Is it ok to wait months for a bass?

[Charlzm]

If this were a custom bass from a small volume manufacturer or a limited edition, yes, I would wait. For a Squier? No.

 

[gorneyg]

I waited 14 months from a very well known builder that advertises 10 month build time. Then found out the music 'store' had ordered the wrong model. Got my money back. Got something else.
Depends.

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

I can understand waiting a good chunk of time for a boutique bass build, like FBB or Ritter. I've heard of customers waiting as long as a year for a Ritter. But for a stock bass? Any more than a couple weeks seems unreasonable to me.

This is completely normal in smaller markets without much turnover. Unless the shop commits to buy a poopieload of instruments, they're put behind in the line to the manufacturer or distributor (and Fender is one of the worst in the business).

 

[Herrick]

I chose "it depends". If I were in the OP's situation then no I would not wait any longer especially since the bass is available elsewhere.

 

[Mark_70]

I had a similar situation with a semi-hollow Ibanez guitar (the one with the 6 skinny short strings) at GC. To be fair, they told me it was a model with high demand and slow supply so it would take "a few months". I waited & checked in every now and then. Ended up taking about 4 months, but they were very good about communicating about it, so I just waited it out. Got a great deal on a nice guitar, so worth the wait to me.
At any given time, I could've gotten my downpayment back, but I decided to hang in there and didn't regret it.

Regards
Mark

 

[SLO Surfer]

Tough call with your predicament. In most cases I would exercise my patience and wait months for exactly the bass I wanted. I've done it before waiting 2 months for a new Warwick and now 2-3 months for a Moollon. Don't think I'd do that for a Squier, but if it's THE bass for you then I'd wait for it. I would try to give the small local shops my money in the process as well.

Be honest and communicate with your regular store ordering the bass for you. Tell them the same bass is available at the other store right now, and while you really want to keep your loyal business with them, that you're starting to grow out of patience. I'd bet it's Fender or the distributors fault, and not the local shop.

 

[taught]

^ I am gonna get a set of strings from them in the shop tomorrow. I guess I am gonna talk to them and communicate the same thing you advised and see what's up. I also think it is the distributor's fault but these months are killing me.

And yea, this is THE bass for me even though it's a Squier. Everything is just perfect spot on for me, the look, the style (precision), the price.

 

[Bass V]

I waited at least 4 mos to get my recent Peavey cheapy and am glad I FINALLY got it. if it's coming, just wait.

 

[TolerancEJ]

I would wait for, and I am currently waiting for 2 luthier-constructed instruments.

I would not be happy to wait several months for a factory mass-produced instrument. However, this happened to me when I ordered my Warwick Rockbass Alien Deluxe 6. The dealer was very cool. Whenever I would follow up, he would have a brief update and would offer to refund me each time. (But I did not want to lose my place in line to get that bass.)

 

[Fathand]

I have waited before, with custom basses. For a Squier I'm not sure I would do it except if i wanted to support a local business, which is what I like to do if I dig them and it's possible. Usually that pays back more in the end than the quick/cheap option from elsewhere.

 

[Luigir]

I ordered a Squier CV P-bass in february in a music shop (EU, Hungary) with a fairly big customer base and good revenue.

They told me it will be in stock in two months.
I asked them two months later (end of march), they told me they need another month.
I asked them another month later (end of april) and they told me the bass is still not in stock, they will let me know if it will be.

Now it is May and I don't know if this amount of time is OK to wait.
I regularly check the used market online and saw great basses for great price but I had to let them go because I was waiting for mine from the shop.

Will you wait longer since this is common or should I move forward?

Side note: I buy things regularly there, they know me as a regular consumer and we have a mutual respect for each other so I don't want to flip tables.

From February to may seems quite a lot to me. I'll wait that much, or maybe more, only for a custom bass not for a production one.

If you have a good relationship with the shop you could give them a two more weeks deadline.

