Shockwave Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 (edited) See posts below for shop response! Hello all. I have recently purchased a brand new Ibanez RGA42FM-BLF online. I have a few issues with the fit and finish of it. I took the neck off as part of a set up and noticed that there is a crack running through the base of the neck from one of the screw holes. In addition there looks to have been a repair made to the neck pocket area where it meets the pickup. It's hard to see but there appears to be a crack and glue traces to repair it. Lastly the side of the bridge pickup rout has either been cut poorly or damaged by whoever installed the pickup at the factory. I am not sure if this is me just being picky. Could you please advise? Rob Edited January 5, 2018 by Shockwave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) The crack in the heel of the neck would be enough for me to ask for a replacement. It might not represent a huge structural problem, but it's not good enough on a brand new bass from a maker of Ibanez's repute. Edited January 5, 2018 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Send it back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Agreed. Where did you purchase it from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) 1 minute ago, CameronJ said: Agreed. Where did you purchase it from? Merchant City music Glasgow, from their Ebay account. I have sent the photos and a description of the problem just now. Let's see what they come back with! Hope they don't try and wriggle out of it as the neck has been taken off. (Though how else would I be able to see a factory flaw!) Edited January 5, 2018 by Shockwave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CameronJ Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 If they’re a decent business they’ll insist you return it and offer you a refund or replacement. They can deal with the issue directly with Ibanez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Here is a better photo of the neck pocket crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzbass Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 yep, send it back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, Shockwave said: Merchant City music Glasgow, from their Ebay account. I have sent the photos and a description of the problem just now. Let's see what they come back with! Hope they don't try and wriggle out of it as the neck has been taken off. (Though how else would I be able to see a factory flaw!) They are a reputable shop as far as i know. They helped me out last year when i was looking for a wiring diagram for a specific guitar and manufacturer didn't reply. I had never used them before but been there a few times and know of them. It was just on the off chance and they were very quick to reply where they sent an email to manufacturer and forwarded me the diagram within a day or 2. For a shop i hadn't bought from and they didn't know me i have to say i was impressed. Think they'll replace it without issue. Dave Edited January 5, 2018 by dmccombe7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 I have been sent a return label with no comment. Hopefully a refund will be issued in due course Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Well that’s good news. Just disappointing for you about the instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 Just received this email. How do I respond to this? I wouldnt have been able to see a fault if I didn't take the neck off. Does it really invalidate the warranty? " You have put us in a very difficult position here. By taking off the neck you have effectively invalidated the warranty. You should not need to remove the neck to adjust the setup and by removing the neck you may well have caused some of this damage. The fit and finish of Ibanez guitars at this price point and even higher is never perfect. They have crammed a lot of features in to the guitar for the price. In order for us to authorise a full refund we need to receive the guitar back in the exact same condition as we sent it. We'll be in touch as soon as it gets back to us." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Shockwave said: The fit and finish of Ibanez guitars at this price point and even higher is never perfect I have never heard of a shop using this sort of statement before. I don`t know how I would respond to this. Edited January 5, 2018 by jezzaboy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 I can see their point about you having taken the neck off though. Hope you get your money back. I've just bought an Ibanez Classical and the fit and finish is excellent, weird for the shop to take they are never perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Sounds like a smokescreen from the Seller 'fit and finish is ..never perfect' WTF? eBay will side with you anyway. Tell them they put you in a 'very difficult position' too by selling you a piece of carp..... Or just send it back restating the faults, if they try and get out of it, go to eBay who will side with you. Even if the shop argued you cracked the heel( which would be virtually impossible to do there is a fault in the wood), they could not blame you for the other faults. Also restate the guitar is in the 'exact same condition' they sent it- faulty..... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Aye. Send it back. If taking the neck off invalidates the warranty everybody who's shimmed a neck is stuffed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicko Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Out of interest Shockwave why did you take the neck off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted January 5, 2018 Author Share Posted January 5, 2018 1 minute ago, Nicko said: Out of interest Shockwave why did you take the neck off? To install a neck shim. Also to work out whether the crack I saw was in the finish or wood. If it was finish I would have let it go, as its the wood I cannot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 44 minutes ago, Shockwave said: Just received this email. How do I respond to this? I wouldnt have been able to see a fault if I didn't take the neck off. Does it really invalidate the warranty? " You have put us in a very difficult position here. By taking off the neck you have effectively invalidated the warranty. You should not need to remove the neck to adjust the setup and by removing the neck you may well have caused some of this damage. The fit and finish of Ibanez guitars at this price point and even higher is never perfect. They have crammed a lot of features in to the guitar for the price. In order for us to authorise a full refund we need to receive the guitar back in the exact same condition as we sent it. We'll be in touch as soon as it gets back to us." No need to remove neck? What if you decide to alter the neck angle with a shim? That's not exactly an unusual procedure on bolt-on guitars... I think it would be obvious that the repair to the neck pocket is not recent. They should (hopefully) be ok with it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 If you had to shim it to make it playable, that's another question they'll need to answer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 6 minutes ago, Shockwave said: To install a neck shim. Also to work out whether the crack I saw was in the finish or wood. If it was finish I would have let it go, as its the wood I cannot. Ah, I hadn't read this before I posted my previous reply. Exactly: adding a shim is a perfectly normal thing to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 minutes ago, wateroftyne said: If you had to shim it to make it playable, that's another question they'll need to answer. I wouldn't say that a shim may be required to make it 'playable'... but it can be something that improves playability noticeably. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 (edited) Surely the fact that you saw a crack to the neck and decided to investigate to see if it was finish or worse is reason enough to take off the neck? As I said earlier, there is no way you could have split the neck yourself with anything you did. Edited January 5, 2018 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 I can see how the poor design leaves that chunk of wood vulnerable. I'd point out to them that if you had caused the damage then you would have just bolted it back together and sent it back under the distance selling rules and they'd be non the wiser rather than highlighting the problem. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 16 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said: Surely the fact that you saw a crack to the neck and decided to investigate to see if it was finish or worse is reason enough to take off the neck? As I said earlier, there is no way you could have split the neck yourself with anything you did. Agreed. There is absolutely no reason why a guitar of this quality should have anything like the issues you have photographed. I would send the guitar back on principle. Even more so if I received that sort of message about it 'never being perfect'. Nonsense. Ibanez UK would probably like to hear about this too. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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