Gear Conditions & Definitions
At The Fellowship of Acoustics, each instrument is manually evaluated for its condition and state, looking thoroughly at its characteristic features and traces of use. Understanding that each instrument has its own history, we adjust our evaluation process for each instrument, taking into account factors such as age and use. For example, a guitar over 40 years old may well have more traces of use than an almost new one.
Listed below are our nine different state listings from 'new' to 'sold as is'. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us!
New
'New' condition is for instruments that are in the same flawless condition as they were when they left the factory floor and are covered under the manufacturers original limited warranty. A 'New' item has come directly from the manufacturer, has never been sold yet and is ‘flawless’.
B-Stock
'B-Stock' refers to ‘New’ items that have a cosmetic blemish or imperfection (like a ding or scratch), or were used as demo model in the shop. These items are basically 'New' products and function perfectly, but have a small flaw which distinguishes it from a perfect new item.
Mint
For something to be truly 'Mint', it needs to be just shy of 'New'. 'Mint' items often include the original packaging and/or accessoires. If there's any sort of imperfection, the item will be listed as 'Near Mint’.
Near Mint
Products that have hardly been used, but have a few small traces like light playwear on the pickguard, light aging of hardware, or a small indentation.
Excellent
When something has been used but is still close to 'New'.
For modern products, excellent items can have some playwear or traces of use but have been played or used with the utmost care. These items are 100% functional.
For vintage instruments, 'Excellent' items will have some usual traces of use, but they are very clean for their age, and often with (most of) the original hardware and/or electronics. These items are still in the top echelon when compared to similar examples.
Very Good
'Very Good' describes items with more cosmetic imperfections than 'Excellent' but is still in great condition overall. With a 'Very Good' guitar, for example, you might find scratches, buckle rash, or other blemishes but nothing that affects the playability or function of the instrument.
Good
'Good' condition includes items that are in fine working order but have some visual imperfections and traces of repairs/maintenance. For example, a guitar can have one or two repaired cracks, a refin/overspray or modifications to the hardware/electronics. All of these items work just fine but have more 'scars' than 'Very Good' and 'Excellent' items.
Fair
With 'Fair' items, the various blemishes start to actually impact the function of the item. Fair items mostly work fine but might have some minor functional issues or will need some TLC.
Sold As Is
‘Sold As Is’ items have definite functional problems that will usually require some sort of repair.