What qualifies as a blem?

[plaidbeer]

Just got my Mascis JM in today (was new and was shipped by my usual online shop). Feels good to play, but I noticed a couple of marks near the horns on the pickguard. One is couple of scratches at the top left and the other is some odd black marking on the top right They're not really noticeable from just a few feet away, but I noticed them right away when inspecting it close up. Are these sorts of flaws normal or are these blems?

[colin]

Looks like pretty standard stuff to me for a new guitar that's been on display in a store. Could still be worth trying to get some money back though.

[backwardsvoyager]

that stuff is pretty common with anodized guards like that.

i never thought it mattered to be honest, it's an incredible guitar for what you pay and to expect discounts over tiny cosmetic flaws which are inevitable at that standard of construction would be pretty unfair i think.
if it was a $2000 guitar, sure, but not on a Squier. i think the definition of blem is a bit too wide, even with pedals, it's kinda sad to see builders lose their profit margins over tiny unavoidable cosmetic things, when the things are just made to be stomped on anyway. i know Squier is a big company but if everyone tried to stiff them over tiny details there wouldn't be any cheap jazzmasters being made in the first place.

[plaidbeer]

A friend said the same thing about anodized guards. I thought there would be plastic over it like on the Squier CVs but there wasn't.

Got it from Sweetwater and they just got them back in stock, so I don't think it was on their sales floor yet. Every guitar I've bought from them has been flawless (even the CV 50s Tele) except for this. However, I've been playing it just through a Mustang I tonight and I already love it. Feels great, sounds great.

[D.o.S.]

that stuff is pretty common with anodized guards like that.

i never thought it mattered to be honest, it's an incredible guitar for what you pay and to expect discounts over tiny cosmetic flaws which are inevitable at that standard of construction would be pretty unfair i think.
if it was a $2000 guitar, sure, but not on a Squier. i think the definition of blem is a bit too wide, even with pedals, it's kinda sad to see builders lose their profit margins over tiny unavoidable cosmetic things, when the things are just made to be stomped on anyway. i know Squier is a big company but if everyone tried to stiff them over tiny details there wouldn't be any cheap jazzmasters being made in the first place.

This is more or less how I feel.

[Nelson Instruments]

Having experience with anodized aluminum I can tell you that any minor scratch that is on the guard when it is anodized will remain.
If you try to polish it out you'll out a divot into the aluminum which will show.
A little scratch here or there is perfectly normal with an anodized guard. Unless you want it handled by white gloves from beginning until end it is somewhat unavoidable.

[rfurtkamp]

Black may be polishing compound or similar or just discoloration from the container shipping method.

As has been noted, on a $399 instrument, standard, and anodized pickguards at almost any price point (once you've played it for a while especially) the standard fare.

There's a reason the plastic won out beyond manufacturing cost I suspect - it just looks longer nicer if you care about such things.

But this is the granddaddy of the cheap offset invasion. I remember getting mine a month or so after they came out because I was afraid that they'd be a one-shot thing and vanish into the wilds.

I'm a 24" scale offset guy myself but it's a fine guitar and I still pick it up for some things out of preference.

Still need to get a second Roland synth pickup for it though - the moved trem placement means it's the only production cheapie that'll take it behind the plate because of spacing (and it fits, barely, on the post mount).

To answer the original question though - a lot of the "blems" sold are simply overstock that are dumped without warranty etc. as to not dilute things in the line or to avoid MSRP on overstock or one-time buys by the dealer.

[Mike]

Ask yourself this: If you bought this guitar at the fictional music store down the street, would you take it back? Would you have even bought it in the first place, or waited for one with without the scuffs?

Personally, I think I would expect better than a scuffed up pickguard, especially when the manufacturer does not make replacements available. To use a car analogy (the Caddillac of analogies, btw), this is like buying a brand new car with scratches on the hood. Even the cheapest Kias have scratch-free hoods.

If it is too difficult or expensive for Fender to make near-perfect anodized aluminum pickguards, then they shouldn't offer them. If Sweetwater doesn't catch it and fix it during the inspection that is built into the price you pay, then what are they inspecting?

