Don't know if I care for Gibson service or warranty.

[DCDetector]

Don't know if I can afford to own a Gibson or not. I have a beautiful 2014 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus Heritage Cherry Sunburst. While cleaning I tried pulling the tone knob up to clean underneath it and pulled the whole knob and shaft out. Thinking I would only want a qualified Gibson repair shop to do the work I sen it to Nashville. Just got a call saying it was done a week later and it was going to cost me $400. Is there like a 6 month warranty on these $5,000 guitars?

 

[renderit]

If you bought it new there should not be a charge I wouldn't think.

 

[Desertdawg]

If it's a defective part then it's a warranty claim. If you physically caused the damage then it's your own responsibility. However, $400.00 seems excessive for replacing a pot. Was there other damage and shipping costs too?

Did you discuss the problem with Gibson, Nashville before shipping the guitar? If so, do you still have the name of the customer service rep to whom you talked? If so, I'd start by asking to talk specifically to them. On the other hand, if you first contacted the dealer who sold you the guitar, I'd get in touch with them.

 

[DCDetector]

I bought it from the Guitar Center but I believe it was used. It was not listed as new.

As far as a defective part that's hard to determine. All I was doing was cleaning the guitar and I lifted the knob to clean. The knob looked slightly leaning so I pulled it in an attempt to remove the knob. I've removed the knobs from many guitars and don't feel I pulled hard enough that it should have pulled the knob and shaft out. Now I've never owned one with the bypass/tap pull knobs but you should still be able to remove them right? It's not like I pulled extremely hard. I pulled hard enough that I thought the knob should have come off not the shaft.

I filled out a form at Gibson about what happened and got an email, they called a "RO" or "Repair Order" with my RO# and told me to send it in to Nashville. After they got it three days later I got a "Repair Estimate" for $210 to repair the knob and $110 shipping. I figured I wanted any repairs to be done by Gibson in case I was to sell it I could prove the repair was done by Gibson. It does look like they have marked "No Warranty". I just figured the places I deal with honor a warranty by date. If I buy a used metal detector with a 5 year warranty and something goes bad after two years they don't even ask about a warranty because it's less than 5 years old. I guess I figure a company with a name like Gibson might be the same. I assumed wrong.

 

[renderit]

Please try not to hate the messenger but the thought of sending a guitar, particularly a used one, back to the maker to replace a pot is probably poor judgement. Just the risk of shipping alone is not worth it. If I am buying a used Gibson and somebody changed a pot I could care less if the work was done correctly and neatly. Now maybe on a 59 burst I might be questioning it a bit, but come on! I would not do it with a CC, TH or HS used. And probably not with a new one either.

And on a used guitar you have no warranty. With MOST products you do not. I have not read the fine print on my Deus XP but I would be VERY surprised if they allow that either. They might do it as good will, but I doubt very much they left themselves open to that legally. It is as much an accounting thing as a legal thing as well.

And where are you getting 5K on that? It's a 2.5K guitar at most. New.

 

[Detector]

Well if you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere like I do, you're going to have to ship it off no matter what unless you want to try it yourself. No thanks. My soldering skill sucks LOL. Myself, If I were to buy an expensive guitar that had been repaired, having been repaired by a manufacturer certified repair shop would mean a lot to me. Personally I would care that it was done well and done right. But that's just me.

I understand a lot of used items won't honor their warranty and they are generally who I don't trust. I also have an XP Deus, a Makro Racer 2, a Minelab E-Trac and a good old White's DFX. In almost ever situation I've seen the manufacturer has honored the warranty even when they didn't have to just out of being will to do the right thing. Now I agree not all will. For Example on the XP Deus you need to have the original sales receipt, but they still honor the warranty as long as you have that. I had a repair done on a used Garrett AT Pro and they even paid shipping both ways because the machine was only 1 year old and the detector has a 2 year warranty. No questions asked. That's Customer Service at it's best.

I say 5K because the MAP was $5,450 so it was a 5K guitar. I didn't mean to imply it is worth that now. Just like my car. I paid $44,000 for it new so in my opinion it is a $44,000 car. That is what it would cost to buy another new one and that is what it cost me.

I just gave Gibson more credit as a manufacturer that cared more about their customers than they deserve I guess.

