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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:55 am
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Go to TDPRI.COM it is another Telecaster forum to see what is really going on with the 'Mexican George Harrison Rosewood Tele''. Thanks for all you support my fellow Tele owners. Rock on!


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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:50 pm
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Dear Rob, Dir.Customer Service FMIC,

Thank you very much for taking the time to reveiw and write me about my Rosewood Tele. I have always loved Fender, I have 4 strats and always wanted the old 50's Butterscotch Maple neck Tele. When the Music store I had dealt with gave me a great deal on the Rosewood so I didn't go some where else I was very pleased.
For a number of years I ran a customer service departments for different New Home Builders. I would have to tell the home owner what was covered and what wasn't under their warranty. Some time's it would come up something that was covered that could not be replaced. Well that is when I would make suggestions hoping to some how ease the pain of a customer that paid for something that is clearly defective and not easily replaced. I'm not asking for a $5600 Rosewood from the custom shop, but you can't expect me to trade a collectable Rosewood for a off the shelf Tele. That would be foolish and I was hoping that I would somehow be satisfied so I could mention it on the Fender Forum.Yes there are a lot of Telecaster and Fender owners not real happy how this is playing out. I certainly Hope that (Matthew H )the Customer service Rep has not given up on this. Feel free to get my info from him and contact me by e-mail or phone.
Thank you again for your concern in this matter, Mrree123


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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:43 pm
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After reading the TDPRI thread, I've got to say this is a sticky, thorny issue.

After seeing you bought it at a blowout sale for $549, I can understand why the first couple of reps assumed that you must have bought it used from a Fender dealer (since their erroneous records indicated it was originally shipped to a different dealer, at that price it's reasonable to assume someone had traded it in to the dealer where you bought it). Once you convinced them that that it was indeed purchased as a new guitar, they stepped up and offered you a replacement credit.

They don't refinish instruments, and they don't make that model anymore, so all they can be expected to do is replace it with an equal value guitar.

That's where it gets sticky. You got a super deal at a much larger discount (close to 50% off MSRP) than most new guitars sell for. Plus there's 11 years of inflation since you bought it. A $549 credit won't buy you an equal-value guitar.

(There's some collector's interest in the Rosewood Teles, but not much. They're now selling for about what the original MSRP was. But collectable value is irrelevant -- no warranty covers that -- just equal value to when it was new.)

I would think that a more fair offer from them would be a MIM that has an MSRP in the $900~1000 range. But I can understand their view -- they're essentially offering to refund your full purchase price after you've owned the guitar for 11 years, and that's better than what most manufacturers would do.

Personally, now that I know what a great deal you got on it, I'd say strip it and refinish it. Yes you'd lose some retail value compared to one that didn't have finish problems, but it'd still be worth more than you paid for it. That's better than most MIMs. And you'd still have an uncommon beautiful guitar. (And many people would argue that a nice nitro finish would be an improvement over the original polyester.)


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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:08 pm
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Also, it can't be stressed enough that rosewood is a difficult wood to finish. Martin and Gibson have been making acoustic guitars with rosewood backs and sides for 100 years and while they've pretty much got it figured out they still have occasional finish failures.

Fender stopped doing warranty refinishes back in the mid '60s. Ever since then their finish warranty coverage has been restricted to equal-value replacements.

Due diligence would have told you that you were accepting some risk buying a rosewood guitar from them. It's not a wood they have a lot of experience with finishing so there was a higher than average chance of finish failure, and it's not a wood that they regularly use for bodies so there was little chance of getting an exact replacement if there was a problem with the finish.

Sorry if that's harsh, and I do agree that Fender should have offered you more than a $549 replacement guitar, but that's the way of the world.

BTW, in the TDPRI thread you indicated you made a counteroffer, saying you'd happily settle for a discontinued Roadworn Tele model. You seemed to think that since it's discontinued it wouldn't cost them as much so you were annoyed that they didn't agree to your counteroffer.

But "discontinued" means they don't have any more of them, and that they don't make them any more. Some dealers might still have a few of them in stock, but they belong to the dealers, not to FMIC.

Again I do understand the disappointment in having a finish failure, and again I do think Fender should have offered you a bit more (and probably will if you hold out and don't decide just to keep it and refinish it), but I do think some of your expectations and understanding of warranties are a bit unrealistic.


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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 3:23 am
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You talk a lot of good sense, strayedstrater! :)


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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:40 pm
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Bummer, the way it turned out. I don't know if I'd want my money back.

I always thought those Rosewood Teles were just oiled, no clear coat finish.

So I think that's how I'd fix it, assuming I valued it higher than $550 or whatever it is they are offering you.

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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:17 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
Bummer, the way it turned out. I don't know if I'd want my money back.

I always thought those Rosewood Teles were just oiled, no clear coat finish.


+1

I'd have opted to have it refinished at Fenders expense to an oiled finish

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Post subject: Re: George Harrison Rose Wood Telecaster Repo.
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2014 11:30 pm
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strayedstrater wrote:
Also, it can't be stressed enough that rosewood is a difficult wood to finish.


Absolutely, but if Fender cannot do it without flaking or bubbling, perhaps they shouldn't do it.
By selling the things without a warning or disclaimer, they proclaim loud and clear that they can do it, and need to back up their product with as much support as any other guitar they sell.


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