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Should I send it back? Opinions, please!

#241
Kip, Kip, Kipppppp......... As a former Fender rep let me share a story with you. In the Mid 90's I received a call from one of my dealers. "Rich, I've got worms crawling out of half a dozen of my Squiers." I laughed. He didn't laugh. Over the following week we had a pretty major problem. Worms were crawling out of Squiers all over the planet. :woot: So here's my advice.....not just to you but to anyone who cares about such things.

Does the mark on your Squier hinder your playing at all? Can you FEEL it or has it been finished over? Here's the Biggie. :) Did you PLAY the bass before you bought it? If not, why not? You have a Wonderful Wife. Did you Marry her BEFORE going out with her a couple of times? :D MANY of the guys on this Forum go and buy basses and fib to their Wives about their purchase. "Oh, this old thing? I've had it forever". Your Wife bought you that Bass. What defects will the replacement bass have? What defects do YOU have? :)

Another Biggie: That bass gets Stolen. ... happens every day. Your bass is Unique. Easily traced.

Finally. Let's say that your Lovely Lady paid $500 for your bass......it has a Zit on it.....and yet you love it.

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There are (IMHO) Meatheads out there paying $5,000 or more for basses in worse condition than this Brand New one!

My advice. Don't EVER sell your Bass; it's unique and you love it.......In the future, Don't ever buy a Bass that you haven't played.

All the Best,
Rich Briere
 
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#246
My Player Series P-bass has a slight blemish on the neck. I kept it. That bass has some serious MoJo, I’m so glad I kept it. As long as I play bass, that is going to be the one I play. Don’t let a slight blemish be the deal breaker, if you like the way it sounds.
 
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#247
Kipp Harrington said:
My wife got me a wonderful Squier CV 50s P bass for Christmas. Been playing it for a few hours the past 2 days and have fallen in love with it!

Last night I decided to give it a nice cleaning and discover a blem/imperfection on the fretboard. It's not even noticeable from a couple feet away but I can barely feel a very slight "dip" in the wood where it is located. I also discovered a tiny, tiny blemish on the body (this really doesn't bother me) and some minor wear marks on the control plate.

What do you guys think and have you ever seen a "mark" that looks like this on a fretboard?

I appreciate any suggestions, opinions or advice.
Click to expand...

Actually I think this is an easy question to answer: If you picked this up in a store and noticed this defect, would you have still bought this bass? If your answer is "No, I'd ask them to go to the stockroom and grab another one for me" then you should return it.

Now where this gets fuzzy: What if the salesperson said "Tell you what, I'll knock off $50 if you buy this one". Would you take that deal? If this was a mail-order instrument (knowing that it's expensive to ship and return a bass) it is quite possible you'll get an option like that.

Consider those two scenarios and you'll have your answer for either case.
 
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#249
For the love of God, can't we get this thread closed now?

I can only try to imagine how epic this thread could have been had it been a boutique bass...

Just for the record, (and the next 15 pages) I'd personally divorce my wife on the spot if she ever bought me a bass with a mark on it. Seriously, how could she "truly love me" whilst putting me in such a similar position / dilemma? Screw it, I'm just gonna divorce her anyway -I'm finding this mark on the 5th fret business way too upsetting. :crying:
 
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#250
hdscout said:
The real question here is will your wife feel bad if you replace it with another bass or will she feel cheated that the store sent a sub par bass. The only opinion that should matter is hers.
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It’s tough to figure out how a woman feels about a thing at any given moment and the fact is she could change her mind later. Just keep the bass.
 
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#251
Kipp Harrington said:
My wife got me a wonderful Squier CV 50s P bass for Christmas. Been playing it for a few hours the past 2 days and have fallen in love with it!

Last night I decided to give it a nice cleaning and discover a blem/imperfection on the fretboard. It's not even noticeable from a couple feet away but I can barely feel a very slight "dip" in the wood where it is located. I also discovered a tiny, tiny blemish on the body (this really doesn't bother me) and some minor wear marks on the control plate.

What do you guys think and have you ever seen a "mark" that looks like this on a fretboard?

