RE: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

896 Views 13 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Formerly Given To Fly, May 4, 2020

scarello

Discussion Starter · Apr 27, 2020

RE: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Sooooo ........ whether as the buyer or seller, one challenge to ensuring a smooth, surprise-free transaction - having a proper 'Grade' is critical.

Auction sites and internet resellers have theirs along with their description - which may or may not be completely objective.

I recently purchased a guitar that was listed as 'Mint' and touted as basically new - now with guitar in hand ..... meh ..... not so much.

Apparently 'Mint' to me was not 'Mint' to the seller; which I guess really meant 'Player's Mint'.

So as a buyer, you can be disappointed and as a seller, you can get bad feedback ratings, refunds or returns - so as a seller, I try to err on the side of full disclosure and let the buyer determine how my description and pictures support the grade provided.

IMO - I think [email protected] does a great job at ratings and disclosure, so when you buy a guitar, you know exactly what you're getting.

Anyone else have feedback/opinions/experiences to share?

Thanks,

-sc-

Save

1 - 6 of 14 Posts

Rich

· #2 · Apr 27, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Mint is the most overused and rarely honest word in sales of anything used. Try looking at some mint cars. I flew to Florida to buy one and drive it home, the whole front end paint was spider web cracked, loads of big rock chips, taillight dead, bald rear tires, no service records, would have cost me $2500 just to prep it for a 1200 mile drive. The interior was nice though. 8O

Save

Reactions: 1

Rich

· #4 · Apr 27, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I have to disagree. Pictures usually show absolutely nothing but chips. You can't see a ding unless there is a close up shot at the right angle to make sure you can see it. The description of every flaw that alters it from new is more important, because it tells you what you're looking at in the pictures if there are pictures included. I love those adds that say for condition see pictures, and then they show you no close ups of any flaws.

Save

Rich

· #6 · Apr 27, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

If they took a photo of a neck joint crack then that's good enough for me, and you said chips, which you usually can see, but if only the clear is chipped, you may not see it at all. You have to look close for blems on any MC on in hand inspection, you'll probably never see in a picture.

Pictures matter if there are 50 of them, they're all large, clear, close, and in focus. Usually you get 7 or 8. And IMO pictures can be as deceptive as sellers. Bottom line, if you're really interested in buying something you ask alot of questions, starting with "have you given the body a close inspection for blems under strong light, light wiping scratches aside if it didn't leave the factory with them I need to know about them, please."

My file hasn't been updated in awhile but

Condition File
From experience most people give an item a cursory once over before they list it for sale, quite often missing many flaws that all must be considered when determining what the value of the item is. Even if you think you have been thorough please induldge me, I'm a buyer and not a time waster.
Please look this over very carefully under bright light for any flaws, even tiny ones. Dinks, dents, finish cracks, chips, or scratches deep enough to catch a fingernail in the clearcoat. Same in the headstock, and any cracks in the neck especially behind the nut. Then check the neck for straightness and/or twist, making sure that it has relief [or frontbow] and that the truss rod is functioning properly. Also describe the condition of the hardware. Is there corrosion, worn, or blistering on the bass side of the trem and saddles, neck plate, etc. Thanks, Rich

See less See more

Save

Rich

· #9 · Apr 28, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I've had the same argument too many times, and that means they saw the blems and didn't disclose them, that's far worse than the guy that just looks at it for 3 seconds under normal room light and calls it perfect, missing all the issues because it was never really inspected. Either way, it's the sellers negligence, but some obligation has to be placed on the buyer to be thorough. Like on ebay, if it's a buy it now i'll buy it, but not pay for it until the questions get answered satisfactorily. If it's open bidding use the time to make sure the seller knows what your expectations are. Sometimes I'll send that file and get a "it's a used guitar so don't expect it to be perfect", and unless it's something really worth going after I just pass right there, because I know he's not giving an honest assessment in his description.

Save

Reactions: 1

Rich

· #11 · May 2, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Be polite, if you're not you'll get the same in return.

I buy for me or to resell, and either way it doesn't matter except that I'll pay more if it's something for me. But the bottom line is condition is one of the biggest criteria in what any object is worth. And you can't judge it's worth when it's a bogus description. If you're going to spend money do it wisely, unless you have so much you don't care 8O

Save

Rich

· #13 · May 3, 2020

Re: Guitar Grading - Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I can tell you on an EVO you can tell when it presents honest play wear because all the relic-ing isn't natural at all, and they're not all done the same, but they're all done with sandpaper or steel wool or screwdrivers, they distressing looks like damage and not wear. So Mint unplayed [guitar showing no honest play wear] of a 1/100 desirable guitar condition is a big factor in worth, and a collector wants it mint while a player won't care and gets them cheaper. I'd imagine it's the same with high end Fender relics.

Save

Reactions: 1

1 - 6 of 14 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month