I posted some time ago a picture of a guitar body I was buying off of Ebay. That I wanted to paint some 60s/70s style graphics on. Well I got it and he did not treat the wood to handle all the climate changes from the east coast to hot ol' Arizona. the body started to split at the seam of the join. well he said send it back and he would refund my money. I paid over 15.00 to ship it to me and it was going to cost me another 17 plus to ship it back. I only paid 50 for the body. well now he says he was going to replace it with a new body,but I told him no. I can't believe someone could be so GD cheeky as to say to the person in question(ME) that I would not except a new body from the same maker for this messed up one.As soon as I opened the box and smelled the glue I knew something was up. Now its MY FAULT that he never said to me he would replace this. I certainly don't recall that offer. I should hope I am smart enough to take that offer(a new exact same body for the old split one)yet he says I did not take the offer. He said specifically that I "blocked his effort to make it square". I am so EFFING exasperated. I am laid off and have been for awhile. I was hoping to do something worthwhile and fun,to maybe elevate my self esteem,or at least accomplish something meekly useful(a guitar is useful,right?), so I was hoping to build this Peace guitar and do the graphics myself and a tele guitar.but the peace guitar comes to me split and the neck I bought for the tele was "Damaged" and they were unable to ship it,and all their other necks are too expensive for me and the company that makes the body I wanted to paint,still makes this and they are nice, but as reasonable as their prices are,I simply can't afford to do it now.. I am chucking the whole GD thing. This whole notion of creating my own thing was doomed from the start. I don't have the resources to make a real go of it,and my Irish luck is burning my nads for trying. I'll play what I have and be glad for it. Being old,alone and unemployed sucks,but yes Virginia it can get worse.
Sorry folks just felt the need to vent. I didn't even proofread this so it probably runs on something fierce.

here is the split seam,my cell phone takes crap pics.Best I can do right now.
you can stick a piece of paper in it or even you finger nail.

Hi eyerish: that's a shocker. Name and shame that seller, is what I say.

You could smell glue when you opened the package? Sounds like maybe he used the wrong glue - this ain't the work of a pro, right?

Mind you, if the body is good in other respects then it is possible to remove the existing glue and rebond the thing using the correct material, if you are up for it. I've never made a blank yet (just about to make my first, as it happens) so I'll stand aside for more experienced people to comment on that, if you're interested. (You around, cvilleira?)

Hang in there, man. Treat it as fate's way of telling you there's a slightly different journey to take. If you can pull this one out of the fire then you'll feel even better about it in the end...

Cheers - C

10

Actually the body is made by a very good company in California.(KNE guitars) I bought the body from a guy in Pennsylvania. he stripped it and sanded it and that was it then sent from Pennsylvania to Arizona. How many tempzones do you think that was? It was over a hundred the day it was delivered. What had happened was the body was not protected by even a little oil,so it was dry as a bone and with the hot/cold and dry/damp of that journey the body kep't expanding and contracting and it caused a bunch of stress cracks in the top and the split in the join seam. Anyone should know that bare wood doesn't do drastic climate change very well. But I guess my seller old metal head didn't.
Just my lovely luck,eh?
Like I said I already own many nice guitars and the mo'caster i put together is pretty much done so what the hell. I have something to play.

Ah, OK. So it's a properly made body - though not in the condition the maker intended. Yet if the glue ain't fresh I'm most surprised you could smell it.

But anyhow. Two options: give it up as a bad job - fate never meant you to have this guitar. Or treat it as a challenge - and spit in fate's eye.

Luck o' the Irish? I dunno: make your own luck on this one, why not?

Whichever: best of luck to you - C

THis time of the year, the body wasn't exposed to any real temperature extremes... certainly none that would ruin a good glue joint. The fact that the body was made by a reputable seller does not mean the joint wasn't bad to start with... even Fender screws them up once in a while.

