I will try to keep this as short as I can, but there is a story that needs to be told.
On December 19th 2003 Wichita Band and instrument received 1299. from me via Cashier's check for an L-10 that was a factory blem (I was told minor finish scratches and bubbling)  They shipped the instrument to the wrong address and cost me having Xmas with my family (out of town)as I waited on Xmas eve 9 hours at home for it to arrive....it was sitting up against a house I hadn't lived in for two years in a snowstorm (thanks UPS)
Xmas day I was leaving for Florida for a week and only had a chance to quickly go over the guitar once it acclimated.
 When I returned the first week of January and had more time to inspect it, it became quite obvious that it had a bridge repair as well (a sloppy one at that)  I called and requested a return which was accomodated.
 WBIC received the instrument on 1 /12.   it is now 2/12 and I still don't have my refund yet.  I have been on the phone about 10 times, sent numerous emails.....last thursday, when I called, I got the old "checks in the mail"......7 days later, still nothing.....it doesn't take seven days to get from KS to MI.  
  A couple times during this debauchle, I have been told "sometimes the axes grind a little slow"  it's not the only freakin' thing that's grinding right now.  I even emailed the owner and got a very short, abrupt reply.........just thought you should all know how they do business around there.....don't expect any real competence.......

Fit,
Please let us know what happens. Others on this forum have had good experiences with them.
   Peace,
    Bo
:unsure:  

I had a good experience about two years ago with an OM-09 purchase as well, but this really has me honked off...... :o  

this is strange.  i have heard nothing but praise toward them for several years.  lowest prices, good selection and really savy staff.  they were really good to me when i bought my Larrivee.  here's what i would have done differently if i were you.  i had them send me LOTS AND LOTS  of very detailed pics of my gutiar before i purchased it.  i called, emailed and pretty much bugged them to death before i was ready to drop my hard earned cash with them.  i think they were glad when the whole thing was over with me.  i look at it this way, if i'm spending my money (and there are lots of places to spend it, so i'd better get good service, or i'm gone) then i'm getting what i want and i don't care how much i bother them.  

this is truly unfortunate though.  i really hope it works out they make it right for you.  the UPS thing doesn't surprise me at all.  they don't give a rip about how they treat the freight they carry. i'm heavily anit-UPS.  typical union employees...(and i'm in a union, so believe me, i know the mentality).  i always try to use either DHL or FEDEX if at all possible.  

Fitness,

I am in the middle of a very similar debacle with EM Shorts.  I bought an all mahogany parlor from them that I received in January '04.  EM Shorts packaged the guitar very poorly - the packaging provided no protection whatsoever for the back and sides. As a result, the guitar was severely damaged by UPS (huge crack in the back and a smaller crack in the top).

I immediately contacted Nathan at EM Shorts and followed his directions to call UPS and let them pick it up.  I then told Nathan I wanted a refund and got a "no problem, it will take a week or two".  We are now in the fourth week and still no refund.   :(

Several calls to Nathan have gone unaswered.  Frustrated, by no call back I took my complaint to another EM Shorts staff member (Richard), from him I got the line "it's Company policy that refunds of this kind take 3-4 weeks."  Funny - they have the ability to charge your card the day they ship it, however, it takes them 3-4 weeks (and counting) to figure out how issue a refund.

My advice - don't buy from them if there is slightest chance the guitar will be returned.

Lance Z

Sorry you had a bad experience, I have purchased twice with good experiences. Interesting they are refunding your money, since both invoices cleary state "All sales final, no cash refunds". UPS, on the other hand, is another story.

QuoteSorry you had a bad experience, I have purchased twice with good experiences. Interesting they are refunding your money, since both invoices cleary state "All sales final, no cash refunds". UPS, on the other hand, is another story.

