Would you take a chance on this Cobra?

[bear79]

Hey guys,

Check out this Cobra on sale at ebay and tell me if you would take a chance on it with the crack on back.

thanks,
Bear79

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tom-Anderson-Hollow-Cobra-Natural-Guitar-NR_W0QQitemZ170051197161QQihZ007QQcategoryZ2384QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[sylvanshine]

That looks pretty bad. I'd pass.

[tom]

that is a salvage guitar that ups damaged and paid the dealer for. it was bought , probably for next to nothing by a salvage company. it is also not a cobra, it's a drop top t. we do not want to do any repairs on it.

[dave]

at the risk of asking a dumb question - how on earth can a delivery company damage a guitar to that extent? presumably it was in a case at the time?

[tom]

two guitars were in their cases, then packed in a single box. probably weighed 50 lbs. my guess is that it fell off one of those 10-20 in the air conveyor belts on to concrete. the other guitar was tweaked a bit, but we were able to make it play as good a s new. it was just a bit shook up.

[Nova70]

I watched that guitar go up for auction sometime last week or the week before and it was sold. I'm surprised to see it again on Ebay.
I would be very careful about bidding on it and if Tom said he won't fix then stay away.

[michaelomiya]

mmm....

tom's comments + seller's feedback (89%?!?!:eek:) = Shady deal.

[grapeshot]

Wow, really crappy feedback. I would not purchase anything from that seller.

[bear79]

I wanted to thank everyone, especially Tom, for their feedback.

I checked ebay this morning and saw that it sold for $1635! :eek:

Happy Thanksgiving,
Bear79

[edwarddavis]

Funny, The person who actually owned that guitar is buying a Anderson from me. We talked about that exact guitar he showed me pictures and told me the whole story. He indeed said Tom would not touch that guitar . Luckily he got his moey back, but wow what coincedence. Well you can all be happy he is getting a really nice Drop Top T from me which I actually am kinda sorry I am selling. Naybe he will back out LOL .
One more reason not to spend more than $200 on a guitar from Evil bay.:mad:

[tmihm]

Sorry to chime in so late, guys....been away from my PC at home and had a few days off work.

This is actually the second time on eBay for that since the smasheroo. First time it went for $1352.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170042575063&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

I bought that one new. Needless to say....when it came, I opened the shipping carton, which in fact did not look as if it had sustained any damage outside of the usual bumps and bruises, and opened the case......WOW! Beautiful.....better in person than in the pics.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/tmihm/NaturalHollowT.jpg

But alas....flipped it over and saw the crack in the neck pocket (oh....better yet - before I saw it, I was looking at the rosewood neck, and my wife says "Should that be like that?"....pointing at the crack. Ugh.)

I just closed the lid. Never plugged it in. I didn't even want to bond with it for one second. I was so bummed.

So the adjuster came out to my house and photographed it. They dealt with the store I bought it from and eventually paid the claim. I had it taken off of my credit card....and was back at square one.

An interesting twist:

I called the adjuster back a week or so later and asked what happens with the smashed merchandise. She explained that they are loaded into a huge truck and sold, sight-unseen, to professional liquidators. Then here's the good part:

The liquidators sell it on eBay and split the cash with UPS.

Something sounds fishy about all of that.....I'm not sure what, but it sounds like a conflict of interest or something.

Anyway, I spoke to Tom about this after it happened and didn't want to air it out to the gang...I thought it would generate a lot of emails to him and the crew from people looking for a fixer-upper....or for TAGW to do the fixing-upping! This was not one of those.

At least those guys had a picture of the crack and said 'THIS IS CRACKED'. It probebly would have been nice to describe the crack a bit better - folks could think it was just a finish crack and no big deal. Oh well.....my advice -

'Don't buy broken guitars for $16XX unless you know what the hell you are doing..."

Does anyone remember Mr Twistyneck? He used to have some incredibly broken guitars.


