Serious (and I do mean serious) problems with musicman neck...

[MB1]

MB1.
Never seen anything like!
I'm with Mart...
Definate candidate for a Status Neck !
Gotta feeling that MM neck offer might be cheaper though?
ATB with it!

[stingrayPete1977]

I wonder if a good luthier could try and steam it straight?

[NURZE]

Thanks for the support...

I could literally cry. Since I was 15 I wanted a black/black/maple stingray

posted it on the forums and they're already giving me a hard time...
http://forums.ernieball.com/music-man-basses/55560-neck-problems-serious-neck-problems-my-black-stingray.html#post906208

[charic]

Actually... they've been pretty good so far. Atleast theyre discussing it properly

[stingrayPete1977]

Wont be long before it kicks off altogether I guess the next step is to see how much the new necks are then try and beat them down to half of that ammount explaining why of course? not great though is it, what year is the bass again?

[Dingus]

I have to say , my friend , that if you bought the bass second hand then EBMM are behaving perfectly reasonably by offering to sell you a new neck . If you had bought the bass new then that would be a different matter , but any warranty or indeed any good will is really only applicable to the original purchaser . Things like this are one of the pitfalls of buying used basses , I'm afraid . Of course it would be nice if EBMM were more generous , but you can't reasonably expect or demand them to be so . I would find out the actual cost of a new neck with shipping and taxes and duty ect then make a decision . All in all it might not be that much and at least you could salvage the bass . Unfortunately things do go wrong and develop faults and it can be a pain , but at least this is something relatively easy to fix . I think you are looking at this whole situation the wrong way round , and it is wrong to lay blame at the feet of EBMM , who have no real obligation towards you whatsoever . Please don't get the idea that I am not sympathetic to your frustration and dissappointment , but no one has let you down here . It's just one of those things .

[drTStingray]

Nurze - this problem is not typical of Musicman basses in my experience.

Internet diagnosis is hit and miss at the best of times and something beloved of forums but often not very helpful.

You haven't been very forthcoming with info about this bass - on the Musicman forum you suggest you've been using it for several years - just how old is it? Do you have a DOB for it - if you don't, you can get it from the Musicman forum. How old was it when you bought it? Did it get a whole lot worse in that recent serious cold spell in mainland Europe?

I'm not suggesting you or any previous owner has doen anything wrong with this bass, but just as a for example, a friend of mine put his prized Gretch, in its case, under a table behind which was, unbeknown to him, a radiator on full power - which nigh on bolied the case with guitar in it over the next hour or so before he came to use it. How do Musicman not know you haven't done something similar, or worse still, the truss rod has got damaged through improper use etc.

As people have said, probably best to take their offer - or alternatively have a dealer take it in for repair and let them get the neck replaced - and give you a report on what the problem was - that way you may be able to persuade EBMM customer service to refund some of the cost if it really does turn out to be a manufacturing fault. I do understand how you feel though being remote from the manufacturer - not a good feeling.

And come on guys, this having a pop at EBMM is really not helpful in this thread - everyone knows that EBMM have banned some members of this forum and Talkbass before now, arguably for behaving like jerks on the manufacturers forum.

Nurze, I think you are better off dealing with this matter and coming back and telling the story. At the moment there's precious little hard info in the thread - a load of internet diagnosis (which is very entertaining) and a one exchange with EBMM customer service (afte rthe thread has been running for a week or two).

I will tell you that I have contacted EBMM customer services several times by internet and they have always been very courteous and replied within a day or two - so I'm not sure why your response has been different.

Best of luck with it anyway.

[NURZE]

Hey Dingus,

you certainly have a point.

But I have to say I'm not asking much.
I'm certainly not hoping for a FREE neck or someting. I'm very aware of the fact that that's probably not going to happen.

But I Was hoping for an explanation of how it could happen. Because it certainly isn't normal.
I know they don't owe me anything, but it just should have happend with the neck.

On the other hand I've heard a man from around here, that had the exact same problem and he got a new neck at a strongly reduced price.

I'd already be VERY happy with that...

I'm going to contact the local importer VOERMAN and ask him what the possibilities are...

[NURZE]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1360018429' post='1963760']
Nurze - this problem is not typical of Musicman basses in my experience.