1954 Gold,

Have you seen their 5 day free approval period policy on their website?  If not:

"Anything we sell can be sent to you for a short approval period (five days from the day that you receive it) without any obligation. The customer is responsible for $20 per instrument (most instruments) shipping and insurance (in the 48 states) and must pre-pay back to us any freight charges on returned equipment."

Further, before purchasing the guitar I confirmed with Nathan they did have a cash refund policy.  Still further, in my case it was their packaging error that prompted my refund.

Lance Z

I too had a refund "problem" with this particular dealer. I bought a Martin D-15 from them about a year ago, and BEFORE THE GUITAR WAS EVEN SHIPPED FROM THE STORE, I changed my mind, and asked for a refund. I waited 4 WEEKS for my refund! Ridiculous.

As a Larrivee dealer, I am disappointed to hear stories like this.  I have personally done business with E.M. Shorts, and had no problems.  I Picked my guitar up in person, though, so I guess I had a better chance of getting it right.  If there is anything I can do, don't hesitate to ask.  I don't know if it would do any good, but let them know your experiences are being relayed to the forum members, also.  I hope it is a simple misunderstanding.  Good luck, and let me know if I can do anything to help.   Jason Brantley.

Acording to most credit card companies store's have up to 30 day's to refund your money.Running a store myself as soon as I get the guitar back and its in the same condition it was shipped in Irefund the money.Once or twice I did it the next day.Same if you pay me by money order we cut a check within 24 hour's.Any other delay is an insult to the customer,and very bad business.The only thing we ask is that you fax us a copy of the shipping doc showing that you insured it.Oh we also ask that you call us within 24 hours and let us know your not happy with your purchase, and that's for any reason......

Well, they have certainly lost any chance to have me as a customer....
I don't plan on taking it in the......E.M. ....SHORTS
:blink:
 Shame on them.... there are too many honest and customer  orientated stores out there. No need to deal with Bozos that treat customers that way.
Don

Quote

QuoteSorry you had a bad experience, I have purchased twice with good experiences. Interesting they are refunding your money, since both invoices cleary state "All sales final, no cash refunds". UPS, on the other hand, is another story.

Have you seen their 5 day free approval period policy on their website?  Further, before purchasing the guitar I confirmed with Nathan they did have a cash refund policy.  Still further, in my case it was their packaging error that prompted my refund. Lance Z

Price and service were great... I think you have to buy it on approval to get that, I bought the guitars outright and I am pleased. Regardless, if you buy on a credit card and the merchandise is not up to snuff, you can dispute it throught the credit card company.

Sorry to hear about your problems, all of you. This is the first I've ever heard of anyone having any trouble with them in over 3+ years that I've been on the computer. Their prices are great but perhaps they need to spend a little more $$ for experienced personel in their accounting dept.

I bought from them a Larrivee D-03 about 3 years ago and had to return it as it was more of a "seconds" guitar with some finish wood flaws and minor cracks. I ended up trading up for a perfect D-03 with a better pickup system. They were very cordial and accomodating through the whole thing and never gave me a hard time.

I can understand your frustration and anger at their shipping the guitar to the wrong place, and then finding it to be in less than stellar condition when you finally got it. I would hope that you do indeed get your money very soon from them. I hope this is not the sign of the way things are starting to go for them from now on. They usually pride themselves on a "smalls-ville" type hometown store atmosphere with personal attention to their loyal customers. Perhaps that is changing more now as they are growing and getting different personel in gradually to replace their former employees. I sincerely hope not. I have recommended them on numerous occasions because of the good experience I've had with them in the past. No recent dealings with them though.

You definitely have my sympathies here...

