Fault or not Fault? Thomann`s customer service

[stingrayPete1977]

I'm wondering if it is actually normal you know? Could the unused row of holes be from the mass production of the body where they have pre drilled all the holes using a jig then those bodies chosen as fretless versions have the bridge installed further back so it intonates where the fret lines are, after all the other holes will be covered over. If that is how they are made then they are right that it's not a defect, it just doesn't do what you personally want it to.

I presume you are playing it so your fingers rest on the board in relation to the lines where they would to the frets on a fretted bass?

[zvirus]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1481800049' post='3195210']
I'm wondering if it is actually normal you know? Could the unused row of holes be from the mass production of the body where they have pre drilled all the holes using a jig then those bodies chosen as fretless versions have the bridge installed further back so it intonates where the fret lines are, after all the other holes will be covered over. If that is how they are made then they are right that it's not a defect, it just doesn't do what you personally want it to.

I presume you are playing it so your fingers rest on the board in relation to the lines where they would to the frets on a fretted bass?
[/quote]

I do play behind the line - edge of the fingertip "makes" pitch on the line. From my experience properly placed bridge wont make and problem to set the intonation ON line or behind it. Actually same way as I play any bass....

I have compared my "not faulty" squier with another squier and the bridge is placed around 5mm closer to the bass body edge.

Case closed - bass will be returned...

Cheers

Edited December 15, 2016 by zvirus

[GreeneKing]

I'm sorry but I get the feeling that there's something not said in this thread? Thomann have very recently been tops with helping me out in a very friendly and supportive way. Was the other Squier you looked at also fretless? If not I think Pete has a good point.

[zvirus]

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1481802193' post='3195244']
I'm sorry but I get the feeling that there's something not said in this thread? Thomann have very recently been tops with helping me out in a very friendly and supportive way. Was the other Squier you looked at also fretless? If not I think Pete has a good point.
[/quote]

Again, is it my fault I play behind lines? Is it my fault that bass has 2 sets of holes?

Is it friendly help?:
[quote]Hello Tomas,

The guitar service department have an answer for you regarding the bridge.

The only option is to place another bridge on the base. But you have to buy it as [u][b]it`s no product fail[/b][/u]. I think there will be no bridge that fits 100% to the holes which are already in the body. So you have to drill some new holes for fixing the bridge.

This needs to be done professionally. Maybe we can find a fitting bridge for that if you want to do it like that. For that it would be nice to have the measures from the ground plate and the screws (length). We could also do a quote for it if you want us to do it for you.

Please let us know how you wish to proceed.

Kind regards,

Adam W.

[b]Thomann GmbH[/b]
Customer Care International[/quote]

Edited December 15, 2016 by zvirus

[GreeneKing]

[quote name='zvirus' timestamp='1481802941' post='3195255']
Again, is it my fault I play behind lines? Is it my fault that bass has 2 sets of holes?

Is it friendly help?:
[/quote]

I'm not trying to be critical of you here just applying reason. If there are two bridge drillings, one for fretted and one for fretless with the design to fret on the fret line for correct intonation then if you refuse to play the bass as intended it's not really Thomann's fault.

Peter

[stingrayPete1977]

So the other Squier is even further towards the edge of the body than the 'faulty' one? So actually the bridge should be even further back yet you want to move it further forward to reveal the row of holes?

Without the bass to hand to measure properly I'm not certain, get it sent back. It will certainly need some work just to put it back to normal now, how do you tune the bass to allow for playing behind the lines as the nut wont be installed behind the line which is essentially just another fret so open strings will be out of tune with fretted ones?

[mcnach]

[quote name='GreeneKing' timestamp='1481805969' post='3195286']
I'm not trying to be critical of you here just applying reason. If there are two bridge drillings, one for fretted and one for fretless with the design to fret on the fret line for correct intonation then if you refuse to play the bass as intended it's not really Thomann's fault.

