Here at Raines Guitars we're always striving to improve and innovate.Getting some new models out, improving some and closing out some of the older ones is a neverending but exciting process that we're quite passionate about. After 8 years in business the guitars keep getting better.
Most of our customers find us through search engines,word of mouth,through web links or on Ebay. I'm hoping this article will shed some light on some situations which recently transpired on Ebay as the Ebay feedback form simply doesn't allow the space for an adequate response. And they have a new policy where sellers can't leave truthful feedback-only positives. This stops seller retaliation which is a good thing, but opens a pandora's box of extortion by buyers.
First of all, I should start by saying that 7 string guitars are great but are not for everyone. It may seem like a great idea when you think about solo gigs, bass lines and that increased range. But when you get the guitar in your hands,it may seem awkward and (for some) the reality can set in that it may take some work.
We recently sold 2 guitars on Ebay(7 strings of course!). One (#280317786908))was our entry level Crossroads Acoustic Electric with 3 way pickup,abalone inlay and rosewood fretboard.http://www.mattraines.com/pages/product_display_crossroads.cfm The other was the Studio7 Classical http://www.mattraines.com/pages/product_display_studio_classical.cfm which had just undergone a complete setup by Danny Shoemaker of www.straightfrets.com . He is an accomplished classical player and craftsman, handling many repairs of guitars costing $20,000+
The Crossroads guitar has a slightly narrow string spacing. It looks and plays great and sounds good too. I used it on a televised gig at The Riverbend Church here in Austin. The buyer of this guitar paid about 50% of the web cost,got free air shipping and a nice gig bag. He decided it wasn't for him and demanded a full refund. Meanwhile,he relisted it on Ebay (250482785879)and sold it for $40 more than he paid saying it was a great guitar,etc. I offered a refund minus shipping (even though the auction states NO REFUNDS due to the huge discount) and he left a neg. feedback and sent some nasty emails. He said the guitar is not as good as a Marchione. That's correct. It's an entry level 7 string designed to be road worthy and easy to play while being very affordable.
The Studio7 Classical was one of the best playing 7 strings available after Danny made a cusom Ivory nut.saddle and worked some magic on the frets.The tone was rich,loud and with incredible depth. We added a hard case for free and shipped it quickly via fedex 2day air. Well, the buyer bought a 6 String ELECTRIC Classical at the same time(250484870627 Cordoba Koa CE Classical Acoustic-Electric Guitar 97128). A 7 string classical was not suited for him and he wanted a refund. I offered a free upgrade to our handmade Master Classical and offered to cover ALL shipping costs via air. He didn't want a 7 string. You can hear his music at http://www.myspace.com/myrtlesreflux Sounds ok to me, but I can't imagine a 7 string classical acoustic doing much for this style-too many issues with technique and miking,etc. But a 6 string that you can plug in and record? That makes sense. And he bought one at the same time. Why should we lose $115 in shipping,plus ebay fees and all that time, let alone the risk of damage, so he can 'try out' a guitar that was heavily discounted and sold with no refund clearly stated?
My point is, don't buy a 7 string with 'no refunds' if you're not sure you want one. If you're a mediocre 6 string player,it's not going to get any better with more strings.If you want a $16000 Benedetto guitar, don't buy the lowest priced 7 string on ebay. We stand by our guitars and DO offer a trial period/refund if purchased from our site. We also have the widest selection of 7's in the world and the best prices. Our Master Series can compete with the priciest guitars out there. Our lowest priced guitars are a great value but are not $3000 guitars.
In closing,I know we can't make everybody happy although we would like nothing more. If we could afford to ship discounted guitars all over the planet for folks to borrow, we would. But right now, most EBAY guitars are sold with no refunds. They are still under warranty and guaranteed. Thanks for reading-Matt Raines www.mattraines.com
