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[quote name='Clarky' post='632689' date='Oct 21 2009, 07:16 PM']Looks great Nigel - but then you would expect a man thats owned five Olympic white P basses in the last year to say that [/quote] It's the nicest colour for a Precision I reckon.

Thanks chaps [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='632688' date='Oct 21 2009, 07:14 PM']Looks good mate, thought about a black pick gaurd?[/quote] I thought about it, I also thought about a white pearl, but I've had Strats in all these schemes before and I always went back to dark tort on Oly white. There's just something soft and chewy, kind of Country about it. I saw Clarky's Oly and Black USA P that MM20 had bought, in our mini-bass bash exchange in the pub, I did look lovely, but not quite as good as the dark tort, for me.

Happy ending from my point of view. I did what [b]bumnote [/b]suggested (thanks mate ) and it worked. Also, my Switchcraft jack had arrived today so I fitted that too, works beautifully of course. Thanks everyone for your very valuable contributions. I will NEVER interfere with a faulty item again. Chris from Absolute Guitars could have handled this better, but from a legal point of view he is most likely right. I now LOVE my first ever Fender Precision, the dark tort helps it look so classy

[quote name='thedonutman' post='632541' date='Oct 21 2009, 04:45 PM']If you paid by credit card perhaps you could just just retract the payment and let your bank and the shop sort it out?[/quote] Nah, I paid by paypal. Anyway, it IS my fault I can't get a refund, I fired an exocet into my own foot by not taking a step back, as it were, and appraising the situation properly before cleaning it up. However, I am miffed they sent it me in that condition in the first place.

[quote name='beerdragon' post='632509' date='Oct 21 2009, 04:20 PM']The guys not going to move, so i guess it's a lesson all of us can learn from this. take up the Piano. no i mean check everything and check again.[/quote] Yep, that is the lesson. I suppose I should have mentioned in my email to him that the shop obviously didn't think warping was an issue either since they sent it to me like that, but what the hey. Cheers all. I'll post a picture of the finished article.

[i][b]Oh dear, I think he's getting well pissed off with me now .. I think I'll leave it at that, no point pursuing this any further.[/b][/i] The terms and conditions are on our web site and printed on the back of your receipt. I’ve read the comments on the chat forum and see that a large number actually agree with us that once you have applied solvent and car polish to it the warranty is void. You mentioned nothing about it being warp in your original mail to us and again if this was present you should have contacted us before applying solvent and car finishing polish. At this stage we would have happily replaced it or refunded your costs. As you didn’t do this we have no way of knowing if the damage was caused during the polishing process or during fitting to a guitar that it was not designed for. We offer a lot under good will and try to assist our customers with advice and support however we do not tolerate bulling or threats (to flame us on web sites). Regards Chris -------------------------------------------- [b][i]My final reply ..[/i][/b] Thanks Chris, I admitted from the start I should have checked fit first. I have not flamed you, bullied you or threatened you, my emails to you have been nothing but polite and factual. On Basschat, I recounted the process I went though (I have been nothing but truthful) and asked what my rights were. I have ascertained I have none since I removed the adhesive myself. Fair enough. I was foolish and should have simply sent it back. I didn't really even consider that warping was an issue until later. I still think you could have been more understanding and met me half way, but I see your point of view given the current economic climate and that you can't simply trust all customers to tell the truth. I do a lot of work on my instruments so removing a bit of glue and seeing things that aren't perfect is not a big deal to me. I made an assumption that a 62 RI P-Bass pickguard would fit a 62 RI P-Bass, MIJ, MIA or MIM. That'll teach me. I'm sorry you feel bullied, flamed and threatened because of little old me with a dodgy pickguard, but I will reiterate, I have done none of those things. I'll get my drill and files out and try to fit the PG to cover the gap. It won't be perfect, but nothing ever seems to be anyway. Kind regards, Nigel

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='632429' date='Oct 21 2009, 02:57 PM']This thread has made me want a brown tort guard to replace the stock red tort on my 1990 MIJ '62 RI precision.[/quote] They do look gorgeous! Especialy on an Oly white body.

I agree with Observer's statement of facts. However there are many soft issues that confuse the situation. The PG arrived in a large box, I would have had to return this, pay the cost of postage (recorded I might add with all this Royal Mail sh*te), and have the hassle of waiting a while for new one to arrive. I'd just got home from picking up my first Fender Precision, a MIJ 62 RI, from another BCer, I was excited. I took it apart, did a full fret level and dress, set up, clean, etc. Put it all back together. Then finally, the finishing touch, a lovely new Fender 62 RI dark tort PG, my very favourite! I open the bag, pull out the PG, mmm a little warped but no problem when it's screwed down, and remove the film. Oh dear, what's all this crap on it? Never mind, it should come off with acetone-free solvent. Hoorah, twenty minutes later it's off. Give it a bit of a polish with polishing cream, cool! Lay the plate on the bass. Bollocks! What's this little gap here? All the screw holes line up, neck pocket flush, all good, except for a gap near the jack exposing the 'leccy cavity. All that work cleaning the PG is a waste of time, what me gonna do now? It couldn't bend it enough to fit. Damn. Not once, until the next day, did I think of returning it to the shop. My fault? probably, but I don't bark and squeak if things aren't perfect, but I really should have checked fit first and should have thought [i]"I just paid £40 for this piece of warped overheated sh*t! It's going straight back[/i]!". I was also impatient to get this bass looking beautiful. That obviously clouded my reason. Nevermind, I will fill the screw holes and drill new ones and see if I can slightly reposition the PG and make good. Safe in the knowledge I won't be shopping at Absolute Guitars again.

