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

#61
You yourself said, "...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."

There is no problem here whatsoever. Just play the bass and enjoy it. You should see my US Lakland 4460. It's been bumped, bruised and banged over the years and it's still literally the best sounding and playing bass I've ever laid my paws on.
 
#62
Originally I thought it looked like frets were never really dressed I now see what you are referring to on the fret board. If it’s a local shop bring it back and get one that is cosmetically correct Say something now to the shop for sure
 
#64
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...

I guess I’m getting old, but for the life of me, I can’t even see the problem. People are saying it looks like polyurethane got over the fret, which is probable. I would absolutely scrape that off at least the crown of the fret with a razor if possible, and make sure it doesn’t cause playability issues without it there, because it will wear differently than the metal. That’s just me, I’m confident I could do that without slitting my wrists or gouging the fret, proceed at your own risk. I personally wouldn’t want a bass knowing that there could eventually be playability issues, but if it really is very thin, I doubt there will ever be any problem.
 
#65
Nickweissmusic said:
I guess I’m getting old, but for the life of me, I can’t even see the problem. People are saying it looks like polyurethane got over the fret, which is probable. I would absolutely scrape that off at least the crown of the fret with a razor if possible, and make sure it doesn’t cause playability issues without it there, because it will wear differently than the metal. That’s just me, I’m confident I could do that without slitting my wrists or gouging the fret, proceed at your own risk. I personally wouldn’t want a bass knowing that there could eventually be playability issues, but if it really is very thin, I doubt there will ever be any problem.
Click to expand...

I should add, if you can visually see the rise, and can’t easily remove it, I would likely return it.
 
#66
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...

You answered your own question - send it back. Let me get this straight - they want you to take the neck off, and send just the neck back while it's still under warranty?
That doesn't sound right.
 
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#67
Solarmist said:
You answered your own question - send it back. Let me get this straight - they want you to take the neck off, and send just the neck back while it's still under warranty?
That doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

I agree, after reading more, I would return it. If OP is not confident enough to know that it won’t be a playability issue in the future, it’s not worth the hassle. And by the way, how the hell would the shop know removing something from a fret won’t cause a problem, if they don’t have the body and strings attached to the bass to test it out?

honestly, if it all plays well and the fret isn’t visually raised, there’s a 95% chance there will never be anything wrong with the bass, but now that the shop knows there’s an issue, any issues you take care of are your liability. I would take it to your trusted repair tech to see what they think, if they are all at all iffy about it, send it back and take another swing, they’ll make more ;-)
 
#69
Nickweissmusic said:
I should add, if you can visually see the rise, and can’t easily remove it, I would likely return it.
Click to expand...
its not on the fretwire
Nickweissmusic said:
I should add, if you can visually see the rise, and can’t easily remove it, I would likely return it.
Click to expand...
this should help:
4F4342DE-8369-4ACD-8478-6639BFEFDBE1.jpeg
 
#70
Ya, I tend to celebrate little weird things like that in wood rather than get all buzzed about them. It's obviously not a plug, so I wouldn't spend a minute thinking about it. It's like ebony with white flecks to me...that's how it grows, it's fine wood regardless of the flecks, and wood is meant to be imperfect just from its very nature. If it bugs you, hit it with a buffing compound/polish combination, but if it didn't come out, I wouldn't worry about it. It's wood.
 
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#71
If it was a tiny ding on the body, I'd be fine with a discount, but as soon as you try to sort the fingerboard out by scraping it with a razor, sandpaper, etc, the shop can refuse any further help. Let the shop make the fingerboard good and if they can't, they're liable, not you. What isn't an issue for some people, isn't for others, no right or wrong, but if it's such an easy fix, let the shop do it, as once you've messed with it, they almost certainly won't allow a return.
 
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#72
Solarmist said:
Let me get this straight - they want you to take the neck off, and send just the neck back while it's still under warranty?
Click to expand...

Sorry if my original wording was confusing.

What I meant was: If this was to be handled by the manufacturer, their policy is to send the instrument (or just the neck) to them on my own dime. They would fix/replace and send back to me. The store offered a $50 refund.

However, I guess this issue is resolved. I decided that even if it doesn't affect the sound or playability, it was going to bother me so I decided to return it for a full refund (vendor paid for return shipping). Petty? Maybe, but it was my money spent on a brand new bass, so....
 
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#73
beaglesandbass said:
Sorry if my original wording was confusing.

What I meant was: If this was to be handled by the manufacturer, their policy is to send the instrument (or just the neck) to them on my own dime. They would fix/replace and send back to me. The store offered a $50 refund.

However, I guess this issue is resolved. I decided that even if it doesn't affect the sound or playability, it was going to bother me so I decided to return it for a full refund (vendor paid for return shipping). Petty? Maybe, but it was my money spent on a brand new bass, so....
Click to expand...
based on the warranty im guessing Ernie Ball?

Glad you returned it. It may not matter in the bigger picture, but I feel that part of the problem with these manufactures and the sellers is they know the players accept a certain level of poor quality and have over many many years. The vendors stop caring and have a throw it up and see if it will stick mindset that will only change if players stop accepting these issues as ok. The manufactures and vendors had record breaking year in 2020 and I cant tell you how many returns I had to make due to poor quality. This is one of the only major industries that can sell a poor made $400 item and get away with it.
 

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