(READ IF YOU HAVE A) Fender '61 Flea Bass (Woes)

[Woodinblack]

When I had the geddy fender its neck moved the most of any neck I have ever had (which in general is hardly at all), but even that didn't move that much, that is pretty major.

The new neck would be great (although I suspect it will sound a bit different) although no neck should do that!

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

The bass is now at Status HQ waiting for Rob to do his magic. It should be ready some time next week hopefully. Too late for the gig tomorrow, but never mind.

I wasn't able to see the neck I've been allocated today as it was in the workshop being polished, but I saw various other necks they have waiting to go out. They do look rather fabulous, even the maple fingerboard effect variation.

A reply from the dealer I purchased the bass from has been conspicuous in it's absence 🙄. A 'message received, we'll look into it' would have been nice.

Whilst I was in Colchester, I popped into Peach Guitars. Talk about a guitar warehouse; it's huge! Mainly acoustics and guitars rather than basses, although there were quite a few basses upstairs, just not much I was interested in. The only reason I went there was to try out one of the new Stingray Specials. They only had one which was, ironically, hanging next to a Fender Flea '61. Well, at least I can say I've tried one. More on that in the MM Stingray Special thread....

Get Rob to break out the termites and put some LEDs in it. 

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 minute ago, NancyJohnson said:

Get Rob to break out the termites and put some LEDs in it. 

 

Ha ha. I’ve already ruined the relic vibe by getting a graphite neck put on it. I think LED’s may be a step too far.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

An update, just in case anyone is interested.....

No reply at all from the Fender dealer/point of sale.

Automated e-mail reply received from Fender UK (stating they would get back to me in due course).

Dawn at Status has contacted me to say that my bass is ready for collection.

Edited September 18, 2018 by hiram.k.hackenbacker

[kyuuga]

26 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

An update, just in case anyone is interested.....

No reply at all from the Fender dealer/point of sale.

Automated e-mail reply received from Fender UK (stating they would get back to me in due course).

Dawn at Status has contacted me to say that my bass is ready for collection.

Really shitty customer service from the store. In today's age I still wonder why music stores have the audacity to have poor customer service - it should be one of their main selling points over online, bigger establishments and yet big giants like Thomann and Andertons seem way more reliable.

Anyhow you made an awesome decision, Status necks are amazing and I'm sure you'll be satisfied. Really happy to see how they handled the process as well. Post pictures when you collect it! Cheers. 

[Monkey Steve]

On 12/09/2018 at 15:42, fretmeister said:

From that site:

 

(An expert report that complies with CPR Pt35 will cost a couple of hundred quid - and it's Small Claims so the ability to reclaim costs are very limited too)

 

Six months or more

If a fault develops after the first six months, the burden is on you to prove that the product was faulty at the time you took ownership of it. 

In practice, this may require some form of expert report, opinion or evidence of similar problems across the product range. 

Find out more about how to return a faulty item and claim a refund, repair or replacement from a retailer.

You have six years to take a claim to the small claims court for faulty goods in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five years in Scotland. 

This doesn't mean that a product has to last six years - just that you have this length of time in which to make a claim if a retailer refuses to repair or replace a faulty product. 

As I understand it, the Act can be quite subtle.  A lot of it is pinned on what is a reasonable expectation for the life of a product - in this case it's certainly reasonable to expect a truss rod to last for more than two years, and you can assume that any problem is the result of a faulty part or faulty installation at birth.  And to be clear, the claim is against the retailer for selling you a faulty bass, not against Fender for manufacturing a faulty bass.

So, even if the shop points at their guarantee, this doesn't give them any protection against selling you a faulty good in the first place.  They're only off the hook if you're clearly at fault...  In fact the main problem with this sort of thing is that because so few people make these sorts of claim they may genuinely not be aware of their legal obligations ans stick to the "no mate, two years, go away" defence for a while.

Once they accept this (and you may have to take them to court to prove your point) then their obligation is to get the goods back to the same condition that they should be in after a couple of years use.  Again, shouldn't be an issue for a bass neck, but this is often misunderstood for things like TVs and laptops where the manufacturer doesn't actually have to repair or replace it, they can simply give you what it would cost to buy a six year old TV or laptop that isn't broken (peanuts).

Worst case scenario, given that you have now replaced the neck - the shop asks for the opportunity to fix the truss rod, asks for the whole bass back, and then decides that they can't repair it and gives you the cost of a second hand two year old bass.

