a 1937 Martin 00-17 several years back, and I liked the all-mahogany sound. But since then, my playing style changed, and I no longer like this sound for my playing style.

So my original point was that my choices, not the dealer's (or Taylor's) errors, were the reason for my BTO failure, and that to me is worse, because I have no one but myself to blame.

Regarding Cujo, that guitar is as close to the "it" guitar as I have ever come. However, it cannot be "it" as evidenced by my ownership of several other guitars that each make me smile for different reasons. So there you have it; I hoped that I answered your questions.