Any problem that I can rectify at home myself, is not a problem. It's just easier and less aggravating that way. Perfection is very elusive on any instrument regardless of level, pricing, country of origin etc.
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Squier 40th Anniversary basses - BAD QC
- Thread starter Crackle
- Start date
I got this gem in July, aside from a slight adjustment to the truss rod, she is perfect!
I have owned dozens of basses over the years and currently own 19. Only the Squier 40th Anniversary editions have these stupid QC issues. I hope GC and Fender / Squier will be aggravated when they receive it back tonight.
$20 says that absolutely nobody cares about two returns on $300-400 instruments.
Someone on Facebook has white ones...they look pretty good.
I put DiMarzio Relentless Jazz pickups in mine.
I think they should've offered white, too.
Sounds like a typical manufacturing story. A company produces a low cost, high quality product which is largely ignored due to preconceived notions among their target audience. They persist in their efforts and slowly make inroads into their target market. Once the quality of their work, at the price point it is offered is “discovered” by the masses, demand goes through the roof and in an effort to meet the sudden increase in demand, production ramps up to take advantage of the fickle nature of the consuming public to maximize an opportunity to profit off the wave that may only last a short while before the next “discovery” knocks them off their current perch as the darling of the moment. This effort invariably leads to corner cuts to mollify the bean counters. Soon the rep for quality gets spoiled by too many boo boos allowed to pass in the interest of sucking up as much gravy as possible before the well runs dry. The end result is they torpedo all the work put in to establish the rep they then ruin.
It can also be as simple as the wrong individual promoted to a position where they dictate policy and they prioritize production numbers over quality, usually in response to pressure from sales.
either way, any time the quality of a manufactured product suddenly falls it can be traced back to the corporate culture dictating the pace of production. Bean counters and paper pushers will invariably choose profit over quality because they get bigger bonuses and can blame production when it all falls apart.
It can also be as simple as the wrong individual promoted to a position where they dictate policy and they prioritize production numbers over quality, usually in response to pressure from sales.
either way, any time the quality of a manufactured product suddenly falls it can be traced back to the corporate culture dictating the pace of production. Bean counters and paper pushers will invariably choose profit over quality because they get bigger bonuses and can blame production when it all falls apart.
Moody's says that its analysis shows that Guitar Center/AVDG earnings are weak – so weak that by the end of 2023, they will represent only approximately 0.9x the company's “interest coverage.” In other words, they are not generating enough profit to even make interest payments on their outstanding debt.
GC has been in rough shape for a LONG time. Should they care about your two returns? Probably. Will they? I'd bet not.
I try to avoid GC and have been aware of their financial issue for years. I used them in this case because I knew purchasing another Squier would be a risk. Because the store is 5 minutes from my house, it's a quick easy return.
If I had been an average buyer, I might not have noticed the issues with either of these basses. I mean, the grounding issue on the gold edition couldn't be dismissed, but the others could have been worked around or undetected. I have a high attention to detail and go through everything.
If you got the Vintage for the recent sale price of $300 I would just fix the screw holes on the bridge and keep it. I'm really happy with both of mine.
Squier won’t be aggravated because GC has already paid or will pay for the bass, and it’s unlikely GC will send it back to Squier.
GC won’t be aggravated because they will hang it back on the wall & sell it again. You might not be the first buyer of the basses with which you have discovered anomalies.
Both basses were sealed new in the box when I received them. I agree these can definitely be sold to someone who doesn't know any better. Sucks to be them when the bridge comes off during a gig.
Anyway, one more small nail in GC's coffin and they have the bean counters at Squier to thank for it.
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To the OP, you already bought two bad ones. Buy a lottery ticket when you place the order for the third bass.
I think this comes down to employee integrity. Your only job is to assemble tuners to a neck. You know when screws bite down and when they don't. The assembler should be pulling these at his/her station. Not doing a sloppy job and sending it down the line. Though unfortunately I don't think QC inspects every single instrument unless they are special order.
I must've been lucky.
Bought both from GC.
No issues whatsoever.
JD56, that's the Jazz I have - replaced the gold pickguard with a tortoise one, but just my preference. Killer bass after slight adjustments!
The third time could be the charm. I'm moving on from Squier. At this point, I'm looking at the Yamaha BB234 and BB434, both of which look far superior. I have 18 great basses that I use most of the time but want one good quality player that I can put in risky situations.
I picked up the same one 2 weeks ago - have played 2 gigs with it so far and it truly punches above its weight.... a keeper!!
The 434 is an excellent choice! You likely will not find QC problems with one of those.
