I sent my Martin C1K back...

Capt-Dave

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I recently purchased a Martin C1K concert Ukulele. I am a guitar player and this was to be my first experience with a Uke. I purchased it new online. When the Uke came in it had a flaw in the Martin logo on the headstock. There was a bit of what looked to be white string or cloth under the CF and the letter "t" was missing from the est. 1833. The Uke sounded fantastic but the headstock kind of weighed on me. I finally broke down and contacted the online seller to arrange an exchange.

Am I being too fussy here? I hate to be the guy that complains about every little thing. I think the fact that the instrument was a Martin was what pushed me for the exchange. This is my third Martin, I already own two Martin guitars. In my book Martin stands for quality and that headstock just bugged me.

Would you have sent it back?

(see photo)
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Well, if it sounded fantastic, then I would have definitely kept it..and kind of enjoyed the unique label....But we are all so individual, that you need to be happy with your choice, and it doesn't matter what others think.....it is your instrument and you will live with it..and if every time you played it, you noticed the "flaw' of the missing letter, then it is good you returned it for another.
 
If you are not happy with it, then you did the right thing. For me, I would've probably seen if I could've gotten a discount off the new price, since it was obviously a defect. And if not, would've been okay with that.

But again, if you weren't happy with it, then you did the right thing.
 
Well, if it sounded fantastic, then I would have definitely kept it..and kind of enjoyed the unique label....But we are all so individual, that you need to be happy with your choice, and it doesn't matter what others think.....it is your instrument and you will live with it..and if every time you played it, you noticed the "flaw' of the missing letter, then it is good you returned it for another.

I agree if it sounded"fantastic" I would of kept it...you never know what the next one is going to sound like until you get it...hopefully it sounds close to this one with the bad label..

how does that label get missed?
 
Capt. Dave:

This is a very long thread but IMPORTANT reading for you and others. It has very similar problem as yours on a current Martin, and has many (105, actually) responses with, as one would expect, a split decision.

Worth your read (as the overall sentiments, an average, now will be the same).
http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...eturn-My-New-Martin-Uke&highlight=martin+logo

Bottom line for me (even before your experience): I would not accept it because it will affect your resale someday. And more importantly, I would never buy a modern Martin, particularly a concert or tenor size. Vintage only.
 
Ordinarily small cosmetic flaws don't bother me, and in fact when offered a discount I'll take a "second" every time. However, IMHO Martin already gets too much money for their modern ukes based solely on their name - that being the case I would not accept second quality at first price! I've played a couple of the Mexican made Martins now and they're not terrible but there are better ukes out there for less money.

John
 
coolkayaker1,
Thanks for the link. It's good to know I'm not alone. Sounds like Martin might need to hire a logo inspector. I never even considered that with the missing "t" it might be a collectors item. :)

I do hope the sound of these Martin Ukuleles are consistent. I'm gambling on the next one sounding as good. (I'll keep ya'll posted on that).


BTW: I purposely have not mentioned the website I purchased through because this tread was about my sending it back for something so small. I have no gripe with Martin or the site I purchased it from.
 
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BTW: I purposely have not mentioned the website I purchased through because this tread was about my sending it back for something so small.

Kudos to you for this. I personally would have a bit of gripe with the seller for not inspecting the uke more closely prior to shipment.
 
martin has certainly had a great reputation in the past but i have noticed some of their less expensive guitar models with all kinds of weird stuff used in manufacture ie. stratabond necks, richlite fingerboard, nato wood, HPL, on and on. i know other companies are doing some of the same but i had hoped martin would either make great guitars or no guitars. it's wise to read the fine print anymore just to see what's actually in the instrument. you shouldn't keep a defective uke, any defect. and for hoping the next uke plays as good as this one, they should all play good as tested by the factory. if it doesn't sound as good as the best one youv'e heard, send it back. if the customer doesn't exercise quality control, the manufacturer certainly won't.
 
martin has certainly had a great reputation in the past but i have noticed some of their less expensive guitar models with all kinds of weird stuff used in manufacture ie. stratabond necks, richlite fingerboard, nato wood, HPL, on and on. i know other companies are doing some of the same but i had hoped martin would either make great guitars or no guitars. it's wise to read the fine print anymore just to see what's actually in the instrument. you shouldn't keep a defective uke, any defect. and for hoping the next uke plays as good as this one, they should all play good as tested by the factory. if it doesn't sound as good as the best one youv'e heard, send it back. if the customer doesn't exercise quality control, the manufacturer certainly won't.

I have a Martin HPL guitar, and it is a very good guitar. It does not sound like a spruce-and-rosewood guitar, and I would not expect it to. The notion that making guitars with alternative materials somehow leads to bad guitars is specious. The OP's uke was defective and should have been flagged as defective, either at the factory or at the retailer. I really don't see how these things are related.
 
I've played several of these C1K's and they've all been consistantly the same....bright and light (weight) with good factory set ups.
 
i might have gotten a little extreme with my statements but whenever i see a great company bending quality for the sake of price, i get a little upset. i too have a cheap, plywood guitar that happens to sound great, but i bought it knowing it was a cheap, plywood guitar. i expect more from martin. i would like to see them brand their lesser instruments with another name that would plainly indicate something less than the best. OK, i'm sounding like a cranky,old man. i am.
 
I would have sent it back too. With Martin, the sound quality tends to be pretty consistent (at least for guitars....sure ukes are the same).
 
I sent an Islander back for issues that were a lot less than you describe with your Martin. I agree with you, when you buy a new uke it should be the best it can be.
 
If it sounded and played that good, I would have kept it and taken it to an authorized Martin warranty center to have the logo decal replaced.


Scooter
 
Just my 2 cents: I would return it pronto to the dealer, unless you were totally spellbound by the most angelic sound ever, never heard before out of a uke in your possession. (i.e. cloud 9)

I am very picky and pay good money for my new Martin ukes and I expect/accept no missing letters in the decal. Even if it fell off during shipping, send it back. If you wait too long, Martin will certainly cover it in their warranty at a local repair center. I wouldn't be too worried about that. Though, the luthier has to fight for you on the phone with Martin to cover the repair.

After buying so many new Martin ukes, I've realized they are not all the same. My first cherry 3 uke was totally unacceptable to me with look and sound. Elderly is a great store and took it back and I just asked that I be on the list for another cherry 3. I waited another 4 months (can't remember) and I got my favorite uke of all time - my second cherry 3!!! Woohoo! So, I've realized that these new Martin ukes will not all turn out the same.

For example, I ran across an amazing sounding S1 in a music store but had a buzzing A string. Argh!!! My only advice when buying a new Martin uke... send it back right away and ask for the next batch if you aren't happy. Yeah, I know buying a premium uke, that one shouldn't have to do that, but I have patience once in a while. hehe

Petey
 
I would probably make up a story about how it happened one dark and stormy night as I was walking home from a jam session...
 
IMHO, if it was a $150 Lanikai and sounded good I would keep it. A Martin C1K goes back. First it affects any resale value and second, Martin's QA shouldn't be letting that out. Unless you send it back they won't know of their problems.
 
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