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Does Fender Owe Me a New Neck?

#61
Bone said:
It's not crotch wood, it hit on the rift when it was cut. I have about 4 Fender basses with this condition. All of them are over 20 years old with no graphite rods. All of them play fine, stop looking at it and just play it.
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Yeah, I'm just wondering if there was a slight curve to the log where the grain changes direction.
 
#62
The OP has a point and if the wood is defective, Fender absolutely is obligated to replace it. However, unless said defect effects playability, the whole claim is null. I only wish I knew this way back when I took delivery of a MIM Precision from MF with a knot (dark spot, twisted neck) and I would have been more pro-active...but I knew squat about the dynamics of wood at the time. I lost out on that one but it was pretty funny when I brought it to GC to trade for some cables and a case and with just a glance the employee said the neck had a "pretty bad bow" (this is a standard ploy by GC to dissuade anyone bringing in a bass for trade these days). The employee and manager looked at me like I was nuts when I corrected the employee by saying the neck "Is actually twisted."
 
#64
I am appalled by the absolute disrespect from almost all parties posting here. This is intended to be a fair and respectful website so please take snide remarks elsewhere if need be.

kudos to the few previous posters though, as they have provided replies in a level headed and approachable manner.
 
#65
Bongolation said:
It actually is, it's flatsawn through the edge of a crotch. That's exactly what it is.

It's hard to get it to show well in a photo, though.
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Sorry, I guess its easy to dismiss a comment when there is no provenance to back it up. I was a carpenter for years, I'm very passionate about wood, and even without seeing it close up or pics from other angles, its pretty obvious to me that its not a crotch piece of maple. It is plain sawn (flat sawn) and caught the rift when milled. Its no more likely to fail than any other plain sawn board. Even if it were crotch, that in and of itself is not necessarily a death knell for the neck. Crotch can be very stable, especially when no spiralling or crossgrain is present.

You certainly don't have to believe me if you don't want to, or the dozens of other opinions posted here, but I'd bet considerable money I'm right. You might want to show your neck to some folks at a wood distributor and to a few finishing carpenters to verify. Someone somewhere may have a piece of crotch to show you and you'll see what I'm talking about. It may look a bit wiggy, but its plain sawn nonetheless...
 
#67
" Someone somewhere may have a piece of crotch to show you and you'll see what I'm talking about. "

Thanks Beej.......this made my morning !! Seriously though...nice to hear the point of view of a carpenter. I am learning something new about maple. What does plain or flat sawn mean....that they cut one side flat?
 
#68
ryognbass said:
I am appalled by the absolute disrespect from almost all parties posting here. This is intended to be a fair and respectful website so please take snide remarks elsewhere if need be.

kudos to the few previous posters though, as they have provided replies in a level headed and approachable manner.
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I agree, some pretty angry people.

FWIW, I have a newer sunburst Jazz with a really bad grain match between pieces. Doesn't affect playability in my case, but it does bother me that Fender quality control let this one through. I'm sure he feels the same.
 
#70
At this point it is an appearance issue as there are no issues with the neck. So I get being upset but the only way to deal with cosmetics like that is through the online dealer. If that avenue ends then there isn't much else as Fender's warranty is only for defects not appearance.
 
#71
If it were me, I'd take the bass to you local authorized Fender dealer for assessment. They will (most likely) take photos (or it may be easier to take your own and email them to the dealer) and send them to Fender for review.

If there's concern, Fender will ship out a new neck. If not, it's pretty much over from that side until there are actual playability issues.

I recently had to do this with a noodle neck 70's Jazz Bass. Fender handled it very well.

Best of luck.

Bob
 
#72
I had to deal with Fender over 10 years ago when I was having problems with P-Bass MIM neck. My local dealer first contacted them and eventually I was talking to guys at Fender, over the phone, myself. It took a few weeks, but they eventually sent me a replacement neck.

My experience with them led me to believe that they were always concerned with my satisfaction.

If I was you, I'd at least try to get a replacement - let them know your concerns.
 
#76
muzikman7 said:
...if you feel that sometime in the future the neck is going to malfunction sell it right now and don't look back.
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I'm pretty sure Bogolation has too many scruples to sell something he feels is defective.

That said, I doubt there will be a problem with this neck. Once upon a time I worked in a furniture factory, and this looks like a pretty stable piece of wood to me.

In any event, I wouldn't let the bass just sit. Play it, man! :D

Bongolation, I hope this will work out to your satisfaction one way or the other.
 
#80
ryognbass said:
I am appalled by the absolute disrespect from almost all parties posting here. This is intended to be a fair and respectful website so please take snide remarks elsewhere if need be.

kudos to the few previous posters though, as they have provided replies in a level headed and approachable manner.
Click to expand...

I'm confused by your post :confused: I'm not seeing all that much disrespect by all parties who have posted.
 

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