MIM Precision Bass - diasappointed!

[Korladis]

How else was he supposed to try one? I'm sure if it arrived in better shape the decision wouldn't have been made for him.

Since when do businesses have feelings? The EU distributor already purchased the product so Fender is happy

I image what we're seeing is the pre-purchase setup the in-store tech would have done and all the issues would have been corrected before going home with the customer. In this case, direct-to-consumer models shows all the flaws of QC under bright lights rather than being caught at the store level.

He stated himself that he hadn't intended on keeping it even if it hadn't been a lemon.

 

[bolophonic]

How else was he supposed to try one? I'm sure if it arrived in better shape the decision wouldn't have been made for him.

Since when do businesses have feelings? The EU distributor already purchased the product so Fender is happy

I image what we're seeing is the pre-purchase setup the in-store tech would have done and all the issues would have been corrected before going home with the customer. In this case, direct-to-consumer models shows all the flaws of QC under bright lights rather than being caught at the store level.

The OP states in his second post that he ordered it with no intention of keeping it.

 

[Searay]

I sympathize with the retailers that have to take equipment back after tinkering. To that end, welcome to cost reduced production. The directive is to cut the cost of every component and process. I'd rather buy from a seller that seeks high quality components and processes.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

This....It likely happens more than many would admit....guitars ARE so personal....but a broken allen wrench and backbow on a neck are ridiculous on a new bass.

A new Allen wrench is very cheap, and backbow curable by adjusting the truss rod, which the OP has not done. Yet apparently, with the OPs preferred strings the set up is apparently fine, and so may be a non issue. I'd like to see if it coped with light strings, though, if it was mine, as I like light strings and a low action. But I've never bought a bass I didn't immediately set up, so the set up out oif the box is fairly irrelevant to me.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

To me it depends on what the defect is.....i didnt keep track of everyones replies sorry....minor defects that are easily remedied to me are a not a deal breaker IF the guitar has a solid neck and is resonant and the guitar feels and sounds good overall.

Backbow and a broken allen wrench are alarming....i rarely see that with 100's of basses i have checked out but i admit i check more used basses than new.

We don't know when the Allen key was broken. It might have been broken before it went into the box. If the back bow is an over tight truss rod it is fixable. If the Allen wrench got broken in the factory when someone was adjusting it, that would be concerning, but I can't imagine they get the wrench out of the bag, use it, then put it back, as opposed to use the one they have on their bench.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Now wait a minute, if a guitar is BRAND NEW with backbow and a nut that needs addressed etc, that would be covered under warranty....you are NOT supposed to mess around with a brand new purchase if it is under warranty.

25% re-stocking fee is excessive....if i return an item to say Wal Mart i CLEARLY state WHY i return it....part of the reason Wal Mart is successful is their liberal return policy and they fully refund cash too BUT if something is defective, it gets marked defective.

The OP's bass was clearly not typical of the new MIM basses i have seen at GC in the past 3 or 4 years....ive been very impressed with most all MIM Fenders lately.

Whilst I mostly agree you have a right to return, if I returned every bass with a poor setup, I wouldn't have any. If the backbow is not correctable I'd be sending it back. The wire seems like an annoyance. The nut may be cut to accommodate a variety of strings from the factory. I've seem over wide slots on many basses, including MIA.

In the UK you can return goods long after purchase if there is a defect, which means I worry less as if the neck turned out to be unstable then I would be able to request a return or repair anything up to five years later, if I could prove it was a manufacturing defect. Obviously, trying to return something badly dinged it would get hard to prove it wasn't abuse!

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'd be willing to bet that someone ordered that bass, messed around with it until it was unplayable, took off the pick guard for some reason, just like the OP did, then reassembled it and returned it. Then the retailer sent it on to the OP, because they recognized him as one of those customers who order basses they don't even want, disassemble them, critique them, etc., then you know the rest...

