New Xaviere Guitars

[Ro3b]

Different strokes, I guess. I don't think I'm settling at all, but then I'm more into guitars than jewelry. I've never seen a factory-built instrument that didn't have some kind of cosmetic imperfection, and the very minor roughness inside my guitar's f-hole will be unnoticable after I've gigged with it for a few years.

 

[duhvoodooman]

Now I agree the priority is on playability BUT no matter how much you shell out for something, you shouldn't have to settle. I expect BOTH playability and fit and finish to be spot on. Why people feel they need to settle because the guitar is ONLY $200 I have no idea. Also, if he really cannot address the issues at the current price point and would have to bump the tag by, say, 30-50 more dollars who cares? That's STILL cheap by any calculation. Wouldn't you prefer to pay a little more for better quality?

I would agree that you shouldn't have to settle for poor workmanship issues at almost any price point. Having worked in manufacturing-related quality assurance for 27 years now, I can also tell you that start-up quality issues are very common. I would hope that Jay takes his own observations plus comments/complaints from customers back to the supplying factory so that they can make the necessary process improvements to reduce or eliminate these problems. The good news here is that they seem to have "gotten it right" on the functional aspects of these new models (at least based upon early customer feedback), and now it's a matter of addressing the minor, more cosmetic quality issues. Hopefully, each new batch shows improvements over the last--that's the essence of "continual improvement".

 

[Bloozcat]

OK, I've got a question here...

Is Xaviere pronounced:

Ex-ave-ier

Hav-iea

Hav-e-ere

Zav-e-ere

or

Zav-iea

I'm so confused....

ETA: OK, I'm voting for - ZHA-vee-yeah...

 

[Spudman]

OK, I've got a question here...

Is Xaviere pronounced:

Ex-ave-ier

Hav-iea

Hav-e-ere

Zav-e-ere

or

Zav-iea

I'm so confused....

ETA: OK, I'm voting for - ZHA-vee-yeah...

It doesn't matter. We're typing here. Nobody can hear us.

 

[Ro3b]

It's a French feminzation of "Xavier." Pronounce it zhah-vee-AIR. With a palatal French R if you want to be fuzzy.

 

[Spudman]

It's a French feminzation of "Xavier." Pronounce it zhah-vee-AIR. With a palatal French R if you want to be fuzzy.

I like fuzzy.

Ro3b, what happens if you grab the headstock and flex the neck/body connection? Is it solid or does it bow real easily?

 

[Ro3b]

Hm, I haven't tried that before now. The neck flexes, but I don't see any movement in the joint itself.

And of course I meant "fussy." But I kind of like "fuzzy" better.

 

[TS808]

I've been following threads on these from other forums. I buy from GFS and generally find Jay's products to be quite good. He certainly does ship extremely fast. I have a problem with these guitars. I should say the problem is based on the comments of people who received them. It's obvious that to make these guitars and sell them at the price point they're at, corners need to be cut. Models with binding - 700s - seem to be hit and miss with the consumer. I've read of discoloration, etc. On the 500s with the F-holes, most seem to have received their instruments with runs and drips (pools of paint collected) on, around, and in the F-hole. What bothers me is that these people dismiss it with the "I don't care how it looks as long as it plays good" attitude. Now I agree the priority is on playability BUT no matter how much you shell out for something, you shouldn't have to settle. I expect BOTH playability and fit and finish to be spot on. Why people feel they need to settle because the guitar is ONLY $200 I have no idea. Also, if he really cannot address the issues at the current price point and would have to bump the tag by, say, 30-50 more dollars who cares? That's STILL cheap by any calculation. Wouldn't you prefer to pay a little more for better quality?

I can't see buying these when you can get a very good MIM Strat or Tele for a few more dollars. Aftermarket parts would be easier to find and fit too.

I have to agree. I've bought many guitars over the years because they looked cool or the price was right, only to be highly disappointed down the road when the novelty of having the new instrument wore off. Also, after sinking in aftermarket pickups, pickguards, tone pots, bridges, tuners, and other "upgrades", the final cost came out to be what I could have paid to get something a little better. Quality control IS a selling point for me anymore after having bought a number of guitars and amps that I later took a loss on trying to sell or trade them.

But that's the cool thing about forums like this....we can share our experiences with a particular guitar or amp, that will perhaps prove to be beneficial to a potential buyer.

 

[Ro3b]

Well, what can I say? You're right. I'm ashamed, bitterly, bitterly ashamed, that I bought one of these guitars. Even more ashamed that I think it's such a well-built, high-quality instrument, and that I'm having such a great time playing it, and that I think it sounds awesome, and that I feel just a little bit cooler every time I pick the thing up and strap it on. Obviously my standards and expectations are laughably low.

My god, I feel so foolish. Flow, flow, my tears of regret.