 

[zacknorton]

Wow. Communication really goes a long way. As in....communication could've saved you $400.
A pot swap on a les paul should cost $50 at the absolute TOP of the spectrum

And there's a near zero benefit to having Gibson replace a pot RE resale.

 

[renderit]

Well if you live in a small town in the middle of nowhere like I do, you're going to have to ship it off no matter what unless you want to try it yourself. No thanks. My soldering skill sucks LOL. Myself, If I were to buy an expensive guitar that had been repaired, having been repaired by a manufacturer certified repair shop would mean a lot to me. Personally I would care that it was done well and done right. But that's just me.

I understand a lot of used items won't honor their warranty and they are generally who I don't trust. I also have an XP Deus, a Makro Racer 2, a Minelab E-Trac and a good old White's DFX. In almost ever situation I've seen the manufacturer has honored the warranty even when they didn't have to just out of being will to do the right thing. Now I agree not all will. For Example on the XP Deus you need to have the original sales receipt, but they still honor the warranty as long as you have that. I had a repair done on a used Garrett AT Pro and they even paid shipping both ways because the machine was only 1 year old and the detector has a 2 year warranty. No questions asked. That's Customer Service at it's best.

I say 5K because the MAP was $5,450 so it was a 5K guitar. I didn't mean to imply it is worth that now. Just like my car. I paid $44,000 for it new so in my opinion it is a $44,000 car. That is what it would cost to buy another new one and that is what it cost me.

I just gave Gibson more credit as a manufacturer that cared more about their customers than they deserve I guess.

Yes, I understand your pain. And it would be nice if Gibson did it for you. Who knows? Maybe they will, but at the very least what they are charging you for the pot replacement is horse-doodoo. I would consider $100 for that repair skinning you. Shipping, yeah. Not much way around that. But that's what would have kept me from doing it period. Too bad you don't have even a modest repair shop in Dodge. Sorry dude! This is the very reason Grey Marketers are making money. The warrantee is pretty worthless...

 

[Detector]

Wow. Communication really goes a long way. As in....communication could've saved you $400.
A pot swap on a les paul should cost $50 at the absolute TOP of the spectrum

And there's a near zero benefit to having Gibson replace a pot RE resale.

Communication with who? I contacted Gibson and they're the ones who told me to ship it to Nashville. Remember, I live in an area where the nearest fair sized city, Wichita, is 155 miles away.

And while to some there might be "zero benefit" to having the repair done by a Gibson repair shop, there is to me. And I got the feeling if I ever went to sell this guitar it would make a difference to most that would buy it. Just my opinion.


renderit, I agree with the horse-doodoo. It's really water under the bridge at this point. I've already paid the $400 and it should be shipped if not yesterday, today, back to me. I just expected more from the company but hey, live and learn. I still like my Gibson guitars.

 

[Monroe]

Replacing a pot in a Les Paul is far from rocket surgery.
Guitarists can all benefit from having some basic soldering skills.

But if you just don't want to DYI, you have to pay somebody.
A couple of phone calls to shops in the Wichita area would have probably found you a competent tech.
Fuel consumption for two round trips to the 155 mile destination is about 31 gallons assuming 20 MPG
And I'm willing to bet you could have arranged to have the work done while you waited if you asked nicely.
So now you're at 15.5 gallons, and even at 3 bucks a gallon, you're still under 50 bucks in fuel.

If having Gibson do the repair was paramount, then cost would have to be of minimal concern.
I just don't understand you being upset with Gibson.
They didn't force you to go the most expensive route.

 

[zacknorton]

Communication with Gibson. As in, "hello Gibson...I've got a broken pot....on a new-ish guitar....any idea how much that might cost? Is it under warranty?"

Most expensive route indeed.

 

[chasenblues]

I bought it from the Guitar Center but I believe it was used. It was not listed as new.

Did it come with a warranty card, If so did you fill it out and mail it to them(Gibson)?