Anyway, I am happily awaiting Ed's HDTC as a replacement - hopefully arriving this week. I'll keep you guys posted on it. Ed...I see you're online now. :)

Terry

[tom]

we got the all time winner for us in the broken in shipping catagory on friday. the store owner refused it because he could see the guitar neck through the mangled box:eek: you have to ask yourself why they would even try to deliver a box in that condition.
when we took the case out of the box, we could see that instead of being flat on top and back, it had about a 20 degree angle going on. the case was broken on all four sides, and when opened, the new was aiming up at about a 30 degree angle to the body. truss rod sticking out the back of the neck, missing 7th fret where the neck was folded. surprisingly the body was not damaged at all.

[tmihm]

we got the all time winner for us in the broken in shipping catagory on friday. the store owner refused it because he could see the guitar neck through the mangled box:eek: you have to ask yourself why they would even try to deliver a box in that condition.
when we took the case out of the box, we could see that instead of being flat on top and back, it had about a 20 degree angle going on. the case was broken on all four sides, and when opened, the new was aiming up at about a 30 degree angle to the body. truss rod sticking out the back of the neck, missing 7th fret where the neck was folded. surprisingly the body was not damaged at all.
Holy cow.:eek: :mad: If it was the same carrier that smasherooed mine, I'll be seeing it on eBay on about two weeks. Stay tuned - I'll keep you posted!!!!

Terry

[njjessee]

Tom - would that happen to have been a Crowdster Plus?

[tmihm]

Tom - would that happen to have been a Crowdster Plus?
Uh oh.....:(

[michaelomiya]

we got the all time winner for us in the broken in shipping catagory on friday. the store owner refused it because he could see the guitar neck through the mangled box:eek: you have to ask yourself why they would even try to deliver a box in that condition.
when we took the case out of the box, we could see that instead of being flat on top and back, it had about a 20 degree angle going on. the case was broken on all four sides, and when opened, the new was aiming up at about a 30 degree angle to the body. truss rod sticking out the back of the neck, missing 7th fret where the neck was folded. surprisingly the body was not damaged at all.

good 'ole UPS.
I think that they maybe onto something though - a foldable guitar - just increase that 20 degrees to the full 180 with a tad "more" force...or drop from a higher altitude.

[enr1co]

I bought that one new. Needless to say....when it came, I opened the shipping carton, which in fact did not look as if it had sustained any damage outside of the usual bumps and bruises, and opened the case......WOW! Beautiful.....better in person than in the pics.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/tmihm/NaturalHollowT.jpg



ey Terry,

Sorry to hear of the saga but glad that the claim process moved forward to
make you whole.

That was a gorgeous Hollow T :( When you posted news of your purchase,
this is what got me thinking of what my next order would be.

http://andersonforum.com/board/showthread.php?t=3362

Was awaiting your feedback post on this guitar and its .070 oversize neck but when we didnt hear from you, were hoping you were just too busy playing it :)



Hope the other Andy you are expecting arrives safely and you are able to bond it!:D

e

[tmihm]

Was awaiting your feedback post on this guitar and its .070 oversize neck but when we didnt hear from you, were hoping you were just too busy playing it :)

Hope the other Andy you are expecting arrives safely and you are able to bond it!:D

e
Hi enr1co. Hi guys.

Yeah....needless to say, I was pretty much dumbfounded when I saw that neck joint cracked. The oversized neck would have been too big for me (I keep telling myself that to feel better...). Seriously - I do think it would have been too large for me, but I would have had no way of knowing w/o playing one. I was dying to try the M's in a HDT....but didn't want to torture myself knowing it was going back the next day. Plus, I was just sick looking at what had happened during shipping.

I can say that the Plum HDTC that I bought along with it....is just fantastic.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/tmihm/HDTBody.jpg

It did have to make the road trip back to Tom from Pittsburgh - as he stated in his post, the neck kinda was going in a funny direction (from the bang it took) and needed some TLC. It is just incredible - I haven't played much of anything else since. The M's......I would have no idea they were so verstaile.

Can't wait for the Bora Bora to arrive - the $$$ should hit the seller today - hopefully I get the guitar by the weekend.

Will keep everyone posted. Boy - I've been through more guitars this year than ever in my life. Incoming.....outgoing......my wife just rolls her eyes. (As long as the mortgage money is not 'outgoing' - we use the "sell one to buy one" plan....and it keeps her very happy.) ;) :D

Terry

[enr1co]

Hi enr1co. Hi guys.


