Members jhamnett Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Was trying to figure out where my Epiphone acoustic was made (serial number has the factory code "H"). It's a 1996 so I'm sure it was made in Korea, but still would like to know the particular factory. So I send this email (edited serial number here): Hello,I'm not trying to either identify or authenticate my guitar. I purchased it from Guitar Center in 1996 (Epiphone PR-200 NS). My question, if you had read it, deals more with where the guitar was made, and that information can be gleaned from the serial number alone. Basically, there isn't much information on the Epiphone factory code "H". All I'm asking is if you had any information about that factory code.Best,Me For {censored}'s sake, it's a simple question with a simple answer!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stratedge09 Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 This is why Gibson fails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Operator Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Everything's coming up Gibson! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members homestar_kevin Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 MehhhhhDoesn't seem that out of line to me.They make millions of guitars a year, sending them a picture isn't that out of the question.Maybe different factories made different models.I also bet 8 other epiphones have your exact serial number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Operator Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Send them this picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted April 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Mehhhhh Doesn't seem that out of line to me. They make millions of guitars a year, sending them a picture isn't that out of the question. Maybe different factories made different models. I also bet 8 other epiphones have your exact serial number. All I'm saying is that I provided enough information to have my question answered. Heck, I could've just asked, "What factory is represented by Epi factory code "H"?" without the other stuff. That part of the reason for having serial numbers anyway, knowing where and when the guitar was made. And if they have 8 different Epis with that code, then {censored} them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members homestar_kevin Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 All I'm saying is that I provided enough information to have my question answered. Heck, I could've just asked, "!hat factory is represented by Epi factory code "H"?" without the other stuff. That part of the reason for having serial numbers anyway, knowing where and when the guitar was made.And if they have 8 different Epis with that code, then {censored} them. Hahaha true. {censored} sucks sometimes though It's the fender japan debacle. I'm sure overlapping serials is a concern of any manufacturer with operations on several continents. Cool guitar though? Epiphones are the weirdest guitars in that some can be so ungodly terrible and some can be absolutely {censored}tastic amazing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr.Picklebottom Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 canned email responses are the worst. dealing with microsoft/ xbox360 customer support is 1000x worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted April 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Hahaha true. {censored} sucks sometimes thoughIt's the fender japan debacle.I'm sure overlapping serials is a concern of any manufacturer with operations on several continents.Cool guitar though?Epiphones are the weirdest guitars in that some can be so ungodly terrible and some can be absolutely {censored}tastic amazing It's just an entry level acoustic that I'm trying to sell locally. Partially so I can buy my gf's Takamine acoustic that she bought and has never used. If I can confidently say "Made in Korea" I might be able to get more cash out of it, since with Epiphones, Korea seems to be magical. My buddy traded a TV for a Korean Epi Dot that is just... wow. Totally stock and totally awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted April 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 canned email responses are the worst. dealing with microsoft/ xbox360 customer support is 1000x worse. I usually just go to chat with Microsoft. Emails are way too slow and, yeah, canned responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members THAT4301 Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Canned responses on the phone are 1000x worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IamBurnout Posted April 29, 2011 Members Share Posted April 29, 2011 Canned responses on the phone are 1000x worse Calling your ISP to find out why your connection isn't receiving info from their end is even worse. Did you try everything that anyone who would have given us the amount of information you have provided obviously would have already done? No, I just unplugged everything and called you because I'm lonely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoqBelliqueux Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 canned email responses are the worst. dealing with microsoft/ xbox360 customer support is 1000x worse. Try Sony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zappa74 Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 Send them this picture Who pissed in Mark Knopfler's corn flakes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CoqBelliqueux Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 Is that the pickup flying out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ming Chow Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I did the same with a epi sg jr. I sent pics with serial numbers, the whole nine yards. They finally said that it was made in Korea, but they couldn't say which factory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members placebo62 Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I thought the response was reasonable and helpful. Maybe them seeing the guitar could help identify which factory it came from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I thought the response was reasonable and helpful. Maybe them seeing the guitar could help identify which factory it came from? This. I must admit, this seems