GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome (Part 2)

Yikes!:scream: that’s too bad.

You have 3 options.
1, send it back.

2, contact Ibanez (most likely the site you bought it from) and show them the video and ask for partial refund for fret leveling and setup by luthier. In my area this is about $200. Then get it plek.

3, fix it yourself and ask for the discount. It’s 15 minutes work unless you do have to chase the frets.

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Oh oh? This shows up on my Wyze cam.

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Cool looking and a few notes I played were tight and fun.




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I’m really surprised it wasn’t double-boxed. All of my basses have been packed with two boxes.

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It’s easier this way it’s well packaged inside. It was sitting there facing the sun so when I touch the tuner it’s really really warm, :joy:

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How does that work?

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Sorry I just fixed my post. No if, it’s unless.

Sometimes it’s possible to level just one fret, one spot. That said sometimes fix one spot and the next one take over, fix that then the next, when that happens you might as well level the entire fingerboard.

If you have the right tool fret leveling is not a terribly difficult thing to do just requires patience. I have quite a few different fret tools from StewMac I can even have an option to do without taking off the strings.

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This is where/why PLEK makes the most sense.

Many times, if one fret is off from the factory, there might likely be others as well. PLEK searches, destroys and corrects multiple factory sins in one flawless go. :+1:

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Agreed, I plek several of my basses and it’s quite impressive. Is it better than skill Luthier? No, but it’s more consistent than skill Luthier and it’s never having a bad day. It takes the human element out of it. Of course the tech who programs in the information has to get it right in the first place.

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Yep! But PLEK operators must be stringently trained and certified by the company to qualify as experts with the machinery. And rightfully so, as PLEK’s reputation and consumer confidence is riding on every job that carries its name.

Now, there are some who will inevitably say that a player can buy inexpensive files and do the job his/herself. While this is essentially correct, doing this degree of precision work involves some substantial personal research, hand-to-eye coordination, skill, confidence and time to accomplish.

While there are individuals willing and capable of taking on this task, I’d venture to guess that there aren’t that many. Personally, I’d say I probably could do it, but I neither have the spare time nor the inclination to do so. I’d much rather shell out the cash to get the job professionally done on my precious, along with a mind-settling guarantee. Just my take.

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I’ve done it, it’s easier than you think :slight_smile:

For a few high frets anyway. If I were doing a full fret job I would definitely be taking it to a luthier. I have one coming on the distant horizon but eventually I will be wanting to get my SBV-800MF some nice new stainless frets.

But just 1-2? No need to plek that, I’ll do it myself instead, it’s pretty simple.

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It’s nice to have the machine do the work for you and if you know exactly what and how you like it, the plek machine really delivers. I remember the first 3 or 4 basses I have done, I was even thinking (hoping) about getting a small version or even a used one, but like @MikeC said the training is extensive and it’s not one and done. It’s almost like a subscription service. You need regular maintenance and upgrades/ updates and replacement parts ware and tear.

So I’m doing what @howard is doing. Myself. It’s not difficult because it’s quite forgiving and gives you wide enough margin of errors. You can miss as much as half a millimeter and still produce perfect result sound wise.

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Re: all the comments above, of course you could try and fix yourself, but my expectation would be that a new bass is perfect, out of the box…

Obviously, privately bought, second hand basses are a different matter.

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This is more rarely the case than you might like to think :slight_smile:

This is why I only buy new if I have held and played the thing. I have tried many new instruments in stores with some small problem or other imperfection.

I’ve actually had better luck with used. But you’re right that this varies a great deal.

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Absolutely agreed @sunDOG
No matter what you paid for an instrument that can be played right out of the box and you should get what you paid for.

Fixing on our end on a brand new bass requires some type of partial refunds or it goes back. No scenarios suggest that you fix this on your own and done, :smile:

Some companies are willing to deal with you on that matter because money is in their pocket. If you return, they have to pay for shipping, and if you are not rebuying their bass then they are out of pocket on shipping to you and shipping back to them and they can’t list that bass as new anymore, that’s trifecta money out of pocket.

So if you tell them I want $250 to have this one plek they are most likely will deal with you. @fennario where do you live and where did you order this from?

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Five of the new basses I’ve bought have come with PLEK jobs from the builder. Their fret work is understandably flawless.

That said, my other two basses have no discernible fretwork issues.

All were bought online, sight unseen, much less played beforehand.

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Well, obviously buying from Mayones is different than (say) Squier :slight_smile:

Out of the ones I tried myself, all were perfect because I picked them out out of many.

Out of the sight unseen ones, I have a 33% return rate (in my case I went warranty). And the return was a Warwick, so not the cheapest.

Used I have had purely good luck.

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Three of my five PLEK’ed basses are Sires. :grin:

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Well, another above average case. Sire plekking is great, and they and Yamaha, etc are generally great QC bets.

Then again so are Ibanez Premiums and the above happened.

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Very sorry to hear/see that!

Just out of curiosity: is that the sound of the string un-amplified that we hear? It sounds a bit like a sitar even when sustaining… :astonished:

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