Ever had a Chinese bass get eaten by bugs?

**Basschair** · #1 07-16-2007, 01:07 PM

Hey all,

So I've got this Chinese-made bass that I bought for my students to use at school, and recently found small holes (1/8" diameter) in the next as well as some wood dust underneath it. Initially I was worried about Asian Longhorned Beetle and turned in the bug corpses to the USDA, but our local Dept. of Agriculture bug specialists said it's not...rather, some sort of nautical borer. Needless to say, I've isolated the bass (as of last week), and found another hole and bug today. To my eye, it looks like these guys were in the wood to begin with and hatched/bored their way out with the warmth of summer.

Think I should call the company that imports them and demand a replacement bass? The neck now has 6 holes in it, in various spots...

RWP · #2 07-16-2007, 01:11 PM

Man that's nasty. I don't play DB but can imagine you are pissed.

bassplayer57 · #3 07-16-2007, 03:56 PM

That's weird!
I would call that company that imported it!! Definitly!!

fenderhutz · #4 07-16-2007, 04:00 PM

It now has that worn vintage look, you just increased the value!!!!

TheSuzie · #5 07-16-2007, 04:10 PM

Jeez this sounds like something out of The Simpsons. Yes, complain.

**Basschair** · #6 07-16-2007, 04:19 PM

I just got some more info from the local county agricultural board: this insect has a "Q" rating, which is a general quarantine. We're waiting to hear from the federal office of the USDA to find out what steps need to be taken. The retailer who sells this model (exclusively) may be in some trouble here, so I think I'll hold off on mentioning them by name.

jdapodaca · #7 07-16-2007, 09:50 PM

Reading this thread made my skin crawl.

I don't know why, but I've always worried about bugs eating my, or any, bass. I've never heard of any real stories of this happening, though.

I would definitely take this to the full extent of the law, not to put the company out of business, but simply to ensure that other bassists don't have to worry about bugs crawling out of their bass.

It'd be interesting to hear if any other bassists have had problems with insects and their basses.

Phil Smith · #8 07-16-2007, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basschair

Hey all,

So I've got this Chinese-made bass that I bought for my students to use at school, and recently found small holes (1/8" diameter) in the next as well as some wood dust underneath it. Initially I was worried about Asian Longhorned Beetle and turned in the bug corpses to the USDA, but our local Dept. of Agriculture bug specialists said it's not...rather, some sort of nautical borer. Needless to say, I've isolated the bass (as of last week), and found another hole and bug today. To my eye, it looks like these guys were in the wood to begin with and hatched/bored their way out with the warmth of summer.

Think I should call the company that imports them and demand a replacement bass? The neck now has 6 holes in it, in various spots...

China is a big country, really big, and there are probably a few manufacturers of basses so I would think it would be wise to be specific about where the bass came from otherwise you're maligning an entire country and all of the bass manufacturers that are there.

Pete G · #9 07-16-2007, 10:56 PM

Not that I wish any misfortune on you, but quarantine sounds right.

Several luthiers have told me that there haven't been any bass-eating woodworms in the U.S. in many years, and I'm not anxious to see them moving in now.

Understand, I'm an "open door" guy when it comes to immigration generally. But I draw the line at woodworms...

Kevin Hsieh · #10 07-17-2007, 01:11 AM

i have a chinese... no issues so far. (knocks on wood [no pun intended])

drurb · #11 07-17-2007, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

China is a big country, really big, and there are probably a few manufacturers of basses so I would think it would be wise to be specific about where the bass came from otherwise you're maligning an entire country and all of the bass manufacturers that are there.

I agree that it would be helpful to this community to know what instruments to avoid in terms of worms! On the other hand, I didn't see this as maligning an entire country. Rather, it could cause many to be fearful of buying any Chinese bass and that certainly wouldn't be fair to manufacturers who are not at all to blame.

**Basschair** · #12 07-18-2007, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

I agree that it would be helpful to this community to know what instruments to avoid in terms of worms! On the other hand, I didn't see this as maligning an entire country. Rather, it could cause many to be fearful of buying any Chinese bass and that certainly wouldn't be fair to manufacturers who are not at all to blame.

+1

I'm waiting for the final word from the local federales, and they will most likely be contacting the music store to get the details of who is making this bass (they're presenting it as a single private maker in China, and don't talk about who it is). At that point I'd be happy to give out the info. I just don't want to label them as "infected" until that determination has been made by the proper authorities.

bassplayer57 · #13 07-18-2007, 09:09 PM

So is the bass in a giant bag right now being quarantined??

Kevin Hsieh · #14 07-18-2007, 09:13 PM

AAAHH LEAVE CALIFORNIA NOW THE INFESTATION HAS ARRIVED!

**Basschair** · #15 07-18-2007, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassplayer57

So is the bass in a giant bag right now being quarantined??

I took it back to my classroom (the bugs came out of the bass at my house...stress), around no other wooden instruments, and no other wood period. Once I get the word, I'll gladly hand the bass over and will hold the music company responsible. I believe federal law holds importers liable for defective products, though I'm sure it's more complicated than that.

bassplayer57 · #16 07-19-2007, 09:07 AM

Keep us updated!!

Silversorcerer · #17 07-21-2007, 06:29 PM

Here's one for the "X files"

bickele · #18 07-23-2007, 05:28 AM

You mean the "X flies"

**Basschair** · #19 07-24-2007, 11:01 AM

Update:

I met with one of the guys from the county agricultural commission this morning to take pics of the bass, the neck, etc., and to bag it up. I found another dead bug yesterday, which is actually promising. They don't seem to be able to survive long once they make it to adulthood. The retailer/importer is being really cool about it so far, and has agreed to make it right once we get it all sorted out...

Apparently, the federal govt. (USDA) didn't initially get back to the county guys for a while, but just recently contacted them and freaked out in a very subtle way. It seems that this type of insect has never shown up on their radar before in the US, and is very closely related to the official Asian Longhorned Beetle (evil, devil-bug).

jtlownds · #20 07-24-2007, 12:09 PM

It would be interesting to find out who the maker of this bass is. I am no entomologist, but I can't imagine the larva of these critters staying inside the wood for more than a year. The maker is obviously using wood that has not been properly aged and dried to build these basses. Subsequent shrinkage is going to result in cracked plates and bad neck joints. I would avoid these basses, bugs or not.