G&L Club Part 7

[Hawk600]

Well that's good because I ordered the black one with scratches last Wed. No email updates yet on mine, either.

Curiously, I ordered a red one from the clearance site the week before and they notified me re shipping the next day. It arrived a few days later. It was supposed to have been reduced even further due to a little paint chip at the neck pocket, as was shown in their pics. However, the one they sent me had no flaws anywhere at all. Clearly it's not the same bass that was shown on the website. Plus, the kicker is that it came with a G&L gig bag (score!). As far as I know, gig bags aren't included with the Tribute Fallouts, even if bought new from a retailer like Sweetwater, but I could be wrong.
I'm not complaining at all though, for the price I paid they can take a month to ship the second one, for all I care!

The same happened with my SB-2, ordered Friday, got ship notice Monday, received it Friday, no surprises.
Perhaps the Black Fallouts need special shipping procedures that take longer, LOL.

Now seriously, about receiving a bass that is not the one advertised shows some inventory inconsistency as well, My SB-2 serial number that was showing on site is different from the one that was pictured, so I found it a bit odd, but in the end I received the bass with pictured serial number.

That is nice that the red came with a case!

 

[Iridescentone]

The same happened with my SB-2, ordered Friday, got ship notice Monday, received it Friday, no surprises.
Perhaps the Black Fallouts need special shipping procedures that take longer, LOL.

Now seriously, about receiving a bass that is not the one advertised shows some inventory inconsistency as well, My SB-2 serial number that was showing on site is different from the one that was pictured, so I found it a bit odd, but in the end I received the bass with pictured serial number.

That is nice that the red came with a case!

Yeah the G&L "mystique"...mysterious as ever!

I'd love to see G&L featured in an episode on the cable TV show "How It's Made". lol

 

[Hawk600]

Well, finally got a hold of someone today at G&L.

They had to check what was going on and called me back after some time.
If I wanted to expedite the shipping too receive the bass earlier, it would be on my dime.

Considering the fact is not my fault they are behind on shipping and after reading the weight discrepancy post I decided to cancel the order.

I did not feel the slightest effort to retain neither the sale or the customer, which is to bad because they have great products.

 

[jglunt]

Well, finally got a hold of someone today at G&L.

They had to check what was going on and called me back after some time.
If I wanted to expedite the shipping too receive the bass earlier, it would be on my dime.

Considering the fact is not my fault they are behind on shipping and after reading the weight discrepancy post I decided to cancel the order.

I did not feel the slightest effort to retain neither the sale or the customer, which is to bad because they have great products.

They're a small company, and I'm sure they are getting slammed with orders from their sale combined with their regular duties. But they should have anticipated the rush and planned for it. They seem like they wake up in a new world every day.

 

[dedpool1052]

Well, that was short lived and sorrowful. Brand new Wunkay rod went snap. I wasn't even being slightly aggressive either. Over the years I've had more than one Fender I've gone so far as "You're terminal, just admit it and break already.". And nada, never, and just tossed them. Fortunately the dealer is going to help me get it sorted out with G&L hopefully. It's a great shop and a wonderful owner so I guess now I drive back to Wi and leave it with him. It's like it was glass then sadness.

That's unfortunate.
Sorry to hear that, GFB.

I know on the black Wunkay (that just went out the door) that it took 5 years for it to fail, after it felt iffy from the start.

Hopefully with yours, it takes less than 5 months, and two necks, for it to come back correct.

 

[Spidey2112]

I'd love to see G&L featured in an episode on the cable TV show "How It's Made". lol

I'm thinking "Fantasy Island" would be more appropriate.

 

[Jfp]

Talking about G&L web store basses....

I also ordered one of their B-Stock Fallout Bass last week and the stated weight is 7.5 lbs. however they are taking forever to ship it, so yesterday I tried all day to talk to someone there to see if they would be shipping sooner or not, but it is just an impossible task. Any extension you dial goes to voice mail.

Their repair customer service is stellar, Memo is just great; but unfortunately I cannot say the same with other services, it has been a frustrating experience so far.

With this weight fiasco, I have now one more reason to cancel the order.

Hawk, Yours at 7.5 lbs is likely the other one I referenced in my earlier post. I've had no luck contacting them about a resolution to the issue. No response to a message left on their website and same voice mail hell when I try to call.

And I used to have such a high opinion of G&L . . . .

 

[Jfp]

The same happened with my SB-2, ordered Friday, got ship notice Monday, received it Friday, no surprises.
Perhaps the Black Fallouts need special shipping procedures that take longer, LOL.

Now seriously, about receiving a bass that is not the one advertised shows some inventory inconsistency as well, My SB-2 serial number that was showing on site is different from the one that was pictured, so I found it a bit odd, but in the end I received the bass with pictured serial number.

That is nice that the red came with a case!

The one I received is the same serial number as listed. It just happens to be 1 lb, 11 oz. heavier than advertised.

 

[RocketMusic]

Hawk, Yours at 7.5 lbs is likely the other one I referenced in my earlier post. I've had no luck contacting them about a resolution to the issue. No response to a message left on their website and same voice mail hell when I try to call.