Jeff  

thanks guys....I am a generally easy to get along with individual.....today, however, I was extremely upset with this situation.  After I got off the phone, I realized that I had been lied to as well.....I was questioning the possibility that the check that was supposed to be sent out last thursday was possibly sent to the wrong address again and asked if the info had not been updated in the database.....I was told that they didn't have a customer database and that they do things "the old fashioned way"  If this is the case, then where did they get the 2 year old address from in the first place??????  I don't like being dogged around and then lied to on top of it.....If I don't get it by monday. I will be forwarding the links to the Taylor, Tacoma and Larrivee forum so they can see what kind of press their "customer service" has gotten them...... :(  

QuoteI will be forwarding the links to the Taylor, Tacoma and Larrivee forum so they can see what kind of press their "customer service" has gotten them...... :(

My home base is the Les Paul Forum, where there has been an active discussion on them for quite some time, and the overall take is quite positive. Same thing at the Martin Forum.

I can only comment on my own experience.  I chose EM Shorts based on i) positive feedback from this form and the AG forum, and ii) lowest price. I ordered my L-03 on Nov 25 and was told that it would be at least 3-4 weeks to just get one from the factory. It took a few weeks longer than that but that's a Larrivee issue.  Once EM Shorts got the guitar, it took approx a week for them to do a setup and install a K&K (not unreasonable IMO, given the traffic).  UPS got it to me (Newfoundland, Canada!!!) in 6 business days via ground.  The guitar could not have been packed better.  After a minor neck tweak (I like the neck as straight as possible), I was in business.  Nathan was great to deal with.  The luthier was great to deal with (I had some initial questions on saddle height but the luthier - among others- eased my concern).  The luthier emphasized that if still concerned, have a local tech check it out and feel free to utilize the return policy.

As for delivery, EM shorts informed me that they do not generally ship to an address other than the address associated with your credit card (which makes a lot of sense IMO).

Bottom Line: Very positive experience (thus far).

I bought and returned a Larrivee from them as well. It took FOREVER for the refund to be processed, but I did get it. They told me their accounting system just takes that much time, which I doubt. They are in general a reputable business, and I'm sure you'll get your refund, just not as fast as you want it. I think it took them about a month or more to get my money back to me. Irritable for sure.  

This is not to bash any dealer.  Whether its right or wrong, delay payment is a common business practice, big or small.  Usually, they collect money owned as soon as they can, and at the same time, delay any cash flow out as much as they can.  This allows them to have more cash on hand which is somewhat essential to most business, especially small business.

the problem is iy's not really ther money,and is worth the delay for the bad press as they seem to be getting here.is it far to make someone wait a month when they want there money now?

that's the thing......there is no reason for it.....and, as an update, I did finally get the check with today's mail....the check was written on the 4th and the postmark was the 9th......it's like they were delaying it on purpose......the last penny at WBIC has been spent.......and Sevenup, I own a small business as well, and if I intentionally kept a large chunk of money that was owed to one of my clients because of my mistake, I would hope that I would lose that person as a wake up call....... :blink:  

fitness1 Well I'm glad you Finnally got your money back.As a dealer things like this hurts us all. :)  

QuoteI chose EM Shorts.. UPS got it to me (Newfoundland, Canada!!!) in 6 business days via ground..

I am amazed that you found it more economical to buy a Canadian made guitar in the US and have it re exported back to you...the wonders of NAFTA, I guess. Also amazed UPS got it safely to Newfoundland...now I see why you were concerned about the temperature!

Hello all. My name is Nathan, and I work at Wichita Band. I'm kind of sticking my neck out by posting here, largely because I'm not completely sure that The Powers That Be at the shop particularly want one of the employees getting involved in this debate. However, my name has been brought up a few times here, and I don't want to stay silent on this matter.

First off, let me say that the bosses can be a little slow to take care of refunds. They have a lot of paperwork to deal with and not enough hours in the day to handle it all in a timely fashion. Should their priorities be a little different? Probably so (at least in my opinion). However, keep in mind that (1) they do get refunds processed within 30 days, which is within the timeframe allowed by both the government and credit card companies; and (2) our shop does not keep money after merchandise has been returned. Every once in a while a customer gets the idea that since their refund hasn't been processed yet, we have no intention of refunding their money. This obviously isn't the case. The bottom line here is that the bosses are slow to handle certain paperwork. They aren't aiming to make anyone feel cheated; they just get overwhelmed with the volume of work that needs to be done on a daily basis.

