Ibanez Defect

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IBANEZ SR2600E Poor finish or wood warp
Purchased the base 01-19-2018 and just this year the finish and wood has cracked rendering the bass looking terrible. Was a beautiful bass and sounded amazing.
Played it some but never gigged and always put in Hard shell case with no one but myself accessing the bass and took it out of the case and found it cracked from the bridge pickup to the Low side all the way to the edge and then down to nearly the strap lock screw and then all the way to the battery compartment. I understand it has been 6 years but this bass should last a lifetime without having severe damage to it that was not dropped slammed or exposed in any way harmful in its lifetime. Ibanez response when I sent then pictures and my receipt of purchase. They would not even consider assisting in any type of resolution other than get lost. Im truly disappointed and will be choosing another bass manufacturer from now on. I have purchased the following in the past.

  1. Ibanez Soundgear gio 205- $200
  2. Ibanez SR605 $ 1000
  3. Ibanez BTB 405Q’’ $800
  4. Ibanez SR2600E $1500
  5. Ibanez RGB300 $450
  6. Ibanez SRMS625EX Iron Label Electric Bass, 5-String $1000
  7. Ibanez AEGB24E Acoustic-Electric Bass $450
    TOTALING $5400 in basses from Ibanez
    Im so bummed about it my mojo is lost and playing bass right now is difficult at best.
    Im looking to move to another maker and leaning towards Warwick.
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Got pictures?

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I get that you’re upset but warranties don’t last forever. However, if Ibanez was smart they might have offered some help with the issue. They weren’t. You best solution is to take your business elsewhere which it seems you are.

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Disappointing to hear Ibanez’s response, but not surprising. Most (all?) mass producers of electric guitars and basses only guarantee their products are free from defects for 1-2 years past purchase, even for $2000-$5,000 instruments. The only mass-produced instruments I know with long warranties are expensive, all-wood acoustic guitars. Like Taylor, who guarantees their guitars for as long as the original purchaser owns it.

The only other folk I know offering long-term or lifetime guarantee of their work are custom luthiers or small-batch, boutique manufacturers. Most Spector basses, for example, are covered by a 5 year warranty. I have a $10,000 classical guitar I purchased second-hand where some of the French polish on the back of the instrument had worn down over years of playing. I tracked down the luthier who made the guitar and asked if I could pay him to refinish it. He said “No. I stand by my work. I’ll refinish it for free, just pay for shipping.” True story.

And even if the instrument is within the warranty period, the list of “gotchas” excluded from warranty coverage is long. Even things like damage to finishes or cracks and splitting or warpage of wood. This includes manufacturers like Fender, Gibson, and even Warwick.

Bottomline: when you buy a musical instrument assume the purchase is “as-is” and set your expectations that the warranty won’t cover damage to your instrument. Always check the warranty to be sure, but assume it won’t cover what’s wrong with your instrument. And be pleasantly surprised if the damage to your instrument is covered under warranty.

Lastly, as upsetting and unfair as it is to deal with damage to a pricey instrument that was not due to your fault or negligence, please don’t let it affect you or you playing the bass. You got an unlucky break. It sucks and you’ve every right to be pissed. Give yourself some time to work through the frustration and anger of the situation. Then let it go and focus on what’s in your control.

Your choices are: (a) accept the crack and embrace it as something that makes your instrument unique, (b) take it to a skilled luthier to fix the crack, which may be cheaper and easier than you think, or (c) sell it to someone who isn’t bothered by the crack. There are plenty of people who don’t mind these cosmetic things as long as the instrument plays well and sounds good, and you can recoup a good portion of the money you spent.

If your situation were happening to me, I’d choose option (a). Have you heard of kintsugi? It’s the Japanese art of fixing broken pottery with gold. What if you “fixed” the crack in a similar way? Make the crack a feature, not a flaw.

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little known fact but Yamaha offers a limited lifetime warranty on the “top, neck, back and sides” of guitars in the US.

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