Fret Reset

[Glen Mac33]

Hi folks. First off, i feel like a bit of a user. I've been a member for just over a year if I recall, and have barely engaged the site other then to read posts. Now I'm in a bit of a situation. I just sold a crafted in China 70's Classic Vibe Precision. It was to a 16 year old, with her mother and teacher present. They looked over the bass, they liked it. I asked the teacher what he thought. He said the neck had a bit of a bow to it and that it would have to be adjusted. I concurred, as I hadn't adjusted the neck since the summer. They agreed to buy the bass, and I told them if they had any issues at all then to let me know, and I would take the bass back. I wanted the teenager to be completely happy with this bass and that can take more then 20 minutes so left them with that option.
I just received a message from the teacher saying they took the bass in for a setup, and that the luthier said that to fix the neck he needed to do a fret reset. I'm most definitely not an expert, so I asked what is a fret reset? Was it due to fret sprout? was the truss rod maxed? Since I am pretty much the opposite of an expert could you let me know? I also asked why they didn't message me, tell me the issue, and just return the bass? He wants me to chip in some cash for the repair, I asked him how much he wants (he said the fret reset cost $90 cdn), and I also asked who the luthier was. He only answered the question of who the luthier is, nothing else. I would like to know if the fret reset is the same as a fret dressing, and would that be the repair to "fix" the neck as he said. Since they went ahead with the repair, and didn't let me know, I'm wondering if I am responsible for the entire $90 repair, half, none? I told him that I wish they had told me about this prior to the repair and I would have taken it back, as I told them before the purchase. I'm willing to chuck in half the repair cost, but really wish they had just returned it. However, that's not what happened. I hope this is in the right forum. Thank you for your time.

 

[Gluvhand]

Maybe a typo of "reseat" which would line up with your fret sprout estimation.

 

[Glen Mac33]

Maybe a typo of "reseat" which would line up with your fret sprout estimation.

Thank you for your reply. Would that be what fixed the neck? The term reseat makes sense, especially due to auto spell. I reached out to the luthier, who seems to have a good reputation here in Calgary, so I don't think I'm being scammed, but now I'm wondering what my responsibility is here. The teacher looked over the neck, and as I said I told them to let me know of any issues and I would take it back, but they went ahead with the repair anyway, and are now asking for money. I'm willing to go half on the repair, but haven't heard back from the purchaser whether that's enough for them.

 

[dwizum]

A fret reset I'd take to mean fixing a single fret that was loose, i.e. resetting the fret in the slot. It's a bit of a guess though because "fret reset" doesn't strike me as a very standard term. Resetting a loose fret would fix a buzz or dead fret caused by the fret being loose.

"Reset" or "reseat" with respect to the neck itself (versus a fret) seems out of context. For a guitar with a set neck, a "reset" would involve ungluing the neck joint and refitting the neck to the body, in order to correct neck that was poorly aligned or set at the wrong angle. That has no application to your bass, which is a bolt on neck. If your neck was out of alignment, I wouldn't expect the words reset or reseat to be used to describe the procedure to fix it.

Even if we knew exactly what the tech meant, I'm not sure if any of us could tell you if that actual procedure was required on your bass or not.

At the end of the day, I think all we can tell you is to do what you feel is right based on your dealings with the person you sold the bass to. I don't know if any of us can tell you what your responsibility is.

 

[Glen Mac33]

I just got a hold of the luthier, he said it was a fret dressing, and that the neck had quite a bow. He adjusted the neck, dressed the frets and got it going. I offered the teacher half the repair cost and the luthier told me that should be sufficient. Quite frankly I just wish they had reached out to me before getting the repair done, but ah well, too late now. Awaiting the teachers response as to whether going half on the repair is enough, but, quite frankly I don't want to go anymore then that given they didn't heed my telling them I'd be willing to take it back. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

When a person buys something used there is always a risk of the item having some fault. It's used. It's not new. Once the seller receives payment and the item has transferred possession to the buyer or new owner, any fault in and of the item is the responsibility of the new owner. This is where contracts of various sorts come in play to protect buyers from purchasing an item that has some type of fault which may or may not have been known to the seller.
You knew a truss rod needed an adjustment as did the buyer. The buyer chose to take the Bass to a repair tech who probably mentioned a fret level would be a good idea also. None of this cost should be your burden because the Bass was already sold to the new owners. If the new owner chose to paint the Bass another color and screwed it up, also not your problem. It is very kind of you to offer some help with the issue but not many people do this. Don't let buyer or seller remorse get to you.

 

[bobdabilder]

You're not responsible for any cost incurred if you did not agree to pay repair costs. They should not have asked you for money after the work was done. They should have asked you before.

 

[Glen Mac33]

When a person buys something used there is always a risk of the item having some fault. It's used. It's not new. Once the seller receives payment and the item has transferred possession to the buyer or new owner, any fault in and of the item is the responsibility of the new owner. This is where contracts of various sorts come in play to protect buyers from purchasing an item that has some type of fault which may or may not have been known to the seller.
You knew a truss rod needed an adjustment as did the buyer. The buyer chose to take the Bass to a repair tech who probably mentioned a fret level would be a good idea also. None of this cost should be your burden because the Bass was already sold to the new owners. If the new owner chose to paint the Bass another color and screwed it up, also not your problem. It is very kind of you to offer some help with the issue but not many people do this. Don't let buyer or seller remorse get to you.