 

[ezstep]

Apparently, not many of you guys (us guys?) are left-handed. Practically every bass I have ordered has taken five month minimum, and the longest was about two years. Worth it? Definitely. Would I do it again? Definitely.

But, yours is stock and should be in stock. I would not wait very long before finding it somewhere else.

 

[Fredrik E. Nilsen]

Apparently, not many of you guys (us guys?) are left-handed. Practically every bass I have ordered has taken five month minimum, and the longest was about two years. Worth it? Definitely. Would I do it again? Definitely.

But, yours is stock and should be in stock. I would not wait very long before finding it somewhere else.

And we repeat again:

This is completely normal in smaller markets without much turnover. Unless the shop commits to buy a poopieload of instruments, they're put behind in the line to the manufacturer or distributor (and Fender is one of the worst in the business).

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

1) I did not gave them any money. I just ordered it and I'll pay when I get it.

2) There is another shop that ships in the surrounding countries. On their site they always display the amount of available units they have in stock at the moment which is always correct. I know this because I shopped from them several times.
Actually, they have one in stock of this particular bass so I could get it in a few days.

I was on a pre-order basis with a reputable dealer and waiting for a new item to come into stock.
It so happens that the item was from FMI (Fender Music Inc.) as is your's.
The item was on an every other month delivery to schedule to vendors.
And this was in the US where stuff comes and goes pretty quickly.

In the case of my pre-order I was using PayPal. After about 5 weeks, the vendor called me and said that PP orders automatically, self cancel if there is no activity within 30 days of placing the order.
Also that vendor offered a "sign up to get an email when it's in stock" service, which I did also.

So if you can sign up for an email notice, you should.
If you do PP, you might want to check on it occasionally until you have some confirmation of purchase/shipping.
Otherwise bug the vendor every few days. Maybe they'll have a way to put you on a priority list since you are such a good customer???

FWIW. I found a better than new (mint condition with some good mods) item of the thing I was waiting for and got it for less.
So keeping your "moving on" options open, isn't a bad idea either.

 

[Duanestuermer]

I commissioned a custom made bass from a builder in the 70s, took 2 years to finish.
If you have a bass your using now that fits the bill, whats the big whoop.
I now live in Panama, and it always takes at least 6 months to get anything.
But I also agree, something used may come up, that's even better, and if so, I'd go for that, instead of stressing over a Squire.

 

[taught]

If you have a bass your using now that fits the bill, whats the big whoop.

What do you mean whats the big whoop? I mean you expect a man to live with only one bass?

 

[joker820]

Could be wrong but this is how I see it. It's most likely shipping via sea container then gets loaded on a truck from port. If it's all Fender stuff then it gets split up at a distributor and goes to the store. If it's a shared container, you'd have to wait for other things to be delivered. I'd put a guess on 6 weeks in transit alone. If the item is back ordered or they are waiting for more stores in this market to place orders that's more time added.

 

[nerkoids]

If, and this is a big IF -- your local shop also sells Farida guitars and basses, get one of the basses instead of waiting for the Squier. Aside from the shape of the body horns and the headstock, it is exactly the same basses, from the same factory in China.

 

[Duanestuermer]

What do you mean whats the big whoop? I mean you expect a man to live with only one bass?

Yep, I lived with only only bass for almost 40 years, no big whoop.
Kinda like that old adage about needing more than a handful.

 

[Hand slap]

I ordered a Squier CV P-bass in february in a music shop (EU, Hungary) with a fairly big customer base and good revenue.

They told me it will be in stock in two months.
I asked them two months later (end of march), they told me they need another month.
I asked them another month later (end of april) and they told me the bass is still not in stock, they will let me know if it will be.

Now it is May and I don't know if this amount of time is OK to wait.
I regularly check the used market online and saw great basses for great price but I had to let them go because I was waiting for mine from the shop.

Will you wait longer since this is common or should I move forward?

Side note: I buy things regularly there, they know me as a regular consumer and we have a mutual respect for each other so I don't want to flip tables.

Dude, waiting is up to you????