That might explain the back bow and snapped wrench - a novice overtightening the truss rod until the likely very cheap wrench broke. Hopefully, then, the truss rod isn't broken too.

 

[btmpancake]

Maybe not in this case but there have been unhappy employees who purposely do things to try and destroy a company's reputation. This also happens with companies selling a similar product giving false negative reviews of their competitor's product. Lots of slime out there. Again-not necessarily in this case but it does happen.

 

[Sixgunn]

I understand it to mean that people like the OP, who order basses just to dink around with a free rental for 30 days on someone else's dime, with no intention of keeping them are adding to the overhead of retailers who then pass that cost on to everyone else.

How else was he supposed to try one? I'm sure if it arrived in better shape the decision wouldn't have been made for him.

Since when do businesses have feelings? The EU distributor already purchased the product so Fender is happy

I imagine what we're seeing is the pre-purchase setup the in-store tech would have done and all the issues would have been corrected before going home with the customer. In this case, direct-to-consumer models shows all the flaws of QC under bright lights rather than being caught at the store level.

So much wrong here! He SAID he wasn't trying it with the intention of even potentially buying it. He just wanted to play around with someone else's property for a month at their expense. When do businesses have feelings? Ha! Since they take the expense of shady non-customer's abuses and pass them on to legitimate customers. Remember that when you complain about prices.

 

[Sixgunn]

I love these Talkbass threads that become an exercise in moral relativism.

As opposed to the creeping moral degradation sneaking into our lives, right under our noses? One drop raises the ocean.

 

[Sixgunn]

Honestly, I don't think this is unethical at all, if you are upfront when you make the purchase. When I purchased my Road Worn Jazz Bass from Sweetwater, I told my Sweetwater guy I was buying 3 and only going to keep one. He was fine with that and said it's not a common thing, but people definitely do it.

Big difference. You intended to buy a bass. He didn't.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

That's why I asked for front and back headshots...also a pic of the CNC "hole" under the guard would be nice. I don't know why, but when I saw that snapped Allen key, I instantly thought forgery. I could be completely off base with that, of course.

Wonder if it snapped off while adjusting the truss rod.
See if it has vice grip teeth marks on it.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

As opposed to the creeping moral degradation sneaking into our lives, right under our noses? One drop raises the ocean.

I think I've finally gone over the edge.
For some reason this post made me think of Raisin Bran. drool

Is there an 800 number for the Coo-coo house?

 

[Sixgunn]

I think I've finally gone over the edge.
For some reason this post made me think of Raisin Bran. drool

Is there an 800 number for the Coo-coo house?

Yes, but the inmates are running the asylum (in case you haven't noticed).

 

[DavidEdenAria]

View attachment 2799129

So much wrong here! He SAID he wasn't trying it with the intention of even potentially buying it. He just wanted to play around with someone else's property for a month at their expense. When do businesses have feelings? Ha! Since they take the expense of shady non-customer's abuses and pass them on to legitimate customers. Remember that when you complain about prices.

If he paid for it in advance, it was HIS property until it was returned and refunded!

Once again, a certain amount of returns is built into the price with usually adding re-stocking fees....and at a 25% re-stocking fee a store can really make out WELL if that piece is returned 2 or 3 times.

The bottom line is this bass is NOT acceptable, imo, whether the OP wanted to keep it or get a refund imo.....others will disagree.

I have "forum friends" i have sold NOS and very strong used old production tubes for amps, i sometimes will send 2 or 3 even if they paid for one and let them compare....of course this is done on forums such as Talk Bass and The Gear Page to folks i know and trust who WILL return the unwanted tubes or go ahead and pay me for what they keep.....but thats the nice thing getting to know players on some of these forums

Look its NOT right to just play something for a few weeks and return it REPEATEDLY....BUT, he paid in advance and that bass traveled a heckuva long distance to a place where little supply exists locally apparently and the condition is nowhere near the quality i see on new MIM Fenders in my local Guitar Centers....most are pretty darn nice overall.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Wonder if it snapped off while adjusting the truss rod.
See if it has vice grip teeth marks on it.