Internet diagnosis is hit and miss at the best of times and something beloved of forums but often not very helpful.

You haven't been very forthcoming with info about this bass - on the Musicman forum you suggest you've been using it for several years - just how old is it? Do you have a DOB for it - if you don't, you can get it from the Musicman forum. How old was it when you bought it? Did it get a whole lot worse in that recent serious cold spell in mainland Europe?

I'm not suggesting you or any previous owner has doen anything wrong with this bass, but just as a for example, a friend of mine put his prized Gretch, in its case, under a table behind which was, unbeknown to him, a radiator on full power - which nigh on bolied the case with guitar in it over the next hour or so before he came to use it. How do Musicman not know you haven't done something similar, or worse still, the truss rod has got damaged through improper use etc.

As people have said, probably best to take their offer - or alternatively have a dealer take it in for repair and let them get the neck replaced - and give you a report on what the problem was - that way you may be able to persuade EBMM customer service to refund some of the cost if it really does turn out to be a manufacturing fault. I do understand how you feel though being remote from the manufacturer - not a good feeling.

And come on guys, this having a pop at EBMM is really not helpful in this thread - everyone knows that EBMM have banned some members of this forum and Talkbass before now, arguably for behaving like jerks on the manufacturers forum.

Nurze, I think you are better off dealing with this matter and coming back and telling the story. At the moment there's precious little hard info in the thread - a load of internet diagnosis (which is very entertaining) and a one exchange with EBMM customer service (afte rthe thread has been running for a week or two).

I will tell you that I have contacted EBMM customer services several times by internet and they have always been very courteous and replied within a day or two - so I'm not sure why your response has been different.

Best of luck with it anyway.
[/quote]

I'm going to take this advice and come back later.

Thank you.

i'm going t contact the local importer tomorrow :-)

[dlloyd]

[quote name='NURZE' timestamp='1360018829' post='1963768']
I'm going to take this advice and come back later.

Thank you.

i'm going t contact the local importer tomorrow :-)
[/quote]

Looking at your posts on the EBMM forum, it looks like you bought the bass around 6 or 7 years ago... would that be right?

[tauzero]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1360003443' post='1963408']
Have you seen the near identicle warwick thread?
[/quote]

The one in which the OP hasn't actually said anything about having contacted Warwick as yet?

[Dingus]

[quote name='NURZE' timestamp='1360018531' post='1963764']
Hey Dingus,

you certainly have a point.

But I have to say I'm not asking much.
I'm certainly not hoping for a FREE neck or someting. I'm very aware of the fact that that's probably not going to happen.

But I Was hoping for an explanation of how it could happen. Because it certainly isn't normal.
I know they don't owe me anything, but it just should have happend with the neck.

On the other hand I've heard a man from around here, that had the exact same problem and he got a new neck at a strongly reduced price.

I'd already be VERY happy with that...

I'm going to contact the local importer VOERMAN and ask him what the possibilities are...
[/quote]

I think you are taking the right approach ; give EBMM every chance to help you and then make a judgement . If you can get a new neck at a reasonable price then I would call that a very good result under the circumstances . Look , let me put it like this : if you buy secondhand basses , sooner or later something unforseen is going to go wrong with one of them . It's almost inevitable . In this case something has gone wrong with the neck , and serious neck repairs and renovations tend to be very expensive . If you can get a new neck then it will make the bass as good as new and will probably end up cheaper than having a lesser fault with the neck repaired . As to what caused the fault , who knows ? I don't know how EBMM could be able to tell you . All that really matters is that you get your bass back in proper order and get back to playing it and enjoying it and put this all behind you . I will keep my fingers crossed the importer gets a good outcome for you . Let us know what happens .

[drTStingray]

I agree with Dingus, I think this is the best way to deal with it.

Hope it works out well for you and come back and let us know.

[Musky]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360019961' post='1963793']
Look , let me put it like this : if you buy secondhand basses , sooner or later something unforseen is going to go wrong with one of them . It's almost inevitable .
[/quote]
Whilst I agree with the rest of your post, this bit is absolute twaddle. You may as well say it's inevitable that something will go wrong with a bass bought new, which isn't the case (other than parts which can be regarded as consumables, such as pots, frets etc.) Change of ownership has no material effect on the reliability and build quality of a bass. Whilst there are risks to buying secondhand, the inevitability of a bass failing shouldn't be one of them.