You did block the sellers attempt to make it right. He offered you a replacement, and you wouldn't take it, based on an illogical assumption that the next one would also be defective (getting a bad piece from a good maker does not prove or even infer that every subsequent piece will also be bad).

It's pretty hard to believe that you opened the box and "smelled glue."

I don't doubt that you're angry: this story sounds like you got yourself worked into a lather due to your disappointment and now aren't thinking clearly about the situation. NO blame or accusation here: I've done the same thing myself (it's what human brains do when we get riled up).

Take a deep breath, step back, and decide what you wanted in the first place, then take steps to get there. if it wereme, I'd let the seller replace it.

And, c'mon: FIFTY BUCKS? I'm surprised it's shaped like a guitar at that price.

Cheer up, man. Life's too short. Jst figure out what you want and then go there.

I find find it hard to believe that and temp changes did that. Also how can you be sure the maker is who the seller claims them to be since you did not by it direct. I would be willing to bet it was made that way from the start (poorly fitted) or it did not matter and it had a veneer on top that the seller sanded thru and exposed the seam. If the neck pocket is good and neck fits proper. Get yourself some very fine saw dust and mix it with Tightbond II and and work it into the gap as a filler, it must not be split deep or it would have poped apart and I am guessing the seam is on one side and top is flat in area of gap. Sand it use body filler to prep the body then finish with a color not a clear.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

I can understand your frustration. I have been lucky buying and selling guitars on Ebay. I built a Nashville Tele last year ab ou8t this time. I bought all the parts seperate and put the guitar together and had a tech install the pickups. Well, they never sounded very good even to my poor ear. I bought a new set of cutom Lollars and was going to have a different tech intall them. I was surprised to find that the original tech didn't install the neck pup. Then when I sold them, I learned that the neck pup was defective. A guitar I thought would cost $600 ended up being more like $2000. It is now a great sounding axe, but frustrated the hell out of me because at every turn there was always a small problem I had to overcome and that meant more money. In the end I am happy I finished the project, but you know, I will have to think twice about making another partscaster. I believe, it is cheaper to buy a complete guitar and modify it. With acoustic guitars I am very surpised to learn that you had the problems you had. If the guitar was packed properly, a trip from Philly to AZ should not have caused the crack. I think you bought a defective guitar body that the owner tried to fix himself (Hence the new glue smell) and sell. I am not sure whether I would trust the seller replacing the body. Don't give up the dream of making your own axes, but undertstand it can get to be expensive

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Lite Ash Tele, Partcaster Black Nashville Tele with Jason Lollars, Blues DeVille 410, Lunchbox 200 Watt Amp, Martin RTGE 00016 Acoustic

I am a woodworker, and unless they didn't use correct wood glue you would not get seperation at the seam due to humidity changes. The glue joint is stronger than the surrounding wood, and if it split it would be in the surrounding wood, not the joint. If the wood were to expand (which it does with humidity changes) it would expand out from the glue joint because there is nothing on the outside of the body to stop it from expanding that direction. If there is a definitive seam, large enough to put a finger nail into that means the two halves of the body were never put together correctly and the 2 pieces were not jointed flat. This is a manufacturing error, the two halves were not put together correctly, no other reason.

You have two options. Send it back and say you want a correctly assembled body. Secondly, and this is more intensive on your part is you will have to finish the seam yourself. You will have to make a slurry of thinned out wood glue with wood saw dust (same type of wood as the body) and fill the seam with this slurry. Allow to dry and sand flat. You will have to do lots of surface prep to get the wood to be flat and the seam not to show. At least you are painting the guitar, you would not be able to do this with a natural finish guitar body because the seam would be to noticable.

Hope this helps. I would send it back and say you want a correctly assembled body. Period.