Unfortunately I was not involved in Todd's return, so I can't really provide much insight into what went wrong. In Lance's situation, however, I will accept responsibility for a great deal of the communication failure. I spoke to Lance on the phone yesterday (Thursday) evening shortly before closing time, and today I took the opportunity to investigate a little further into several of his complaints (BTW Lance, I attempted to call you today but received no answer and no answering machine--please email me).

Part of the problem stems from the fact that UPS denied the damage claim. This has only happened one other time in the two-plus years that I have been at the store. I was unable to file the paperwork for the refund until the merchandise had returned to the store, simply because I must verify that the merchandise returned is the same merchandise that was sent (although that was obviously an unlikely possibility in this case, I still have to cover my own butt on this part of the deal). I was unable to make any sort of consistent communication with anybody at UPS who had any knowledge of the situation. In retrospect, I clearly should have exerted more effort into making contact with UPS and getting them to clarify how and when the package would be returned to us, as this would have allowed me to provide a more accurate time frame on the refund.

To compound the problem, the guitar returned to the store on the day I happened to be in the hospital (I suffer from Crohn's disease, and part of my treatment is receiving infusions four or five times a year). I failed to leave adequate instructions with my co-workers as to how to handle the situation when the guitar was returned. Furthermore, I didn't think to check with the shipping department to see if the guitar had arrived when I returned the next day. I won't make any excuses about being too busy or not having enough time--I just dropped the ball. As for the unreturned phone calls, I can't pinpoint exactly where the communication failure occurred here. I was in and out of the shop for about a week after the infusion dealing with some of the side effects of the treatment, and part of the problem may have been that your phone calls came when I was at home instead of at work. Whether the messages were put in the wrong box, given to someone else who didn't have the time or the knowledge of the situation to deal with them, or simply vanished into thin air remains a mystery to me. I wish I had a more satisfactory answer for this, but I don't.

ms960 and slamk, I can't seem to pinpoint exactly who either of you are, so I really can't comment on the situations involving either of your refunds. I don't know if there were any particular circumstances that complicated your situations. If the refunds came after about four weeks, I would guess that your paperwork was processed in the normal (albeit somewhat slow) timeframe.

To clarify one other misunderstanding, it seems that some people may have gotten the idea that the bosses don't take phone calls from irate customers. This is partially true, but not wholly inclusive of the reality of the situation--they don't take phone calls from anybody. They have too many other responsibilities. Most places of business work in this manner, so don't take it personally.

I'll stick around this forum for the next week or so to answer any questions. Paul, let me know how the K&K is working out for you. I'm loving mine.

nathan....

very good of you to chime in here.  yes, your name does get thrown around here from time to time.  i have also seen your name on the Taylor Forum, as well as some others.  it seems you're a bit of a "guitar shop celebrity"!!  like i said earlier, you guys were good to me when you sold me that Blackwood last summer.  and it's good to hear your side of the story.  overall, there are lots of people really pleased with you guys from what i can see on these forums.  i'm also glad the whole thing is over between you guys and "fitness1".  he got his money back, you guys got the guitar back....end of story.  no need to go on and on about the ordeal.  there are always some risks involved when purchasing sight unseen. but it seems to work out more times than it doesn't.  

i'm sorry to hear about the Crohn's issue.  i have a good friend who deals with this disease and some of the stuff she goes through is not pretty. i'm sorry to hear that you have to deal with the same things.  