[b][i]My final message to the guy.[/i][/b] Hello Chris, I really doubt you paid Fender's distributor £40 for it! I read your policy and nowhere could I find anything mentioning plastic film. I'll contact Fender UK and see what they think, but just to show you the amount it was warped I have attached a couple of photographs I took today. I think it must have been stored for quite a while next to a significant heat source. The plastic cover is also wrinkled around the PG shape. The advice I have had is that you supplied me a faulty PG and that I should have simply returned it. I'm sorry you don't feel you can even give me a discount on a replacement if I return it, out of goodwill. But that's UK customer service for you. I'll stick to my suppliers in the States and put this down to experience. If you are interested in your potential customers' perception of this particular situation, this is the Basschat thread [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63900&st=0"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=63900&st=0[/url] Thanks anyway. Nigel

[quote name='bumnote' post='631949' date='Oct 20 2009, 11:23 PM']I have two CIJ precisions one fitted with a fender tort us scratchplates, and another fitted with a us aluminium plate, and a Tokai also fitted with an aly plate. While the plates are not interchangable, they were not that difficult to do. In both cases you will have to drill additional holes, but these will always be hidden under the new plate. IIRC I removed the 4 screws holding the pick ups so they were free to move. Remove the pots and socket, and lay the new plate on the body, hopefully you can line the plate up with the neck, I think i had to file a bit off to make sure it fitted the neck. I was able to move the plate around sufficiently that it didnt have the gap shown on your picture. Dummy fit the pots and jack plug socket and double check that it all lines up. Once you have the plate in the right place, you can mark and drill new holes to fix the scratchplate. fill the old screw holes for the pickups with cocktail sticks or matches and pva. Re drill and refix the pickups. Doesnt help with your argument with the seller but I doubt you will easily find an off the shelf replacement even if they did refund you so are stuck with modding the bass or having a copy made from your existing plate. Good luck[/quote] Thanks for that, and I think that's how I'll go tbh. I am NOT going to shell out £40 on a piece of f***ing plastic again! Cheers!

Sorry, just got around to watching this, she's got a great voice, lovely song and of course lovey string bass I like the tone, rich and BIG.

[quote name='alexclaber' post='631591' date='Oct 20 2009, 05:58 PM']Well that's not true for starters, unless they're running a unique zero profit margin business model... Alex[/quote] Exactly Alex. Quite a funny part of his email that

Thanks Gareth, appreciated. I am going to contact Fender I think. I can't believe they won't take a part back from a shop just because it's been opened. The bass looks beautiful with a dark tort PG BTW Thanks again mate, N

[quote name='OldGit' post='631354' date='Oct 20 2009, 02:23 PM']Good letter.[/quote] Cheers [b][i] I have a response ..[/i][/b] Hi I’m sorry that you feel this way but I don’t really understand what you expect us to do. We are always happy to provide advice either by eMail or Phone and would have happily advised on the fit of a USA pick guard to a made in Japan instrument. We can not state on our web site which instruments pick guards will or will not fit as there are simply too many variants, however we are always happy to give advise if asked. At end of the day a USA pick guard is for USA instrument. Our returns policy does state that to return an item the film most not be removed or if there is a fault that it is returned to us in 7 days. The fact that you have attempted to repair the fault simply means that we cannot do anything with it. I am sorry that you are out of pocket by £40 but if you would have returned it without repairing it we would have been able to have refunded or exchanged it. However under the circumstances we would not be able to re-sell or return it to Fender and would therefore be out of pocket by the same amount. The situation is no different to any other area of retail and you can not expect to return an item after it has been repaired or alter by an unauthorised person. I would suggest that in future if you are unsure about a product you ask advise before purchasing and never attempt to repair a faulty item, simply return it. Regards Chris Absolute Guitars --------------------------------------------------------- Here are some pictures of the offending item .. you can see actually it is quite badly warped. God only knows how or why they would want to resell it! Also, the quality of the cutting on the holes and pickup route is very poorly finished and is burred. It is about 2mm smaller all round than the original too. [attachment=34827:IMG_1016.jpg][attachment=34828:IMG_1020.jpg][attachment=34829:IMG_1022.jpg] [attachment=34830:IMG_1028.jpg][attachment=34831:IMG_1029.jpg][attachment=34832:IMG_1032.jpg] [attachment=34833:IMG_1024.jpg]

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='631325' date='Oct 20 2009, 01:52 PM']Hang on - you didn't mention earlier that it was warped I'll take back what I said earlier. As its warped I think that is better cause for returning it than "it don't blummin' fit!" - packaging removed or not. There's a chance that a warped pickguard would have shrunk as well, which in turn could cause it not to fit.[/quote] I didn't really think much about that TBH and I forgot about it. I hadn't considered it could shrink The warpage takes the form of a convex dome. I shall post pics this evening, you'll see what I mean.

