Sire warranty issue

[trevcda]

Are you prepared to pay full price for the neck and get credited back once the old neck has been returned? I had a neck replaced on a Dingwall and they wanted me to work with a repair shop to remove, replace and return the neck. I had no problem with that as I was going to have my guy run through it anyway. Other than his labor, there was not any out-of-pocket cost to me.

 

[mdogs]

Are you prepared to pay full price for the neck and get credited back once the old neck has been returned? I had a neck replaced on a Dingwall and they wanted me to work with a repair shop to remove, replace and return the neck. I had no problem with that as I was going to have my guy run through it anyway. Other than his labor, there was not any out-of-pocket cost to me.

This all gets even more complicated by the fact that Sire apparently has no warranty servicers and clearly has no process for how to deal with warranty on a consistent basis. On the other hand, if they did have warranty servicers, the closest one to me would probably be Chicago and I would be mad about that.

 

[aprod]

Have you talked to the seller?

 

[N4860]

I have no idea and I really don't want to have to find out.

I thought you wanted them to send you a new neck.

 

[mdogs]

I thought you wanted them to send you a new neck.

That is what I want, without the dealer in the middle.

 

[N4860]

That is what I want, without the dealer in the middle.

Ah, well it seems that is likely your only option given that Sire is asking you to take it to a luthier/repair shop first. As others have said, they probably just want to make sure the neck is actually twisted from a professional. I'm not doubting your expertise at all, I can just totally understand their customer service assuming that many customers would not be qualified to make a claim like the neck being twisted.

 

[JutMitch]

Unfortunately no large company will just ship you off a new neck, they're going to want an authorized/dealer to take care of the issue.

 

[telejojo5]

Where did you buy it? I know Sweetwater has a 2 year warranty on all their stuff I don't know about GC and everybody else

 

[Fender_Bender]

Unless you leave it on a radiator or a heater etc a neck twists because that’s what the wood wanted to do. I wouldn’t trust any “repair” in that case.

 

[JutMitch]

Unless you leave it on a radiator or a heater etc a neck twists because that’s what the wood wanted to do. I wouldn’t trust any “repair” in that case.

Yup…if it was a 12th fret kink or something that was causes from years of string tension, that can be worked with steam and clamping sometimes but a twist. Just the nature on how some things dry out and where they want to go.

 

[One Way]

Regarding Sire stocking parts in the US, one of the tone potentiometers lost its center detent. I reached out to Sire USA warranty and they sent me a replacement potentiometer. I was pleased with the way they handled the situation. As in all things, YMMV

 

[oldcatfish]

You might very well be more knowledgeable and skilled than any technician/repair person that they authorize….but they don’t know that. So they aren’t going to just send you a new neck because YOU say it’s twisted. They will want the “professional “ opinion of their authorized tech. And even if the tech agrees that it is a twisted neck, they will probably want the tech to install the new one, otherwise it might void the warranty on your bass.

 

[UNICORN BASS]

It is pretty apparent that like most companies they need an expert to inspect and verify your issue before they commit to any further action. Until you can do that i don't think this is going to be resolved. I suspect that once they are sure of the issue Sire will make it right, they really are obliged to after all. Good luck to the O.P.

 

[lug]

I'd sell it and get a Torzal bass.

 

[bholder]

I'd sell it and get a Torzal bass.

a fanned fret Torzal, even, to make it ever-so-much-more !

 

[mdogs]

I'd sell it and get a Torzal bass.

I believe that I have discovered a cheaper way to get one.

 

[Hawk620]

The service people are probably just following a script that assumes most neck issues are solvable by simple things like truss rod adjustments. Twists are well beyond that point. Maybe they want a luthier to make that call, rather than the customer? Just guessing.

But yeah, disappointing.

I'm guessing the same may be true of Sire that I found with Fender as well. I had a problem with some raised frets and a potential issue with the truss rod on a CV Jazz Bass I'd bought. Rather than simply shipping me a new neck I could install they sent me to their nearest authorized repair shop which was an hour's drive away.

I had to leave the bass and wait several weeks for them to get to it than drive back again to retrieve it so it ended up as 4-5 hours of my time and over 160 miles of travel back and forth to get the issues repaired. As posted above it's just the way all of these manufacturers seem to do things regardless of their costs.

 

[mdogs]

Neck is on its way to me now.

 

[UNICORN BASS]

Details, do tell. And congrats too.

 

[mdogs]

Details, do tell. And congrats too.

Not much to tell, they sent me an email that said they would prefer to have a servicer do the work and I responded by telling them that I would prefer to do it myself. They responded saying that the neck would be shipped within 48 hours.