Edited September 18, 2018 by Monkey Steve

[timhiggins]

I would be interested to know how the graphite neck will affect the tone as i thought it might make things quite a bit brighter

do status no longer sell wood necks ?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

13 minutes ago, timhiggins said:

I would be interested to know how the graphite neck will affect the tone as i thought it might make things quite a bit brighter

do status no longer sell wood necks ?

They sell maple coloured graphite necks, but I don’t know about wooden ones. I certainly don’t have any.

I’ll ask when I go up there on Thursday if you like?

I will report back with an assessment of the Status Flea.

Edited September 18, 2018 by hiram.k.hackenbacker

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

21 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said:

As I understand it, the Act can be quite subtle.  A lot of it is pinned on what is a reasonable expectation for the life of a product - in this case it's certainly reasonable to expect a truss rod to last for more than two years, and you can assume that any problem is the result of a faulty part or faulty installation at birth.  And to be clear, the claim is against the retailer for selling you a faulty bass, not against Fender for manufacturing a faulty bass.

So, even if the shop points at their guarantee, this doesn't give them any protection against selling you a faulty good in the first place.  They're only off the hook if you're clearly at fault...  In fact the main problem with this sort of thing is that because so few people make these sorts of claim they may genuinely not be aware of their legal obligations ans stick to the "no mate, two years, go away" defence for a while.

Once they accept this (and you may have to take them to court to prove your point) then their obligation is to get the goods back to the same condition that they should be in after a couple of years use.  Again, shouldn't be an issue for a bass neck, but this is often misunderstood for things like TVs and laptops where the manufacturer doesn't actually have to repair or replace it, they can simply give you what it would cost to buy a six year old TV or laptop that isn't broken (peanuts).

Worst case scenario, given that you have now replaced the neck - the shop asks for the opportunity to fix the truss rod, asks for the whole bass back, and then decides that they can't repair it and gives you the cost of a second hand two year old bass.

All noted. I’ll give them another nudge at the end of the week.

[Woodinblack]

24 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said:

As I understand it, the Act can be quite subtle.  A lot of it is pinned on what is a reasonable expectation for the life of a product

Seeing as it is a recreation of how a jazz bass would be after 57 years, I would say there is a reasonable expectation that it would last at least half a century!

[timhiggins]

8 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

They sell maple coloured graphite necks, but I don’t know about wooden ones. I certainly don’t have any.

I’ll ask when I go up there on Thursday if you like?

I will report back with an assessment of the Status Flea.

That would be cool ,and I hope it all works out with the new neck..

Grangur seemed to have a very successful time rectifying a twisted neck in the repair section maybe he can do something with your old one if you have no luck with fender.   

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

2 minutes ago, timhiggins said:

That would be cool ,and I hope it all works out with the new neck..

Grangur seemed to have a very successful time rectifying a twisted neck in the repair section maybe he can do something with your old one if you have no luck with fender.   

Yes I read that thread. Very interesting process. Bit beyond my capabilities tho.

[SpondonBassed]

14 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Dawn at Status has contacted me to say that my bass is ready for collection.

Fender have already made the sale and by dragging their ar5e over after care they've left an opportunity for Status to profit.

Ho hum.

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Surprise surprise, Fender have followed up their automated reply with an actual human response!

“Thank you for getting in touch and glad to hear you've been loving your Flea Bass up until now, looks as though that will have been caused by a dramatic turn in temperature or humidity and which has caused the neck to warp - thus resulting in an unplayable action! I'd get the bass over to a tech or local shop to get it tweaked back to it's former glory.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

All the best.”

i quite like the ‘let me know if there’s anything else I can help with’, like they’ve been soooo helpful so far.

[SpondonBassed]

I suppose it's closure of a sort.

They were aware of the way this happened overnight in a room in a house that (I assume) is well insulated and heat is regulated by thermostat?  Also the freely spinning truss rod nut?

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

7 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

I suppose it's closure of a sort.

They were aware of the way this happened overnight in a room in a house that (I assume) is well insulated and heat is regulated by thermostat?  Also the freely spinning truss rod nut?

Yes they were. I managed to restrain myself from firing off an immediate retort. I’ll respond tomorrow once I’ve had a think about it.

[drTStingray]

4 hours ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

Surprise surprise, Fender have followed up their automated reply with an actual human response!

“Thank you for getting in touch and glad to hear you've been loving your Flea Bass up until now, looks as though that will have been caused by a dramatic turn in temperature or humidity and which has caused the neck to warp - thus resulting in an unplayable action! I'd get the bass over to a tech or local shop to get it tweaked back to it's former glory.

Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

All the best.”

i quite like the ‘let me know if there’s anything else I can help with’, like they’ve been soooo helpful so far.

