Sadowsky Metroline - Extremely Disappointing Customer Service from **Warwick**, not Sadowsky

[markbmbass]

Well, I never thought I'd have to make a post about receiving dismissive messages from Warwick/Sadowsky customer service after purchasing a brand new Metroline, but here we are.

I purchased a brand new Metroline JJ 5 that I received on January 7th. The bass itself is great, other than the sharp frets that never corrected themselves after settling in my home environment. The fret sprout has gotten worse since arriving a tad over a month ago. As you climb the neck, they are sharp enough to be concerned. I know that Sadowsky promotes the IFT as a main feature on their basses and think it's a nice touch. However, it did not seem to help in this case. Maybe I'm not understanding what the Invisible Fret Technology actually is? I wrote to Warwick USA's customer service team and received a response telling me to take the bass to a local luthier, and that they don't support issues like this on brand new instruments. As much as I like this bass, it'll be the last product I buy from Warwick Distribution. I feel like Roger would like to hear about issues like this, as I'm sure he treats his customers better than Warwick's customer service team did.

I have several other basses that cost less than the Metroline (one is a $500 bass) that don't have this issue that were purchased from Sweetwater, GC or any of the several well-known retailers. If I were to take the basses to any of the main retailers with this issue within the first 30-45 days, they'd either offer to replace it or have it fixed at their expense. I am not worried about spending money to maintain my basses, as it's part of the ownership. I am very disappointed how Warwick handled this issue and buyers should be aware of this themselves in the future. If a large, world-renowned manufacturer won't stand behind their product, it needs to be known.

I don't want a replacement; the bass is great other than it being extremely uncomfortable and annoying to play because of the sharp frets. Once that's fixed, I'm sure it will be just fine. But the fact is it's not and it's nearing $4k that I spent to purchase it. I don't think I'm asking too much to expect a more helpful response from Warwick in this case.

At a premium price point, I believe we are correct to have better expectations than what I experienced in this particular situation. We spend more because we expect more, plain and simple.

 

[mcnach]

That's a very poor response from Warwick, especially for something so easy and cheap to correct.

 

[markbmbass]

That's a very poor response from Warwick, especially for something so easy and cheap to correct.

That's how I feel about it. It's not going to be expensive to hit the frets ends with a file and I'm obviously going to have to pay for it. I'd do it myself, but on a bass in this price range, I'd rather have a professional do it just in case. If I ever decide to sell it, I wouldn't want my moderate skills messing anything up.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

My Metro Express Modern has fret ends I can feel, but they are all very smooth to the touch. Sharp fret ends on basses that can run $3,500-$10,000 not acceptable and Warwick/Sadowsky should repair or replace free of charge.

 

[markbmbass]

My Metro Express Modern has fret ends I can feel, but they are all very smooth to the touch. Sharp fret ends on basses that can run $3,500-$10,000 not acceptable and Warwick/Sadowsky should repair or replace free of charge.

The bass is great otherwise, but I do agree. I never had the intention of asking for a replacement, but I guess their excuse is that it's wood and they can't be responsible for what happens to their wood in different climates. Ridiculous.

 

[J Wilson]

Are sharp fret ends generally covered in warranty by most manufacturers/marketers?

 

[markbmbass]

Are sharp fret ends generally covered in warranty by most manufacturers/marketers?

I'm not sure on that part. But as I said, any major retailer would be fixing this with zero issue.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Are sharp fret ends generally covered in warranty by most manufacturers/marketers?

I think they should be covered on new basses. That said, I can imagine a company saying the bass opened too soon from the box and that lead to fret sprout.

 

[ShadowGroover]

Rule 1 of excellent customer service: the customer is always right

Rules 2 to infinity: refer to rule 1

Imvisible fret technology? More like invisible customer service

And, it's most likely the customer received the bass exactly as it was shipped: poor quality from the factory, with quality control at the burden and fight of the customer.

In this case, Sadowsky Warwick is an egg-faced* liar and customer scammer, until they prove otherwise.

*polite term : )

 

[frankie5string]

When I saw them advertise hidden fret tangs as "IFT" I had to laugh. Yamaha (and a number of other brands) have been hiding fret tangs behind a sliver of wood for decades. Either they cut the tang short so the frets sit in a well instead of a completely end-to-end slot or they fill the edges with wood after the fret is in place.
Even El Degas amd Charvel was doing it on $200 bass guitars in the 90s.
But it has nothing to do with the part of the fret you play over.

That aside, I don't recall any major makers that warranty fret sprout like that.

 

[Nebadon2000]

Are you talking about Fret ends or Tangs?

I have Stingray Special and during Dry Winter using Heat pump I can slightly feel fret ends at G strings side for a month or 2 not tangs which I thought to be fret sprout

Like DrCheese fret ends are
rolled and smooth and not sharp(like tangs)

 

[frankie5string]

Are you talking about Fret ends or Tangs?

