Update to the G2220 saga

[Wood and Wire]

I would say do it... but I don't actually have mine yet, so I'll let you know if it's a waste of money or not.

It's also important to remember that just because you pay lots of money for something doesn't make it any better (that's just fetishism!).

In fact, "sometimes things that are expensive ... are worse."


Like I mentioned, my brother (in Czechia) bought one of the Harley Benton LP style guitars from Thomann, and it came with AlnicoV humbuckers, set neck, beautiful binding and inlay work, pull-push tone pots for coil splitting, and was in tune and set up perfectly out of the box. And it sounds amazing. And it was like $150 US. It must be that German engineering... lol.

Yeah, if Gretsch still made the Country Gentleman, and kept it how it was originally, it would be pretty affordable.

It's not because they're especially amazing that they're expensive ; they're expensive for the same reason that Rickenbacker 4005, late 60's CBS Fender Precisions, or Pre-Ernie Ball StingRays are expensive.

 

[BlueTalon]

Why, because they didn't do a recall on the basses, and offer to come to your home to swap out the pickups, and give you a manicure while you wait?

That's worthy of an ignore.

 

[BlueTalon]

Pretty sure they address it…

If by "address" you mean "avoid as long as possible, and then not really address it," you might be right.

 

[g-dude]

If by "address" you mean "avoid as long as possible, and then not really address it," you might be right.

Did you not see the video I linked?

 

[BlueTalon]

Did you not see the video I linked?

I did see it. What I missed was that the video completed the sentence.

 

[user362432]

Wait until you hear Fender insider stories. I am waiting for too long crap to come out.

 

[Pilgrim]

(Substantial snip of content)

By the way, I work in technology. Companies ship constantly ship products and software that are riddled with bugs, can go unfixed for years, and can't be fixed by customers. (In some cases, those companies actively fight against the right to repair broken products.) Some software companies know about major security flaws for months (or years) and don't do anything about them. Thus, while the product certainly should match the spec sheet, all the hyperbole and hysterics over this strikes me as almost amusingly absurd. (I'm guessing that that one reason why this conversation got so heated is because the stakes are so low.)

I also can't think of another instrument where almost no one cared about the pickup type for so long. Can you?

I'm not criticizing being vocal. I didn't say "suck it up." I never said that "no one should point out the problem."

Rather, previously I pointed out that no reasonable person should have outlandish expectations of the quality of cheap instruments; that every company makes mistakes; and that brand is irrelevant to that calculation.

Further, in this post, I'm pointing out that if you're going to accuse someone of actual fraud, you need a little more than an apparent manufacturing mistake in one model out of literally hundreds of instruments.

Well said, and points well made. This entire issue is a tempest in a teapot.

Fender has stepped up and addressed the error. Buy some shielding material and shield the pickup if it's a problem for you, as you probably should in many inexpensive basses.

If s single coil pickup is the biggest problem you encounter in life this month, you are a very fortunate person.

 

[Adagietto]

 

[Snert]

Buy some shielding material and shield the pickup if it's a problem for you

But why should you have to when it's sold as a humbucker, and was for a decade, and it's not? I've never had to shield any of my guitars or basses equipped with HBs.

I'm stunned at the amount of apologists for outright incompetence in terms of QC, as well as the total lack of regard Fender have for their customers.

 

[g-dude]

But why should you have to when it's sold as a humbucker, and was for a decade, and it's not? I've never had to shield any of my guitars or basses equipped with HBs.

I'm stunned at the amount of apologists for outright incompetence in terms of QC, as well as the total lack of regard Fender have for their customers.

I mean, it’s an honest mistake, as Fender clearly placed an order for humbuckers nearly a decade ago and has never ordered in parts since.

 

[LBS-bass]

I'm stunned at the amount of apologists

Honestly I'm still not seeing apologists. I'm seeing people who understand that there's a clear legal definition of "fraud" and that the burden of proof for this is substantial, and I'm seeing people who want to ignore that inconvenient detail.

Nobody is saying this is a great situation. It's not. But hyperbole is exactly that, and until we know how this happened, all we have is conjecture, which does not win anything in court.

This conversation would have been a lot less prickly if loaded terms like "fraud" had not been tossed around like grenades.

 

[Pilgrim]

That video is the ultimate much ado about essentially nothing. Six minutes of self-congratulation with emphasis on the assumption that Fender made a dastardly and purposeful attempt to deceive their customers.

But why should you have to when it's sold as a humbucker, and was for a decade, and it's not? I've never had to shield any of my guitars or basses equipped with HBs.

I'm stunned at the amount of apologists for outright incompetence in terms of QC, as well as the total lack of regard Fender have for their customers.

I'm not an apologist. I believe it was an honest production mistake that has been corrected. No more, no less. And I've never had a problem with Gretsch quality control.

Did anyone in this thread buy a Gretsch ONLY because it was supposed to be a humbucker pickup? If so and you're not happy with it, ask Fender to buy back the bass.

 

[Snert]

I'm seeing people who understand that there's a clear legal definition of "fraud"

I never said fraud, but it was wrong, it took them a decade and a fair amount of public pressure to correct it and even then they did as little as possible, even to the effect that getting the compensatory gifts is difficult. Not everywhere in the world has such lax consumer protection laws as the US. In the EU for instance, they would be compelled to rectify or refund and it's the consumer's choice.

They have shown their CS is utter crap.

 

[LBS-bass]

I never said fraud, but it was wrong, it took them a decade and a fair amount of public pressure to correct it and even then they did as little as possible, even to the effect that getting the compensatory gifts is difficult. Not everywhere in the world has such lax consumer protection laws as the US. In the EU for instance, they would be compelled to rectify or refund and it's the consumer's choice.

They have shown their CS is utter crap.

I won't argue with any of that!

 

[BadSanta1281]

What would be the (realistic) remedy that would make people happy?

 

[Nuage420]

What would be the (realistic) remedy that would make people happy?

I believe they're refunding $100 to current owners

 

[BadSanta1281]

I believe they're refunding $100 to current owners

Yes, but it seems some people aren't happy with that plan.

 

[BlueTalon]

What would be the (realistic) remedy that would make people happy?

If it was me, a set of humbuckers that would fit in the cavities.

 

[Nuage420]

Yes, but it seems some people aren't happy with that plan.

Well, it seems they're just being greedy little s#!tz then aren't they?

 

[BadSanta1281]

Well, it seems they're just being greedy little s#!tz then aren't they?

I didn't mean to imply that. Just wondering what other suggestions people had.

Not everyone can replace their own pickups, so shipping humbuckers that fit the cavities might work for some, but not all.

As a big corporation, they're surely just looking at the bottom line cost to make it go away. They know they have a loyal enough customer base that it won't affect sales very much... apart from this model.