Apparently, the missing screw was the "56th point" and considered an upgrade. Cut 'em a break...they're (Fender) pulling parts from bins and slamming them together as fast as they can.
Riis
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Quality Control issues
- Thread starter Cory rich40
- Start date
Riis
Just wanted to see how you'd respond; agree with your list
I try to be gracious. It does pain me to think of all those folks who are ripping-out their bridges under the misassumption they were incorrectly installed / misaligned at the factory. Overall, I think we've been effective soundly addressing the most commonly-encountered issues but, when weighing the options, always consider the source. Design flaws / deficits / limitations can be challenging, as well...but that's another thread!Just wanted to see how you'd respond; agree with your list
Riis
What I’m trying to say is that, let’s say you have a 500-dollar bass. You spend 50-100 dollars worth of employee labor by inspecting and setting up , and you still end up with a 500-dollar bass.
I wouldn’t mind giving a paying customer a free setup once they have purchased the bass though.
If that bass unboxed in uncomfortable or unplayable condition, a purchase would be less likely.
The stores I worked in were smaller and we were not busy with customers from open to close. UPS deliveries arrived in the morning, shortly after we opened. There were routine chores to be done - cleaning the store and lesson rooms, unpacking deliveries, stocking shelves, sheet music and book management, and so on. As part of stocking the displays, we inspected every instrument we put out. If there were basic issues that needed to be addressed before we added the instrument to the display, we took care of them - acoustic guitar endpin installed, good (not oxidized) strings, reasonable action, neck adjustment if necessary, good battery, instrument tuned, and so on. We received salary whether we sat or worked, so why not give that extra little bit that would help to encourage a purchase? If a customer expressed specific preferences during a purchase, we could decide to include them as a value add or as a charge-for extra. Examples being: flatwound bass strings instead of the supplied rounds, change of string gauge, action adjustment, ... We were not always able to compete with the big box stores and mail order resellers on price, so service had to be a distinguishing factor.
Not familiar with 202dy or walterw, but the other three listed I trust implicitly.
Funny you mentioned Frank (202dy) and Walter. Frank is "extended family" and we loosely go-back ~46 years in western PA. Walter has the best in-store shop in eastern VA...one of the last mom & pop's...and within 15" of my house. He knows pickups, harnesses, preamps inside & out.
Riis
I may want to follow up with you RE Walter; I've got some wonky-wired basses that my local guys seem unable to sort out. I am not averse to shipping a bass out-of-state for repairs, particularly if they are repairs necessary to make to make the bass sellable. Where in eastern VA is his shop?
As a postscript to my reply above I will say that most of the basses I have bought online are vintage and decades old already when I bought them. They have histories, and I expect them to show their life scars, so I am not surprised to find flaws/damage of varying degrees. I go into these purchases with my eyes open and expect to find things that need to be corrected.
Or, as the poet A. E. Housman once wrote, "Luck's a chance but trouble's sure."
Or, as the poet A. E. Housman once wrote, "Luck's a chance but trouble's sure."
He's here in Virginia Beach.
Goes by "walterw"...I don't think he'd object if you contact him via PM first for guidance. Tell him Riis sent ya!
Within 15”? Walter’s shop is in your front yard? Your house is in his parking lot? We need details!
Minutes. That’s also the symbol for minutes in math and nautical applications. -edit. That’s what I get for being a smartass. I’m wrong it’s seconds.
Last edited:
Ah, got it. I think I did know that. Inches was funnier in a Spinal Tap, Stonehenge kind of way.
Actually I’m wrong it’s seconds. ‘ is minutes. And the humor was not lost on me Ha!
Not trying to be a dick, but are you unplugging your cord. I’m typically on top of these things but I never knew keeping the cord plugged in completes the circuit for the onboard preamp and leaving it plugged in will drain the battery.I purchased a Steinberger five string last summer. The neck was twisted and two of the tuners were no good. I needed pliers to turn them. I returned it and purchased another one from a different dealer. This one had sharp unfinished frets so I returned it. 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. If not then it goes back. Three basses in a row, different brands, all with QC problems. I hope this isn't the beginning of a trend.
+1 on this. I've had numerous leaks from Duracells and never a problem with Energizers.
Sometimes I feel like TB has QC expectations that align with price points from twenty years ago and not today's prices.
Wow, they allow you to touch their basses with tools? At the GCs I've been in in L.A., they don't even allow you to touch any of the basses you would actually want to buy. They hang those way out of human reach. All the other, crappy basses are sitting there and they ignore you and the bass room, so you could even change strings on those if you wished.