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'05 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster HSS
'07 Gibson GOTW week 40 1984 reissue Flying V
'08 Gibson Robot Explorer
'08 Gibson Robot SG
'09 Dave Murray Artist Series Stratocaster
'09 Gibson Les Paul Traditional
'09 Gibson Les Paul Studio

Well lets see,going from cool Pennsylvania to over a hundred Arizona,Is in fact dramatic temp swings and ups trucks are not climate controlled. You say I Did block? That my friend is an asinine assumption. I would surely have taken a new body over this damaged used one. When a piece of wood is left unprotected and for that matter all wood. Changes in temperature and humidity will cause the wood to expand and contract causing a variety of malady's. such as stress splits,which it has, no matter, those can be sanded and even add character to a body. The glue smell is because it was subjected to an extreme of heat which softened the glue and the movement of the wood from the various temp changes brought on the split.You are probably a friend of this guys or you wouldn't say such silly things. You without a doubt insult my intelligence saying such. I was not aware of his offer or I certainly would have excepted,as I told the people at KNE guitars,where this body was made. If someone thinks I would NOT have taken the offer,they are nuttier than a squirrels pantry. Fifty dollars is a lot of money,a body that was 109.00 when new and then used as much as this was. The price of 50 is in truth a substantial amount,regardless the money spent should bring what was expected.Do I think the guy intentionally trying to cheat me? Maybe not. I do not think he was very clear in his supposed offer to replace it or I would have taken it. I understand his reticence,spending more for nothing is no fun.I know because I bought this body and it is not as expected.I am sure he was hoping not to do it so he good make the few dollars I spent and leave me to mine. I suppose you may have missed my original point. I am angry because he said he offered a replacement. And in the emails I have read I see no such offer made. I did not return the body because he just offered a refund and spending close to 35.00 for shipping on a 50.00 dollar body and not having the body was not a financial option for me. HAD the offer for replacement been CLEAR, I would have sent it back at lightning speed. Anyone who would think otherwise is a goofball.

That does make sense,Thanks

Eyerish..I have read ever post and this is one of the most confusing threads I have read in a long long time. You state in your original post that he offered to replace the body with a new one and then you recant that, because he responded by saying that he never said that. Did he or didn't he? A few people offered some very good advice on how to fix the problem. I think you don't want to follwo some of the advice. You stated that this was going to be a project guitar, so why not follow their advice and fix the split seam. I am also a little baffled about he shipping. If it was packed properly the trip which takes a bout a week via ground shipping, should not have been long enough to do that kind of damage. A lot of cool states in between as the truck travels. It would only be in AZ for a day ot two at most before you got the guitar. I would think that the warehouse would be air conditioned and the trip in the truck to your house would be 8 hours at most. I know it's over 100 degrees and dry, so there is the chance the crack might have occured on the trip. but if it were packed properly, it should not have had that kind of reaction. I still believe that somehow the body was defective and the person you bought it from tried to quickly fix the problem and didn't use the proper glue or technique to do the job. I was wondering what kind of guarantee the guitar manufacturer has? If they are reputable, they will fix the body for you. I know $50 is a lot of money,especially when your unemployed but still for that kind of money, I hope you were expecting a Martin quality guitar? [/quote]

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Lite Ash Tele, Partcaster Black Nashville Tele with Jason Lollars, Blues DeVille 410, Lunchbox 200 Watt Amp, Martin RTGE 00016 Acoustic

This quote from your own post implies that (wether stated on ebay or not) that the seller gave you an option to return the defective peice, which you declined.

I'm inclined to agree with slapchop in that for $50 your lucky it at all resembled the shape of a guitar. To paraphrase a quote from Thomas Jefferson, "The bitterness of poor quality will last far longer than the sweetness of a good price"

Not to pour salt on an already angry wound, but it sounds to me like you are more the victim of your Irish temper rather than your Irish luck.

Like my fellow posters, I would advise that you attempt to salvage your project and join the body correctly. Not to make slight of your unemployment, but you should have the time on your hands to do the job. No doubt there are plenty of folks here who will lend their advice and guidance.

At the risk of sounding cliche, life sir has served you lemons, just how thirsty are you?