[dwh87]

At least Big Poppa was honest when he said "the forum is not a great place to get help"

Also a sly dig at Warwick towards the end. The cheeky git

[drTStingray]

[quote name='dwh87' timestamp='1360030563' post='1963881']
At least Big Poppa was honest when he said "the forum is not a great place to get help"

Also a sly dig at Warwick towards the end. The cheeky git
[/quote]

I seriously fail to get the tendency for individuals on forums to constantly rant at individual company CEOs - it's very tiresome!

[NURZE]

[quote name='dwh87' timestamp='1360030563' post='1963881']
At least Big Poppa was honest when he said "the forum is not a great place to get help"

Also a sly dig at Warwick towards the end. The cheeky git
[/quote]

I'm not a fan of Warwick. I don't really like the look of their basses. But that's just personal taste.
But they're really involved with Quality Control and the way they present themselves towards the customer. They're even active on several messageboards and they're really helpful and friendly there.

[Dingus]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1360024676' post='1963859']
Whilst I agree with the rest of your post, this bit is absolute twaddle. You may as well say it's inevitable that something will go wrong with a bass bought new, which isn't the case (other than parts which can be regarded as consumables, such as pots, frets etc.) Change of ownership has no material effect on the reliability and build quality of a bass. Whilst there are risks to buying secondhand, the inevitability of a bass failing shouldn't be one of them.
[/quote]

I think you are getting the wrong end of the stick here . The point I am making is that if you buy enough secondhand basses - and in the last 30 + years I have bought plenty , so I know a little bit about what I am talking about - it is pretty inevitable that one of them will develop a fault sooner or later . That seems a fairly reasonable thing to suggest . Furthermore , if you buy enough new basses - and I have - then it is highly likely that one of them will " go wrong " in one way or another sooner or later . It is not inevitable that every bass , new or secondhand , will fail , but if you buy enough basses it is almost inevitable that at least one of them will develop a problem .

Change of ownership has no material effect on the reliabilty and build quality of a bass , that is self - evident , but significantly , it does subject the new owner to the wear and tear and possible misuse or mistreartment of the bass by the previous owner or owners . All of these factors could be reasons why any bass will fail to work properly .

[lettsguitars]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360018077' post='1963753']
I have to say , my friend , that if you bought the bass second hand then EBMM are behaving perfectly reasonably by offering to sell you a new neck . If you had bought the bass new then that would be a different matter , but any warranty or indeed any good will is really only applicable to the original purchaser . Things like this are one of the pitfalls of buying used basses , I'm afraid . Of course it would be nice if EBMM were more generous , but you can't reasonably expect or demand them to be so . I would find out the actual cost of a new neck with shipping and taxes and duty ect then make a decision . All in all it might not be that much and at least you could salvage the bass . Unfortunately things do go wrong and develop faults and it can be a pain , but at least this is something relatively easy to fix . I think you are looking at this whole situation the wrong way round , and it is wrong to lay blame at the feet of EBMM , who have no real obligation towards you whatsoever . Please don't get the idea that I am not sympathetic to your frustration and dissappointment , but no one has let you down here . It's just one of those things .
[/quote]This winds me up no end. Fair enough if the neck had user related problems then yes, you should buy a new neck. This neck has a ridiculous sideways bow which just shouldnt happen. You could leave a guitar in a shed for 30 years and this wouldn't happen (probably). The neck is faulty. F A U L T Y ! Unrepairable, useless. Burn it! And post the pics. You'll become a legend!