I can say that the Plum HDTC that I bought along with it....is just fantastic.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137/tmihm/HDTBody.jpg



Congrats on this one! Glad to hear this one made it to you- Its a beauty!


Can't wait for the Bora Bora to arrive - the $$$ should hit the seller today - hopefully I get the guitar by the weekend.

Im sure this one will be a winner also!





Incoming.....outgoing......my wife just rolls her eyes. (As long as the mortgage money is not 'outgoing' - we use the "sell one to buy one" plan....and it keeps her very happy.) ;) :D

Terry


LOL! This is the same protocol in my household- the "sell one buy on plan" (or converse) along with wife's rolling eyes :D

The "CFO" tells me, "Buy anything you want... but when that VISA statement rolls around, you better have the YOUR funds ready to PAY IT OFF IN FULL!"

[tmihm]

The "CFO" tells me, "Buy anything you want... but when that VISA statement rolls around, you better have the YOUR funds ready to PAY IT OFF IN FULL!"
Amen, bro. For sure! :p

And we need to stress.....for heaven's sake - be sure to use the credit card instead of your ATM card. (That one Strat I bought a few years back....bounced checks....ouch.) :rolleyes: There was never much 'CFO fuss' about my little blunder, but I felt really irresponsible. I haven't screwed up (well....at least like that!) since.

Thanks, e!

Terry

[tmihm]

Third time on eBay. I wish this thing would quit haunting me. :(

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170060342316&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

Terry

[AndyK]

Pretty sad that UPS can take a brand new, hand-made guitar and ruin it like that! :mad:

[michaelomiya]

Third time on eBay. I wish this thing would quit haunting me. :(

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170060342316&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

Terry

DANG! the shady-ness continues!!! (as well as the pooooor feedback rating!)

[tmihm]

I'm guessing people are thinking it's a cosmetic crack in the finish, rather than clean through the pocket.

My heart sank immediately that day. The wife spotted it first as soon as I flipped it over (I was admiring the rosewood neck...). That made it even worse.:mad:

[tmihm]

It's out there again. $811 so far this time. :( :confused: I wish I didn't have to keep seeing it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170060342316&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

RIP.....please!!!!!

Terry

[mbrown3]

My guess is that people keep thinking "Oh, I'll get it for a steal and then have Tom fix it," and they keep realizing that aint gonna happen.

[AndyK]

Someone paid $1675 for it....guess they don't read this forum!?

[Barry]

Someone paid $1675 for it....guess they don't read this forum!?
Why would somone pay that kind of money for a damaged instrument ? Its damage is in the worst possible place in my estimation .

[tmihm]

I actually inadvertantly pasted the link to the third auction. Here is the correct one to the fourth auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tom-Anderson-Hollow-Cobra-Natural-Guitar-NR_W0QQitemZ170067438616QQihZ007QQcategoryZ2384QQs sPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You wonder why these people don't make the description more clear - like, "The wood is cracked the entire way through the neck pocket". People might be hoping for a finish crack or something....and just stick their necks out. You would just think that the people selling would be sick of getting it returned over and over.

Poor thing sure deserved a better fate.

Terry

[jimr98]

:eek:
Gee, I wish I had read this before I bought the Hollow T everyone's been talking about! I've owned 4 Andersons and thought that this would be a great addition! What a steal!

I've already paid for it, so I guess when it comes in, I will take it to my local repair shop (an Anderson dealer) and see what the expense would be to repair the guitar. If it's too far gone, I'll just return it.

Thanks to the 2 guys who directed me to this forum. I will post again once I have the guitar checked out.

[dave]

you would have thought thet ebay had the full story on this guitar and would have put a stop to this scam by now. Doesn't do much for their reputation!

[Pietro]

I don't expect that you will find that guitar to be "repairable"... So sorry... Best of luck to you.