Peter
[/quote]

There are no two bridge drillings in a stock new bass. The bridge is in the same spot fretted or fretless. This is not how the bass was meant to be produced. Thomann sold a bass that someone had tampered with. Who? No idea. But if it wasn't the OP, then he shouldn't have to keep it or pay to fix it.

[mcnach]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1481809403' post='3195330']
how do you tune the bass to allow for playing behind the lines as the nut wont be installed behind the line which is essentially just another fret so open strings will be out of tune with fretted ones?
[/quote]

if I understood correctly, he doesn't really "play" behind the lines: he places the finger just behind the lines, so that the string *exits* at the line. That's how everybody plays a fretless, am I wrong?
I don't think the OP is trying anything unusual that requires a special setup. It's just that the bridge was put a little too far back by somebody. That is a mystery. Maybe someone tried a very heavy gauge set of strings?

[HowieBass]

Looking at where the saddles are with it in tune there's more than enough travel with the intonation screws to cope with it being used as a fretted/fretless instrument with the bridge positioned using the 'first' set of holes (those nearest the pickup) in my opinion. It looks like a botched job to me.

[mcnach]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1481821949' post='3195475']
Looking at where the saddles are with it in tune there's more than enough travel with the intonation screws to cope with it being used as a fretted/fretless instrument with the bridge positioned using the 'first' set of holes (those nearest the pickup) in my opinion. It looks like a botched job to me.
[/quote]

exactly.

And Thomann will know if this bass was previously sold to somebody else...

[stingrayPete1977]

I think the whole thing is a misunderstanding after the OP's first message, regardless of everything in this thread he isn't happy with it so it needs sending back, which is what the first email to Thomann should have been about rather than suggestions of fixing what they now think was the OP's handy work. All the talk of playing behind the lines has confused us here, the person dealing with it might not even play an instrument!

Edited December 15, 2016 by stingrayPete1977

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1481817825' post='3195433']
There are no two bridge drillings in a stock new bass. The bridge is in the same spot fretted or fretless. This is not how the bass was meant to be produced. Thomann sold a bass that someone had tampered with. Who? No idea. But if it wasn't the OP, then he shouldn't have to keep it or pay to fix it.
[/quote]
Devils advocate here Jose, ignoring this particular situation as I agree it just needs sending back if it does not do what the OP thought it would but is that fact or opinion reagrding the holes/position of the bridge?, has anyone looked under a Squier bridge on a fretless or measured the bridge position?

[zvirus]

Gentlemen, I`m going to send it back. I have received a new (brand new) bass with a bridge screwed too far from the nut. Under the bridge I found two rows of holes MADE in FACTORY. What seems to be unclear?

Yes I can move it to the first row and fix intonation issue but WILL EXPOSE the holes drilled TOO far from the nut....

Case closed. It was last time where I bought a bass online....

Cheers,
Tomas

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='zvirus' timestamp='1481734500' post='3194698']


No return offered so maybe they assumed I did the mess.... Have nothing to do and drill holes to screw up my intonation(?)



Cheers,
Tomas
[/quote]

You told them you didn't want to return it, so isnt that an indication to them that the offer to return it isnt an option you want to go for?
To say they must be assuming you did it because they are going along with your wishes seems a strange comment to make.

[mcnach]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1481825704' post='3195516']
Devils advocate here Jose, ignoring this particular situation as I agree it just needs sending back if it does not do what the OP thought it would but is that fact or opinion reagrding the holes/position of the bridge?, has anyone looked under a Squier bridge on a fretless or measured the bridge position?
[/quote]

I owned a Squier Jazz VM Fretless and a Fender Precision 70s RI fretless. I know it's not the same instrument discussed here but the position of the bridge was identical to the fretted counterpart in both cases, and the Jazz certainly didn't have extra holes. I did measure the bridge position and many other things as I was in the middle of my messing about with pickup positioning phase...

Not a definitive answer but that's what I've got to go by.