What an interesting reply...... they've obviously overlooked the fact that the neck is actually unadjustable as the adjustment facility they provided has broken. 

Id be interested to know what climatic tolerances their neck design is intended to deal with - a house in the UK hardly seems to pose extreme conditions - suggesting their design or manufacture is at fault. 

Best of luck! 

[Lozz196]

The classic case of not having read the whole of the e-mail, happens at work all the time, ends up in message ping-pong. So much quicker in the long run to just read everything someone has written.

[White Cloud]

This is a tragic story and evokes strong memories for me from the 1980's when my brand new Jaydee Supernatural bass rapidly developed a back bow of equal but opposite proportions. It was terminal. I also had a problem like the OP with my Lakland Skyline a few years ago - they shipped me a new neck immediately and paid for a luthier to fit it out and set it up. Great service!

The truss rod is THE most important component of any guitar in my experience. I find it incredible that many people buy used instruments without even inquiring as to it's functionality. Broken truss rod = goosed guitar!

Funnily enough I also currently own a Fender Flea 61 ... I love that bass. 

[SpondonBassed]

10 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

The classic case of not having read the whole of the e-mail, happens at work all the time, ends up in message ping-pong. So much quicker in the long run to just read everything someone has written.

I have found this too.

If you submit more than one point or question to a customer support team, it is often the case that only the first part of the query is answered... if you're lucky.  Then the answer you get depends very much on the team's interpretation of what's been written.

As with GPs these days; it's usually better to deal with one issue at a time.  Still, you'd think that Hiram's two issues are related, ie; the sudden warping and the coincidental loss of thread contact with the adjuster.

Edited September 20, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Cuzzie]

@hiram.k.hackenbacker just read this whole thread, poor you, but great responses from all the chaos in BC here.

So today is the day for the Status Flea?!

I am going to selflessly promote a Fender/Status mash up I put together as a first time into guitar tinkering drilling holes from scratch and the like (Scary stuff!) and confidently say I bet yours will sound awesome, I like mine.

 

 

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

1 hour ago, SpondonBassed said:

I have found this too.

If you submit more than one point or question to a customer support team, it is often the case that only the first part of the query is answered... if you're lucky.  Then the answer you get depends very much on the team's interpretation of what's been written.

As with GPs these days; it's usually better to deal with one issue at a time.  Still, you'd think that Hiram's two issues are related, ie; the sudden warping and the coincidental loss of thread contact with the adjuster.

Yes, quite. I’m going to get the old neck back from Rob and tackle Fender again once I have it back in my possession.

57 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

@hiram.k.hackenbacker just read this whole thread, poor you, but great responses from all the chaos in BC here.

So today is the day for the Status Flea?!

I am going to selflessly promote a Fender/Status mash up I put together as a first time into guitar tinkering drilling holes from scratch and the like (Scary stuff!) and confidently say I bet yours will sound awesome, I like mine.

That looks fab.

Yes, I’m just about to head up to Colchester to collect it. I must admit I’m curious as to how a passive bass will sound with a bright new graphite neck on it. All my other Statii are active, so I don’t really know what to expect. 

 

 

[Cuzzie]

Good luck and I hope it’s legedary, sure it will be.

I been passive until this one, but went for modern slightly mid backward Seymour Duncan APB-1 pick ups. Hoping the Graphite will cling on to those mids and harmonics with a bit of distortion applied, I have not disappointed yet.

Cant wait to see yours.

Think I also must say a big thumbs up to Dawn and Rob, great people to deal with and a great product.

FYI for those that are interested in Graphite but may not like the logo, they are looking to pop it on the back of the headstock instead if you desire.

Drive safe

[visog]

12 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

The classic case of not having read the whole of the e-mail, happens at work all the time, ends up in message ping-pong. So much quicker in the long run to just read everything someone has written.

This happens a lot in my experience too... sometimes willfully. I have sympathy for the staff to a degree given busy people have to speed read their e-mails. Best to focus on one point, be clear on the impact on you, and what you would like done about it.

Not sure how you phrased your complaint but as a wider point in such circumstances, simply offering up the situation places an assessment, judgement and decision making process on an already attention starved, and usually junior individual. Better to do that for them with your optimal but reasonable (given the good consumer advice presented previously), outcome in mind.

Love to hear how the Fendus works out! Could be a great combination...

[SpondonBassed]

"Statii" - That's given me a cheesy grin.

So, a NND topic is imminent as an antithesis to the woes described herein?  Hooray!

Your findings re: active vs passive with composite necks are eagerly awaited.