Fender Custom Shop, Guitar Center - Return help

  • Thread starter Thread starter LPMojoGL
  • Start date Start date

Should GC provide a full refund

  • GC should provide a full refund

    Votes: 9 81.8%

  • GC should accept the return for credit

    Votes: 2 18.2%

  • GC should reject the return

    Votes: 1 9.1%
  • Total voters
    11
LPMojoGL

LPMojoGL

Well-known member
Update: Keeping it, thanks to all that responded.
Also, here's what she looked like the night I got her home:



I bought this Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster from Guitar Center on July 2nd 2024. It is a $5800 guitar that was on clearance for 35% off.
Long story short: the guitar doesn't match the advertisement online. Frets, circuitry, and neck radius are all different than advertised.
GC doesnt accept returms on clearance items. I bought it, got it home and realized it wasn't as described. I want to return for full refund.
Link:
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender...Apple-Red-Aged-Olympic-White-1500000362096.gc

Advertised with a mid boost circuit, vintage tall frets, and 9.5" radius.
In reality, it has no mid boost circuit, but does have a blender knob to add the neck pickup to the bridge. The frets are jumbo. The radius is a compound radius of 9.5-12". A look at the paperwork from Fender, that's in the case, confirms this.

I don't care about the frets and radius. I was quite disappointed when I couldn't boost the anemic sounding single coils with a mid boost circuit to hang with my humbucker guitars.

I contacted Musicians Friend to ask about the discrepancy, thinking they may have more info or insight than my local GC. I was wrong. No help at all.

I didn't want to immediately return the guitar and screw the GC guy out of his commission, so I tried working with the guitar. It plays amazing well, unplugged. I just can't get the sound where I want it. I thought maybe fatter single coil neck and mid pickups with a humbucker bridge would do the trick. It's not routed for an HB bridge.

At this point, I have a LOT of $$$ into a guitar that I'm not happy with, and isn't as advertised. I reached out to the guy I bought it from, and he said the problem is they don't do returns on clearance items. I explained the false advertisement. He said maybe they can work out an exchange for something I'd rather have. I find this unacceptable.

What are you thoughts?
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The specs on the link you posted align with what you ended up with, but that doesn't mean they did at the time. I think people often overlook the manufacturer end of things if an issue arises. I would hit up Fender. Worse case your CC company 🤷‍♀️

https://www.fendercustomshop.com/customcare/

Bottom right:

"Fender Musical Instruments Corporation guarantees that your Custom Shop instrument will be expertly crafted according to your specifications (to me implies the specifications that you purchased, as well) and will arrive free of defects. If not, we'll repair, modify or replace the instrument at no charge to you."
 
I bet if you asked nicely, they'd send you a loaded pickguard. Maybe even let you keep the one you have. This is assuming the guitar was still considered new and no one but you has registered it with Fender.
 
LPMojoGL said:
I haven't registered it. I'd prefer to wash my hands of the whole thing.
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Sucks, I know what it's like to be excited about a big purchase and then it just flops. Hopefully you'll be able to get it figured out. I'm sure others may have insight or experiences that can help you if you end up continuing to have issues. If you used a CC, send them a link to the item and/or a backup screenshot as well as the rest of your paper trail. Worse case is that you already have it in motion. I wish you luck on your quest.
 
Just using the logic that Reverb uses, if you sell an item on Reverb and the buyer claims "is not as described" then that buyer gets a refund. You could state "Absolutely no refunds/returns" in your ad all you want but you'll still have to issue the refund.

So imo, the claim that they don't do returns on clearance items is not relevant. Item was not as described. There has to be a limit on how different the item is from the description. What if you opened the case and it was a ham sandwich. Still no return?
 
They actual have contradicting spec. It say 2 different radiuses and 2 different fret types
NowYou'rePlayingWithPower said:
The specs on the link you posted align with what you ended up with, but that doesn't mean they did at the time. I think people often overlook the manufacturer end of things if an issue arises. I would hit up Fender. Worse case your CC company 🤷‍♀️

https://www.fendercustomshop.com/customcare/

Bottom right:

"Fender Musical Instruments Corporation guarantees that your Custom Shop instrument will be expertly crafted according to your specifications (to me implies the specifications that you purchased, as well) and will arrive free of defects. If not, we'll repair, modify or replace the instrument at no charge to you."
Click to expand...
 
Hate to say it but since the specs are contradictory between the description and the spec list on the item page and their policy is no returns on closeouts you're probably SOL
 
I love the way it plays.
Not thrilled with the plugged in sound.

Was using the jacked up advertising as a way to get around the return policy.
It sucks that there is no mid boost circuit, but I don't need it.

I'm going to keep it and work with it some more. I'll flip it if I don't dig it afterwards.
 
Thats the chance you take on their clearance prices. They blow merch out and you get what you get, have to be really careful on these…
 
I'd fight to return it, but worst case it sounds like you could just swap the pickups/electronics to get it where you want. An extra $300 into a multi-thousand guitar isn't bad.
 
Get a price on a mid boost circuit and an estimate from one of their techs on time to install it and ask for a partial refund to cover the cost of that. It’s the one glaring difference and the one thing that seems to be impacting what you wanted out of it the most.
 
skoora said:
Get a price on a mid boost circuit and an estimate from one of their techs on time to install it and ask for a partial refund to cover the cost of that. It’s the one glaring difference and the one thing that seems to be impacting what you wanted out of it the most.
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It would requiring routing of the body. Thinking I'm SOL on that.
 
It sounds like you got a killer guitar. I think it looks sick af! It plays and sounds awesome unplugged which is like 90% of the battle imo. Getting that 90% satisfaction is the crapshoot when you buy online and getting that plus a nice clearance discount puts you up ahead in my book.

Try to fight for your refund or exchange because of the false advertising, but if you're sol on that, the silver lining is you got a nice CS guitar that would just fit your style a little more with a pickup set swap of your choice. I do that as standard on most of my guitars anyway. The lack of mid boost circuit is a major drag and there's no way you can fit one of those in without carving out a girl size fist route out of the body. But unless you specifically need a mid boost circuit in the guitar for some reason, there are pedals that get you there. It's just a volume and tone boost at a couple of certain frequencies.
 
rushcentrale said:
It sounds like you got a killer guitar. I think it looks sick af! It plays and sounds awesome unplugged which is like 90% of the battle imo. Getting that 90% satisfaction is the crapshoot when you buy online and getting that plus a nice clearance discount puts you up ahead in my book.
Click to expand...
I have to second this. If it plays like buttah it's a keeper even if later on you gotta adjust a few things. That is a sweet strat. Sometimes the ugly duckling later on winds up getting all the love.
 
I have no experience with it but I have my doubts that the midboost thing would really make or break this guitar anyways tbh
 
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