NGDs - Peach Guitars & Coda Music online purchase story and recommendations (PRS DGT & Martin HD28)

RandallFlagg

I'm having a major gear change around this week with some guitars outgoing and some new ones just arrived that I ordered unplayed online.

Just received a brand new Martin HD28 Reimagined (2018) from Peach Guitars. It's absolutely flawless and set up perfectly, great fast service from the Peach guys. Highly recommended. All good and the HD28 Reimagined sounds amazing.

also...

Just got a brand new PRS DGT from Coda Music. Now this was a more troubled purchase but the way they dealt with it was exemplary and a testament to their customer service ethics. I chose the DGT I wanted from Coda after carefully perusing many dealer sites and narrowing my choice down. Got a call the next day...thanks for your order but that guitar is sold...! It sold some time ago but the listing stayed up on the website. Dammit!

Marc from Coda couldn't apologise enough and asked if there any others listed that I wanted instead and offered to honour the same price even though some of them were a few hundred ££ more.  He also had been in contact with PRS and reeled off the colours they had in Europe distribution centre. 

I settled on my 2nd choice, a Charcoal Jadeburst with natural back and bird inlays, they purchased at a 2017 event, a special limited edition colour, and so has been hanging around a while. it was £300 more but the difference waived due to the disappointment.

All good...or so I thought, later that day got another call from Marc at Coda, there's an issue. When restringing, setting up and checking over they found a couple of dings. I was gutted! Pics sent and I reluctantly agreed that they would send the guitar and I could have a look and play and they would arrange collection and refund or exchange if I didn't want it or come an agreement on some compensation I if did. OK, I get it, it's been hanging around istore for a while and been clonked at some point.

Well it arrived, and on first look over I struggled to see any marks at all. I looked again carefully and found 2 very tiny marks on the rear edge between jack socket and strap button locations, right on the edge. They looked much worse in the pics as they were zoomed in closeups. It's odd as the marks are not indentation or chips, just a couple of 1mm slight discolourations in the finish, you can't feel them and they look as though they may even be below the finish. (unless the guys have polished them out with a wheel?)

Anyway, plugged the DGT in and had a play and soon forgot all about it and firmly decided to keep it, especially as it only weights 7lb and has the natural back and neck which I love on a PRS (I hate the black backs). Also, it has the rosewood fingerboard, when a lot of the new ones are Katalox due to Cites. Also, it sounds terrific, it has all the bark and snarl that I want and sounds better on the bridge pickup than an R8 with Custombuckers, very similar but doesn't have that scratchy high end.

A couple of hours after delivery, Marc called again (I didn't have to call him) and asked how I was getting on and again offered an alternative model but I told him I liked the Jadeburst it and wanted to keep it. He could have left it at that but apologised for the issues and offered to compensate me for the finish marks and has put £100 of points on my Coda account!

Now that is customer service for you. Highly recommended!

I'm a happy customer and have £130 to spend at Coda burning a hole in my pocket.

Pics to follow.

monkey42

There are some great retailers out there currently but , for me, Coda are the very best with there customers and striking deals.

look forward to the photos 

Strat54

Congratulations, that's a great weight for a DGT. Never found a light one, in fact thats probably why I didn't keep the ones I had becuase they were always well over 8lbs. Coda have always been the good guys, long before the internet too. Enjoy it. 

Blaendulais

I bet if i phoned Coda up and gave them a load of shit they still wouldn't leave the forum - thats what I call a shop

PVO_Dave

Blaendulais said:

I bet if i phoned Coda up and gave them a load of shit they still wouldn't leave the forum - thats what I call a shop

What a weird thing to post. 

Neither company are obliged to join in here and neither should put up with abuse of any sort, it's good that either did and one still does. I wouldn't expect Coda to stay on here if they started receiving grief either directly on the forum or as a result of posting on here.

Epsilon

Coda have always been excellent to me since I started buying from them 10 years ago. They're my first choice shop for sure.

Blaendulais

PVO_Dave said:

Blaendulais said:

I bet if i phoned Coda up and gave them a load of shit they still wouldn't leave the forum - thats what I call a shop

What a weird thing to post. 