I understand that quality control will be lower on lower priced guitars than on higher price guitars, and I understand that Squiers can be hit or miss (I own a bunch of them). I don't see a single scuff on any of the pickguards for the remaining 3 JMJMs they have on their site. I think this should have been caught during inspection.

Mike

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, the inspection thing that Sweetwater allegedly does on guitars in that price range does give leverage that I wouldn't normally say is there.

I wouldn't call it a dealbreaker regardless (especially if you like *that* one, even in an era of CNC machining, *that* one sometimes is magical to you).

[Ghost Hip]

Ask yourself this: If you bought this guitar at the fictional music store down the street, would you take it back? Would you have even bought it in the first place, or waited for one with without the scuffs?

Personally, I think I would expect better than a scuffed up pickguard, especially when the manufacturer does not make replacements available. To use a car analogy (the Caddillac of analogies, btw), this is like buying a brand new car with scratches on the hood. Even the cheapest Kias have scratch-free hoods.

If it is too difficult or expensive for Fender to make near-perfect anodized aluminum pickguards, then they shouldn't offer them. If Sweetwater doesn't catch it and fix it during the inspection that is built into the price you pay, then what are they inspecting?

I understand that quality control will be lower on lower priced guitars than on higher price guitars, and I understand that Squiers can be hit or miss (I own a bunch of them). I don't see a single scuff on any of the pickguards for the remaining 3 JMJMs they have on their site. I think this should have been caught during inspection.

Mike

Man, you are really passionate about a faint little scratch on something that is going to be scratched anyways. I would buy it in the store if I inspected it. I have been a customer and a salesperson, and honestly for a fainst scratch like that on a scratchplate it would be more hassle than its worth to ship it back and order another.

Also as a former salesperson and someone who still works in music retail, a lot of guitars are flawed right out of the box, from Squiers and Epiphones to Martins and Gibsons. Which is why our guitar techs are always taking guitars off the shelves and setting them up because its embarrassing. Hell, do you know how many BC Rich guitars have chipped headstocks right out of the box because all they do is put a thin layer of styrofoam to protect them? 90% of them. I have had to send back a BC rich five times for one customer, same shitty packing job each time. A small faint scracth on the pickguard, that cannot be seen from three feet away? If thats what you want to spend a half hour or more and three days of shipping on, go for it. If I were a salesperson i'd be happy to help you out with a smile on my face. For me? I'll just play the damn guitar.

[KaosCill8r]

Yeah just tell yourself the relic process has already begun and rock out on the thing dude. There is more in life to worry about. Like a frozen chunk of human waste falling from an airplane wing and hitting you in the head.

[plaidbeer]

That's dark.

[D.o.S.]

This could certainly be an argument from buying from a real brick and mortar shop, though.

[plaidbeer]

The last guitar I bought (VM Mustang) was from a local independent shop and I do buy accessories there, along with GC. However money was a bit tight at the time and I used my card with this place. Also, I've always had good service through them.

[Mike]

Man, you are really passionate about a faint little scratch on something that is going to be scratched anyways. I would buy it in the store if I inspected it. I have been a customer and a salesperson, and honestly for a fainst scratch like that on a scratchplate it would be more hassle than its worth to ship it back and order another.

Meh... I don't see how I was being really passionate. I just explained a different point of view than yours. I mean, the scratch is why the original poster started this topic, right?

For me, no matter how hard I play my guitars, I don't ever scratch the pickguards with my pick. Poly guitars don't seem to wear unless you beat the crap out of them. After 20 years, a modern guitar that is taken care of will probably look pretty much how it looked when it was new, flaws and all.

All of the Squiers I bought brand new have little problems, as do the Fenders. In the past few years, I have bought a VM Jazzmaster (dark flecks and paint ripple on the back) a Cyclone (bad neck pocket paint), CV 50s Tele (near perfect), VM Jag Bass SS (dimples in the neck, crooked tuners), and a VM Jaguar (scrape between bridge and tremolo). My Fender standard strat came with a hariline crack in the neck pocket, just like my Am. Std. strat had when I bought it 20+ years ago.

These were all fine with me. You just have to decide what is acceptable to you. In an age where many guitars are bought sight unseen from retailers with extremely liberal return policies, we each get to decide when and why we send a guitar back.

Mike