Some sections of their warranty stipulations,

THIS WARRANTY IS EXTENDED TO THE ORIGINAL RETAIL PURCHASER ONLY AND
MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED TO SUBSEQUENT OWNERS. IN ORDER
TO VALIDATE YOUR WARRANTY, AND AS A CONDITION PRECEDENT TO WARRANTY
COVERAGE HEREUNDER, YOU MUST RETURN YOUR WARRANTY REGISTRATION
CARD WITHIN FIFTEEN (15) DAYS FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL DATE OF PURCHASE.
YOUR PROOF OF PURCHASE OR SALES RECEIPT MUST ACCOMPANY ALL
REQUESTS FOR WARRANTY COVERAGE.

Another portion.

How To Obtain Warranty Service
In the event of malfunction of your Gibson instrument, you should notify your nearest
Authorized Gibson Dealer.

Did you contact Guitar Center first before you contacted Gibson?


And this,

This Warranty Is Subject To The Following Limitations
THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER:



9. Any factory installed electronics after a period of one (I) year following the original date of
purchase.

Not trying to dog pile on you but it kinda reads like you didn't necessarily know/follow the correct path trying to get this fixed a lot cheaper or possibly for free .(Not including the shipping charges)

I'd love to know how they could explain/justify that it cost $210.00 to fix a pot and test the electronics.

 

[DCDetector]

Replacing a pot in a Les Paul is far from rocket surgery.
Guitarists can all benefit from having some basic soldering skills.

LOL neither is installing a carburetor, but, I'll bet most people not experienced in the task would not feel comfortable doing it. Look at that picture. That pot is soldered not only to 6 wires but to the circuit board. Personally I would prefer a professional job not some slop job that might work.

Again, walk a mile in my shoes before you jump to conclusions. I am the Network Administrator for our local hospital. I haven't been 50 miles from Dodge City in over 20 years. I am on call 24/7 and have to be able to make it to the hospital within 15 minutes at any time. Driving to Wichita was not an option. I tried to find someone driving there that I knew but no luck. All options weighed, sending it in to Nashville seemed the wisest.

I'm not complaining so much about the cost because I knew what it was going to cost ahead of time. Because I did talk "COMMUNICATE" with them before the decision was made to have the work done. The point I was getting at was that I've dealt with many large companies and just expected more from a company like Gibson. I'll bet anything I could take my 20 year old White DFX metal detector, that had a 5 year warranty, and send it to White's for a simple repair and they would replace the PCB motherboard, LCD display and a new foam handle and send it back totally cost free. Because taking care of their base is job one. They are one of the top names in American made metal detectors they go that extra mile to make their loyal people happy. I kind of thought Gibson would fit in that same group. I was wrong and disappointed is all. No big deal.

Does make me wonder how many DIY jobs are being sold that are not being disclosed. It would make a big difference to my choice to buy a guitar or not. But then to each their own. Some buy a guitar to just bang away and care nothing about the condition as long as it plays. I happen to look at buying a guitar as not just something to play but something I may well sell in the future and keeping it in pristine condition is important to me. I don't mean to say I don't play them as hard as I want, but I do take the time to remove my belt and anything that could leave scars. I guess I get this habit from being a classic car restorer and knowing how even the smallest blemish can make a big difference in resale in most cases. This guitar would pass as brand new and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible. Oh, and it did still have the blank warranty card in the case. I did file it online and registered it.

 

[B Ingram]

... I filled out a form at Gibson about what happened and got an email, they called a "RO" or "Repair Order" with my RO# and told me to send it in to Nashville. After they got it three days later I got a "Repair Estimate" for $210 to repair the knob and $110 shipping. ...

Apologies if you clarified this already, but Gibson is charging you the $320? And you shipped it to Gibson for them to fix? Or to some other shop they directed you to?

I would understand a bit better if the repair invoice was just internal tracking for them, assuming you filed an actual warranty claim.

... That pot is soldered not only to 6 wires but to the circuit board. Personally I would prefer a professional job not some slop job that might work. ...

I think the invoice is sloppy, at best. I also think that whoever did the repair removed/replaced the entire printed circuit board and swapped it for a new board (with the pots, etc mounted). Or at least they billed as though they replaced the whole board...

Unfortunately, it's like everything else, including the apt comparison to a carb job. It's much cheaper to go buy brake pads and replace them yourself than to take the car in to a shop to do the work. But having done so myself, I also understand why many don't want to bother with that. And replacing the pot on one of Gibson's p.c. boards is a PITA job compared to old-style controls.