-caleb morris

I really have no business weighing in on any of the problems that are occuring with forumites and E.M. Shorts. But I would like to say that I bought a Gibson from Nathan last year and the communication was good and the guitar was stellar. Nathan kept me informed throughout the whole process and alleviated my nervousness of buying a guitar sight unseen. I can't speak about E.M. Shorts as a whole, but I sure had a good experience with Nathan. I'm posting this as I felt his post above was in the same spirit of all of my dealings with him. Forthright and professional.
Nathan, there are a lot of great things posted on all the forums about E.M. Shorts, but IMO if your shop would just communicate more during the refund process this would lessen folks' fear. I think we have all come to be slow to build our trust with retailers. My dealings with you were excellent. But, I sure can't say that with the majority of businesses I patronize. It's a shame to see E.M. Shorts get a bad rep for being slow to respond when people's money is in limbo. Sure you guys are going to do the right thing, but a little more assurance of that fact during the process would serve the customer better.
Ok that's much more than $.02 worth of my opinion. I'd buy a guitar from Nathan again in a heartbeat, regardless of E.M. Shorts' practices.

Nathan, thanks for taking the time to be available for us to be avare more on how each shop works.  People, including me, forget that although the salespersons responsibility to the customer is first and foremost, those people still have their personal problems to deal with on daily basis. The service industry hours certainly make it difficult to get to get things done.

Ahhhh communication..... what a wonderful thing.. ;)
Don

Hey Nathan,
  it was really good of you to post here......I obviously had nothing but praise for you, but was not real happy with this last transaction.  I felt like I was being treated like the whole thing was my fault by the owners/salesman and I was just going to have to wait as long as they deemed necessary to get my money back.  The whole thing would have been different if I would have just decided that I didn't want it, but there was more wrong with the "blem" than I was told.
  I run a business too, and to me, it doesn't matter how much I have to do, if there is something like my situation going on, I take care of it NOW......that person on the other end of the stick has emotions and I want to keep them in my good graces.  I don't feel like that was even considered here.  
  WBIC would do well to reconsider the 30 day thing, or, if they continue, at least post it on the website or on the sales receipt in BIG letters so you expect that they are going to take their sweet time with your money
   In contrast, I recently picked up a keyboard from ZZounds.....I hooked it into my system to do some recording and there was way more line noise than I expected.  I went through the return authorization process and had my refund in less than 48 hours after they received the keyboard back.  I am guessing that ZZounds processes a lot more business than WBIC.......so how do they do it so fast?  I am guessing because they know what I know.......Gary and company should really give this some consideration.

QuoteHello all. My name is Nathan, and I work at Wichita Band. I'm kind of sticking my neck out by posting here..

Hi Nathan... I am glad you joined this discussion. Other dealers post here regularly, and this thread affects EM, so there is no reason why you shouldn't.  I purchased an 03 R7 and a D-03 thru Chet and I reiterate that price and delivery for both was superb. The EM luthier was extremely helpful and spent alot of time with me on the phone. I did have the D-03 bridge slotted/ramped and action lowered by a local luthier, though. I posted my positive experience with EM here and on the Les Paul Forum where there is overwhelming concurrance here in the US and overseas. My 2 cents: EM needs to work on its website which sorely needs updating and email responsiveness...with both purchases I had to nudge things along! Also, priovide other options than UPS as your preferred shipper. Realize that EM is somewhat laid back, but pro-active communication can help avoid misunderstandings. Anyway, I will probably be coming back at you in the Spring for a Martin D-15 or a rosewood Larrivee... blems OK!!!!!!!!

