Heartbreaking situation. Advice needed.

[László]

Just an update here... I dropped off the guitar. They do have a great reputation. There was a guy in front of me dropping off his vintage Martin with a side crack, and they talked about repair and refinish options. Sounds like they know what they're doing. The guy at the counter apologized and said the guitar should not have left the shop in the condition it did. I had to agree with him. He asked me to inspect an SG they recently repaired a cracked headstock and did a total refinish. It looked like a great job. So we'll see what happens. He said when I get it back I won't be able to tell anything happened to it. I did tell him not to worry about the hardware. I'm not concerned about some scratched nickel covers (they're both scratched, really) and I looked at the bridge and tailpiece again and I can live with them or replace down the road. I'm just concerned about the lacquer.

Not sure how long they'll have it, I'm guessing at least a few weeks. I'll post an update when I get it back.

It's great that they're going to deal with it! I hope you get a great result.

 

[bodia]

It's great that they're going to deal with it! I hope you get a great result.

Ditto!

 

[Erick_S]

I "discovered" PRS recently and fell in love with the S2 line. I had an SE245 first and then moved up to a S2 Singlecut Standard used from GC. That was a great guitar. Late last year I got the bug for one of the S2 594 models, so I upgraded to a new S2 McCarty Thinline. I posted photos here. I loved that guitar, except I wasn't crazy about the 85/15 S pickups. They only sounded OK to me, I actually preferred the pickups in the Singlecut Standard.

I splurged on some Bare Knuckle Mules after reading and hearing such great things about them. I have wired pickups before, but I hardly have time to work on my own stuff anymore with a kid, and I just wanted a pro to do it. I chose a shop in town with over 30 years of experience and a stellar reputation.

They told me the work would take about a week. I called them a little over a week later just to check on it, and they said the guitar was ready. I went to pick it up. After several minutes waiting, they said the guitar wasn't quite ready, it had "a scratch" that they were fixing. They would call me when it was ready. OK. I didn't freak out too bad because, hey, things happen. An honest scratch, no big deal.

They called the next day and said the guitar was ready. I went to pick it up and they took it out of the bag. I didn't see anything at first. Then I started to see some dings and scratches around the control area and I saw a scuff on the neck pickup cover (these were brand new BKP's, by the way). I was like... uhh, I didn't know what to say. They told me they would not charge me anything and to let them know if I wanted to discuss the guitar further. I said OK and left.

I got the guitar home and I was just flabbergasted. Several small dings and scratches around the control area, the neck pickup cover was scuffed as I mentioned. There were three separate spots around the bridge that they had tried to repair and polish out with cyanoacrylate. The bridge and tailpiece looked badly polished. There were even some fine scratches and pinpoint dings on the back of the guitar.

I thought about it and emailed them back. I didn't want to call as I was afraid I'd start yelling. I very calmly wrote that the damage to the guitar was a long way from "a scratch" and I didn't think it was enough to simply not charge me for the service. I told them that the guitar was brand new when I brought it to them. I had 1000% planned to keep that guitar but now I just wanted to get rid of it, and I would take a bath on it.

That was Saturday. Today I get an email back from them saying they would "properly take care" of it and to drop off the guitar. I'm not sure what it means to properly take care of it at this point. The guitar cannot be brought back to original condition without a fresh finish and some new hardware, IMO. And even then, it's not really "original".

I don't know what to do. I've never seen a guitar botched so badly. The damage is hard to photograph and the guitar looks fairly good from 10 feet away, but when you're playing it or looking closely, it just looks like a train wreck. A guitar isn't supposed to come out of the repair shop looking worse than when it was dropped off.

That is awful and completely shady by the dealer. They should have walked you through what happened (it fell from a rack, repair bench, etc.) and show you where the damage was, and then explain every "repair" they made to guitar and how they did it.