Neither company are obliged to join in here and neither should put up with abuse of any sort, it's good that either did and one still does. I wouldn't expect Coda to stay on here if they started receiving grief either directly on the forum or as a result of posting on here.

Sense of humour Dude !!! 

RandallFlagg

Some pics below from the dealer sites, will take some of my own when I get some decent daylight again

RandallFlagg

richardhomer

Sounds like epically good service from Coda.

Glad you like the DGT. I played mine for about an hour last night - unplugged as it was late. I’d had a stressful day and got totally ‘lost’ in playing. When I put the guitar back on its stand, I looked back at it and thought I don’t think I’ve enjoyed any guitar more in over 45 years of playing....

Sound sound clips comparing it to your Les Paul would be interesting.

RandallFlagg

richardhomer said:

Sounds like epically good service from Coda.

Glad you like the DGT. I played mine for about an hour last night - unplugged as it was late. I’d had a stressful day and got totally ‘lost’ in playing. When I put the guitar back on its stand, I looked back at it and thought I don’t think I’ve enjoyed any guitar more in over 45 years of playing....

Sound sound clips comparing it to your Les Paul would be interesting.

Not my clip but this echoes what I hear with mine. The DGT and Custombuckers sound similar but the DGT rounds off the high end scratchiness and with the higher output fatten up the mids a touch

SidNewton

I had a similar experience with Coda a few years ago when I purchased a Cornell Romany via the website. I thought I'd grabbed a bargain when I clicked on an ex demo model only to find out it had already sold and the website not updated.
To honour the sale Coda sent me a brand new one for the price of the ex demo model. Fantastic gesture.

tone1

I love Natural back stuff...Red or Black backs look awful 

RandallFlagg

tone1 said:

I love Natural back stuff...Red or Black backs look awful 

DGTs with natural backs are a scarce rarity and at that weight it was irresistible.

PVO_Dave

Blaendulais said:

PVO_Dave said:

Blaendulais said:

I bet if i phoned Coda up and gave them a load of shit they still wouldn't leave the forum - thats what I call a shop

What a weird thing to post. 

Neither company are obliged to join in here and neither should put up with abuse of any sort, it's good that either did and one still does. I wouldn't expect Coda to stay on here if they started receiving grief either directly on the forum or as a result of posting on here.

Sense of humour Dude !!! 

Ahhhh! Maybe if it was funny, I’d have got it  

stickyfiddle

Nothing better than a D28.  Good gas

How are the reimagined ones changed? I have intentionally ignored them as I love my own HD28 and don’t want to get “upgrade pangs”

PVO_Dave

Sorry for disrupting the thread, congrats on the new guitars. Still love my DGT, plays and sounds amazing  

RandallFlagg

stickyfiddle said:

Nothing better than a D28.  Good gas

How are the reimagined ones changed? I have intentionally ignored them as I love my own HD28 and don’t want to get “upgrade pangs”

The New reimagined HD28 has the following differences over the previous Standard HD28:

Forward shifted bracing (as well as scalloped)
Aging toner on the top
Antique white binding (rather than pure white)
Open backed Waverly 'butterbean' tuners
High performance neck profile
1 3/4 nut width
Bevelled tortoise pickguard
Vintage style 'CF Martin' logo
Diamonds & squares inlays (rather than dots)
 
It's basically the old HD28V with the 1.75" nut spacing and high performance neck profile (which many prefer) at a fraction of the price.

Switching from a Standard D28 the immediate things I notice are the different neck profile (I wouldn't say better, just different) beefier low end, more dynamic response, you get much more within needing to dig in so hard, the fractionally wider nut spacing make finger picking just a little more accurate, and the looks are very much more 'vintage'. 

RandallFlagg

A few quick home snaps:

Wazmeister

Nice score(s) mate...

I played one of the Re-Imagned 28s recently, and was very impressed. The worn feel and look of it was lovely.

Congrats. Superb day for you !!

Misty

Lovely guitars, congrats. 7lbs for a DGT is great; mine is just a tiny tad over 8 lbs, which I'm happy with, best PRS ever IMO.