[Dingus]

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1360070301' post='1964292']
This winds me up no end. Fair enough if the neck had user related problems then yes, you should buy a new neck. This neck has a ridiculous sideways bow which just shouldnt happen. You could leave a guitar in a shed for 30 years and this wouldn't happen (probably). The neck is faulty. F A U L T Y ! Unrepairable, useless. Burn it! And post the pics. You'll become a legend!
[/quote]

I am not sure why this winds you up . Firstly , anything could have happened to that bass since it left the factory . How do you know that a Hungarian farmer hasn't been using the neck to hammer in fence posts and then leaving it on the radiator overnight ( unlikely , but not impossible ) ? Even if the neck is defective , the only pertinant point is that[u] EBMM have no obligation whatsoever to the current owner .[/u]

[Musky]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1360068636' post='1964243']
I think you are getting the wrong end of the stick here . The point I am making is that if you buy enough secondhand basses - and in the last 30 + years I have bought plenty , so I know a little bit about what I am talking about - it is pretty inevitable that one of them will develop a fault sooner or later . That seems a fairly reasonable thing to suggest . Furthermore , if you buy enough new basses - and I have - then it is highly likely that one of them will " go wrong " in one way or another sooner or later . It is not inevitable that every bass , new or secondhand , will fail , but if you buy enough basses it is almost inevitable that at least one of them will develop a problem .

Change of ownership has no material effect on the reliabilty and build quality of a bass , that is self - evident , but significantly , it does subject the new owner to the wear and tear and possible misuse or mistreartment of the bass by the previous owner or owners . All of these factors could be reasons why any bass will fail to work properly .
[/quote]
Ah, I'm with you now. I thought you meant that it's inevitable that [i]every[/i] secondhand bass will fail, although on rereading I can see that's not actually what you said.

Apologies for my confusion!

[Musicman20]

[quote name='NURZE' timestamp='1360049758' post='1963924']
I'm not a fan of Warwick. I don't really like the look of their basses. But that's just personal taste.
But they're really involved with Quality Control and the way they present themselves towards the customer. They're even active on several messageboards and they're really helpful and friendly there.
[/quote]

They are, but have you seen the initial costs of a Warwick now?! I'd hope they would do anything for the price they charge.

Personally I think the OP is being dealt with fairly, and now they are aware in the USA, I imagine the dealer will be able to do something about it.

Its a shame, but it is one of the reasons I don't buy used basses very often.

I really hope you get it sorted

[charic]

[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1360072152' post='1964328']
They are, but have you seen the initial costs of a Warwick now?! I'd hope they would do anything for the price they charge.
[/quote]

I don't quite understand this comment...

The lowest price "full fat" Warwick is http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ps_corvette_std_4_ash_bk.htm or if you want to argue it has to be bubinga http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ps_corvette_std_4_bub.htm the most expensive of the two if around £1050.

The lowest price MM on the same site is : http://www.thomann.de/gb/music_man_stingray_4_3bd_mn_bk.htm at £1490

[Dingus]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1360071356' post='1964312']
Ah, I'm with you now. I thought you meant that it's inevitable that [i]every[/i] secondhand bass will fail, although on rereading I can see that's not actually what you said.

Apologies for my confusion!
[/quote]

No worries , mate .

To me the most dissappointing and frustration thing is the sheer amount of brand new relatively high cost basses I encounter that have got what I would call "schoolboy errors " in their construction . The amount of expensive basses I have come across with poorly cut nuts , shoddy fretwork and poorly installed hardware doesn't inspire my confidence in many brands of basses , regardless of the hype that surrounds them . EBMM do tend to be one of the better ones though , on the whole and generally speaking .

[Dingus]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1360074055' post='1964377']
I don't quite understand this comment...

The lowest price "full fat" Warwick is [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ps_corvette_std_4_ash_bk.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...td_4_ash_bk.htm[/url] or if you want to argue it has to be bubinga [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_ps_corvette_std_4_bub.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...e_std_4_bub.htm[/url] the most expensive of the two if around £1050.

The lowest price MM on the same site is : [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/music_man_stingray_4_3bd_mn_bk.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...4_3bd_mn_bk.htm[/url] at £1490
[/quote]

At that price I'm pretty sure that is a Made In Korea budget line Warwick bass . The EBMM is the made in the U.S.A premium line , so it's not really a fair comparison . If you compare the eye - watering prices of the ( often very lovely ) German - made Warwick basses to even the more expensive EBMM models then MM20's point about the relative cost of the two brands is a valid one , although personally I am scheptical that Warwick or most other companies ( with notable exceptions , I hasten to add ) would behave much differently to EBMM in the same situation as the O.P .