I appreciate any suggestions, opinions or advice.
Click to expand...
Probably too late for my opinion but, It was a gift from your Wife that I'm sure she was proud to give the man in her life, to even considerer replacing it over something that insignificant may just be considered insulting to her (and we all know how that goes). Personally I think that "blemish" gives it character and a uniqueness you could always associate with a very special gift given out of generosity at a special time of year. Fire some super glue in there and fine sand/buff it smooth and enjoy it for what it is. Yours.
 
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#252
HalfManHalfBass said:
For the love of God, can't we get this thread closed now?

I can only try to imagine how epic this thread could have been had it been a boutique bass...

Just for the record, (and the next 15 pages) I'd personally divorce my wife on the spot if she ever bought me a bass with a mark on it. Seriously, how could she "truly love me" whilst putting me in such a similar position / dilemma? Screw it, I'm just gonna divorce her anyway -I'm finding this mark on the 5th fret business way too upsetting. :crying:
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@HalfManHalfBass wins this thread! :D
 
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#253
In my purchases with Sweetwater they have been a great bunch to deal with.Im surprised they didnt catch it in the presale inspection but they are most likely short staffed like everyone else.After seeing the pic I can tell its something that happened in manufacturing and not at Sweetwater.Im sure they will work with you and being in northwest Ohio like you are it shouldnt be much of a drive as I live in Findlay and its not even 2 hours from me.
 
#256
It looks to me like that gouge won't be felt while playing (fingers will be on the string--ideally just behind the intended fret--and the E and A strings are thick enough to usually keep the fingertips off of the wood of the fretboard). If the instrument feels and sounds good, those factors--plus the axe being a tangible expression of your spouse's caring--should count heavily.

BTW, wood gouges can often be repaired, and bolt-on necks can even be replaced relatively easily (although new necks can change the tone and feel a bit)--jus' sayin'...
 
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#257
HalfManHalfBass said:
For the love of God, can't we get this thread closed now?

I can only try to imagine how epic this thread could have been had it been a boutique bass...

:crying:
Click to expand...


To YOU this, perhaps, isn't a "Boutique Bass"...... To Kipp, I suggest that it is. To me it certainly is......With NO due respect, nobody forced you to add your Negative 2 cents into the discussion. I found the conversation rather refreshing. Kipp Harrington used HIS name. I, speaking only for myself, used mine......as I ALWAYS do.......It's odd to me that others don't.....but it's easy to be rude when hiding behind an Alias.:smug:

Enjoy your Bass, Kipp.
Rich Briere
 
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#258
Kipp Harrington said:
My wife got me a wonderful Squier CV 50s P bass for Christmas. Been playing it for a few hours the past 2 days and have fallen in love with it!

Last night I decided to give it a nice cleaning and discover a blem/imperfection on the fretboard. It's not even noticeable from a couple feet away but I can barely feel a very slight "dip" in the wood where it is located. I also discovered a tiny, tiny blemish on the body (this really doesn't bother me) and some minor wear marks on the control plate.

What do you guys think and have you ever seen a "mark" that looks like this on a fretboard?

I appreciate any suggestions, opinions or advice.
Click to expand...
It looks like a worm/bug got into that maple tree. The location doesn't look like it would affect the note at that fret. If it does affect the note then I'd return it. If it doesn't affect your playing I'd keep it because stuff like that happens to trees and it would always (when I noticed it) remind me of natural occurrences. Your bass, your decision. Good luck.
 
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#259
Kipp Harrington said:
So you think the gouge is from a string? That was my initial thought. It does appear the gouge has a "winding-type" imprint. Thanks for the input.
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If you look at the photo, the gouge is at a right angle to what the string windings would make. So no, I don't think it's from the strings.

As for the return/don't return question: if you can feel it while you're playing then return it. If you can't feel it but it bothers you just knowing it's there, return it. A new instrument shouldn't have that issue.
 
#260
Kipp Harrington said:
Been playing it for a few hours the past 2 days and have fallen in love with it!
Click to expand...
So it plays nice, stays in tune, and sounds great. Are you sure you're not suffering from "Squier-itis"? This is when someone really likes their guitar at first, but then thinks about how much "better" it would be if it said, "Fender" on the head stock instead. It's amazing how many flaws people will put up with depending on the name on the guitar. A USA-made Fender bass can have a gouge out of the body, and people will still pay full price for it. A Squire model has one fret board ding, and it's like, "Burn it and bury it in the back yard".
Obviously the guitar didn't change...(refer to quote).
 

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