like a perception issue... Gibson probably think they're being reasonable, and you (jhamnett) obviously think you are - and that they're being unreasonable... but as placebo pointed out, maybe that pic is something they need to help ID the guitar; and such ID may be a prerequisite for getting the factory ID you want. I assume you've already tried the http://www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx site? When I enter your serial number (XXXX's replaced with 1234) , I get the following: Guitar Info Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database October 1996 Production Number: 1234 Show Serial Number Breakdown H 6 1 0 1 2 3 4 H Factory Identifier 6 Year 10 Month 1234 Production Number This is the absolute first and only time I have ever seen that site fail to come up with a factory for a 90s era Epiphone. If they don't have it, that makes me suspicious... maybe acoustics were done differently, or there is a hole in the records, or even that there may be something wrong about the serial number - mis-stamped with an H instead of something else, or it's a hand-written M that you're mistaking for a H or whatever... Asking for more details about the guitar may allow Gibson more to "work with" in trying to answer what is apparently a more difficult / trickier question that what it might appear to be on the surface. My advice is to give them the benefit of the doubt and send them what they a re asking for, and then give them a few days to try to figure it out. Hopefully they'll be able to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Send them this picture I just noticed something in this picture... look at the neck near where it joins the body. Does that look like it's been sawed half way through to anyone else? And yet... IIRC, he never did snap the neck off that guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I just noticed something in this picture... look at the neck near where it joins the body. Does that look like it's been sawed half way through to anyone else? And yet... IIRC, he never did snap the neck off that guitar. I noticed that too but I don't know if it's just a trick of the picture, or a piece of flying something or what. It seems like they went to the trouble to use a bolt on neck to avoid the SG neck immediately exploding on impact in the first place so why saw through it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members V Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 Does anyone know where I can find the firebird x debut video? I could use a good laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted April 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 This. I must admit, this seems like a perception issue... Gibson probably think they're being reasonable, and you (jhamnett) obviously think you are - and that they're being unreasonable... but as placebo pointed out, maybe that pic is something they need to help ID the guitar; and such ID may be a prerequisite for getting the factory ID you want. I assume you've already tried the http://www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx site? When I enter your serial number (XXXX's replaced with 1234) , I get the following: Guitar Info Your guitar was made at a factory not yet added to the database October 1996 Production Number: 1234 Show Serial Number Breakdown H 6 1 0 1 2 3 4 H Factory Identifier 6 Year 10 Month 1234 Production Number This is the absolute first and only time I have ever seen that site fail to come up with a factory for a 90s era Epiphone. If they don't have it, that makes me suspicious... maybe acoustics were done differently, or there is a hole in the records, or even that there may be something wrong about the serial number - mis-stamped with an H instead of something else, or it's a hand-written M that you're mistaking for a H or whatever... Asking for more details about the guitar may allow Gibson more to "work with" in trying to answer what is apparently a more difficult / trickier question that what it might appear to be on the surface. My advice is to give them the benefit of the doubt and send them what they a re asking for, and then give them a few days to try to figure it out. Hopefully they'll be able to do so. Yeah, I went to that site and did some more searching on the internet for the "H" factory code. Obviously I believe it's enough information. Why have unique factory codes on your serial numbers if additional information is required? Had it been a well known code, such as EE, would I get the same response? Normally, yes, I'd be a bit more level and measured about something like this, but what irked me was that the canned response dealt with "Identifying and Authenticating" my acoustic. Well, I know the model number and I know it's authentic, unless Gibson was shipping fake Epiphones to Guitar Center in the mid 90s. In that case, there'd be a problem. Overall, I'm just frustrated with crappy CS that thinks they solved your problem without listening to what you actually say. Happened with me and Chase about a month back too. Really, with the exception of a few companies, CS has gone down the {censored}ter in America. Used to be that a good product and good CS would breed success, but somewhere down the line that all changed. ( ant) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I like that you're tossed that they can't give you a small piece of trivial information that will be of no use to you anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhamnett Posted April 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I like that you're tossed that they can't give you a small piece of trivial information that will be of no use to you anyway. Excuse me for trying to be a good, diligent seller... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members THAT4301 Posted April 30, 2011 Members Share Posted April 30, 2011 I like that you're tossed that they're prepared to give you a small piece of trivial information that will be of no use to you anyway if you'd just calm the {censored} down for two minutes and send them a picture instead of talking about what "TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE" it is that you want a guitar identified and they forwarded your request to the identifying and authenticating department Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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