Big Gibson Disappointment
 

Sat down to play my week old Gibson Songwriter and heard something heavy rattling around inside. Got a flashlight and could see the battery box was loose. That was an Oh no moment.
Put it on the table, removed the strings and tried to see how to fix it. The battery box was wrapped around the wiring. It took almost an hour to untangle the mess. The battery box double sided tape was not even sticky. So, a trip to the hardware store for some double sided tape. Back home I put the new tape on the old Velcro strip and remounted it in an easier location to make battery changing easy. Then, restring the guitar, tune it and two hours later it’s ready to play. First, plugged it in to test the pickup. All okay.
You spend 3k on a guitar you shouldn’t have to fix it the first week.
I guess the upside is that it wasn’t a major repair.
Later, I sent a note to Sweetwater where it was purchased.

Next time, I'd get some Dual Lock and replace the velcro with that. Should hold better.

You may also want to use some Naptha to clean off the spot on the inside of the guitar where you place the battery box. Often dust or sawdust will be the culprit for why the tape doesn't stay stuck.

-Mike

An hour to untangle it? Wow.

Rb

Yes, a disappointment, but not catastrophic. No repairs needed is a win.
What was Sweetwater’s response and do you like the guitar.

Sometimes wood will secrete oil over time which will soften the sticky pad on the battery compartment. This is very common with rosewoods. Other times, the wood wasn't cleaned thoroughly enough and was still dusty, so the sticky pad didn't stick as well as it should have. Combine that with bumps during shipping and changes in temp/humidity and it comes off.

Either way, what you experienced is a common issue and one that is easily and cheaply remedied. While Gibson's quality control is certainly not the finest in the game (and that's no big news to anyone), this could have happened with almost any brand that uses a velcro battery compartment.

I hope your repair hasn't boogered the warranty, and this isn't a beginning of "buyers remorse"? Are you now pleased with the box?

Don

Love the guitar. But no response from Sweetwater yet. Two years ago I bought a Breedlove and had Sweetwater replace the pickup with an LR Baggs Anthem. That one fell off the first time I opened the case.

Unfortunate!
 

Glad it is OK now.

One more reason I just stick with K&Ks. No battery to fail or come loose.

Have fun with the new Gibby!!!

Paul

Battery bags come loose. The price of the guitar won't change that. It's just part of getting more intimate with your instrument. Now, get on to playing it.

Good advice. Thx

I guess that 55-point inspection took a smoke break when your $3,000 Gibson was on the bench, lol? That's disappointing, but at least you were able to fix it fairly easily. I am not badmouthing Sweetwater; I just think it's funny that some of these companies advertise stuff like that, and it's obviously BS.

A big Aaaahh-yup to that! :up:

Gibson may appreciate you writing an FYI to let them know. Whatever process they’re using to secure the battery may be flawed. Untangling pickup wire for an hour is a concern and they may have a new person doing the install that needs a little training.

I bought a set of strings from them. They called me, emailed me and sent
me candy!

-Mike "I think they might have texted me..."

Bummer!

I'll never own a guitar that needs a battery.