The NGD That Wasn't

[diablo175]

So after haggling this supposed pristine NOS Jackson Custom Shop Kelly down to a slightly less than insane price, I pulled the trigger. The seller just happened to be away and wouldn't return to ship for 9 days. So the agonizing wait began. He assured me he would arrive back in NYC Monday 6 AM and the guitar would go out 2 day air. 

Didn't quite pan out that way but it arrived last night. I wasn't able to open until this morning. Just as well. Gave it time to warm up to room temp and 45% humidity. Not that it did any good. 

Opened it and put it on my bench to inspect and set up. That's when I saw these.

Luckily the seller was not a dick about refunding/returning it.

<sigh> easy come easy go. 

The hunt for a new toy continues....

 

Edited December 13, 2025 by diablo175

[Hbom]

That is sad. Why would anyone list an item as NOS pristine knowing that it had visual damage and would be refused on sight?

[diablo175]

13 minutes ago, Hbom said:

That is sad. Why would anyone list an item as NOS pristine knowing that it had visual damage and would be refused on sight?

I'm thinking he did not personally pack it. It looks like it may have taken a substantial impact on the strap button. The other imperfections are possibly significant swings in humidity/temp?

[crunchee]

1 hour ago, Hbom said:

That is sad. Why would anyone list an item as NOS pristine knowing that it had visual damage and would be refused on sight?

Because they don't have any idea what 'NOS' and 'pristine' is, except that those words tend to make used guitars sell. 

[murkat]

Most people do not have any common sense, knowledge, skill,and or scruples in regards in how to pack and ship an instrument 

[LucSulla]

47 minutes ago, murkat said:

Most people do not have any common sense, knowledge, skill,and or scruples in regards in how to pack and ship an instrument 

And the skill part is weird because it ain't that hard. 

Basically, make sure nothing moves and there is a little bounce. to the box. That's it. 

[Travis]

Kelly…?

[DaveH]

15 hours ago, Hbom said:

That is sad. Why would anyone list an item as NOS pristine knowing that it had visual damage and would be refused on sight?

I dunno, looks "minty clean" to me...

[diablo175]

8 hours ago, Travis said:

Kelly…?

No one on here by that name...   

Yes, CS Kelly.

[diablo175]

14 hours ago, murkat said:

Most people do not have any common sense, knowledge, skill,and or scruples in regards in how to pack and ship an instrument 

Here's the weird thing- the guy is a wealthy collector. Lives in a very exclusive condo on the upper west side of Manhattan. The guitar was packed very well and shipped 2 day air. $300. There were zero signs of damage to both the shipping box and the case. There were no finish bits and pieces in the case. 

Whenever this took place, it was not during shipping. I have a theory that he did not personally pack the guitar to ship. I suspect he had his housekeeper (which he mentioned during our numerous exchanges prior to purchase) pack it or get it out to be ready to ship and it got hit on the butt end strap button. The missing finish, to my untrained eye, looks consistent with a hard hit to that button. 

 

 

[cmatthes]

12 hours ago, DaveH said:

I dunno, looks "minty clean" to me...

 

[diablo175]

And just to bring this wacky, sordid tale around to a fitting conclusion, I shipped the guitar back to sender on Friday.

Or so I thought. 

Saturday morning, UPS drops it off at my doorstep. I'm guessing the previous shipping label (with me as recipient) which neither UPS nor I removed, was scanned and well, no one was asking why a package was being shipped from a UPS Store in the same zip code. 🤔 

Between the time I shipped it and the time it (re) arrived, I was thinking maybe I should have held onto it and negotiated a partial refund and getting the finish damage repaired. I mean, how many lime green metallic, Custom Shop Kellys w/ maple boards do you come across? And while I didn't get to actually plug it in and test drive her, the action was actually quite good, right out of the case. After a pick up swap out of the stock Invaders for a proper Gravelin (and possibly a Sustainiac) and a kill switch/tone pot, I think this could be a contender. 

It seems fate agrees. The seller readily agreed to a reasonable partial refund. Now the search is on for a paint repair. 😬

Edited December 14, 2025 by diablo175

[specialk]

[veatch]

Paging Mr. Stikeleather. Mr. Stikeleather to the white courtesy phone....

[diablo175]

2 hours ago, veatch said:

Paging Mr. Stikeleather. Mr. Stikeleather to the white courtesy phone....

Nope. Stike don't do repairs...   

[RobB]

I hope you find a good finisher. If that’s a candy color it will be challenging to spot finish due to the silver undercoating. You may have to redo the whole guitar. 

[diablo175]

14 hours ago, RobB said:

I hope you find a good finisher. If that’s a candy color it will be challenging to spot finish due to the silver undercoating. You may have to redo the whole guitar. 

Lime green metallic per the tag in the case. I don't believe there is a silver undercoat. They have this exact color in nail polish. If I was a bit more confident in my skills, I'd fill it with nail polish and clear it with CA glue. 

And yes, I have been alerted to the difficulties inherent in this type of repair. The good news is, I'm okay with a not-quite-perfect-match, functional fix- doesn't HAVE to be perfect. It's covered by the strap.  

 

Edited December 15, 2025 by diablo175