IMHO.... A dealer who wants to have a "web presence" and draw business from that venue, and yet does not/ can not, handle the increase in business,.....( "they just get overwhelmed with the volume of work that needs to be done on a daily basis.").... Has a very poor business plan and sense of business.  If they can not offer the same high quality of service that others can, and do, (at lower prices, I might add) then they should not be surprised when they don't get the increase in business that they wanted... Which might be a good thing, because it appears that they are having trouble handling the business that they DO have.  
 Nothing wrong with having a local "Mom and Pop" store that serves it's community. And allows the folks who work there to keep up with the volume of business that they are doing.. But just throwing up a web page without having any plan on how to handle an increase
in the volume of business, both good and bad, is just, well.......  a bad idea. You wind up looking like you can't handle customers in the mannor that they have come to,rightfully, expect. Not if you want to be competitive
 30 days for a refund...... not in this day and age..
  Poor communication with an unhappy customer...... not a smart thing to do.
I have bought 3 Larrivees.... and after checking out the prices at EM Shorts.. I did not buy them there. Because they were a bit high on price.  
 And now, even if they were in line with what I was willing to pay, I would probably NOT buy from them. I would not take a chance on the hassle, IF I had a problem....
  But, I don't have to.... not today.. There are too many other good  sources for my guitars, that I know I can trust to take good care of me..
 Just my 2 cents worth.. Don :)
 

Bully for Nathan for taking the time to explain EM Shorts policy, and for being stand-up enough to admit dropping the ball on occasion. It happens to all of us. I have purchased two Larrivees from Nathan in the past, and have received excellent service from him all around. I also apologized to Nathan the other day when I ordered a guitar from one of his colleagues! I had a window of perceived opportunity to order a special guitar, and hopped on it one day when Nathan was out. I felt bad about this, but Nathan was very gracious, and went so far as to give me his personal email to reach him at any time were he not available at the shop. When said guitar arrived, even though it wasn't his sale, Nathan took the time to check the guitar out, and to pass along his thumb's up. I wouldn't hesitate to do business with Nathan and EM Shorts again. And I'm sure I will do so in the future. But people should also remember EM Shorts return policy, which holds for most retailers that I'm aware of: order a guitar that is in stock with them, and you will get a very generous 5-day return policy, no questions asked. If you order a guitar with them that they themselves have to order from the manufacturer, that is your guitar and cannot be returned (obviously unless there are defect issues). To me this is very fair and sensible policy. But would I hold up a legitemate return for up to 30 days and risk allienating a a current and hopefully repeat customer? Probably not. If I did, I would  perhaps deserve to lose that customer, and take heat on the forums. But I suspect that if everyone that had a positive experience with EM Shorts chimed in here with everyone that didn't, we would see a huge group of pretty happy guitarists. Thanks for admitting that mistakes happen, Nathan, and keep up the good work.

Nathan:

I gigged out acoustically last night for the third time since I received the Larrivee.  The K&K is wonderful. NO piezo quack - just a nice "acoustic" sound (BTW I plug into a Fishman Pro EQ II).  Very warm and balanced.  I couldn't be happier with it. The guitar is THE bomb.  Thanks for the great service.


1954Gold:

It also amazed me that it was significantly cheaper to buy a CDN made guitar in the USA.  But it wasn't close - I saved about $300.  BTW I'm a Les Paul owner as well ('82 Deluxe - purchased new in '83).

Quote1954Gold: it was significantly cheaper to buy a CDN made guitar in the USA.  But it wasn't close - I saved about $300.  BTW I'm a Les Paul owner as well ('82 Deluxe - purchased new in '83).

ATLANTIC: Glad to see you are also in the Les Paul brotherhood... you should drop in on us at the Les Paul Forum.. thread going on regarding Canadian dealers gouging Gibson prices in Canada. Take is that it is cheaper to buy in the US and bring it in to Canada outside official Gibson distribution channels. Looks like the Canadian dealer does not have to honor the Gibson warranty in such a "grey" market instrument, but $300 is a nice chunk of cash, so I guess free trade works for the consumer. I had a 70 Deluxe Goldtop I got when I graduated high school in 71. Sold it in college and I wish I had it back... lots of folks trash Norlin era Les Pauls (1968-1986), but I wish I had my ole mini-hum, pancake Deluxe again. Very happy with my R7, all in all superior guitar than the Deluxe. I love Larrivee quality.. sell direct to retailer (no distributor), cheap loonie, no duties cause of NAFTA, and since manufacturing is labor intensive, probably some financial incentive from provinicial government and Ottawa. Larrivee is my best find this year after Tech21's Trademark 10 practice amp... anyway, glad it all worked out and enjoy the Larrivee and the Deluxe!!!

