Brand New 330 Finish Flaw

mabands · Post by **mabands** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 9:52 am

I just received a brand new 330 Jetglo that I bought through Musician's Friend. It was made in June-06.

It plays great and sounds amazing, but I was surprised to see that it has a finish flaw. It's on the lower horn where the side meets the back. That sharp edge has about a 2-inch long thin line where I can see the maple. The gloss finish is covering it so the wood is protected, but the black is missing. I'm just surprised that this slipped through Rickenbacker's QC.

Has anyone else seen this kind of thing on a new Rick?

winston · Post by **winston** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:06 am

Call Kenny at Rickenbacker. They will take care of it. If your assessment of the flaw is correct, that would be a highly unusual occurrence.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:30 am

So, Mike, did you join this Forum just to air your complaint?

I'm amazed that someone would put this kind of thing on a public Forum such as this...

If the answer to your question is, "Yes", what does it accomplish?

If the answer is, "No", well, what does it accomplish?

RIC has a Customer Service department, who are very good at rectifying this sort of thing, not that it comes up very often.

Take it to them.

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 10:45 am

He gets some moral support. Maybe he is heartbroken and surprised that the guitar he loves has an uncharacteristic flaw. I'm amazed that you think you police the world of internet forums.

freshmattyp · Post by **freshmattyp** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 11:23 am

With all due respect Paul, this is not the "Ric Apologists" forum. Please lighten up some.

wj350 · Post by **wj350** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:04 pm

If I just got a Ric and was concerned about a flaw, one of these venues would be the first place I'd go--I'd relish the moral support...

Mike, hopefully your MF Ric was new and not from their clearance list--I had a 350 that was a clearance item--came with the registration card, etc. The guitar was flawless--but when I sent the registration in, Ric rejected it saying the number had been previously registered. On the upside, when I told MF about Ric's response, they offered to cover any warranty issues and deal with Ric.

I had a similar experience to yours with a Fender American Dlx Strat I purchased several months ago--there was a flaw in the fretboard between the 4th and 5th frets--it almost looked like a fret had been mislaid, and then the flaw had been finished over. I actually had the guitar for about a week before I noticed it due to the light hitting it a certain way, and then once I noticed it, I also realized I could feel the indentation. I was trying to convince myself not to be so picky, but it bugged me. I contacted the place I bought from, and they handled the exchange no problems.

Long story short--you purchased a new instrument, and you rightfully have certain expectations--contact Ric if your warranty is in effect, if not go back to MF.

Hope it works out well for you--

Bill

teb · Post by **teb** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:11 pm

Agreed! That comment was way out of line and a lousy welcome to a new member. This surprises me when it comes from such a well respected member of this forum. If anybody tells you that their manufacturing plant never screws anything up, they're lying. To mention it on the forum says nothing other than that the guitars are handmade by human beings. It will most likely be taken care of without a problem and Mike will be able to get on with the process of loving his new guitar.

I'm a pretty hard core Ric fan. If I'm looking for a particular type of guitar or bass and Ric makes one, it's nearly always my first choice and I'm seldom disappointed - but I gotta' tell you that some of the brand "loyalty" that I see on this forum lately is pretty scary. When we start insulting new members because they bought a new guitar with a problem and had the very nerve to mention it here, we've crossed the line.

mabands · Post by **mabands** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:18 pm

I did contact MF and they said I could return or exchange the guitar, but I intend to keep it since it plays so well. Since it just arrived yesterday I haven't registered it yet.

What would Rickenbacker be able to do about it if I contact them? I'll try to take a photo tonight and post it so you can see what I'm talking about. Maybe my assessment is wrong.

The reason I posted this was because I was curious about what you all thought I should do about it; if anything. The moral support certainly helps as well.

Scastles · Post by **Scastles** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:19 pm

Uh, Welcome to the forum, Mike. Sorry for the poor judgement by one member.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:25 pm

My judgement is usually spot-on. Allow me to profusely apologize to Mike and to all the Forum members who I may have shocked and offended by my remarks. It has not been the greatest of days, and I should have followed one of my usually-ironclad rules: wait before posting from the gut.

Again, my apologies, and welcome, Mike! We are generally a helpful, sympathetic bunch of enthusiasts.

eric_b · Post by **eric_b** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:28 pm

Mike,your best course of action would be to call here at Customer Service..That's where you'll get the most accurate info on how to proceed..Taking pics is also a great idea,as you can forward them to Customer Service after you give 'em a ring..

steverok · Post by **steverok** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 12:56 pm

Mike, I had a similar experience with a 360, that I bought from MF last year. The guitar had a crease, on the upper bout, that broke the reflection when you looked at it from various angles. Since it was JG, and should be mirror like, I decided to exchange it with MF. In fact, several forum members here, especially Mr. Paul-Jangles, helped me evaluate the flaw, and supported my decision to return it. The new guitar is flawless, but I always suspected that the first one sounded better. My advice, since this is merely a finish flaw, and possibly a minor one, is to not exchange it with MF. If you love this one, you may be disappointed with a different one. Good luck in dealing with it. I'll look forward to your picture. I suggest using a flash and a steady hand. Zoom in on it real good.

mabands · Post by **mabands** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 1:00 pm

Thanks for the info everyone. I'll call Rickenbacker and let you know what happens.

Paul, I read this forum pretty regularly and know that you're all a great bunch of people. After I saw your post I re-read mine and can see where your gut reaction could be that I was venting, although that wasn't my intention. No apology necessary.

mabands · Post by **mabands** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:16 pm

Here's a picture of the finish flaw. It looks like a scratch but it's smooth and covered by the gloss finish.

wj350 · Post by **wj350** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 2:29 pm

Mike, Paul, FWIW, you're both class acts in my book--we all have bad days, so I get where Paul's coming from, and Mike, I should have added a "welcome aboard" to my earlier post.

Cheers, Bill