[quote name='whimsy23' post='631257' date='Oct 20 2009, 12:13 PM']Whatever happens, it's shocking customer service. It's a pickguard for f*** sake, and they are only going to lose future custom if that is how they treat customers.[/quote] I agree mate. [b][i]Anyway, here's what I sent back to them ..[/i][/b] Hello Chris, The problem with the adhesive was only apparent once the film had been removed. In addition the film was mis-aligned by about 3mm or so when I received it, suggesting it had perhaps been removed and reapplied before, or maybe it was stored next to a heat source sufficient to melt the adhesive, this is more likely as the pickguard was warped. I didn't think much of that at the time as fitting it should alleviate any problems but now this becomes significant. The pickguards I have received in the past have been completely flat. The issue with fit is serious. There is no indication on the packaging or on your website that the pickguard will not fit a MIJ '62 RI Precision correctly and not properly cover the electronics route. It is not fit for purpose in this regard. I am deeply disappointed that my first purchase with you has gone so badly. I am not one to complain about minor issues, I simply got on with cleaning it up and fitting it, only then discovering the larger problem. I concur that I should have checked for correct fit first. Although I doubt you would disagree my situation here is unfair and that I am over £40 out of pocket for no benefit whatsoever, I can see from the tone of your message there is no hope of you acceeding to my request for a refund or exchange. I find your lack of consideration for a new customer misguided. You have guaranteed I will not shop with you again, nor can I now recommend your outlet to other bassists on www.basschat.co.uk (Europe's largest bass guitar forum with over 7,000 members) on which we are currently discussing this. With kind regards, Nigel

[quote name='Geek99' post='631192' date='Oct 20 2009, 11:02 AM']Its fairly common knowledge in these parts that screws for instance are slightly differntly sited based on origin. For this reason I'd always state CIJ when ordering anything for mine.[/quote] Am I expected to know that, as a customer? I really wouldn't have thought so. The screw holes themselves are virtually perfectly aligned.

[quote name='Geek99' post='631158' date='Oct 20 2009, 10:34 AM']You should probably have dryfitted it first , but if it was visibly defective you should have rejected the goods as unfit. This seems to be what the shop are saying. They can't resell or claim from their supplier if you've 'used' the goods As I said its best to state which model you need to fit it to.[/quote] Fair comment, thanks. However, it was listed as the same model as my bass, ie. '62 RI P-Bass. No country of origin for the intended bass is mentioned on the product or in the seller's web site listing. This is a similar listing on their web site. [url="http://shop.absolute-guitars.co.uk/fender-precision-pickguard---57-gold-anodized-853-p.asp"]http://shop.absolute-guitars.co.uk/fender-...dized-853-p.asp[/url] Secondly, only by removing the film was the problem with the adhesive made apparent. I should add that the film was not in the expected position, it was mis-aligned by a few millimetres. Now I think about it, is it possible the film could have been removed previously?

[quote name='The Funk' post='631033' date='Oct 20 2009, 02:22 AM']Come on, you didn't exactly attempt to fix it - you attempted to take off the bloody packaging![/quote] Do you think my statutory rights are affected by removing the (defective) protective film and making good the defect by then removing the left over adhesive? Did I have a duty to check correct fit before removing the film? Thanks.

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='630991' date='Oct 20 2009, 12:28 AM']or don't admit defeat and try and score a second hand p bass body, then a neck of some kind....[/quote] What I am going to do is drill a new screw hole and bend that bitch into shape

[quote name='LukeFRC' post='630646' date='Oct 19 2009, 06:52 PM']The pick guard is for MIA, you have a different bass. It's your mistake not theirs. Now being a nice shop ( i guess) they probably would have taken it back except for the fact you had been at it with solvent and polish. The solvent and polish was to solve another problem with glue stuff, on finding this problem you could have returned it as faulty and they would have exchanged it.[/quote] I think I agree, but it didn't say MIA in the shop listing or on the Fender packaging. I should not have removed the plastic film though. I'm impatient and my foolishness got in the way of checking fit first. I am pissed off it doesn't fit and no info was given about MIA or MIJ. This thing cost me over £40 with postage. Anyone want a very lovely Fender '62 RI P-Bass Dark Tort PG for £25? [b]TO FIT A MIA[/b] (no guarantees)