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New bass, neck defect/blemish, worth keeping? (RESOLVED)

#23
This would not bother me in the least. I would try to clean it off but if it didn't come off I wouldn't worry about it. Especially if it plays well and sounds great. Hate to say but $899 is not perfection level. At that price point I think it is reasonable to expect cosmetic flaws. If it was a $5K Sadowsky or similar I might feel a little different but would probably STILL live with it if the bass were otherwise great.
 
#24
My stance is that if it doesn’t affect the playability and the instrument is otherwise your liking,
Leave it be and use it.
I suppose you could try to wheedle some discount money out of it but speaking only for myself, I wouldn’t bother.
On an instrument that lists under a grand,i wouldn’t t even consider it defective.
More like an slight imperfection
 
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#25
It’s really entertaining people calling this “high end”.


Anyway , the factory is looking at the action measured on the frets. The issue that you have is nothing that QC would even be looking for.

once again (I’ve said this a million times), if Fender does not have a specification in regards of this, then this not a quality issue.
 
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#26
Your bass is fine. Looks like poly over sprayed. Like a drip that stayed on. From your post, it sounds as though it really bothers you. It bothers me too. But only if I'm building for someone. Otherwise I let it slip until I decide to change out the strings. Then I might do something or maybe not. But you should take it to a luthier. He or she will likely wet sand and wax and buff, or will ad some poly back if need be. This is an easy to correct blem. Shouldn't cost you any more than $50 to have it addressed, and even that's on the high side.
 
#29
beaglesandbass said:
So I picked up a new bass today, and I noticed a little bump in the 2nd fret across 3 of the strings, it's raised ever so slightly. When I say slighy, I mean it doesn't even look raised when looking at it from the side and it doesn't register anything on a string action ruler. Playing around on the bass for about 15 minutes, it doesn't seem to affect any notes at all.

It’s a roasted maple neck, list price on the bass was $899.

So I'm wondering ...
1) Is this a manufacturing defect where the neck just wasn't sanded all the way in that area? If not what else could have caused this.
2) Is this something that's going to get worse over time?
3) Is it unacceptable for a brand new bass? In which case would I be better off contact the store I bought it from or going through the manufacturer?

The fret in question:

View attachment 4206029
Click to expand...

If it's returnable, I think I would return it. It doesn't look like something that affects playability, but it seems like you're annoyed by it. However, if it plays and feels superb, then maybe you can decide to overlook it. Curious to see what you decide
 
#31
You mentioned a few times that it's a roasted maple neck. So what? Doesn't matter if it's made of rainbow-powered unicorn horns; it's "blemished" as most honest dealers would say, to the point that it bothered you enough to make this thread. Therefore, it's a self-answering question: you paid for one thing and got another. So return it, or at least demand some sort of refund or credit for it. /fini
 
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#32
Basses are made of wood (mostly). Wood is not a homogenious material - it has flaws. People pay extra for some of the flaws (spalted maple is literally rotted wood). It doesn't affect playability, it's very difficult to eve describe to us what it is. Play the thing, That little "defect" is something you'll only remember if you have to pick your bass out of a lineup or something.

I have roasted Warmoth necks that have little things in the wood - things like this that don't affect how they work in the least, and that the audience will never notice. This is not something that will get worse, it's just a tiny visual thing.

You have a bass that plays well. Keep it.
 
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#33
Reedt2000 said:
It's a maple fretboard so it could be a run in whatever finish is on it.
Click to expand...

That was my first thought (perpendicular to the grain, straight down to the ground, different color). Is it in the wood or the finish? Take it to a luthier if there is a decent one near you and see what it is and what it would cost to fix. Maybe with photos the retailer would cover the cost.
 
#34
if it doesn't, from a practical standpoint, affect the thing, it really just might not be an issue.

If it still bugs you, I'd contact the vendor and see what can be done. No maufacturer is perfect and sometimes wonky stuff makes it through QC, this is why customer service exists. Tbh if I bought a brand new instrument, some tiny thing like this might very well bug the heck out of me, too. Yeah, I've got nothing against battle scars, but this isn't a battle scar - this is the manufacturer messing it up the first time around.

Heck, it looks like a quick fix from the manufacturer's end, as well - pull the current fret, sand the surface level, reapply the fret. Might have to remove all the frets or even the whole fretboard, but either way.
 
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#35
Not sure if this was mentioned but your local guitar tech, if you have one in your area, could easily probably fix it for relatively cheap. I mean if it is brand new, it may need a set up anyway... unless you do all that yourself (personally I don't trust myself adjusting the neck).
 
#36
You say "picked up" like it was a local purchase. If it isn't too much trouble I'd take it back to see if there's another one in stock and ask them to swap it. If they don't have one or if it was in fact one you ordered, I'd check with the vendor for a partial refund (you won't get it if you don't ask) and live with it or have it corrected since having another one shipped in might have other issues worse than this little blem.
 
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#37
beaglesandbass said:
So after giving it some thought, this is where I'm currently at..

Even if it doesn't affect the sound or playability, the bump is definitely going to bother me. I don't mind the discoloration, but the bump is going to nag at me.

I sent a message to the store and and explained my concerns. I basically told them that if I knew about this issue I would not have bought the bass. The manufacturer would probably replace this under warranty as is it's a brand new bass, but that involves me sending the neck to them. There is a local luthier that I would trust to work on it, but again that costs money. I'm not willing to pay to fix a brand new bass.

So basically, either they give me a partial refund to fix the bump (whether it's from the manufacturer or a local luthier), or they're going to have to eat return shipping. This was a Reverb purchase and I'm fairly sure I would win this if it came to a dispute.
Click to expand...

If that bass is meant to be a long-term keeper, it isn't the bass for you. Roasted (unfinished) maple necks are notorious for getting dirty and stained over the years.

On the note of a warranty fix, I'm not so sure a company would do anything for you on that. I would expect any retailer would take it as a return, for sure, but I would imagine that bass gets put right back onto the rack after a return. I just don't see this as a major defect, especially on an import bass.
 
#38
If it were me I’d be fine with it despite not being personally sold on the benefits of roasted wood. If plays well, sounds good, and the price is right, then I’m good. So “a bird in the hand” and all that stuff.

But…

It’s important (to me) that I like what I’m playing. So if that defect bothers you for whatever reason - and you think it’s going to continue to bother you down the road - just return and be done with it. Life is short enough as it is. And there are plenty of other basses out there to choose from.

tl:dr - I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But that’s me - not you. ;)
 
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