Misrepresentative marketing from GAK

RandallFlagg

I've been reluctant to post this but feel it's required as there's a story to tell...

I recently purchased a Fender Custom Shop Telecaster from GAK after spending a bit of time looking around for a Tele that peeked my interest. I've been looking for a while and up pops the video below of the Custom Shop Ltd '60 Tele Custom relic in Ocean Turquoise over 3 Tone Sunburst in stock at GAK, video posted on 17th June 2020. It's a very polished video with excellent audio and video production quality and really got me gassing, so I went for it and placed the order within a couple fo days of the video being loaded.

Here's the video:



I received this lovely Tele over a week ago and am delighted with it. It feels, sounds and looks terrific. The sound on the neck pickup is superb. It really is very nice.


But...A few days ago I had a nose round at other HS Tele videos on YouTube, out of curiosity, to see how they compared and came across this GAK video from November 2019 featuring some other Fender Custom Shop Tele HS guitars, including a '51 Nocaster .

Check out from 1m 29s...recognise the audio?



The audio on the video of my guitar is NOT from my guitar, its from the video from 7 and a half months ago of a different guitar.

There his no disclaimer on the video or in the text of the video.

I have queried this with GAK expressing some concern over their marketing practices and got this reply:

"Hi Gary,

To be honest, I'm every bit as surprised as you.  Having nothing to do
with the production of the videos, I asked the question of the
marketing department and simply relayed the information I was given.
At no point did they mention it was 'borrowed' audio.

I will, of course, be talking to the marketing manager about this as I
share your opinion that it shouldn't happen without being made
explicitly clear.  I am also absolutely certain that there would have
been no specific intention to deceive but, much more likely, just a
need to add an appropriate audio clip to a short video that didn't
have any sound and I apologise wholeheartedly for any upset this may
have caused.

Regarding the stunning guitar you purchased - are you happy with the
feel, look, and sound - even though it wasn't the guitar producing the
tones you heard on the video?

Best regards,

Alex"

Its either a big deal or no big deal depending on your point of view. It's a terrific guitar and I have no issues with it and really like it, but my view of GAK is tarnished and it begs the question of the other videos they have been posting recently where you see the guitar but don't see it being played, is the audio genuine?

All you can surmise from an online video is the look and sound of a guitar, the feel and playability needs to be determined in person, so when 50% of what be determined is false it is misleading and not good form.

Buyer beware...

GAK Marketing team...we pay your wages.

andy1839

Can't say I'm surprised.

They sold me a used guitar as new and flatly refused to admit it even when presented with irrefutable fact they'd sold the guitar over a year earlier and it had been registered on the manufacturers website.

I'll never use them again. 

thebreeze

I haven't watched either video yet but I think that's really out of order.  I don't think the response you got was good enough either.  To me it's knowingly deceptive, or if you're feeling generous, contemptibly careless.  I'm glad you've ended up with a good guitar though.

sunshinewelly

If you did not like the sound of the guitar you ended up with then I would agree. However you seem to like the guitar you had. I assume the question is whether you would have bought the guitar if the video showed the correct sound 

ThePrettyDamned

At the very least, it probably does sound about the same, but that's (at best) very lazy! 

NelsonP

This wouldn't be an issue for me.

I couldn't tell the difference between one custom shop tele and another based on a YouTube clip. The rest of my signal chain would be totally different too, so it wouldn't sound the same anyway.

It sounds like you are happy with the guitar, and if you weren't you could return it.

RandallFlagg

sunshinewelly said:

If you did not like the sound of the guitar you ended up with then I would agree. However you seem to like the guitar you had. I assume the question is whether you would have bought the guitar if the video showed the correct sound 

So, it's OK to deceive people as long as they like the result in the end? You get a sample taste of some fillet steak but when your meal is served you get sirloin, it's beef and from a cow. You like the taste so it's all OK is it?

Iamnobody

They have a get out clause in that they’ve merely used some background music on a guitar Marketing video. There’s no suggestion that it is the sound of the guitar in question and equally no disclaimer that it isn’t. 

Now, if they’d played the guitar and used a different soundtrack in a Top of The Pops miming style I’d be concerned.

I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. I’ve never bought a guitar based on a video anyway. 

I’m far shallower and purchase based on aesthetics.

RandallFlagg

As I posted this can seem a big deal or not a big deal depending on where you look from. 

I'm well happy with the guitar but not so happy with GAK. Not a big deal, I have choice where to spend my money.

FRockStar

Tbh, watching that, I would not have assumed that the sound was from the actual guitar. But I see your point. They should have a disclaimer in the vid. 

merlin

That's worth £250,000 right there. 

ZenOvertone

andy1839 said:

Can't say I'm surprised.

They sold me a used guitar as new and flatly refused to admit it even when presented with irrefutable fact they'd sold the guitar over a year earlier and it had been registered on the manufacturers website.

I'll never use them again. 

I bought a new guitar from them a few months ago only to find it was not as described (ex-display I suspect), the missing scratchplate plastic, rusty strings and slightly grubby appearance were the signs, they did give me a discount that time!  

Wazmeister

I think it is poor form AND deceptive; unacceptable, especially for a £4000 geetar

Wazmeister

It IS a great Tele though

Funkfingers

Evaluating gear through Internet video presentations is fraught with opportunities for self-deception.

Hand the same electric guitar to a dozen different players, chances are that they will produce a range of different sounds from it - even through the same amplification and pedals.

The only valid test is to play the instrument your way, through your rig.

A guitar can be fantastically good but not suit your requirements.

RandallFlagg

Wazmeister said:

It IS a great Tele though

  Yep.

pmg

Wazmeister said:

I think it is poor form AND deceptive; unacceptable, especially for a £4000 geetar

I concur

Markeebee

Maybe that's his standard "Tele demo" runthrough.  Any videos I made would all feature an open D strummed repeatedly.  You'd tell the difference though, because

timing.

TTony

Marketing dept - they got the colour right, so anything else is a bonus (or not, in this case).

TBH, I’d never buy a guitar, or amp, based on how it sounds on an online video.  Too many other variables that mean it’s highly unlikely to sound the same when I’m playing it, at home, with a different set-up.

Schnozz

You paid £4k for a Tele?

RandallFlagg

Well at least there are some videos on YouTube you can rely on being authentic, Eric Clapton for instance. I think the GAK Marketing team had a hand in this one too: