They keep coming back

Sold two nice wooden guitars to a fellow on the Larrivee forum:
D-03R-12 (Rosewood Dreadnought)
LS-03  (Semi-Custom Forum Guitar)

They get there, and he says they are Fabulous.  Woot!  Customer is happy so I go ahead and order a custom Emerald.

Two days later he wants to return one of the guitars.  And of course, it's the 12 string.  What is it with buyer's remorse and 12 Strings?

I offered him a discount, but in the end told him that as long as he ate the shipping both ways I'd take it back.  Arrived today.

No more long distance selling of 12-strings.  If anyone local wants a killer deal on a solid rosewood 12 let me know.

Glorius Day - Janus

Janus wins at the SCOTUS!

I hate unions, with a passion.  But the one thing I hate more than unions is being FORCED to join one against my will.

Forced unionism  prima facie runs smack up against the 1st Amendment's protection of the right of association.  And no, the whole, "well you don't have to join the union, just pay us a bunch of money anyway" isn't a sufficient fig leaf.

Janus was decided on Free Speech though.  Sure, forcing someone to pay for political activities he opposes is also clearly unconstitutional (Despite what 4 robed activists might otherwise think) but it's a secondary argument.  If you can't force me to associate, you can't force me to pay.


Regardless, it's a major victory for freedom and the Constitution.

As for the Unions. Bite me!

Now my dad loved the union, but they actually earned that.  They earned it by funding their own retirement system.  They earned it, not demanded it.

For everyone who thinks a union is a good thing, earn it.  Because it's going to be voluntary association, and if you want people to associate, you better make it worth their while.

Frustration - 12 String Edition

A guy I have known for years on-line posted a want-to-buy add on the Acoustic Guitar Forum for a Guild F-212.  This is Guilds "Small Jumbo" body size.  Same size as a Taylor GA, though obviously Guild was decades before Taylor.

I happen to have one.  A nice 1973 F-212.  Condition is excellent other than a few bits of missing finish on the back of the headstock.  Basically outstanding for a guitar of this age and vintage.

It may need a neck reset.  It's borderline.  The guy looking for an F-212 doesn't care if it needs a neck reset if the price is right.  I offer to sell him mine for $850 plus actual shipping.  That's a very fair price assuming it needs a $400-500 neck reset.  With a good neck angle these are worth $1200-1500.

Sent him a bunch of pictures and measurements and he jumps on the deal.

Packed everything up nice and tight in a proper guitar box I got from Elderly Instruments.  Went to UPS and they said $122.  I'm like "your online calculator said 80".   Their response, "I don't know man, says $122."

"So... I can drive home, pay on line, drop it back off with the shipper and save 45 bucks?"

"I guess so.. We close at 8"

Got mad and went to FedEx.  Came to $77.18

Nervous as all get out shipping a 45 year old instrument from AZ to OR.  It should be ok, but FedEx...

Anyway, it arrived safe and sound today.

And...  my buyer has a problem.  He thinks the bridge has been shaved and that's going to be an issue, so he want to ship it back.  I'm of the opinion that the bridge has not been shaved, and even if he needed to change the bridge when he has the neck reset that's going to be less than the cost of shipping it back.  Remove bridge, glue new one, that's not an expensive job.

But I think I'm going to just end up taking it back, with the "buyer" paying shipping both ways.

People are hard.