As many of you know back in late October I got a Mark Knopfler Artist Strat and when it arrived it had some small blemishes. I thought about letting it slide, but the more I thought about it I decided that for a high end guitar it should be perfect out of the box, except maybe the setup.

Well I decided a few days later to send it back for an exchange and naturally they were on backorder. First it was to be in on 11/17, then delayed until 11/23, and then until 12/17. Finally I called Musicians Friend and asked when to expect it and they said they didnt have an exact date, but maybe after Christmas or into next year. I've been through this once before on a Fender item that was ordered about the same time of year and it was pushed back every month until I finally cancelled the order in March.

I spoke to Customer Service at M.F. and they were trying to be helpful and were willing to substitute another guitar at a reduced price, but still not down to the 999.00 I got the Knopfler Strat for on a Fender Friday deal.
I finally decided I would get a new amp instead and they made me a great deal on an Egnater Tourmaster 4100 head. It should be here in time for Christmas and Im looking forward to shaking the foundation of my house with it. I've heard alot of good things about Egnater amps, so if anyone has one of these Tourmaster amps I would like your input.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Don't have one but they all review nicely. Good luck with the new amp...... Mike

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Randy,
Wow I just looked at MF, boy thats cool. Do you already have a cabinet?
I bet you'll be able to shake the foundation, as well as the neighbors too!
Congrats

Bill

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Hey, Boy Blue is back!

Randy, that was disappointing, but at a grand, it's gotta be right.
I have an aversion to ordering things unseen. This story didn't help.

Bill,
I have a 2 12 cab that is matched to my Vibro King Custom. I never felt it was essential to have it connected to the Vibro King. I thought I would try the new head with that cab since the head is compatible with a 4 ohm cab. If I dont like that setup I may have to get the matching Egnater cab.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Randy you did the right thing as there is no reason to settle for anything but perfect when buying new I dont care about discounts just give me what I am supposed to get. I wish I would of known this earlier as I would of liked to call MF and make out like I wanted to order a Knopfler Strat in time for Christmas and would of liked to have seen what they would of said.

Things like this also make people Leary about buying on line but as a regular web buyer I can say things like this happen not very often. You hear of things going wrong in stores are you supposed to not go to one. So dont let this throw anyone off as MF is usualy great to buy from. Great amp and I wish you the best with it.

Hi Straycat113,

You are right and I dont blame M.F. for the delay, because I truely believe it is a Fender delay. I think M.F. did try to make things right with me even though they couldnt sell me another Artist series Strat at the same price. My guess is that when they ran the Fender Friday deal they had some Knopfler Strats that they purchased at the old pricing structure, but they dont have any other artist series guitars that they bought that cheap. I also checked into a 57 Hot Rod, 57 VR, and an Am Del. Tele, and although they offered very good deals to me on those guitars they were still well over the price of the Knopfler Strat. I also have purchased many items on the net, and have had very good luck, but this happened to be the 1st from M.F. They also waived the "heavy item shipping cost" when I decided to get the amp head. At 60lbs this thing is a beast, so I feel like M.F. did try their best to make things right. As I stated in the original post I had something similar happen on a Fender item I ordered locally from a dealer. I have heard from dealers that it can be difficult for them to get orders from Fender this time of year unless there is a surplus at the factory. I just think that after 2 months the factory should be able to supply a non Custom Shop guitar. It will be my luck that M.F. will get a shipment tomorrow and I wont be able to get one at that price after cancelling the order.

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"My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives." Blazing Saddles...

Sorry about the strat, but welcome to the Egnater family! You will be very pleased.

Checkout http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=26 for all your Egnater needs ...

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http://www.bluesrepublic.org/

2008 Fender American Stratocaster
2008 Fender Deluxe Telecaster
Fender Power Jazz Bass Special 1987 (MIJ)
Egnater Renegade Head
Egnater Tourmaster 2x12 cab