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Most consistently well-crafted and problem-free basses?

#121
tbz said:
No. But I own 5 and have a 6th on the way. I've interacted with the people that work there and they're all legitimately caring nice people that stand by their product.

This specific incident is a very odd one and again the owner of this bass bought it second hand, from a teenager, and insists the problem is from the factory.
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Do I strike you as someone who is innept in what to look for when buying a bass? Do I strike you as someone who has no idea how finish works, or how to see lines where a blade has been used to separate a finish? I'm not some dumb kid who has absolutely no idea how to tell if something has been tampered with.

You know, man, with your attitude, you fit right in with that club. Geoff, Lima, everyone else. I can see why so many of the veterans and respected members have moved on.
 
#123
I will assume you are buying brand new. Obviously if you were to find these models used, they'd be far cheaper.

Lower budget $500-$800

Yamaha TRBX
numerous Ibanez lines (though I would never buy one because I cannot get used to the skinny neck)
Some of the new Squier stuff is great
I always thought the ESP LTD stuff was very well made
Warwick Rockbass
Schecter
The Sires are supposedly great as well, but I have never tried one

Middle Budget $800-$1200

Most basses in this category should not have many QC issues, but my recommendations would be in order as follows

Lakland Skyline
Reverend
ESP LTD (The new artist lines are very well made)
Schecter (the new jazz basses they're putting out are amazing)
Carvin (depending on the options you add)
NS Design Radius... an amazing design concept

$1200 & Up

Honestly it is dealer's choice at this price point, but my personal favorites are below

Lakland US
Gould/Modulus- The basses Geoff Gould builds under his name are incredible, and you cannot beat the durability of a graphite neck
NS Design
Musicman
 
#124
So. No. You didn't get a second opinion.

Got it.

Facts are that you bought a second hand bass with a problem and insist it's a manufacturing defect. Instead of accepting you bought a used bass from a teenager. Most people would accept their part.

Did Spector send you a new truss rod btw. Swear they did for free...

awilkie84 said:
Are you ignoring the FACTS and just focusing on speculation!? Do you have any idea how much it would cost to get a pristine neck open, glue the truss rod, seal it back up and refinish it? Do you think this is something a 16 year old could afford, or perform themselves??? My tech is a well respected and trusted LUTHIER. A mistake of this magnitude is not something he would make. Get your head out of PJ's butt, man!

If you want, give Richard Leighton at Arbutus Music in Nanaimo a call. Ask him a bit about himself. Ask him how many guitars he's built, let alone the immaculate repairs he's done for DECADES. THEN, when you're satisfied with his skills, ask him exactly what he thinks happened to my bass. He'll tell you outright that it was a QC issue, hands down. No possibility that this job could have been done by anyone other than the factory or another VERY skilled luthier...and for a luthier to be able to glue down a truss rod (which is a no-no) but get a perfect finish on a neck after reassembling it is ridiculously unheard.
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awilkie84 said:
Do I strike you as someone who is innept in what to look for when buying a bass? Do I strike you as someone who has no idea how finish works, or how to see lines where a blade has been used to separate a finish? I'm not some dumb kid who has absolutely no idea how to tell if something has been tampered with.

You know, man, with your attitude, you fit right in with that club. Geoff, Lima, everyone else. I can see why so many of the veterans and respected members have moved on.
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#126
My suggestion is to find a used Mike Lull. The older ones are a great bargain.

Doesn't seem to matter whether it's one of his J's / P's / Birds.....or what year it was built -- I've never played one that didn't seduce me.
 
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#128
A bass guitar is really just a couple hunks of wood with some copper wire coils, magnets, pots, and hardware to keep strings at a consistent tension (and maybe a very basic preamp). If you find one that functions well (which a great majority do) then it will likely function just fine for a very long time, and usually if something does go wrong the fix will be very simple.
 
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#130
awilkie84 said:
You trollin' bro? Ricks have TONS for QC issues that are documented.
Spector, not as much but they do happen. I personally had a ReBop 5DLX where the factory had glued the truss rod into the cavity. When I contacted Spector about it, they said that it couldn't have come from the factory like that...but my local luthier said that there was absolutely no evidence that the neck had ever been tampered with or opened before. The finish lines were all still intact around the edge of the fingerboard. Spector also said that all Spector necks can have the truss rod pulled out through the truss channel at the headstock, if you remove the nut. I don't see how this would have been possible given that, when my luthier opened the neck, the end of the truss rod was too wide to fit through the channel. -_-
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Spector truss rods can be yanked out and replaced. The Spector shop did it for me on my NS2-JA. Wasn't a big deal and didn't cost me much either. I don't believe the nut was removed either.
 
#132
awilkie84 said:
Topic of debate? I had picture proof of every issue and they refuted everything with "you didn't ask PJ".
How exactly would a 16 year old have the funds, let alone the idea, to have the neck torn open, a poopy truss rod put in and a professional refinish? Anyone who could have pulled off that finish job would not have been such a twit by gluing the truss rod in. I trust my local luthier. He's arguably the best on the island and has always been honest with every customer that walks through his doors. Disbelieve all you want...but this was a poor QC job on Spector's part, through & through.

The only reason I even noticed something was wrong was when I put a heavier set of strings on than I normally do & couldn't turn the truss rod. With a standard 40-125 set, the relief was perfect. It was only when I went to a 50-130 that the extra tension required some adjustment and the problem showed itself.

Oh, I'll also mention that the fingerboard developed a ramp at the end as well that would have required planing to fix. Bad QC can happen with any company, including the almighty Spector.

As an aside, your defiant attitude towards this, and the ignorance shown by the other club members when I had the issue is exactly why I will never buy another Spector. I love their basses but I will not ever again own one because of how rude the community can be when someone presents information that contradicts their rose-glass view of the Spector world.
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Why would you allow a community to prevent you from playing a bass you you like? Play the bass and ignore the community if need be.
 
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#133
I'll second Steinberger as well. The original Carbon graphite one piece bass/bodies were as close to a "solid state" instrument as has been achieved. Unfortunately, they have become expensive collectors items. Most problems I've seen with the average bass are neck related, you can get close to Steinberger reliability by getting a Status CF neck, every other conceivable problem a bass can develop is an easy fix by comparison to neck problems.
 
#134
I'm sure Status has been mentioned here, but I have seriously never seen a more consistently good brand. Not to say there aren't tons of others, but Status is seriously well made and very consistently so. No matter what I see from them as a bass to buy, I know what to expect when it shows up... And it's gonna be good.
 
#140
el_Bajo_Verde said:
My car is falling apart and is literally held together with tape at some parts...so gotta save up for that..

If I didn't have that and other financial obligations, I'd gladly grab something over a grand :D
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How about "just over..."

... Scroll down to the second one. If you could score this, you'd appreciate my advice for the rest of your life.

Trust me:

Link Removed


...and no, I'm not affiliated with BSD in any way, other than being a satisfied customer. Good folks.
 

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