Thats what thru me a curve right off.......i dont recall ever seeing or hearing of such a thing.

Look the OP was WRONG ordering with no intention of keeping the bass....thats why i mention re-stocking fees to cover costs.

 

[Sixgunn]

If he paid for it in advance, it was HIS property until it was returned and refunded!

Once again, a certain amount of returns is built into the price with usually adding re-stocking fees....and at a 25% re-stocking fee a store can really make out WELL if that piece is returned 2 or 3 times.

The bottom line is this bass is NOT acceptable, imo, whether the OP wanted to keep it or get a refund imo.....others will disagree.

I have "forum friends" i have sold NOS and very strong used old production tubes for amps, i sometimes will send 2 or 3 even if they paid for one and let them compare....of course this is done on forums such as Talk Bass and The Gear Page to folks i know and trust who WILL return the unwanted tubes or go ahead and pay me for what they keep.....but thats the nice thing getting to know players on some of these forums

Look its NOT right to just play something for a few weeks and return it REPEATEDLY....BUT, he paid in advance and that bass traveled a heckuva long distance to a place where little supply exists locally apparently and the condition is nowhere near the quality i see on new MIM Fenders in my local Guitar Centers....most are pretty darn nice overall.

The bass is not my issue. It could be a big screen TV (you know, the ones people "buy" for the Stuperbowl and then return them afterwords) or anything "bought" under false pretenses. This is a shining example IMHO.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

The bass is not my issue. It could be a big screen TV (you know, the ones people "buy" for the Stuperbowl and then return them afterwords) or anything "bought" under false pretenses. This is a shining example IMHO.

And i AGREE with you on that point....but why is the bass not an issue?

I will repeat again, working for successful companies that dealt with a certain amount of returns, RE-STOCKING fee....its purpose is to cover things of this sort as well as discourage returns.

Just sayin....if i were sent a brand new bass in this condition, i would be on the phone, email, whatever complaining....its not like the bass was discounted either.

Matter of fact i would raise H##L IF i had to pay a re-stocking fee for this bass!

The great thing about living in the USA is we have a wide range of choices....Guitar Center used i think is a good thing, decent prices and easily returned to a local Guitar Center if need be...serves me well anyway and my local shops are decent overall about setups too.

Its not the same in other countries, i KNOW this well as i have shipped tubes and effect pedals all over the world.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

If he paid for it in advance, it was HIS property until it was returned and refunded!

Whilst legally correct, it's ethically dubious, although I'm not 100% sure what the OP intended.

Once again, a certain amount of returns is built into the price with usually adding re-stocking fees....and at a 25% re-stocking fee a store can really make out WELL if that piece is returned 2 or 3 times.

That's more a feature of the USA, not Europe. In the UK, at least, you can return any item within 14 days in its original condition if ordered mail order, no restocking fee, and you have very good policies for returning items (or having a repair) for those with defects.

The bottom line is this bass is NOT acceptable, imo, whether the OP wanted to keep it or get a refund imo.....others will disagree.

Apart from needing a setup (which was not attempted) I'm hard pressed to see any show partucular stoppers, given the information provided. The knob issue was particularly silly. If the truss rod lacks adjustability its another issue, but currently an unknown.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

Whilst legally correct, it's ethically dubious, although I'm not 100% sure what the OP intended.



That's more a feature of the USA, not Europe. In the UK, at least, you can return any item within 14 days in its original condition if ordered mail order, no restocking fee, and you have very good policies for returning items (or having a repair) for those with defects.



Apart from needing a setup (which was not attempted) I'm hard pressed to see any show partucular stoppers, given the information provided. The knob issue was particularly silly. If the truss rod lacks adjustability its another issue, but currently an unknown.

The fact that a broken allen wrench was included sends red flags for me....makes you wonder if the trussrod is compromised at this point....no WAY i would keep that bass at that price especially.