I'm a Les Paul Deluxe guy too. Mine is a '02 model, from the last run before they discontinued them again. I also have a Standard and a Studio in my collection (working for a big dealer has its advantages...).

QuoteI'm a Les Paul Deluxe guy too. Mine is a '02 model, from the last run before they discontinued them again. I also have a Standard and a Studio

Thing is for a few hundred more you can get the long neck tenon, historic quality, ect and upgrade from the Standard. Norlin sold Gibson in 86, and the quality improved from then on under Henry J. So the '02 is probably better than the orginal Deluxes -some of those originals were pretty bad.. three piece necks, pancake body, Epiphone mini hums, and boat anchor weights. Minis made it sound more like a Strat than a LP. Now there is a great aftermarket for them, but I predict when all the Historics work their way thru the market, Norlin prices will drop. Still, I wish I had my 70 Deluxe GT back for sentimental reasons.

The minis do have kind of a Strat-ish sound to them. I'm suffering right now because of it--I loaned my Standard to a high school kid at my church while his Ibanez is being repaired, and my Studio's bridge pickup isn't putting out the correct amount of signal. One of the tunes called at church this weekend calls for a pretty heavy lead (think cheesy eighties stuff--the kind that actually benefits from a harmonizer effect). I'm at a loss right now, because the Deluxe just isn't cutting it. I'm contemplating taking one of my cheapy guitars, but I'd rather not because none of them have particularly outstanding pickups. Hey, wait...isn't this an acoustic forum?  :unsure:  

Geez Nathan, every time you start posting again, it seems like you've got a whole new stable. You need to get that GAS in line my friend!

Tom, I haven't bought anything new since the Morgan and the Kneeland mandolin back in October. That's a very long time for me! Actually, I've had all three Les Pauls for a while now. I bought the Standard not long after I got this job--probably November or December of 2001. I bought the Deluxe and the Studio in May of '02. I bought the Deluxe because I had been lusting after one for several years and we only had two left on the shelf (Gibson discontinued the model, so waiting until later wasn't an option). I bought the Studio (a cheapy '83 with a truly ugly sunburst) at about the same time as the Deluxe to play on bar gigs. I had started to pick up a little more work of that variety, and didn't really anticipate having almost no work in the year and a half since then. I should sell it, but it sounds great (when the pickups are working right...). Anyways, selling instruments of my own isn't really one of my strong points.

QuoteHey, wait...isn't this an acoustic forum?  :

It's a Larrivee forum and Larrivee did have a line of sold body electrics for a while.... get rid of that Gibson USA stuff and switch to an R7, like night and day. BTW that is a really nice 52 Telecaster RI you guys have on the website now!!!

Well, I'm a relative minimalist when it comes to guitars.  Basically, I have a strat, LP and now a Larrivee.  The core bases are covered. Of course, I still have my old Simon & Patrick which is fine for around the house.

Up until a couple of years ago, the LP Deluxe was the only guitar I played (almost 20 years). I've played lots of LP's but none I'd trade mine for. Sure it's a Norlin pancake which is not easy on the collar bone, but it's never seen the inside of a repair shop (and it's been played out ALOT). Hasn't even req'd any significant setup work (although the frets are getting very low...).

The Larrivee sounds better every time I pick it up.

I've contemplated an R7, but I have a couple of hangups with them. First off, I'm not a Goldtop guy. I like them, but I don't want one as my primary guitar. I'm sure I'll get a few as I amass my collection of Les Pauls over the next 20 years, but I'm a sunburst guy. Second, the Burstbuckers aren't doing anything for me. It's a good pickup, but I like the '57 Classics better.