Apart from the repair fee, they have compromised the value of your pickups and your guitar. They are in worse condition now than when you brought it in. While mistakes do happen, professionals are expected to be: 1) honest about mistakes/errors; and, 2) competent enough to repair/correct their mistakes. It is clear these guys are NOT PROFESSIONAL. If they were a certified PRS or Bare Knuckle dealer, I would contact either/both and let them what their dealer is doing with their products. They won't tolerate that. It is pretty tough for smaller shops to distribute major brands, so there may be some influence there. Beyond that, they should have insurance for such mishaps. If they act like insurance doesn't exist, it's time to go tactical...demand they replace the guitar. If they get a replacement at wholesale awesome, if they can't (because they aren't a PRS dealer), that's their fault. They can buy the guitar for what you put into it and put on their 'USED' rack.

A cunning thing to do would be to get the shop to give you a "repair" receipt (or if you kept a claim ticket). Basically, paperwork from them that states there was some type of damage in the shop that required repairs. Hopefully, you have before-after pictures. Photos. Photos. Photos. Take a look at small claims court - if the shop doesn't respond or fails to show up, you win judgment by default. If they do show up, you would have a compelling argument that they damaged and reduced the value of your guitar and pickups. You would have their repair ticket(s), photos, and perhaps their admission that they damaged the guitar. Write yourself notes, dates of what happened and who you talked to.

f the claim goes your way, the judge won't get into splitting hairs about what percent of the value was lost and/or depreciation of the assets. Too much match. The judge will most likely focus simply on what is required to make the claimant whole - replacement or reimbursement. I expect the judge would have the shop pay you documented value (your sales receipts) for the guitar and pickups, effectively buying it from you for what you paid. Either that, or a replacement, but I doubt the shop is a PRS & Barte Knuckle dealer.

Finally, get on every social media platform you can and tell your story...and post as many pictures as you can. I wish you luck!

 

[fatherbowie]

One last update. I picked up the guitar on Saturday. While it's not perfect, it's MUCH better than it was previously. I think it's as good as anyone can get it without refinishing or replacing the guitar. I really didn't want a refinish, I would have rather just had a new guitar. It no longer gives me that sinking feeling in my stomach to look at the guitar, so I think I'll keep it for the time being anyway. Even though I got the guitar at a discount, I'd probably take a bit of a hit selling it even with the Bareknuckles installed. But I'm letting the repair shop off the hook. I don't have a big fight in me on this, I just want to move on.

The good news is, it sounds great with the Bareknuckle Mules. These are great pickups. The guitar is super lightweight (I should throw it on the scale) and incredibly easy to play and just rings. I'm back in love with it, or at least I have a crush on it.

However, I'm actually thinking about grabbing another S2 Singlecut. I miss my old Singlecut Standard (from my profile pic) and regret trading it away. I do think I'd like a late model S2 Singlecut with the flame top, 25" scale, wraparound bridge, and #7S pickups, which actually I liked quite a bit in the Standard.

 

[archtop]

The good news is, it sounds great with the Bareknuckle Mules. These are great pickups. The guitar is super lightweight (I should throw it on the scale) and incredibly easy to play and just rings. I'm back in love with it, or at least I have a crush on it.

.

Great to hear things are working out for you. But I suggest you ‘place’ the guitar on the scale, instead of ‘throw’ the guitar on a scale, at this point you don’t want another trip to the repair shop.

 

[fatherbowie]

Great to hear things are working out for you. But I suggest you ‘place’ the guitar on the scale, instead of ‘throw’ the guitar on a scale, at this point you don’t want another trip to the repair shop.

Poor word choice on my part I suppose, given the nature of the thread.

 

[Julian]

I have also had my fair share of poor quality repairs and damages in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn (Jeff Bloch's Amp and Guitar Wellness Center).

On the flip side fixing their mistakes made me learn how to set up my own guitar. Double whammy, you lose customers and indirectly teach them how to do your job.

To think I almost traded my S2 and acoustic because of sh*t setups...