Possible problems with new old stock guitars

Sometimes guitar sellers unload these things just to get rid of them. There are certain things you have to keep in mind if you decide to get one of these.

On my Facebook page I recently posted some info on where to get 2013 new old stock Jay Turser JT-MG2 guitars. These are axes that are in fact new, but 5 years old at the time I write this.

The guitar in particular is a Fender Mustang shape with Mustang controls (including phase slider switches) and a Jaguar vibrato system on it. Consider it a Mustang/Jaguar hybrid of sorts.

I found this guitar in Candy Apple Red, Sonic Blue and Vintage White. All are the same price and appear to be all from the same guitar seller.

Do I consider this a buy? Yes, and only for one reason. It's under $200 shipped. To put this in perspective, it's $120 cheaper than a Squier Vintage Modified Mustang. The Squier is more of a correct Mustang, but the price is significantly higher to get it.

The fact the Jay Turser guitar is being sold through Amazon also means Amazon's global return policy applies, so it's not one of those "you bought it and you're stuck with it" types of purchases.

As with all new old stock guitars, there are certain things to look out for that might happen. Sure, the Jay Turser is a steal, but any one of these issues might happen:

Improperly settled neck

A guitar that's been sitting for a few years and never had its neck adjusted since it left the factory may have settled in such a way where it has a nasty front bow or back bow to it. This doesn't make the guitar unplayable, but it means it will take longer than usual to get the neck back to a proper bow after a truss adjustment.

The worst thing to look out for with improperly settled necks are fret sprouts. This is where frets physically lift out of the fingerboard. Yes, this can be repaired but if you get them, it's just better to return the guitar, especially if it was cheap to begin with.

Dodgy electronics

Electric guitars can develop wonky electronics when not used, such as scratchy sounding pots and switches. Those can be cleaned up proper with DeoxIT D5 (every guitar player needs a can of that.)

The worst case scenario is if solder connections fail where you have to take the guitar apart, desolder and resolder wire connections. It's not a big deal, but annoying to have to do it on a new guitar.

Stiff tuners

Tuners that sit with full string tension on them for an extended period of time can stiffen up and may need replacement.

On vintage style tuners, this usually isn't an issue because you can take the tuner apart, lubricate, make gear adjustments and so on.

On modern sealed tuners, that's a different story. They're sealed and not meant to be disassembled, so if they don't work like they're supposed to, it's time to get a new set.

It's worth it to get the NOS guitar anyway

As long as you know what you're getting into with a new old stock guitar and know what to expect, it's worth getting.

I consider the NOS guitar a better buy compared to used. Even if I bought one of those Jay Turser axes and it had a few issues, it was dirt cheap to begin with.

The only thing that would make me send it back is if I saw fret sprouts. And the likelihood of that happening is very remote. A neck has to be not only very poorly made but also sit inside an insanely hot and humid warehouse for even a chance of that happening.

Again, remember, for my example, the NOS guitar is worth taking a chance on because it's cheap. For more expensive NOS guitars, well, that depends on how bad you want the guitar you're eyeing.

It should also be noted that in my experience, I find it normal to see 5-year-old new guitars in guitar stores. Some guitars just sit for a while and take years before they're sold.

Published 2018 Jul 16