Guitar Center sent wrong item... but it was better?!?

[sepsis311]

Did you guys ever buy something from guitar center's used site, and get something in the mail better than what you ordered? I saw a cool late 90's ESP Eclipse on the website, I called the store and asked for better pictures. One of the guys emailed me over pictures along with pictures of the case.

Well I received the guitar, except it was in a better high quality ESP case, not the generic branded case. The stock ESP LH-200 chrome covered pickups were changed before shipping to Gibson 490r/500t uncovered pickups. I guess the stock ESP LH-200 pickups weren't working so they must've taken the Gibsons from their parts drawer.

Score!

Anyone else ever get free upgrades from GC?

 

[MetalHead40]

Congrats!
Nice score

 

[feraledge]

I got a Jackson MIJ SL2H from the Sam Ash run once for much cheaper than I should be. GC employees apparently are absolutely unaware of how Jackson might name and grade their models. I think they had it marked as a DKMG! I've seen guitars are upgraded and down graded by what a quick google search made look like it was the same thing.
But that's kind of common too. There's a pawn shop in town with a MIJ DK2M right now marked as a JS and priced fairly accordingly.

 

[electriceye]

Nice, hot pups, too!! Enjoy!

 

[Señor Voorhees]

I've gotten b-stock that wasn't really b-stock for pretty insane discounts. ($300 off with no visible flaws and full factory warranty? Yes please.)

Not Guitar Center, but Kiesel, shipped me a guitar with luminlays when I didn't ask for them. That was a plus in my book since I did really want them but didn't want to pay the up-charge. (on that same build, I also got SS frets for free since on the site they were mislabeled and Chris is great.)

 

[Randy]

 

[CircuitalPlacidity]

I got an LP classic for the price of one LP studio cause they tagged it as a studio in store.

 

[bostjan]

I bought a cheap $100 Tara mandolin there that was actually a ~$300 Kentucky. Even though the headstock said the brand, none of the employees there seemed to know what was going on.

 

[dmlinger]

A friend scored a USA SL1 for the price of a MIJ soloist....GC had the wrong tag on the guitar and it slipped through.

 

[HotKarl]

My favorite was ordering a used Fender spalted FMT Tele, no mention of a case, for much less than half of what they sell for new. It arrived in a nice case. I was pretty stoked. I even brought a case from home with me that day to transport it home safely (I have it delivered to the office, much more reliable when I am not home). Nice surprise

 

[Science_Penguin]

Best find I ever had at Guitar Center was my Ibanez RG Premium, which I bought for two-hundred bucks.

The previous owner did his own shoddy installation of an EMG set, and- so the story goes- set the action SUPER high and tuned down to Drop Q. Apparently getting the thing back in working condition was such a pain for GC, they just wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible... or maybe the price point is to be expected of a glorified Inonesian import with poorly-executed mods. Either way, it gets the job done. I keep it around as a backup or if I ever need something with a trem.