I have a bit of a dilemma this morning having received a very cool guitar in the post yesterday but not quite in the condition it was described as...
It's a 1962 Epiphone Wilshire, a real one
It was described as all original and unbroken, no repairs, just a few lacquer cracks. I knew before bidding that the knobs weren't original (no biggy I thought) and that maybe the original owner had put the later mid 60's E logo on the pick guard after the foil one wore off. Also a missing 'poker chip' toggle plate and a replacement stopbar... But I overlooked this stuff because these parts are readily available although expensive.
Anyway, it arrived yesterday and my initial reaction was a good one.. Looks very cool, lovely dark Brazilian board, lacquer checking.... Bet it sounds awesome
But the heel looked a little dark.. A heel crack repair... It's really hard to photograph but here's my best attempt in broad daylight
And it appears the back of the neck was given a light overspray as there are small blobs of lacquer on the edges of the board
Here's the dilemma though... It cost me £2000 including shipping from Italy. These guitars in excellent original order seem to have asking prices of £3.5k+ and they only made a few hundred of them so they're bloomin rare.
It plays extremely well, faultlessly in fact. I'm sure it sounds excellent cracked through an amp (not checked yet, too early in the morning) as the pickups and harness are original and untouched and I've heard early 60's P90's before!
SUMMARY:
Bad:
heel repair (very well done)
Overspray to neck and neck join
Replaced stoptail, knobs and maybe pickguard (doesn't look like celluloid to me but I could be wrong)
Good:
Plays great
Looks stunning
Original body and headstock finish
Original tuners, p90's, harness
No routing or other mods
So did I buy it for a fair price? Should I kick off and demand my money back or did I get a lot of vintage players guitar for less than a reissue LP?
Comments
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Still my position is that this instruments does not have had any "real repairs" because neck and headstock has never broken or cracked, but finishing fixing only on the painting and lacquer as collectors usually accept on a 52 years old guitars with no loss of value.
You probably already know that the market value is 3100 to 3900 USD (2800 to 3500 EUR) as fixed on The Official Vintage Guitar Price Guide , 2015 edition, page 61 (http://www.vintageguitar.com/price-guide/). So you paid a bit less than the minimum (2713 EUR + shipment).
After that, I prefer to lose some money but to gain a guitar friend and I offer to you 5% refund (140 EUR) as per friendship due to the fact you are not fully satisfied. Same situation happened to me many times, and always I negotiated some adjustment (buying a guitar "from remote" always mean some risk).
Then, if you are a player I'm sure you will appreciate that this guitar plays perfectly; if you are a collector or a trader you can put it immediately for sale (I received many contacts in a 3 days only auction !) and for sure you will sale in a very brief time.
Else you can choose the legal way, and I'll must do the same"
He still denies its a break, he says it's a cosmetic touch-up.
(formerly miserneil)
Trading feedback: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/72424/
Saying that "I've been ripped off in the past so you should expect to be" doesn't really cut it.