Quality Control issues

[MusicBear]

There was a time, long ago, that GC actually catered to pro-level local players. They don't even try anymore.

I'm not sure that they don't try - it has been a few years since I stepped into a GC store. (Recent big box purchases have come from Sweetwater.)

The last time I was at GC I found an Ibanez 6-string bass that I was interested in, enough to wheel and deal (and play hardball) for it. By the time the dust settled, I got the bass for effectively 27% of MSRP. (Then I turned around and put $900 worth of parts into it, so it is now a world-class 6-string bass. Its tone now resembles the low notes of a Steinway grand piano.

 

[elgranluis]

I think the main issue here is the general lack of understanding about what QC is.

I mean , receiving a bass with a dead battery ? Not liking the setup ?

I think people have unreasonable expectations. The bass will leave the factory according to specification. Stores shouldn’t be expected to inspect incoming inventory and do setups on the instruments, simply because inspection only increases cost and does not add value. For some reason this is very hard to understand for 99% of people.

 

[dave_p]

I came up on the right side of quality control this time around. With Fender and a big box retailer. Sweetwater provides some pretty detailed pictures on their product pages. With a really good zoom. So I was able to look at 5 examples of the bass I wanted. Look at the neck pocket, bridge alignment. Where the strings are in relation to the fretboard edges etc etc. enough info to avoid a major QC issue. The instrument arrived pretty close to in tune. The fret edges are smooth. The relief is absolutely perfect. I did let it acclimate for about 22 of the recommended 24 hours. I also understand things can move over the next few days/weeks but as of right now other than saddle adjustments which I have made the bass is way beyond expectation. If I wanted to find something nit picky I could say the glue on the nut is a little sloppy. Boo hoo. That said most of my other basses have had some QC issues that I learned to live with.

 

[cannedsardines]

I’m sure a lot would agree with me in saying that a lot of the employees at guitar center don’t know how to even play an instrument

What would make you think that GC employees don't know how to play an instrument? That has never been my experience.

 

[Cory rich40]

What would make you think that GC employees don't know how to play an instrument? That has never been my experience.

Not saying all of the employees necessarily. You may go in one day and deal with employees that may have less knowledge than others. You may go in at certain times where only one person is working having to do everything

 

[humbuckaroo]

I won't mention the name but there's a big local chain that never sets anything up unless you're paying. Very lame, turned me off of many instruments.

 

[Iridescentone]

I now have an Ibanez SRH505f that is eating batteries like candy. I bought it last Sept and the original battery died within two weeks. I figured maybe it was a weak battery to begin with so I replaced it with a Duracell. That one lasted just over three weeks. I just put another Duracell in and made an appointment with a luthier who specializes in electronic problems. I am hoping it's just a bad jack or something simple.

Good chance it's just a bad output jack if it has a barrel type. Can't tell by the SW pics for that model. The barrels are notorious for failures due to internal shorts. Eating batteries even when not in use. Vampire drains. Before I'd take it to a tech, I'd check the jack myself, install a new one. Don't like being bamboozled into a pricey repair when all that's needed is a new jack. Just sayin'...

Good luck.

 

[MusicBear]

... I figured maybe it was a weak battery to begin with so I replaced it with a Duracell. That one lasted just over three weeks.

I've worked as an electronics tech for over five decades. In recent years something has changed with Duracell batteries such that I no longer use them. I've had instruments come in for repair when the whole problem has been a bad batch of Duracells. At the least, they do not last. At their worst, they leak and damage whatever they are installed in. If you can find them, get Varta batteries (marketed toward the photographic industry) - in my experience they outlast and outperform all others. If you cannot find Varta batteries, my recommendation is for Energizers.

 

[MusicBear]

...Stores shouldn’t be expected to inspect incoming inventory and do setups on the instruments, simply because inspection only increases cost and does not add value...

Having worked in several stores over the years, I disagree. Inspecting instruments before putting them on display catches most potential issues and gave us time to correct them before a customer would even see them. The inspection and associated setup was a value add that our customers may not have known about, but they always appreciated.

 

[JenderBazzFass]

Perhaps the mom and pop stores, whatever ones may remain, do nice setups on the instruments hanging on their wall but most shops don't. I presume every instrument is going to need setup work, even higher end ones.

Doing setups is like changing your oil or rotating your tires, etc. It's just part of the responsibility of owning the thing. And the good news is that it's not so difficult, anyone can learn with a few inexpensive tools.

 

[MusicBear]

... Doing setups is like changing your oil or rotating your tires, etc. It's just part of the responsibility of owning the thing. And the good news is that it's not so difficult, anyone can learn with a few inexpensive tools...

The very first tool one needs is a generous helping of patience. It's free, but too many overlook it.

