I recently posted a thread about a Fender American bass I received from Musician's Friend that had "issues." I won't rehash that whole thread, but I will say it was NOT a bash Fender thread, and M.F. cheerfully handled the exchange of that particular bass. I am, and always will be a Fender bass player and am what you would call a "Fender Fan Boy."
No company is perfect, but a good indication of their ethics and quality is how they handle issues, and the fact that they do, or do not stand behind what they sell.
I opted to exchange the blemished Jazz bass for an American Vintage Reissue, '64 Jazz Bass in Lake Placid Blue. I really liked the look of the painted-matching headstock. Sure, it cost about twice as much as the return bass, but in fact it was what I really wanted in the first place, so I pulled the pin and bought it.
That bass arrived this morning....
(See comment below regarding points 1,2 and 3 please.)
1. Inner box was obviously opened previously. Perhaps MF inspected it, who knows...
2. Hang tags removed from tuning keys and crammed into case compartment.
3. Plastic protective covering removed from tuning keys and from pickguard, maybe the reissues don't come that way, but I'm betting they are supposed to.
4. Big honking 6-inch blemish across the upper body of the bass. It looked like a scratch. It was EASILY visible but you could not feel it when you ran your finger over it, as it is IN the finish, not on the finish, leading me to believe it was not damage, but a factory blemish. Odd, on what is supposed to be a higher end bass. Not Custom Shop, but substantially more expensive than an American Standard.
I strongly suspect that this bass, which was sold to me as first quality/new was in fact a return. I am also wondering why Fender would let a bass like this out the door. OK, I can't prove how it happened or where, but the fact that it was a blemish under the surface of an otherwise smoothly finished guitar strongly suggests it was not done aftermarket.
I'm not one of those hyper-picky people. In fact, I usually buy used, which means dents, dings and mojo; I have no problem with well worn bass guitars, but when I pay for new, I expect unblemished NEW.
Two in a row may be just bad luck, but I won't go for number three, and yes, I've gone from disappointed about the situation to, as the thread says, "a bit angry."
MF, again, cheerfully accepted the return and sent me a return shipping label, so they stood behind their product, and I'll still use them for little things like stands, picks, strings, and other widgets, but I'm going back to putting my hands on every bass I buy before I plop my money down.
EDIT: TO CLARIFY, 1,2 and 3 are offered simply as evidence that the bass was sold at least once before I got it, NOT general quality issues, so hold your fire on the snarky picky-buyer comments.
No company is perfect, but a good indication of their ethics and quality is how they handle issues, and the fact that they do, or do not stand behind what they sell.
I opted to exchange the blemished Jazz bass for an American Vintage Reissue, '64 Jazz Bass in Lake Placid Blue. I really liked the look of the painted-matching headstock. Sure, it cost about twice as much as the return bass, but in fact it was what I really wanted in the first place, so I pulled the pin and bought it.
That bass arrived this morning....
(See comment below regarding points 1,2 and 3 please.)
1. Inner box was obviously opened previously. Perhaps MF inspected it, who knows...
2. Hang tags removed from tuning keys and crammed into case compartment.
3. Plastic protective covering removed from tuning keys and from pickguard, maybe the reissues don't come that way, but I'm betting they are supposed to.
4. Big honking 6-inch blemish across the upper body of the bass. It looked like a scratch. It was EASILY visible but you could not feel it when you ran your finger over it, as it is IN the finish, not on the finish, leading me to believe it was not damage, but a factory blemish. Odd, on what is supposed to be a higher end bass. Not Custom Shop, but substantially more expensive than an American Standard.
I strongly suspect that this bass, which was sold to me as first quality/new was in fact a return. I am also wondering why Fender would let a bass like this out the door. OK, I can't prove how it happened or where, but the fact that it was a blemish under the surface of an otherwise smoothly finished guitar strongly suggests it was not done aftermarket.
I'm not one of those hyper-picky people. In fact, I usually buy used, which means dents, dings and mojo; I have no problem with well worn bass guitars, but when I pay for new, I expect unblemished NEW.
Two in a row may be just bad luck, but I won't go for number three, and yes, I've gone from disappointed about the situation to, as the thread says, "a bit angry."
MF, again, cheerfully accepted the return and sent me a return shipping label, so they stood behind their product, and I'll still use them for little things like stands, picks, strings, and other widgets, but I'm going back to putting my hands on every bass I buy before I plop my money down.
EDIT: TO CLARIFY, 1,2 and 3 are offered simply as evidence that the bass was sold at least once before I got it, NOT general quality issues, so hold your fire on the snarky picky-buyer comments.
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