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Seymour Duncan...am I expecting too much service?

tonymcbony

tonymcbony

Mar 21, 2006
676
526
#1
I've got a SD Musicman preamp that I swapped out for a John East, and in the process I must have bumped something and now the board doesn't work. Checked the wiring harness, which was all good, and even tried another SD preamp I had in another bass to rule out the wiring harness being a problem. It was bought a couple of years ago so touch and go with being warranty.

So I emailed them and basically said "Hey, happy to pay for shipping and service, would you be able to repair or replace?"

They replied that they wouldn't do anything as it was out of warranty and direct me to buy a completely new one from a local distributor.

Now that's the Cliff notes version and as emotionless as possible, but they are the first company I've ever contacted with this sort of issue where I'm totally left out in the cold and told to just buy another. I mean, these aren't exactly expensive boards – they'll run about $5 total in parts and fabrication (background is that I make pedals and get the economies in this kind of setup*) and I'm more than happy to pay shipping or repair costs.

Am I expecting too much? I'm thinking boutique service has ruined me
 
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#3
tonymcbony said:
I've got a SD Musicman preamp that I swapped out for a John East, and in the process I must have bumped something and now the board doesn't work. Checked the wiring harness, which was all good, and even tried another SD preamp I had in another bass to rule out the wiring harness being a problem. It was bought a couple of years ago so touch and go with being warranty.

So I emailed them and basically said "Hey, happy to pay for shipping and service, would you be able to repair or replace?"

They replied that they wouldn't do anything as it was out of warranty and direct me to buy a completely new one from a local distributor.

Now that's the Cliff notes version and as emotionless as possible, but they are the first company I've ever contacted with this sort of issue where I'm totally left out in the cold and told to just buy another. I mean, these aren't exactly expensive boards – they'll run about $5 total in parts and fabrication (background is that I make pedals and get the economies in this kind of setup*) and I'm more than happy to pay shipping or repair costs.

Am I expecting too much? I'm thinking boutique service has ruined me
Click to expand...

Hello. SD is a fairly big operation. Far larger than boutique. Their costs cannot be reckoned only in terms of components. They pay for plant, healthcare, advertising, etc. Probably they choose not to be in the repair business.

In this example of yours, repair is what you would reasonably hope SD would offer. But hoping for them to replace an assembly that is long out of warranty, and that you admitted was probably broken by you is not reasonable.
 
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#5
The components are likely so trivially small and cheap that for them to repair it would likely cost you triple what a new one would. I’m guessing they’d be happy to take your money by repairing it and charging you an arm and a leg if that made since for any party involved.
 
#6
Yes you are expecting too much. For all SD knows, you dragged it behind your pickup for three miles. If they did what you ask they’d have to for everyone , they would shortly disappear from the earth, no longer able to offer an option of fine products for reasonable, realistic musicians.
 
#7
When you get a warranty, you get a contract. What if it happened three years, six years, ten years later?

It's a LOT more than the cost of the component. They have to pay the tech to repair (assuming it can be), never mind it sets them up to extend their warranty for everyone.

It looks like someone just tossed an olive branch. Grab it.
 
#9
Thought I'd mention that I'm not expecting this for free. Not at all. I'm aware that I must be to blame for it not working.

No, this is the first situation where I've said "hey, I just want a working product - can I pay you to repair it?" but get told to buy another. Any other time I've encountered a similar situation they were happy to take my money.
 
#11
tonymcbony said:
Thought I'd mention that I'm not expecting this for free. Not at all. I'm aware that I must be to blame for it not working.

No, this is the first situation where I've said "hey, I just want a working product - can I pay you to repair it?" but get told to buy another. Any other time I've encountered a similar situation they were happy to take my money.
Click to expand...

You mentioned yourself the likely low production cost of a mass produced pre-amp, the manufacturer would find it hard to justify repairing it. In the event of a faulty product, they would be obliged to replace it. I must admit that I'm surprised people are having to explain this to you.
 
#12
4sight said:
You mentioned yourself the likely low production cost of a mass produced pre-amp, the manufacturer would find it hard to justify repairing it. In the event of a faulty product, they would be obliged to replace it. I must admit that I'm surprised people are having to explain this to you.
Click to expand...

I keep thinking I must be on a different wavelength here.

Ernie Ball - Preamp dies in a 97 Musicman. Sent it to them, paid my fee, they replaced it. Out of warranty

John East - accidentally broke a potentiometer. Sent it to him, paid my fee, he repaired it. Out of warranty

SD - preamp dies, tells me to do buy another whole setup. Out of warranty.

Can you at least see what I'm getting at here?

I'm really relaxed about this to be honest, I'm sense-checking to see if I'm being unreasonable in just wanting to pay for a repair/new board and not pay for a whole new setup.
 

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