 

[rockinrayduke]

I’ve never seen a misaligned bridge either. I’ve read about them on here though. It’s usually been with Fenders. I have purchased an Ibanez from zzounds where the battery only lasted a week and when I got the bass the battery was dead.

Quite a few people here misidentify neck alignment as bridge placement.

We’re all lucky we have some skilled people here who know their business who are willing to share their experience with us.

 

[bootstrap]

This is complicated by the fact we have some really great and lousy diagnosticians active in the "Repair" forum.

My friend wants to know who the lousy ones are. Thx

 

[bordinco90]

Every bass that I've played at my local music stores were horribly set up. Very bent necks and high action. I've been basses with dead electronics at local music stores as well. I would say that it really don't matter if you buy online or in person. You could have QC issues either way, but at least with buying in store, you can try the bass to see if it works. If you buy from a reputable website (sweetwater, GC ect...), they all have excellent return policies. As far as brands go, the best that I've seen has been Squier. I've never received a bad one. I'm an Ibanez fan, so I've ordered alot of Ibanez basses and I can say that their QC is not great. In my Avatar pic, the purple SR505E arrived with a different battery than stock from Sweetwater, which I found suspicious. A few days later the battery died. After replacing the battery, the new one lasted about a week unplugged. Bad solder joints were to blame and my local guitar tech took care of it. The black bass (Ibanez GSR100EX) has been the best Ibanez basses I've bought. No issues whatsoever and it plays and sounds great. Many other Ibanez basses that I've ordered from Sweetwater (multiple SR300E, SR370E, SR650E, and BTB675) have arrived with uneven frets and just bad QC issues.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I've worked as an electronics tech for over five decades. In recent years something has changed with Duracell batteries such that I no longer use them. I've had instruments come in for repair when the whole problem has been a bad batch of Duracells. At the least, they do not last. At their worst, they leak and damage whatever they are installed in. If you can find them, get Varta batteries (marketed toward the photographic industry) - in my experience they outlast and outperform all others. If you cannot find Varta batteries, my recommendation is for Energizers.

Thank you for the tip. I always thought Duracell was the best. I will try Energizers from now on.

 

[Zooberwerx]

My friend wants to know who the lousy ones are. Thx

Not going down that rabbit hole. On a more positive note, here's a handful that I trust explicitly:

*Turnaround (Richard)
*202dy (Frank)
*walterw (Walter...local tech at Alpha Music!)
*Matt Liebenau
*Bruce Johnson

...and the list goes on with apologies to anyone I've overlooked. I persevere armed with only my HS shop skills and insight gleaned over the past 23 years. To answer the original question, I avoid any tech tagged as "trusted, well-known"...the forum is glutted with requests for assistance / remediation once the damage is done.

Riis

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Not going down that rabbit hole. On a more positive note, here's a handful that I trust explicitly:

*Turnaround (Richard)
*202dy (Frank)
*walterw (Walter...local tech at Alpha Music!)
*Matt Liebenau
*Bruce Johnson

...and the list goes on with apologies to anyone I've overlooked. I persevere armed with only my HS shop skills and insight gleaned over the past 23 years. To answer the original question, I avoid any tech tagged as "trusted, well-known"...the forum is glutted with requests for assistance / remediation once the damage is done.

Riis

Thanks Riis. I appreciate that.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Thanks Riis. I appreciate that.

You're more than welcome!

Riis

 

[BassicJazzy]

I've worked as an electronics tech for over five decades. In recent years something has changed with Duracell batteries such that I no longer use them. I've had instruments come in for repair when the whole problem has been a bad batch of Duracells. At the least, they do not last. At their worst, they leak and damage whatever they are installed in. If you can find them, get Varta batteries (marketed toward the photographic industry) - in my experience they outlast and outperform all others. If you cannot find Varta batteries, my recommendation is for Energizers.

I no longer use Duracells. I stored 2 basses and left batteries in both, like an idiot. I think I just had a brain lapse, thought I'd taken the batteries out, and the basses were in long-term storage. When I retrieved them the batteries were of course dead, but the Duracell had leaked, and the Energizer had not. I now put Energizers in all my active basses.

 

[MojoPin]

Contrast this with Sweetwater, which inspects every instrument and returns lower-QC'd ones to the manufacturer.

So when they "inspect" it do they do anything about missing parts like screws, or even mention it because they failed to catch this on mine or ignored it which is just as annoying. This one is even missing two screws right now, so I couldn't attest to their "inspection" being any better than any other seller on the market imo. I look every so often for this on Sweetwater's site and see it every now and again, it keeps reoccurring. As a caveat, I will always say that my black AVII is the best P bass I've ever played so far in my lifetime so manufacturing ain't the problem.