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rombsix -> RE: How much would a lacquer re-do cost? (Sep. 10 2024 14:31:37)
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Hi Rob,
Thanks for the response.
The guitar sits very snug inside the hard case it was shipped in, so there's no way that a hard object could have been banging the heal during transit. I examined how the guitar sits inside the hard case, and the heel does not make contact with any part of the inside of the hard case, so I think it would be physically impossible that a hard object so uniformly and repeatedly hit the heel.
The shipping company specializes in shipping very expensive fine art through custom wooden crates and whatnot, so it's not a novice company. It's been around for 30 years. This company is a local one, and then it has bigger couriers like FedEx, UPS, etc. come pick up. The local company did not allow me to purchase damage insurance (but rather only loss insurance) unless they packed it to the insurance company's and courier's standards that qualify for damage protection. In other words, the local company has a "standard" packing method, and they have a "next level" packing method that then allows the customer to purchase additional insurance that covers not only loss, but also damage in transit.
The seller is not someone I had ever interacted with, but he seemed ultra-nice and honest, and he is a celebrity in the guitar world (like Grammy award nominations, etc.) and has been doing this for 45 years (so not a newbie). I have no reason to believe he is misrepresenting the original condition of the instrument prior to shipping (i.e. it was entirely pristine, with none of the blemishes pictured).
Regarding touching that blemished area: if you notice, the "bubbles" are both on the heel/neck and on the ebony fingerboard. Interestingly, if you run a finger on the heel/neck area of the bubbles, they are completely impossible to feel. They are only visible, but there's nothing tactile. However, when you run your finger just a few millimeters higher up, on the actual black part (the ebony fingerboard) where there are also bubbles, there, you *do* feel some indentations - i.e. the bubbles can be felt. Why they can be felt only on the ebony but not on the "yellow" part of the neck/heel, I have no ideal. I guess it has to do with the properties of the wood? Ebony versus whatever the heel/neck are made of?
This guitar was made by the luthier to pay tribute to this celebrity guitar player, so the luthier went above and beyond to ensure the instrument was far higher than any other they've made, quality-wise, so I would be really surprised if, in light of that occasion of making it, the luthier totally screwed up the polish and sent a "new" instrument that had such defects.
I don't want to return the guitar because it sounds *amazingly* good. And it plays very nicely. I would much rather keep it and figure out how I can repair it.
I think it would make more sense to resolve this between me and the seller directly rather than involve the corporations, but I think I am at the mercy of the seller at this point. If he insists on going the claim route rather than resolving between me and him, there is nothing else I can do.
You stated, "a couple to few hundred dollars worth of work" - do you mean something like $500 or so?
I may end up having to take it to a local luthier for a hands-on quote, indeed, especially if we're going down the claim route, as you stated.
I really appreciate your help! Thank you!
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