And I used to have such a high opinion of G&L . . . .

@Jfp - I'm going to ask someone at G&L to call you.

 

[User3734584]

I've had no luck contacting them about a resolution to the issue. No response to a message left on their website and same voice mail hell when I try to call.

And I used to have such a high opinion of G&L . . . .

I politely requested (groveled for) a corrected spec sheet (their error and omission, not mine) several weeks ago. The request was not acknowledged, let alone indulged, as it were. I know the message was read because the factory-absent bridge saddle set screw did arrive in the mail a week later. I'm over it.

 

[Jfp]

@Jfp - I'm going to ask someone at G&L to call you.

And it took them no longer than 7 minutes to follow up with me. Greg, you are Da Man! Nice to know you've got a customer's back when the issue doesn't even involve you. Thanks so much for your help.

Bottom line, it will go back to G&L at no cost to me. So they've made good.

Happy ending, but this never should have occurred in the first place.

 

[RocketMusic]

And it took them no longer than 7 minutes to follow up with me. Greg, you are Da Man! Nice to know you've got a customer's back when the issue doesn't even involve you. Thanks so much for your help.

Bottom line, it will go back to G&L at no cost to me. So they've made good.

Happy ending, but this never should have occurred in the first place.

Just trying to bring some positivity back to this Club. LOL Sorry to see these are such trying times on so many fronts.

 

[Iridescentone]

Previously, G&L sent separate emails with shipping updates. Just found out (by re-examining the initial confirmation order from G&L, that I got a week ago) that the black Fallout was actually scheduled to arrive today by Fedex. Surprise!...lucky thing I'm home today to sign for it. However, looks like delivery may be held up by a snow delay. Maybe tomorrow, at least I know they're working on it.

UPS has also rescheduled a delivery for three days in a row this week, so no big surprise here.

 

[Lucky Chuck]

Just trying to bring some positivity back to this Club.

Thanks for that.

 

[TomB]

Exactly right, but how many of us, myself included, have thought, Ah, it just needs a quick little tweak. I don't need to mess with all that time consuming stuff.

Steinberger Synapses are notorious for broken truss rods, but if you adjust it right on it or any other bass, you'll be OK at least 99% of the time. Your advice is sound.

Also, it's a good idea to keep that truss rod lubed. I confess I'm no expert in keeping these dual action truss rods lubed. A friend of mine puts a drop or two of F-One fretboard oil down into the hole. Does anyone else have a procedure for lubricating a dual action truss rod? I'd be interested to know.

My comment was limited to the importance of destressing the truss rod prior to making adjustments - always a good practice, IMO.

 

[jglunt]

My comment was limited to the importance of destressing the truss rod prior to making adjustments - always a good practice, IMO.

And I agree. The truss rod is best used to hold the relief of the neck in place rather than bend the neck.

 

[MrB64]

I've had a Ric, a Peavey, a Gretch, an Ibanez, and 2 Fenders. My G&Ls are by far my favorites. I'm sorry so many are having troubles with their G&Ls. I've had nothing but good experiences with mine.

 

[Hawk600]

@Jfp - I'm going to ask someone at G&L to call you.

Thank you for doing this, I wish we had more of that from other people and companies.

Being an Ernie Ball/Sterling hardcore fan, not long I ago decided to get a G&L bass (procrastinated for years) and immediately fell in love for it and the MFDs.

I liked it so much that I now own a USA L2K, an SB-2 Tribute and a Kiloton Tribute. The Fallout supposed to be the next one LOL.

I understand (and could feel it) G&L is a small operation (which is actually a plus nowadays) and issues like we previously discussed here happens everywhere, every day. The problem is that if they are not quickly addressed, it will frustrate the customer base.

I do believe they care for customers as this is essential to survive, but perhaps they are in need of a better structuring.

 

[ahbass2500]

I do believe they care for customers as this is essential to survive, but perhaps they are in need of a better structuring.

I have no proof of this other than years of random observations but.... I expect G&L has grown significantly in both sales and brand recognition since the introduction of the Tribute line. I do not think their service operations have grown to match the scale of their production (based on what I read here, a few personal interactions with G&L, the names I see repeatedly over the years for handling issues, and other forums).

I remember buying my first G&L before Tributes existed and I was able to find two shops in central and southern Indiana that even knew G&L existed. One was a dealer that had 1 bass in inventory. The other was a mom and pop shop/former G&L dealer who had several G&Ls in his personal collection. The worst of the shops that did not recognize the G&L brand told me they did not sell cheap off brand stuff when I asked about G&L. This store had one Italia and 5 Trabens for their bass inventory. I laughed at the comment and left. Not trying to bash on Italia or Traben (liked the Italias I have played), but neither are at US G&L quality. I doubt this interaction would happen today given that many local shops sell them and most of the major online retailers do too.

 

[ahbass2500]

On a related note, it used to crack me up when I would go to Sweetwater GearFest and see several amp/pedal manufacturers using G&Ls as their demo instruments when Sweetwater did not sell them. I recognize that they sell them now, but I had this observation over 3 or 4 GearFests (noting I do not go every year).