Gibson Cascade LC 1

JerkMoans

So whaddaya reckon, kids?  Has the curse of FleaBay bit your friendly neighbourhood Jerk, or is it all (extremely) shoddy Gibson quality control?  

All advice gratefully received before I make a prize tit of myself with eBay and PayPal...

danishbacon

Binding looks OK, check this one out https://reverb.com/ca/item/3463706-gibson-lc-1-cascade

Headstock looks OK,  it's nitro, it checks around the inlays.

Tuners also look OK, bit crooked the G string one, but I suppose that's QC.

The bridge doctor is a bit of a bummer, but if the guitar plays and sounds good, that's what matters ultimately.

JerkMoans

danishbacon said:

Binding looks OK, check this one out https://reverb.com/ca/item/3463706-gibson-lc-1-cascade

Headstock looks OK,  it's nitro, it checks around the inlays.

Tuners also look OK, bit crooked the G string one, but I suppose that's QC.

The bridge doctor is a bit of a bummer, but if the guitar plays and sounds good, that's what matters ultimately.

Interesting: that one you've found is the spit of mine.  Weird binding contrast between back of the neck and the rest of the body, but thanks for your insight.  Maybe I'm being paranoid  

ICBM

I'm pretty sure that's genuine - the randomness of the tuner alignment is so very Gibson... all the rest is too, apart from the heel strap button which has sadly been drilled through the heel-cap - and a rather cheap non-Gibson button.

The Bridge Doctor is a major issue as it show there's a problem with the top, and is very much 'not as described' if it wasn't mentioned. The shrinkage around the inlays also probably indicates poor storage, which may or may not be related - it does happen quite often, but this is very drastic.

I assume the preamp has fallen off the inside, if it's just hanging there.

I would not be very happy, but if it was cheap enough and it plays OK and sounds good I might be inclined to ask for a partial refund rather than sending it back. The Bridge Doctor may give you some leverage (pun intended ) for this.

JerkMoans

ICBM said:

I'm pretty sure that's genuine - the randomness of the tuner alignment is so very Gibson... all the rest is too, apart from the heel strap button which has sadly been drilled through the heel-cap - and a rather cheap non-Gibson button.

The Bridge Doctor is a major issue as it show there's a problem with the top, and is very much 'not as described' if it wasn't mentioned. The shrinkage around the inlays also probably indicates poor storage, which may or may not be related - it does happen quite often, but this is very drastic.

I assume the preamp has fallen off the inside, if it's just hanging there.

I would not be very happy, but if it was cheap enough and it plays OK and sounds good I might be inclined to ask for a partial refund rather than sending it back. The Bridge Doctor may give you some leverage (pun intended ) for this.

That's reassuring, thanks.  Yeah the BD is annoying, especially as I specifically asked about it and he blanked it.  Guess I'm an idiot for buying in such circumstances, but you'd think a detail like that would be mentioned, or at least fessed up to when spotted by a potential purchaser.  Grrr.   

Strangefan

How much did you pay for it? 

JerkMoans

Strangefan said:

How much did you pay for it? 

PM'd...  More than I would have done had I known about the BD.  @danishbacon tried to warn me but by then I'd won the auction and paid, so awaited delivery to see what was what.

JerkMoans

ICBM said:

I assume the preamp has fallen off the inside, if it's just hanging there.

How do you stick them back where they should be?  Glue?  Gaffa tape?

ICBM

JerkMoans said:

How do you stick them back where they should be?  Glue?  Gaffa tape?

They're held on with double-sided foam rubber pads about 1mm thick. If those have come off the wood, I usually stick them back with superglue, making sure that you don't actually stick the preamp itself to the guitar. This will need a fair amount of test-fitting with a mirror to make sure you get it in the right place.

This may be another sign the guitar has been stored poorly.

Kittyfrisk

Aaawww dude, that's like totally a bummer, man.
I'd play it & sleep on it (no, not literally) and mull it over for a while before acting.
After all, as has been bemoaned on here a lot recently, eBay favours the buyer in almost every instance of grief, so raise a case & you will certainly be fully reimbursed without any interaction from the seller. In fact their silence on your specific enquiries actually helps evidence your case.
However... that has some seriously gorgeous looking woods involved, so how does it sound & feel???
Paper bag test time, probably on it's head this time  

Kittyfrisk

@JerkMoans   How are things going with the Cascade. Any decisions made on its fate?

JerkMoans

Kittyfrisk said:

@JerkMoans   How are things going with the Cascade. Any decisions made on its fate?

Wotcher.  Been run ragged with the intersection of work going mental, daughter setting up a baking business AND arrival of new pupster, and have only today sat down and had a real think.

Conclusion: think it's going back.  The thing is fairly lifeless, although that is likely to have a lot to do with the ancient strings on it, but there's no X factor, at all.  Think the undisclosed issue has burst my bubble, really.  Plus, as a serial gear tart, I doubt I'd get what I spent if I flipped it, as I certainly couldn't /wouldn't try to hide the issue and the probable cause.

My first engagement with the eBay 'Money Back Guarantee'.  Let's see where this rabbit hole leads...

Kittyfrisk

Hi, sounds like you have more than enough going on in the real world.
I don't think you will regret your decision to return it. I would feel it difficult to bond with such a misdescribed item.
It's like buying a really nice second hand car and then finding that it was an undisclosed insurance salvage job.
Looking forward to hearing about the consequences of the next boozy Sunday lunch   

JerkMoans

 

Bloke trying to assert he did tell me about the Bridge Doctor and did send me photos of it, after I asked.

Pity all correspondence was in writing, via eBay

Kittyfrisk

Silly ploy. He should simply accept the return with some dignity. 

JerkMoans

In an exciting update, albeit that the instrument is on its way back (tracked, etc), my vendor wishes to place the return 'on hold' so that he can get the guitar checked out as he's never heard of a bridge doctor.

Fair enough.  Maybe he was punked when he bought it.

Except he wants to get t checked out by guitar guitar.  Which is apparently closed.  Because Covid. (in fairness, he's in Scotland, where stores are indeed shut).

So I think the strategy is I wait till the end of time until someone condescends to confirm what the array of pictures I've sent already disclose.

Why has no one else on this forum ever warned of the perils of doing business on eBay?  

ICBM

Once it's been confirmed as returned you should be able to force a refund via Ebay if he won't do it himself. It would be unwise for him to go down that path since I think it will put a black mark against his account.

Kittyfrisk

Hang on, 'alf a 'mo, I'm more confused than usual.
The vendor is now saying he's never heard of a Bridge Doctor, when he had previously tried to assert that he did tell you about the Bridge Doctor and sent you photos of it after you asked?
This seller isn't based at a large golf course in Aberdeen is he?