[tmihm]

I don't expect that you will find that guitar to be "repairable"... So sorry... Best of luck to you.
I talked to Tom about this way back when it happened, and he said it's not really fixable. (I believe his words were "It would cost more than buying a new one..."...or something like that.) I'm so sorry you got into that situation, but I'd plan on returning it as soon as you possibly can.

Maybe the most beautful top I've come across too.

Hang in there!

Terry

[tom]

there is "repairable", and there is "repairable so it looks like it didn't happen". the first option is certainly possible, but the crack will show. a good wood/guitar guy could do it, but the neck joint does make the repair trickier. the second option isn't going to happen unless the back color is changed to something dark. that's not something we want to do.

[getgo]

there is "repairable", and there is "repairable so it looks like it didn't happen". the first option is certainly possible, but the crack will show. a good wood/guitar guy could do it, but the neck joint does make the repair trickier. the second option isn't going to happen unless the back color is changed to something dark. that's not something we want to do.

I wondered this myself. Sounds like a good deal for the buyer if he is not so particular about appearance, after all, it is the back side. Sounds like the repair is do-able if you just want a player and not a collector. I actually thought long and hard about that one. Looks great from the front!

[tom]

everyone knows it's not a cobra? it is a drop top t.

[Jim Shine]

I have shipped hundreds of guitars and the worst one I remember was an older Jackson Soloist I sent off to Georgia via USPS Priority Mail. The guy gets a slip to come down to the post office to pick up the package (which threw him for a loop as they never had him do that before). He gets to the desk and the clerk informs him the postmaster wants to see him and points him towards a door leading out back. They lead him to this big bench where he sees a distorted guitar sized box. As he gets closer they flip it over and reveal a tire track running diagnolly across the box!

He had to be the one to open the package, and the guitar was shattered, the skb case was smashed and styrofoam was coming out, it was totally destroyed. USPS handed him the claim paperwork without hesitation. But they decided to fight him on the value of the guitar! It took him almost 4 months to finally get a check from them and they even had the brass to ask him to get a repair estimate for it!

[dave]

everyone knows it's not a cobra? it is a drop top t.
or even a dropped top t?

[tmihm]

or even a dropped top t?
That's bad, dave.;)

[jimr98]

OK...the end of the saga. I received the guitar and as you all pointed out, the crack went all the way through. I took it to the repairman at the Anderson dealer in Dallas and he shot glue into the crack and clamped it. The net result is that you can barely see the crack now and the guitar plays perfectly. So, considering that I have $1,650 into the guitar, including the repair, I am very happy. This instrument has the nicest top I've ever seen (and I've owned 4 Andersons) and the rosewood neck is beautiful. It also has the best sustain of any instrument I've ever owned.

So, all in all, I guess I got lucky. Cheers! -jimr98:rolleyes:

[getgo]

Good for you Jim!!! I thought it looked like a fixer. You've got a gorgeous guitar and most folks will never know about the crack. Play on man!:)

[enr1co]

Glad to hear a nice ending to the saga- Congrats!

[dave]

good to hear the story had a happy ending! Pics?

[tmihm]

Way to go, Jim!!!! So glad this little beauty has a happy home. There are some Andy tops that are just insane, but that one is really over the top.

How do you like that neck? I'm not sure if I could have adapted to the oversize....but again, I didn't even plug it in.

I hope you have great luck and enjoyment with it. Ahhhh.....it's a good day foe guitarists. :)

[AndyK]

Nice. Is it true that glued wood is STRONGER than the surrounding wood? Or, will weeks/months/years of playing increase the possibility of the split opening up again?

Either way, enjoy it - the guitar has an interesting legacy!

[tom]

a good glue joint is as strong as the wood. a bad joint is not.

[tmihm]

I wonder how that's doing these days....?:confused: :)

[bear79]

And the story continues. It's been listed again.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tom-Anderson-Hollow-Drop-Top-T-w-c-Solid-Rosewood-Neck_W0QQitemZ250195054956QQihZ015QQcategoryZ2384Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[dave]

at least he's being straight about the repair work.

[tmihm]

I saw that! I sent the link to my tech yesterday and planned on posting here tonight. I think Jim is a forum guy too...wonder if it worked out OK for him.

That top just kills. Dag.