Why do you think you'd need to move the bridge to intonate a fretless? There's plenty of room for adjustment at its normal position

[GreeneKing]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1481817825' post='3195433']
There are no two bridge drillings in a stock new bass. The bridge is in the same spot fretted or fretless. This is not how the bass was meant to be produced. Thomann sold a bass that someone had tampered with. Who? No idea. But if it wasn't the OP, then he shouldn't have to keep it or pay to fix it.
[/quote]

I agree completely. It seems that the bass has two sets of bridge position witness marks from new. I also think that pushing against Thomann's warranty department with an appropriately worded and polite complaint is usually pushing against an open door.

Peter

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1481838186' post='3195652']


Why do you think you'd need to move the bridge to intonate a fretless? There's plenty of room for adjustment at its normal position
[/quote]

The confusion I have is that the op says the bridge needs moving forward to the correct set of holes that will reveal the extra mystery set, that made sense but then says the bridge is actually nearer the edge of the body on his other Squier bass?


I've seen basses where you run out of saddle adjustment when the intonation is correct, rattly spring is the first giveaway.

[stingrayPete1977]

Or is the op saying the faulty one is 5mm nearer to the body edge than the good one? I can see why Thomann are confused tbh

[HowieBass]

As far as I can tell the OP's comment about the difference in bridge position between the two Squiers he possesses have only been made within Basschat and not to Thomann. His comment here was "I have compared my "not faulty" squier with another squier and the bridge is placed around 5mm closer to the bass body edge." which seems pretty clear to me (in that the faulty bass has the bridge too near the edge of the body). I sincerely hope he manages to get this matter sorted out because I certainly wouldn't be happy with an instrument with this problem.

[kodiakblair]

I thought we were just to agree with the OP that he'd got terrible service and list the thousands of times Thomann has shafted us.

Oh and follow it up with a pledge of support to never buy from them again.

[Grangur]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1481903038' post='3196157']
I thought we were just to agree with the OP that he'd got terrible service and list the thousands of times Thomann has shafted us.

Oh and follow it up with a pledge of support to never buy from them again.
[/quote]
Well, I for one, am trying my best not to buy from them. I'm also trying not to buy from any other seller as I'm trying to kick GAS.

This situation is really odd though. Squier turn out 100s of basses. How come this one bass got singled out to have a second set of holes? After all they don't make a fretless by taking a fretted off the line and giving it special treatment. If fretless needed holes in a different position, which I can't see, they would drill the one set in the correct position. This isn't a luthier making a mistake. This is factory workers on a production line.

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='kodiakblair' timestamp='1481903038' post='3196157']
I thought we were just to agree with the OP that he'd got terrible service and list the thousands of times Thomann has shafted us.

Oh and follow it up with a pledge of support to never buy from them again.
[/quote]

The OP went even further, he refused to let them fix the issue lol.

[mcnach]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1481907387' post='3196225']
The OP went even further, he refused to let them fix the issue lol.
[/quote]

they were not offering to fix the issue, they were offering to [u]take money[/u] to fix the issue

But it does look like they did not really understand the issue in the first place, or they thought it was caused by the OP.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1481905185' post='3196192']
Well, I for one, am trying my best not to buy from them. I'm also trying not to buy from any other seller as I'm trying to kick GAS.

This situation is really odd though. Squier turn out 100s of basses. How come this one bass got singled out to have a second set of holes? After all they don't make a fretless by taking a fretted off the line and giving it special treatment. If fretless needed holes in a different position, which I can't see, they would drill the one set in the correct position. This isn't a luthier making a mistake. This is factory workers on a production line.
[/quote]


It is very odd indeed.
I can't imagine that the pilot holes are not drilled by a machine... really strange

[Grangur]

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1481911592' post='3196259']
It is very odd indeed.
I can't imagine that the pilot holes are not drilled by a machine... really strange
[/quote]
CNC computers don't often make mistakes.