I have Stingray Special and during Dry Winter using Heat pump I can slightly feel fret ends at G strings side for a month or 2 not tangs which I thought to be fret sprout

Like DrCheese fret ends are
rolled and smooth and not sharp(like tangs)

In every case I've seen it's been the fret that started to slightly overhang the fingerboard. So the fix was to file it back. I've never seen a tang actually stick out enough to be sharp, but I suppose that could happen too.

 

[jarrad]

The IFT angle makes their response even stranger, since that feature is specifically marketed to prevent exactly this.

 

[PeaveyPlayer]

My Metro Express Modern has fret ends I can feel, but they are all very smooth to the touch. Sharp fret ends on basses that can run $3,500-$10,000 not acceptable and Warwick/Sadowsky should repair or replace free of charge.

I disagree
I spent That on my Kiesel to bring it to canada

I bet you the wood shrank
Tuners are getting lose tbh and I’m expecting the wood to shrink based on the humidity and climate

It happens

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

If it is bought at a local retailer, it should be an easy fix and I am under the impression that it's the retailer that provides that service (and absorbs the cost). The one closest to me offers 12 months of free setups on a new instrument, for example. If it's bought online or ordered direct where there's no close retail outlet, then that makes things more difficult. It wouldn't make economic sense to ship it back to get fixed (especially if it's going all the way back to Germany, assuming you are in North America), nor would it to pay for the repair, unless it is deemed a defect in materials or workmanship.

It is true, fret sprout is common on wood instruments and more expensive instruments are not immune. Every environment is different and it would be hard to expect the manufacturer to warrant every condition the instrument will be subjected to.

Maybe they could have been more sympathetic to the situation, but I wouldn't expect that it would be covered under warranty.

 

[Element Zero]

Who’d you purchase it from?

 

[BassicJazzy]

I don't mean to be flippant, so please don't take it that way, but luxury items sold by overseas distributors sometimes expect the customer to deal with minor items that can be taken care of at a local level. Filing frets is not a major repair, and fret sprout can certainly happen when shipping from overseas, and end up on the delivered bass if no local QA to inspect and correct such things. I thought Sadowsky had a NY operation that inspected basses before shipping them to customers?

 

[bucephylus]

ML’s are NOT inexpensive; and IF the instrument arrived with DOA frets, then Roger will most definitely want to know about it. I would suggest you message Roger to alert him.

Second, I would get Roger’s input for a recommended luthier near you to get a second set of eyes on the bass; and to get an estimate for corrective work. Roger MIGHT have a recommendation in your area.

Should have been a warranty return upon receipt. Hard to believe there is a Warwick distributor with zero return policy. That doesn’t sound right either.

 

[tremor100]

Lol, whats wild about the invisible fret technology is it just means that there are no tangs near either edge of the fret. So if you are getting sharp fret ends it means the actual fret itself is so far off from being filed ect that the whole fret is overhanging basically.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Well, I never thought I'd have to make a post about receiving dismissive messages from Warwick/Sadowsky customer service after purchasing a brand new Metroline, but here we are.

I purchased a brand new Metroline JJ 5 that I received on January 7th. The bass itself is great, other than the sharp frets that never corrected themselves after settling in my home environment. The fret sprout has gotten worse since arriving a tad over a month ago. As you climb the neck, they are sharp enough to be concerned. I know that Sadowsky promotes the IFT as a main feature on their basses and think it's a nice touch. However, it did not seem to help in this case. Maybe I'm not understanding what the Invisible Fret Technology actually is? I wrote to Warwick USA's customer service team and received a response telling me to take the bass to a local luthier, and that they don't support issues like this on brand new instruments. As much as I like this bass, it'll be the last product I buy from Warwick Distribution. I feel like Roger would like to hear about issues like this, as I'm sure he treats his customers better than Warwick's customer service team did.

I have several other basses that cost less than the Metroline (one is a $500 bass) that don't have this issue that were purchased from Sweetwater, GC or any of the several well-known retailers. If I were to take the basses to any of the main retailers with this issue within the first 30-45 days, they'd either offer to replace it or have it fixed at their expense. I am not worried about spending money to maintain my basses, as it's part of the ownership. I am very disappointed how Warwick handled this issue and buyers should be aware of this themselves in the future. If a large, world-renowned manufacturer won't stand behind their product, it needs to be known.

I don't want a replacement; the bass is great other than it being extremely uncomfortable and annoying to play because of the sharp frets. Once that's fixed, I'm sure it will be just fine. But the fact is it's not and it's nearing $4k that I spent to purchase it. I don't think I'm asking too much to expect a more helpful response from Warwick in this case.

At a premium price point, I believe we are correct to have better expectations than what I experienced in this particular situation. We spend more because we expect more, plain and simple.

You're not out of line. Plain and simple.