To Charlie or Big Joe :Gibson question

[Keith Newell]

I just finished playing about 4 hours of bluegrasss with a long time friend of mine that plays a gibson A9 mandolin. I always thought Gibson put the crappiest tuners on his mandolin so he emailed gibson with his serial number ( Charlie or Joe email me at mandolinkgn@comcast.net I have his info) and they sent him a picture of what the tuners should be. They are Schaller tuners. The ones he has on his 5 month old A9 have gold gears, black screws in center of the gears and really cheap white plastic buttons with a huge molding/parting line down the middle of them. I swear they are $15 dollar tuners and nothing like the Schaller that Gibson shows A9 mandolins coming with.
The reason Im posting is my friend is not really internet savy and since Im a builder and somewhat know how to describe it he asked me to do the honors. I brought over a set of A style Schallers (the same as in the picture that Gibson sent him) and Im not sure that the post/screw patterns the same.
He bought this instrument new from a local shop here in Portland Oregon, they gave him a OK price. Why would it have different tuners than any other advertised Gibson A9 mandolins?
I have his name and serial number of instrument plus his home phone if you want to send me a personal email to: mandolinkgn@comcast.net
Keith Newell
http://home.comcast.net/~mandolinkgn/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html

[Charlie Derrington]

The only reason is if someone took off the originals and put on the cheap tuners. We don't ship them that way.

We'd be glad to send you a new set of tuners. Just PM Joe with your address and we'll send you a set, gratis.

Charlie

[BigJoe]

Not a problem. Just email me at jvest@gibson.com . I'll be happy to take care of you. That is not how the mandolin left our facility.

[mandolooter]

Now that is customer service folks!

[Greenmando]

My A9 sounds incredible, but this is a example of why I love Gibson.

[mandodude]

Now that is customer service folks!
Wow!! What a coincidence!!

Seems I've got this set of early 20's Gibson tuners that used to have a Loar F5 attached to 'em... at some point, somebody took the Loar off and mounted a POS Special in it's place... boy, that's certainly not how my tuners left the Gibson factory!

Charlie?... BigJoe?... can ya help a brutha out on this one??

;-)

[ethanopia]

you know this is just speculation here, but a lot of shady dealers will do this just to say "they customize each instrument" I know it happens more often in the banjo world where changes like that aren't as apparent.

They take the more expensive parts off and hope people won't notice save them to use later maybe on cheaper import instruments to make them sound better

[Keith Newell]

Thanks for the response guys, you are great. Im not sure why somone would risk doing something like this and possibly loosing customers or the right to sell Gibsons. I'll email you all the info now Bigjoe, thanks again.

Keith Newell

[creekwater]

SALES, SALES, SALES! Yep, I just know that people take the tuners off of them brand new Gibsons and replace them. COME ON! How dumb are you people? What is this supposed to mean?, that the tuners that come on Gibsons are so valuble that people STEALS THEM? What do they put them in a vault or something? GIBSON MGT answers are nothing but a bunch of crap!

[mandofiddle]

Dang creekwater, what crawled up your ... and died? Sounds like Gibson just made good to me.

[creekwater]

MANDO FIDDLE, read the other stuff that Gibson reps said on my post, and all these other scientific experts. What got under my hide? This, I am a true product of the Southern Mountain people. A challenge was put down. A challenge was excepted. When somebody slaps me in the face, I don't lay down. I had some ancestors that fought for Southern Independence, I would dishonor their memory if I let a bunch of Yankees that thinks they know everything just because theys educated bash me without facing my wrath!

[creekwater]

GOT YA"LL UPSET DID"NT I?

[Guitdolin]

....A challenge was put down. A challenge was excepted....
We all wish it had been "excepted" instead of accepted

[creekwater]

THANKS SO MUCH AGAIN FOR THE SPELLING CORRECTION. It really warms my heart to be in the company of so many smart people. I believe that most of ya'll is in the wrong line of work. Ya'll aught to be rockett scientists or something like that.

[mandoJeremy]

Ought to be.

[neal]

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[atetone]

Well, creekwater, I see that you don't like Gibson Management. You don't seem to like much of anything when it comes right down to it, so I will take it for what it's worth.
My recent experience with Gibson has been fantastic. Charlie without hesitation, offered to repair my mandolin, which by the way did not qualify for warranty work and I repeat he flat out offered to do it! No charge.
Service!!!
Obviously he just did the same thing in the case of these tuners. No questions asked.
Anyone who is expressing negative opinions about the present Gibson Management has obviously not dealt with them.
You can't beat the attitude that Charlie is exhibiting. What more could he possibly do?
It seems as though lots of people just dont like Gibson. There might have been reasons for that in the past. I don't know for sure. But to apply those past grudges to this management team just seems to be out of tune with the times.
Given a fair chance I think these guys will prove that they are class acts.
That's what my experience tells me.
Until further notice put me down as pro-Gibson.

[jim simpson]

I too have run into players that wouldn't try my Gibson because they don't like Gibson. I don't question them as to why. I figure most prejudice is not founded on good reason. The majority of folks complement the sound of mine without first knowing what brand it is. I too have been impressed with the responses I've seen from Charlie and company. I don't think most folks on this board take the flamers too seriously.
I do think there are a lot of intelligent people on this board and I also find that I get smarter when I hang around smart people!
Jim

[mandoJeremy]

Where's Richard?

[BigJoe]

As much as I hate to agree with Creekwater, I do have to say I doubt anyone is stealing the machines on the A9 because they are so valuable. Why they may have been changed out is hard to say. The bottom line is we did not crawl out of the swamp to irritate others like a certain person to remain nearly un named. We stand behind our product and there is no doubt as to that.

[Greenmando]

The practice of exchanging parts happens with all products available. Some music stores sell the hardcase separately. Often cameras have had different cheaper lens traded with them. Cars that came with nice expensive cast rims are fitted with cheap steel rims.
I bought a telescope to find the nice lenses were swapped out with garbage lens.

I could go on forever on this. This is how many salesmen can beat a price and make you think you are getting a good deal, cheaper than suggested. Often they will take a great part off a instrument to repair a customers and replace the stock item with generic.

Big Joe, I am going to PM you with a question.

[Scott Tichenor]

Time out.

I'm not going to shut this thread down because someone can always start another, but everyone step back a second and cool off. Alot to sort out this a.m. and I've been so busy I've barely had time to look up for a week from work so I need to find out what's going on here.

[Scott Tichenor]

Time out.

I'm not going to shut this thread down because someone can always start another, but everyone step back a second and cool off. Alot to sort out this a.m. and I've been so busy I've barely had time to look up for a week from work so I need to find out what's going on here.