 

[Spudman]

Well, what can I say? You're right. I'm ashamed, bitterly, bitterly ashamed, that I bought one of these guitars. Even more ashamed that I think it's such a well-built, high-quality instrument, and that I'm having such a great time playing it, and that I think it sounds awesome, and that I feel just a little bit cooler every time I pick the thing up and strap it on. Obviously my standards and expectations are laughably low.

My god, I feel so foolish. Flow, flow, my tears of regret.

It's really big of you to come out and admit your mistakes. It takes a strong person to admit they bought a guitar possibly in error. Therefore you are forgiven and you now have permission to play your guitar and enjoy it until the end of time. You are also given permission to state on this board your feelings of glee and exuberance every time you play your new guitar. We will therefore ignore your short sightedness in making a guitar purchase that ultimately left you happy.

 

[stingx]

I have both inexpensive (note I didn't say cheap) and expensive guitars in my collection. The point I was trying to make with the GFS guitars is that I don't buy into Jay's comments that this is what you get because at the price he's selling them at he cannot do a better job. That's ******** to me. You could be as happy as a pig in **** with your drippy F-hole guitar and you can tell everyone how you don't care what it looks like, etc. That's not the point. The point is you shouldn't have to settle for shoddy workmanship because you didn't pay a lot for the guitar PERIOD. Jay's guitars sell slightly less than a MIM Fender Standard guitar. You'll find hit and misses with just about any make and model but most, using the MIMs as an example, are very good - they are well appointed and play well. According to Jay's logic you cannot get that same quality because you aren't paying enough for it. To that I say then up the price.
As long as people have the mindset that it's OK that the product isn't as good as it can be because I'm cheap and paid a cheap price for it then Jay has no incentive to improve the product. Only a think-headed person would fail to comprehend this logic.

 

[Spudman]

Jay's guitars sell slightly less than a MIM Fender Standard guitar.

Um, remind me not to go shopping with you because a MIM Fender Strat is 2.25 times more than the model that we are talking about here.

Although I understand what your are driving at I'm not a big fan of the idea of skipping on what could be a highly usable instrument simply for that fact that the finish isn't perfect.

So what if the factory didn't spend all day making sure it was perfect or that finish quality control wasn't up to speed some days. If people became so demanding that their sub $200 instrument was perfect in every way they might never buy an instrument in the first place thereby missing the enjoyment that the rest of us perfect instrument users already have.

Without talking directly to Jay I'm going to assume that the price on these model guitars might reflect the fact that there are some blems and it is much more sensible to reduce the price and move the inventory than to try to facilitate shipping tons of merchandise back over seas. For all we know they were originally supposed to have a higher retail price and this has been adjusted to account for the less than perfect finishes.

 

[stingx]

:thwap:

 

[Ro3b]

Let's be clear: the finish flaws on my Xaviere amount to two tiny spots on the inner edge of the f-hole where the white primer is showing, and unevenly applied black paint on the inside of the instrument, which you can't even see unless you're right on top of it and peering in with a dental mirror. I've seen worse workmanship on instruments costing much more. (In fact, if you want to see a sloppy, icky finish, check out a three-thousand-dollar Gibson F-9 mandolin. That's Gibson's "budget" model. Seriously, just go to a music store and have a look. I was going to buy one when they came out, but when I actually sat down to play one, I discovered that I didn't like to touch it. It's pretty horrible.)

My Xavi is a gem. Maybe I lucked out, but given my prior experience with Jay's products, I don't think so.

When I bought my Guild acoustic some twenty-odd years ago, the sales clerk knocked $50 off the price because of a minuscule flaw in the soundhole purfling. That guitar now has all kinds of dings and dents, finish cracks, sweat-fogged lacquer, and all the marks of a happy active gigging life. It's been played in bars, pubs, back seats of cars, churches, outdoor festivals, and in all the kinds of weather there are. The purfling flaw is still there, but compared to the marks the years have put on the guitar, it's not something any sane person could care about. In a few years I expect to be able to say the same about the Xavi.

 

[TS808]

Well, what can I say? You're right. I'm ashamed, bitterly, bitterly ashamed, that I bought one of these guitars. Even more ashamed that I think it's such a well-built, high-quality instrument, and that I'm having such a great time playing it, and that I think it sounds awesome, and that I feel just a little bit cooler every time I pick the thing up and strap it on. Obviously my standards and expectations are laughably low.

My god, I feel so foolish. Flow, flow, my tears of regret.

Whoa...hold on now. I didn't say anyone was "foolish" for buying one of these guitars. My point was that from MY OWN experience, when I've bought guitars that are relatively new, and inexpensive, over time I've found myself having to sink more and more money into them. I've had problems for example on my SX Les Paul copy with the switch going, the chrome on the hardware peeling, and ripples in the finish. Also, I had a Peavey Predator (one of the older ones) where I ran into many of the same problems.

I play inexpensive guitars too....I own 2 Agile AL-3000's but the quality on those guitars are consistently good.

My point is, be careful what you are buying and don't sacrifice quality. I agree with the previous post. I don't care how much a guitar is...but I believe that such things like paint finishes should be good on a guitar no matter what price.