Besides, my Standard is an exceptional piece (I get the opportunity to cherrypick my instruments  :D  ). As a Gibson guy, I'm sure you know the difference between a guitar that was built within acceptable tolerances and one that was really done well. This one would classify as the latter. Furthermore, if I really want to play a guitar that'll blow every other electric out of the water, I'll just pick up my '55 ES-225T. I used it a little bit today for a Baba O'Reily kind of sound, and it just killed me to hear how dynamic this 50-year old guitar is, especially considering how utterly uncollectable the 225's are.

The music for the service was absolutely stellar today. The rhythm section was really firing on all cylinders. Seldom do I leave gigs feeling this elated. This was one of those days where a great moment was created and musicians connected on a higher plane. If only every gig could be this good...

QuoteI've contemplated an R7.. I'm not a Goldtop guy.. I'm a sunburst guy... Burstbuckers aren't doing anything for me I like the '57 Classics better.  As a Gibson guy...

Gold is a matter of individual taste, but I can't see spending the $ on the "flame" "curl" ect of a top. Can't believe the price differential between an R7 and an R9. I agree on the BB vs the 57 classics, but I am very happy. I just wish the neck was a little slimmer, but I have very big hands so I can live with it. Regarding Gibson, and Martin for that matter, they had better keep an eye in the rearview mirror, cause Larrivee is definitely coming up in the left lane. For the money a D-03 will cause you get a Martin lam and no Gibson.

QuoteI'm a relative minimalist when it comes to guitars.  Basically, I have a strat, LP and now a Larrivee.

Minimalists usually are seen with Telecasters...  :D  

A "relative minimalist" has a strat, LP and a good acoustic.  A "minimalist" only has a Tele.  ;)  

And a "minimal minimalist" has an L-01 B)  

Larrivee 03's and Martin 15's fall in about the same price range. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Martin has certainly polarized its offerings in that price range to suit flatpickers and strummers--notice that they quit building anything with a 1-3/4" nut for under $1,200 retail. Larrivee, on the other hand, caters to a larger pool of players in every price range. This is definitely to their advantage.

Still, there are four Martins on my wall, and the only Larrivee up there is a soprano uke (I also have a Morgan 12-string, which could probably be counted as a Larrivee also given the similarity in construction). Martin is definitely doing something right...

Oh, and a true minimalist has an Epiphone Les Paul strung up with two bass strings.  :rolleyes:  

QuoteLarrivee 03's and Martin 15's fall in about the same price range. Martin is definitely doing something right...

I am thinking about a D-15 for blues acoustic stuff ...the minimalist in me likes the mahog top and mellower sound -and they are going for $595 w/ free UPS at 8th St. in Philly, which is below the D-03 street pricing. I am also pondering a rosewood Larrivee as well since I like the quality and craftsmanship. Too bad Martin is moving more production to Mexico, would like to see the jobs stay here.

Hey I love tele's,there my main electric's.I own a lot of acoustic's.
PS we should start a new tread here so we can move beyond this tread.It doesn't look good to keep this tread.Let's all meet in Other Guitar's...... B)  

QuotePS we should start a new tread here so we can move beyond this tread.It doesn't look good to keep this tread.Let's all meet in Other Guitar's...... B)

Yes, please, let's get back to refundgate...

Nathan has followed up with me personally over the last few days and resolved my refund issue - I confirmed the refund this morning.

While I'm still unsure on whether I'd buy from EM Shorts again, Nathan has convinced me that if he had his own store I'd certainly buy from him  (assuming he had a reasonable return policy, ofcourse)  :)

Lance Z

My sentiments exactly......they need to move out of the '50's! ;)  

It's nice to have someone you can trust like Nathan around to deal with, especially when things get difficult to figure out sometimes!

Nice work, Nathan. I may have to call on you next time I order a Larrivee.

Jeff