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Need your help, TB. Would you return this bass??

#25
tb-player said:
I’ve been posting about the new Fodera I just got from Sweetwater. It’s beautiful and I got 25% off list. Great deal, right?

I got the bass home and it was gorgeous. I had a ball playing around with it. But after a bit, I noticed a small crack just under the finish on the neck, extending from the nut. Seems like the kind of thing that may get worse with time.

I’ve reached out to my Sweetwater rep & I’m sure I’ll hear back from him on Monday. But in the meantime, I’m not sure what to do. I did get a killer deal on this (it was still well over $5k), but the listing said nothing about a minor blemish or a crack in the finish. It was being sold as new.

If it is something that could get worse with time, I’m thinking I may have to return it.:( What would you do?
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Return it. Was it discounted because of "blemish" or "B stock?" If so, you might not be able to get a replacement. But, you could still get your money back for it and find a non damaged one somewhere else.
 
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#26
tb-player said:
I’ve been posting about the new Fodera I just got from Sweetwater. It’s beautiful and I got 25% off list. Great deal, right?

I got the bass home and it was gorgeous. I had a ball playing around with it. But after a bit, I noticed a small crack just under the finish on the neck, extending from the nut. Seems like the kind of thing that may get worse with time.

I’ve reached out to my Sweetwater rep & I’m sure I’ll hear back from him on Monday. But in the meantime, I’m not sure what to do. I did get a killer deal on this (it was still well over $5k), but the listing said nothing about a minor blemish or a crack in the finish. It was being sold as new.

If it is something that could get worse with time, I’m thinking I may have to return it.:( What would you do?
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Okay, I re-read your post. You said it was listed as new with no mention of blemish. Tell them about it in email with those pictures, and request a replacement. They'll be more than happy to assist you from there. They've got a reputation to uphold. There's a lot of competition out there.
 
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#28
tb-player said:
I’ve been posting about the new Fodera I just got from Sweetwater. It’s beautiful and I got 25% off list. Great deal, right?

I got the bass home and it was gorgeous. I had a ball playing around with it. But after a bit, I noticed a small crack just under the finish on the neck, extending from the nut. Seems like the kind of thing that may get worse with time.

I’ve reached out to my Sweetwater rep & I’m sure I’ll hear back from him on Monday. But in the meantime, I’m not sure what to do. I did get a killer deal on this (it was still well over $5k), but the listing said nothing about a minor blemish or a crack in the finish. It was being sold as new.

If it is something that could get worse with time, I’m thinking I may have to return it.:( What would you do?
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For a bass of that price range I would except nothing less than perfection....

send it back. Sweetwater is a great company to deal with from my experience
 
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#36
If the guitar hasn't grown on you and the shop will exchange... go for it. BUT... I have a crack in the finish around the neck join of my Fender about a quarter the size of yours. Had there been other basses of the same quality in the shop I might have considered demanding an exchange but the bass plays so well(and was under2k) that risking getting a lesser guitar without a scratch was not worth it.
 
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#37
jamro217 said:
As a rule of thumb the less an instrument costs the more acceptable minor flaws become. If you're spending what to you is expensive on an instrument, it had better be as close to perfect as possible. I don't know what your financial situation is and for you $5k may be chump change, but it's a lot more than most people would pay for a blemished instrument. If you want to spend that much for mojo get a pre-CBS Fender. At least if you try to flip it you'll get your money back.
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Genius! Right on the money!
 
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#38
S-Bigbottom said:
Guess someone failed their 55 point inspection. :(
Send it back.



Sweetwater's 55-point Inspection
Taking the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

Our detailed 55-point Inspection ensures that each instrument valued $299 and above is shipped in factory-fresh condition and ready to play. Plus, our professional technicians, inspectors, and luthiers are trained in factory specifications and tolerances and steeped in years of customer feedback.

You can count on the fact that they have looked at every aspect of that guitar or bass, from the input jack to the headstock, the same way you would in a store. And each instrument ships with its own individually signed certificate of inspection, giving it our personal seal of approval that the instrument meets or exceeds factory standards.
Click to expand...
This one got the 54 point inspection. :D
 
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#39
tb-player said:
I’ve been posting about the new Fodera I just got from Sweetwater. It’s beautiful and I got 25% off list. Great deal, right?

I got the bass home and it was gorgeous. I had a ball playing around with it. But after a bit, I noticed a small crack just under the finish on the neck, extending from the nut. Seems like the kind of thing that may get worse with time.

I’ve reached out to my Sweetwater rep & I’m sure I’ll hear back from him on Monday. But in the meantime, I’m not sure what to do. I did get a killer deal on this (it was still well over $5k), but the listing said nothing about a minor blemish or a crack in the finish. It was being sold as new.

If it is something that could get worse with time, I’m thinking I may have to return it.:( What would you do?
View attachment 3822588 View attachment 3822589
Click to expand...

Hello. Return it for a refund. Don't tell Sweetwater that you accuse them of knowing about the problem; but obviously they knew and discounted the bass accordingly. They were counting on you not caring enough about the blemish to pass up the discount.

Maybe eventually any Fodera owners will post here to report ever seeing similar finish cracks on their Fodera basses, but I have yet to see one.

In my brief experience owning four Foderas, including one Standard, plus seeing and handling a number of others in my visits to the Fodera shop, I can attest to the almost weirdly perfect construction and finish that is characteristic of their instruments. Yet with climate, handling, and the chance of deviation among many examples, exceptions are possible.
 
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#40
That's quite clearly a finish crack. It isn't structural, but it's sure visible. I doubt it left the shop that way. It may not have left Sweetwater that way. These things happen. It probably won't get any worse, but it won't ever get better either. On a new instrument of that calibre, yeah, there needs to be some ammends. It would bug me too, if this were my new bass.

I don't know my Foderas too well; is this a model the neck can be removed from? If this is The Bass, then short of an exchange, I might have Sweetwater reach out to Fodera and see if they would just replace or refinish the neck for you.

Hope it gets straightened out for ya'. Where can I see the rest of the bass?
 
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