You have my empathy.

 

[chasenblues]

I also think that whoever did the repair removed/replaced the entire printed circuit board and swapped it for a new board (with the pots, etc mounted). Or at least they billed as though they replaced the whole board...

FRU's...Field replaceable Unit/s.


Remove back plate,

Unplug the connectors,

Remove 4 knobs-nuts..

Remove circuit board..Toss in the garbage.

Install new board,Insert plugs.

Re-install nuts-knobs.

Test, Replace back plate.

 

[marshall1987]

Don't know if I can afford to own a Gibson or not. I have a beautiful 2014 Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus Heritage Cherry Sunburst. While cleaning I tried pulling the tone knob up to clean underneath it and pulled the whole knob and shaft out. Thinking I would only want a qualified Gibson repair shop to do the work I sen it to Nashville. Just got a call saying it was done a week later and it was going to cost me $400. Is there like a 6 month warranty on these $5,000 guitars?

So.....cleaning underneath a tone knob on your guitar? Why?

 

[DCDetector]

So.....cleaning underneath a tone knob on your guitar? Why?

Well, I had polished everywhere else to a nice shine and noticed when I pulled up the knob switch is was dull. I'll admit I tried to pull the knob off. I had already pulled the other 3 off with no problem. The last one just didn't go as well. I was very careful just like with the others but it pulled out.

 

[63sg]

$210 for a pot swap, and $110 for pro setup? Did you ask for the setup? And frankly, swapping a pot on that guitar ($5-8 at most), plus $40-50 labor is on the high side out here in LA. That's a pretty penny to pay for that work in any place I can think of. Good thing I know how to do all of this, I can't imagine paying those prices quite frankly.

 

[Big Al]

You broke the knob. Contacting the maker for an out of warrantee fix, is akin to having the same thing done on a car. Dealer rates are sky high.

If you felt that you just had to have Gibson do the fix, for a claim that it is a factory fix when it comes time to sell it is just a wee bit anal. I've never in over 50 years of this stuff have had anyone ask if my used LP that I'm selling has had a Factory pot fix. You are way, way over thinking this thing. First thing is to call GC where you bought it. They would have fixed it. Next, don't be pulling knobs so you can polish underneath them. :laugh2::laugh2::gang

Really Bro, you needs to decompress and relax a little bit, and don't stress out over micro details when there are more pressing things to address. Have a couple Big Al approved double shots of good American Whisky on the rocks listen to yer favorite tunes and chill……Aaahhhhhh… now that is all better right?:ganz

 

[DCDetector]

LOL I'll just accept that my point went missed. I'm not upset with anything other than I expected more from one of the US's largest and well known guitar manufacturers. The knobs on these guitars were designed to be removed if you choose. 50 years of owning and playing guitars I have removed more than my share of knobs. I believe there was a problem with this one. Doesn't matter as my point was any other company I have dealt with would have replaced the pot at their cost. Especially on a 2 year old product that should last for many years.

Scares me that some people put so little concern about doing a good quality repair on an expensive guitar. One of the reasons I've stayed away from Fender guitars is the frequent talk of "I'm changing this" or " I think I'll try putting this on" making Frankenstein guitars. You never know what you're getting. Is it Fender or is it Radio Shack? If I'm going to pay 2k for a guitar,when I can get one for several hindered, I expect there to be a reason I would pay so much other than the name on the head. I'm expecting first class quality. Well at least I was. Now I realize there are probably as many Frankenstein LP's out there as Strats. Until this thread I considered the difference between the big two, Gibson & Fender, was that you never know what you're getting with a Fender. Now I know the same is true with Gibson, you just pay a lot more.

For those who simply care only about garbing it up and playing I'm sure they're happy to have Roger the repairman solder in a knob that will make the guitar make noise again. Like restore/repairing classic cars the importance of original and well done part replacement makes all the difference in the world to a true enthusiast. Oh how many vintage guitars I've seen people make the remark like this would be a master piece had someone not replaced this part with some generic piece.

Again, my point was I simply expected more from Gibson to show they care about their base. I was wrong so I now look at Gibson differently is all. No big deal other than I will put less weight behind the quality control on a Gibson.