Best of luck with both this guitar and your fiscal situation. all_thumbs

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

I will break this down one more time.I know who cares,Believe me I am pretty much not caring anymore either.
1.He said,he would replace the body ,way after the fact,not during our talks of the situation. I am somewhat aghast that no one seems to understand that. During the negotiations,he said return it for a REFUND. I had already spent over 15.00 to ship it to me. It would have been nearly 20.00 to ship it back. I paid 50 for a USED body that was only a 109.00 to begin with. From a maker in California. I told him not to worry. It was not worth it to spend 35.00 dollars,then only make 15.00 dollars back. I am sure the math is understandable.In the beginning I paid 66.00 dollars,then I would have paid 20.00 more then I would have recieved 50.00 back thats a loss of about 35.00 dollars. I was not willing to do that.
2 He says some time after the fact that he was willing to replace the body,but that HE NO LONGER WAS WILLING TO DO SO. because he says I didn't want to. Try and understand people,first off all its my problem I came here to vent and many of you are not reading just making judgments. and second of all.The offer was not made to me in the beginning,or I would have ACCEPTED. in the last few days he is saying I blocked his trying to square us.HE SAYS THIS,IT IS NOT TRUE. Is that clear enough people. I am angry because he did NOT offer it in the beginning and now he says that he would have but not now. Now it would cost me MORE money. Money I do NOT have. To summarize. I buy guitar body,body come,body bad. Solution not economically feasible.say no.seller say much later,he would have replaced body at his expense,seller say he no do it now. Seller he not say this to me in first place. Seller now say I would have to pay much more for replacement. I unemployed,no have much moolah.Angry because I have been told things,designed to hurt me.Seller want to punish buyer,because buyer paid and received damaged item.Buyer no understand,I buy I get,it bad,how that my fault?
Buyer angry,for good reason. Others think it okay to get damaged goods and be treated like a jerk by seller. Or else others would not say silly things. I know I must deal. I not looking for advice. I appreciate it,but I know my situation,I living it now. I looking for sympathy for a problem I thought others would understand. I wrong,others here at Fender.com think it okay to get screwed by Ebay seller. Well I genuinely hope none of you go through this. That is why I am done with this whole puttin' 'em together thing. No resources,no reasonable recourses. So I play what I have and be happy. I will also remember that no sympathy to be found here at this forum. You must be sellers here and figure its okay to sell damaged goods,cost buyer even more unnecessary money,then blame buyer for being a good buyer. The first thing I bought when I started this Ebay thing a month ago,was an asian made strat body. When it showed up it was the most raucus POS I had ever seen. The seller would not answer emails a problem he has with everyone. I got his number,after MANY tries,I finally get ahold of him. He is very nice and understanding a says how some are like that. He refunds me before I even send it back. well I 60 for it,and 16.00 tosend it back. I can not afford to pay UPS and the Postal service just forthe fun of it. Thats why I did not return this body in question(An American made one and other than the split a very nice one)because just a refund would have cost me even more. I can't help but wonder at those who do not see the problem. But thank you anyway for reading it,the constructive replies are much appreciated,the replies noting that my buying damaged goods is my fault are not.
Later Fenderites.

Hi again eyerish. You get plenty of sympathy from this direction because exactly the same thing happened to me. I was sold an unfinished body on the basis that it was made by a highly reputable builder: it turned out to be blatently a kid's first botched effort at homebuilding.

Not only did the economics prevent return in the same way as for you, in my case the bod arrived just as I was leaving the house for a couple of weeks and in fact it got put in a corner and ignored for months. So when I came to inspect it and discover the awfulness of the item I'd bought it was far too late to go about arguing with the seller.

I had a problem which was mostly the seller's fault, but partly mine too, for not inspecting the goods properly upon arrival.

Therefore: nothing for it but to roll my sleeves up and make good the feeble work on that body. Which is what I did - and gained some useful experience into the bargain.

I strongly recommend that course of action to you now. You'll feel even more proud of that guitar in the end when you've pulled it out the fire!

Best of luck - C