Gigged the fretless with four different bands this weekend. It was really well received and I thoroughly enjoyed playing it. Even got called for a fretless solo which was odd feeling to do at first, but seemed to come off well. A high C would have been nice for that. Really digging this thing.
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Carvin SB5000 / SB4000 Roll Call...Part 4!
- Thread starter smperry
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We demand pictures, of course, or it didn't happen.
Dude, I will post them as soon as it gets here and I wake up from fainting. I've never had to wait this long for a bass. Usually I buy it, it ships and that's that. Having to wait for this one to be built has been crazy!
Ok Friends! Two problems here with the bass that I've immediately noticed.
1. It's missing a pickguard screw. I'm going to move one of the screws to the hole to make sure that it is not stripped. As long as its not stripped I'm cool with this.
2. The neck has a crack along each side where its bolted up. I've heard these called "stress cracks" before and am told they are superficial, but still, it kinda sucked to see them there.
Do any of your basses have these? Should I send the bass back because of the cracks or do these not affect anything majorly?
1. It's missing a pickguard screw. I'm going to move one of the screws to the hole to make sure that it is not stripped. As long as its not stripped I'm cool with this.
2. The neck has a crack along each side where its bolted up. I've heard these called "stress cracks" before and am told they are superficial, but still, it kinda sucked to see them there.
Do any of your basses have these? Should I send the bass back because of the cracks or do these not affect anything majorly?
Wait, the neck is cracked or the paint on the body near the neck pocket is cracked? If the neck has cracks I think that's BIG issue, no question. If the body has cracks in the paint at the pocket it could be in both the wood and paint, or possibly just the paint. There is no definitive "it's just the finish, not the wood" answers there. I would also give the case a thorough search for that screw. I think if you find it you can assume this bass was damaged in transit and suffered a sizable shock.
I'd get them (Carvin) on the phone ASAP
I'd get them (Carvin) on the phone ASAP
Carvin has a penchant for forgetting screws. Back in the 90s, I got a new Carvin missing two pickup height adjustment screws. The pilot holes were there, but it was obvious a screw had never been inserted.
Good grief. I'm a Carvin fan (mostly...), but these oversights and little QC errors are maddening.
maddening really isn't right - it's sad. This is right up there with "For want of a nail, a horse went shoeless and the war was lost" sort of thing... Small details DO matter.
Carvin's final QA needs some work. Do you hear me, Carvin?
I doubt the instrument left Carvin with cracks in the wood. I'd be annoyed by missing screws as well, but as far as severity goes these would be two completely different leagues of issue. Remember that gorgeous spalt-topped Bromberg that showed up last week with the headstock snapped off? That was shipping induced as well.
Ok, let me clarify:
The neck is not cracked. It is the paint on the body. My camera isn't good enough to take an accurate pic so I found this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
The neck is not cracked. It is the paint on the body. My camera isn't good enough to take an accurate pic so I found this one:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
You know, I don't agree.
If a guy doesn't notice a screw missing, why should he notice a crack? A screw is VERY obvious to someone paying even marginal attention...
This is nothing but a failure of the dude at the very end of the line to even look (which really means a failure of the production management). My guess - they have a guy, they pay a guy and sometimes that guy just doesn't do his job. This happens EVERYWHERE stuff is manufactured; The difference is in the priority that the company puts in QA. If they were serious, they'd have a more senior guy doing it or a more rigid quality system.
Oh, and that finish crack (above pic) on a brand new bass would tick me off. Call them for a re-do.
Yea, I was seriously ticked when I first saw these and I put the bass back in the case.
If I send this back to Carvin, I doubt seriously I will allow them a chance to redo anything. I will most likely just ask for a refund.
I'm about to see if the case has the missing screw in it and if not i'm going to see if another screw will screw in or if it is stripped.
I've had basses that have the "finish" cracks before but I didn't expect it on a brand new bass never touched bass.
I would have thought that if the crack was not shipping induced, it likely was caused by or at the initial neck install, and should have seen by the person attaching the neck (if the screws are even screwed in by people, I don't know).
Either way, I would call and complain as well. I don't know that I would accept that instrument unless it was otherwise magical to play.
And, sorry your new bass turned out to be a letdown when you were so looking forward to it.
- Jul 3, 2004
- 1,300
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball MusicMan Guitars
Man that sucks...all that waiting..Can't see that color but it looks interesting, what is it?
Question about the bass- do you like it? Regardless of the crack. Plug it in...is it cool?
