NBD... but bummed!

[N4860]

If it came to you boxed up - what did the box look like ? It's hard to imagine there wasn't significant damage to the box for that tuner to be so mangled in transit . If the box is pristine then either GC reboxed it for you to deal with which seems pretty pointless or MusicMan has a very disgruntled employee who decided to mess your bass up . Either way I'd play it and if there is no other damage and you really like the bass just get GC to pony up for the new tuner and save yourself the potential future aggravation of having something else go wrong on the next one . Best of luck no matter how you proceed though - Kelly

It's a SBMM. That's a different company than Music Man.

 

[Spidey2112]

... you'd think they'd at least be able to sell new products that aren't damaged.

How was the box(s), near the location where it was damaged? I'm all about the box.

That'll tell alot.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

If this was ordered through GC, and the box was not damaged, then this is a QC on MM's end. It is policy that GC does ship instruments from their warehouse without opening them. They basically trust the manufacture that the instrument is what is says it is on the box and that is is perfect condition. And yes, this sort of QC issue happen. I order anywhere from 40-60 new band instruments every year. While most are drop-shipped from the manufacture, some are shipped from the dealer. I ordered 12 new clarinets last year from Woodwind Brasswind (owned by GC). All were new and sealed in the box and all came in the Yamaha case (12 clarinets to a case), which it self was unopened. Three of them had some sort of manufacturing issue: one missing thumb rest, one bent register key, and one was missing two springs on the lower joint. These were not WWBW/GC issues but rather issues that should have been caught in Yamaha's QC. As soon as I let WWBW/GC know they sent over a rep from the local store with several for me to look at and took the damaged ones with them. Let GC know and I'm sure they will take care of it.

Thanks for all the information

 

[Yahboy]

Ask for partial refund and fund for tuning machines upgrade.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

How was the box(s), near the location where it was damaged? I'm all about the box.

That'll tell alot.

Ask for partial refund and fund for tuning machines upgrade.

What if this is a QC issue with EB?

 

[Yahboy]

What if this is a QC issue with EB?

It is clearly not factory QC issue, the bend tuning shaft could accidentally happened on shipment, drop to floor at GC store while packaging...... blah blah blah...

Stock tuning machine are low grade and heavy. Same stuff use on sub ray bass.

Ask partial refund are worth if the bass play well without others problem.

Hopehelp

 

[N4860]

What if this is a QC issue with EB?

Again, SBMM is not the same company as EBMM.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Again, SBMM is not the same company as EBMM.

Ok... so what if it's a SBMM QC issue and not GC's fault? I guess there's really no way to prove it either way.

 

[N4860]

Ok... so what if it's a SBMM QC issue and not GC's fault? I guess there's really no way to prove it either way.

I'm not sure, but I would guess the best course of action is first to bring it to the retailer that it was purchased from because if it is the retailers fault, they should take responsibility. If it was a QC issue with SBMM, GC should still be able to execute the warranty on your behalf and get a new instrument to replace it.

I only mentioned the thing before because it's not fair to EBMM to blame them for a QC issue from a different manufacturer.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Here's the other side... disregard the duct tape; that's part of my "reboxing" job... didn't have any packing tape on hand.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

I'm not sure, but I would guess the best course of action is first to bring it to the retailer that it was purchased from because if it is the retailers fault, they should take responsibility. If it was a QC issue with SBMM, GC should still be able to execute the warranty on your behalf and get a new instrument to replace it.

I only mentioned the thing before because it's not fair to EBMM to blame them for a QC issue from a different manufacturer.

That certainly makes sense. Thanks for your insight.

 

[N4860]

That certainly makes sense. Thanks for your insight.

No worries! In regards to the box, it doesn't look as bad I would expect if it were damaged only from shipping. I would think the box would show more damage to result in a tuner being bent like that. My last online purchase was for an electric guitar and when I picked up the box from the shipper it had a pretty sizeable whole in the side of the box, about the size of a fist at least. The guitar was just in a gig bag and I could feel it by putting my hand in the whole. Fortunately, the guitar suffered no damage but I consider myself pretty lucky in that situation.

 

[J_Bass]

Maybe I'm just seeing things, but it looks like more than one tuning key is out of wack. Most definitely shipping damage. That sucks dude! But I hope you get it worked out quickly!

Yes, the A tuner also seems to be bent.

 

[joe vegas]

congrats on this. great also to have a spouse who digs one's passions and supports 'em.

on another note- GC has created its own rep as a broken bombed-out ruin for years-
how or why does this shipwreck stay in business, with so many competitors with knowledgeable, simpatico salespeople who actually deliver gear in excellent shape?

 

[the harp unstrung]

 

[farmertom]

Man that thing is sweet looking. Hope you get it resolved soon!

 

[RumbleMan3]

My wonderful wife made it happen and I received a Butterscotch Blonde SBMM Ray 24 for Christmas. Only to find that when I was removing it from the box, the tuning key for the D string was bent to hell. Oh man! Talk about a rollercoaster ride of emotions! I have since packed it back in the box and I'll be heading to Guitar Center tomorrow some point. They will probably have to order another one since I haven't seen any of these in stock at the particular store I frequent. Now I'm thing maybe Toluca Lake Blue. We'll see. View attachment 4102089 View attachment 4102090 View attachment 4102091 View attachment 4102090 View attachment 4102091

I highly doubt that’s poor QC. Must be shipping damage. Although accidents like this aren’t as common as you’d think when shipping instruments, but I guarantee it would not have left the factory like that.

If you’ve got a warranty, they should be able to replace the bass or at least provide you with a spare tuner. Otherwise if you have to buy a new tuner yourself it’s not a costly fix

 

[Cliff Colton]

If I took in the return at GC, and the nice lady with tears in her eyes said she worries that her husband thinks she bought him a scratch and bent bass as a holiday gift, I’d exchange the bass and throw in a MarkBass amp.

 

[ric4682]

Merry Christmas and sorry about your lovely bass!
I’ll echo what most people said: If it was ordered through GC then they’ll absolutely refund or exchange that with no issue. I believe it was probably the manufacture’s fault as well, though it could be shipping damage. If the box was dropped and the bass shifted inside the box that could have easily snapped the tuner, even if the box doesn’t show damage.
Either way, that’s a bummer about the bass! The good news is that it isn’t a difficult situation to solve.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

Merry Christmas and sorry about your lovely bass!
I’ll echo what most people said: If it was ordered through GC then they’ll absolutely refund or exchange that with no issue. I believe it was probably the manufacture’s fault as well, though it could be shipping damage. If the box was dropped and the bass shifted inside the box that could have easily snapped the tuner, even if the box doesn’t show damage.
Either way, that’s a bummer about the bass! The good news is that it isn’t a difficult situation to solve.

Thanks, man. You're right. I shouldn't be worrying about this too much. My wife is so cool. She said that we'll do anything we need to do to make things right. She feels really bad about "ruining" my day... which is ridiculous! I'll keep you guys posted regarding the situation.