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

[Roland GR 88]

Fret sprout is due to low humidity which is outside the warranty of any manufacturer. They have no control over the environment after it leaves the factory and if the OP lives in the northern hemisphere this years winter has not been kind to guitars.
If you bought it from a dealer they should be happy to dress your frets for free. If you bought it online you will have to ship it back or deal with it yourself.
Fret dressing is not hard and doesn’t take long. Plus, once it’s done you’ll likely never have to do it again. I use a standard fine metal file you can get anywhere for $10.00.
IME the cost of a guitar has nothing to do with how it survives or suffers when it dries out.
Warwick USA is not going to step up and pay your local tech for a fret job because their warranty covers factory defects not weather related issues. I don’t know of any manufacturer that covers any humidity issue which is obviously out of their control.
I would just get the job done and enjoy a great bass.

 

[Ellery]

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

Did you not state the following?
“ 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.”

 

[Dbassmon]

Brother Groove,

Fret sprout has everything to do with the relative humidity in your home. When wood gets dry, it shrinks, the frets do not.

Expensive instruments are not immune to the expansion or contraction of wood due to the relative humidity of the environment.

As it has been an exceptionally cold winter and if your home has forced hot air heating, you need a humidifier to condition the environment where your bass resides. My house without humudification gets down to 20%. Way too dry for musical instruments.

Go on Amazon and buy a moist air console humidifier and slowly, over a couple of days, get your studio up to 50% relative humidity and maintained that. Also, buy a digital hygrometer to monitor your studio humidity all year. Your fret sprout will cure itself in few days. Keep your basses, guitars and other wood instruments in the humidified room.

This issue is not a Warwick/Sadowsky warrantee issue. It is your responsibility to take care of your bass. This is part of the deal.

I own a lot of basses, guitars and a double bass. Take my advice. No manufacturer will cover fret sprout as a defect.

 

[monsterthompson]

I just read the Warwick warranty. It’s worded in a way that is not specific about fret sprout, and probably chosen to make it an issue outside of warranty. Keep in mind that if it was in warranty and you had to ship the bass back to them to fix it the shipping costs “to and from” are the customer’s responsibility and probably going to cost enough that it’d be worth paying for a local tech to do the job.

If purchased from a local retailer offering repair services, then I’d certainly start there and expect more friendly results.

Frustrating situation, for sure.

 

[markbmbass]

Did you not state the following?
“ 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.”

Yes I did state that. But I didn't say one word about a warranty covering it. It's just good customer service when spending 4k on a bass. What's your point? I don't see the word "warranty" anywhere in that statement.

 

[markbmbass]

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.

Yeah partly lesson learned. Just not what I would expect for a "Premium" instrument.

 

[markbmbass]

Fret sprout is due to low humidity which is outside the warranty of any manufacturer. They have no control over the environment after it leaves the factory and if the OP lives in the northern hemisphere this years winter has not been kind to guitars.
If you bought it from a dealer they should be happy to dress your frets for free. If you bought it online you will have to ship it back or deal with it yourself.
Fret dressing is not hard and doesn’t take long. Plus, once it’s done you’ll likely never have to do it again. I use a standard fine metal file you can get anywhere for $10.00.
IME the cost of a guitar has nothing to do with how it survives or suffers when it dries out.
Warwick USA is not going to step up and pay your local tech for a fret job because their warranty covers factory defects not weather related issues. I don’t know of any manufacturer that covers any humidity issue which is obviously out of their control.
I would just get the job done and enjoy a great bass.

Yep, that's really all I can do. That bass is great otherwise.

 

[markbmbass]

I just read the Warwick warranty. It’s worded in a way that is not specific about fret sprout, and probably chosen to make it an issue outside of warranty. Keep in mind that if it was in warranty and you had to ship the bass back to them to fix it the shipping costs “to and from” are the customer’s responsibility and probably going to cost enough that it’d be worth paying for a local tech to do the job.

If purchased from a local retailer offering repair services, then I’d certainly start there and expect more friendly results.

Frustrating situation, for sure.

I purchased it via Fret Nation. Jason did offer to pay for it but I don't really think that's his issue to deal with and I don't feel right asking him to do it. It's not the money, just the "yeah fix it yourself" attitude after dropping that kind of coin.

 

[DigitalMan]

Fret sprout is like cereal settling in the box before you open it. It’s a fact of life and nobody’s fault.

 

[markbmbass]

Fret sprout is like cereal settling in the box before you open it. It’s a fact of life and nobody’s fault.

Yeah, you’re right it is. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to have issues on such a new instrument like this.

 

[reex1288]

I find this type of post funny, I have a first generation metroexpress and it arrived literally perfect in everything, and I paid 400$ for it in thomman. It's hit and miss with offshore products. It's a a bit sad that us metro owners receives Warwick mass production customer support and 0 involvement with sadowksy

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Yeah, you’re right it is. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to have issues on such a new instrument like this.

I think it has more to do with the brutally cold winter we're having (in North America) and the dryness that brings. Some seasons are worse than others and this one's particularly bad.

If it makes you feel any better, all my premium instruments have some fret sprout right now too.

 

[fishdude101101]

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 : )

All of this goes out the Window when dealing with Europeans companies in my experience. At my day job we refuse to deal with thme unless its unavoidable.

 

[fishdude101101]

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.

I'll put that in the category with the adjustable nut, which isn't too bad, but its a bit over engineered. The Warwick bridge to me is way over engineered. Lots of adjustments with set screws holding the string spacing with just pressure. Fender did the same thing 70 years ago with threaded rod saddles. Not saying Warwick aren't great, they are, but there's the typcial German (over)engineering in places.

 

[moon-bass]

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 : )

the quote is "the customer is always right in matters of taste." After decades of dealing with customers, I can assure you that a good portion of customers are never right, are very often wrong, and in many, many cases completely uneducated.

As far as Sadowsky being an "egg faced liar and scammer?" See above, case in point.

 

[markbmbass]

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?

No problem. I don’t think the German Metrolines go to the NYC shop. I’m definitely going to fix the issue just was surprised I guess. I think my mind had already decided the service should match the price of the instrument, but didn’t realize that this wasn’t covered in warranties. I suppose the major retailers have a a general customer satisfaction that applies to just about anything during the first 30-45 days.

 

[markbmbass]

the quote is "the customer is always right in matters of taste." After decades of dealing with customers, I can assure you that a good portion of customers are never right, are very often wrong, and in many, many cases completely uneducated.

As far as Sadowsky being an "egg faced liar and scammer?" See above, case in point.

Well I guess Ibwas uneducated in this instance and what a warranty covers. Lesson learned.

 

[markbmbass]

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.

Yes and that is pretty annoying on a high end bass.

 

[markbmbass]

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.

Thanks for the input. I never asked about returning the bass, so didn’t ask their customer service about that. I like everything else about the bass too. Tone, feel, all of it.

 

[markbmbass]

Who’d you purchase it from?

Fret Nation