I understand, and my wife was saying basically what you did. I guess I feel that as a seller, I didn't do enough due diligence. If it was an experienced player, I'd probably feel a lot less guilty, but it was a sixteen year old, who only had $400 cdn. the luthier said it was quite a bow, hence me willing to half the repair cost. The teacher said he is also chipping in half to the student. I don't know what those basses are worth. I had it listed for $450, knowing I'd probably get $400, but now end up getting $355. I can live with that.

 

[Glen Mac33]

You're not responsible for any cost incurred if you did not agree to pay repair costs. They should not have asked you for money after the work was done. They should have asked you before.

I know,but, I felt bad for the youngster. I don't need the money, and am just clearing out some space and I'd rather the customer put it to more use then I, and enjoy the bass. I figured legally I was ok, but, I did feel a bit of guilt about it all.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

I understand, and my wife was saying basically what you did. I guess I feel that as a seller, I didn't do enough due diligence. If it was an experienced player, I'd probably feel a lot less guilty, but it was a sixteen year old, who only had $400 cdn. the luthier said it was quite a bow, hence me willing to half the repair cost. The teacher said he is also chipping in half to the student. I don't know what those basses are worth. I had it listed for $450, knowing I'd probably get $400, but now end up getting $355. I can live with that.

I could make a lengthy list of gear I have purchased used that turned out to be crap. I also could flip the gear but I usually just trash it. I also could list some items that a seller got a really amazing deal from me. So it all works out somewhere in time. If any of the trading game bothered me then I would not do it. I sold a teenager and her dad a really nice 1st generation Peavy Foundation a few years back for $200. I also tossed in a Peavey 412 bass cabnet and a Fender Bass head. I'm sure her dad soon hated me but I was doing a rapid downsizing for a cross country move and a lot of thigs got sold or given away.

 

[Glen Mac33]

I could make a lengthy list of gear I have purchased used that turned out to be crap. I also could flip the gear but I usually just trash it. I also could list some items that a seller got a really amazing deal from me. So it all works out somewhere in time. If any of the trading game bothered me then I would not do it. I sold a teenager and her dad a really nice 1st generation Peavy Foundation a few years back for $200. I also tossed in a Peavey 412 bass cabnet and a Fender Bass head. I'm sure her dad soon hated me but I was doing a rapid downsizing for a cross country move and a lot of thigs got sold or given away.

I hear you. I've had a few of those moments as well. An Iceman 6 string with a twisted neck which affected frets 1 to 3 on the E and A strings I had bought. I didn't hit those areas when trying it out. An Iceman 4 string which was an ergonomic nightmare that, in my haste didn't realise until I brought it home and played for more then 20 minutes. I paid $400 for that bass which I traded for the lowest end Epiphone Les Paul available. There are a few more transactions like those in my past. And yes, I have a bit of a thing about the Iceman shape.

 

[Turnaround]

The deal was if there was a problem you would take the bass back. Repair was not part of the deal. I think you are being generous to offer half the cost of repair - that's "generous" not "obliged". Feel good about yourself - you did a good thing.

 

[96tbird]

Yeah, they breached the agree by not bringing it back to you.

Still, why would you let the instrument sit around with such a bad bow in the neck? And then sell it in that condition?

Sorry, but I dislike deals where problems are identified by both parties and then the buyer comes back to complain. That happened when I sold my car a few years back. A beautiful loaded 2011 Charger, a few paint chips, immaculate leather interior, 180,000 kms. The new owner complained a week later that it had never had the plugs changed. Since it was 95% highway miles, my mechanic kept telling me the plugs were fine. Anyway, I just hung up on him.

Selling used stuff is a hassle.

Sometimes you have to be a biatch.

spark plugs? Foff rabble rabble lolz /rant.
Edit: sorry for the derail, this type of thing gets me going.

 

[byacey]

Yeah, they breached the agree by not bringing it back to you.

Still, why would you let the instrument sit around with such a bad bow in the neck? And then sell it in that condition?

Sorry, but I dislike deals where problems are identified by both parties and then the buyer comes back to complain. That happened when I sold my car a few years back. A beautiful loaded 2011 Charger, a few paint chips, immaculate leather interior, 180,000 kms. The new owner complained a week later that it had never had the plugs changed. Since it was 95% highway miles, my mechanic kept telling me the plugs were fine. Anyway, I just hung up on him.

Selling used stuff is a hassle.

Sometimes you have to be a biatch.

spark plugs? Foff rabble rabble lolzView attachment 4609890

How did the buyer determine the plugs needed replacing, because they weren't shiny-new looking? Dummies.

Some buyers are always looking for the deal of a lifetime, at the expense of the seller. I don't sell things very often, but when I do, it's as is - where is. If there are any issues known to me, I'll point them out before the transaction, but after that, they are on their own.

 

[dwizum]

I just got a hold of the luthier, he said it was a fret dressing, and that the neck had quite a bow. He adjusted the neck, dressed the frets and got it going.

$90 for a setup and fret dressing is a pretty good deal. It's generous of you to offer to pay part of it.