I'd skip the wild and wacky assumptions about how it happened and how company CEOs and people who work to get this stuff out are all idiots, and can call them..see what you can work out..Like, can you play it while they make you another one, etc..
Just an idea. Regardless of who screwed up, you getting the bass you want matters the most.
Carvin bashing aside, maybe they do care.
Both Carvin and GK had Major issues when releasing new amps last year..and Both company owners jumped on this board to make it work. Call 'em, see if they can make you happy. Just an idea...Im getting one of these basses in the fall.
Question about the bass- do you like it? Regardless of the crack. Plug it in...is it cool?
I'd skip the wild and wacky assumptions about how it happened and how company CEOs and people who work to get this stuff out are all idiots, and can call them..see what you can work out..Like, can you play it while they make you another one, etc..
Just an idea. Regardless of who screwed up, you getting the bass you want matters the most.
Carvin bashing aside, maybe they do care.
Both Carvin and GK had Major issues when releasing new amps last year..and Both company owners jumped on this board to make it work. Call 'em, see if they can make you happy. Just an idea...Im getting one of these basses in the fall.
Update!
After looking over the bass some more, I also found a finish flaw. However, there is no screw in the HSC. It was left off apparently.
Anyway, I called Carvin and spoke with Bart. I told him my issues and he seemed shocked. He wanted me to tell Albert about my problems as he seemed genuinely concerned about them letting basses of this quality go out. Albert took my info and told me he'd have UPS come pick it up and fix it. I told him I appreciated that, but that I wanted a refund. He then told me that I just needed to ship it back then.
It kind of pisses me off that they will have UPS pick the bass up if I want them to fix it but if I want a refund (because of they're screw ups) then it's on my dime? I can understand if I wanted to return it for no reason, but oh well.
I know a lot of you guys may think this is hasty and that I should let them fix it, but this is not acceptable to me. I paid them good money and I waited on their deadline. It was finished before schedule, so maybe if they would have spent a few extra weeks on the bass they could have at least put the missing screw in the damn pickguard.
I could allow Carvin the opportunity to fix this bass, but I would rather go with a company that can get it right the first time around.
I always bash Fender because of their quality control, but it seems that Carvin and Fender are pretty much dead on. If you get a good one, you're GOLD. If not, better luck next time.
After looking over the bass some more, I also found a finish flaw. However, there is no screw in the HSC. It was left off apparently.
Anyway, I called Carvin and spoke with Bart. I told him my issues and he seemed shocked. He wanted me to tell Albert about my problems as he seemed genuinely concerned about them letting basses of this quality go out. Albert took my info and told me he'd have UPS come pick it up and fix it. I told him I appreciated that, but that I wanted a refund. He then told me that I just needed to ship it back then.
It kind of pisses me off that they will have UPS pick the bass up if I want them to fix it but if I want a refund (because of they're screw ups) then it's on my dime? I can understand if I wanted to return it for no reason, but oh well.
I know a lot of you guys may think this is hasty and that I should let them fix it, but this is not acceptable to me. I paid them good money and I waited on their deadline. It was finished before schedule, so maybe if they would have spent a few extra weeks on the bass they could have at least put the missing screw in the damn pickguard.
I could allow Carvin the opportunity to fix this bass, but I would rather go with a company that can get it right the first time around.
I always bash Fender because of their quality control, but it seems that Carvin and Fender are pretty much dead on. If you get a good one, you're GOLD. If not, better luck next time.
As a person who has owned a decent amount of Carvin gear (much of it has been sold off now...), I'm thinking about emailing Carvin and telling them that as much as I would love to order an SB5000 I am starting to hear some disquieting stories about lax QC policies.
If a number of people contact them about this maybe they'll get the hint? Presumably they know the impact Talkbass has; should we tell them that qc is becoming the biggest topic within the SB megathread?
If a number of people contact them about this maybe they'll get the hint? Presumably they know the impact Talkbass has; should we tell them that qc is becoming the biggest topic within the SB megathread?
Did you push back on Albert? I would have. Politely. Then elevated the return shipping cost issue if I got a "no" from him.
Yeah, it would upset me BUT ........The finish crack is no big deal. The overall structure isn't affected. Ask for $$$ compensation ($100-200 depending on how good of a salesman you are!
). The missing screw is certainly not a deal breaker. Ask for a new set of pick guard screws. Even if it's stripped out it's no big deal. A drop of Elmer's wood glue and a small piece of a tooth pick will fix that.
Of course ALL the above only applies if you like the way that the bass plays and sounds.
Good luck!
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