New Bongo QC issues

[Humbufan]

Hy guys, I am new in the forum but not as a MM player. After many used or cheaper instruments, I finally gifted myself with a new Bongo 5hH. I was so excited but when it arrived, I noticed things that questioned my thoughts on MM quality control I felt so sure about.

The bass arrived today and I found:

1) a small dent on a pot;

2) a very small white point on the neck (really microscopic);

3) a slight paint imperfection on the neck too, like rest of paint (microscopic);

4) the pickguard side seems scratched;

But what is bothering me the most, are these that seem more than imperfections of the wood or the paint which are pretty visible.







Finally, having to look at it less blindly, I also found lines all along the neck, like this ones:





Can you please tell me if that’s normal for a brand new 3.2 grands Music Man?

Thanks all for the support

 

[DrKev]

Buongiorno !

The light scratches in the neck are not cool. The shiny spot in the 2nd photo looks like the kind of shining we would expect to see after some hours of play on a matt finished bass.

Contact the seller and talk to them. Under EU law the seller will take care of you with any warranty issues.

 

[Humbufan]

I contacted the seller and sent the bass back. I asked for the replacement to be better checked before shipping. They sent me pictures of another unit confirmimg it is painted better, but they evidenced 2 defeats on the back. They told me like “accept this or get a refund”.











Defeats on 2 Bongos out of 2. I thought about some discounted units due to these defeats. But the retailer doesn’t mention anything about them. Just plain new units.

 

[tbonesullivan]

I contacted the seller and sent the bass back. I asked for the replacement to be better checked before shipping. They sent me pictures of another unit confirmimg it is painted better, but they evidenced 2 defeats on the back. They told me like “accept this or get a refund”.

What’s happening to Music Man? I’ve been saving for lots of time to gift myself, finally, with a new Bongo.This bass retail price goes from 3.250 to 3.900 euros in Europe. It’s the price tag of German Warwicks, Fender Custom Shop, and other very premium instruments. I am struggling to explain to myself how they can’t get a perfect matt black paint that over 20 times cheaper basses have. And by over 20x cheaper I mean over 20x cheaper. I am not here to insult anybody, but as a Music Man fan, I just can’t explain these incredible, embarrassing falls in quality I am finding in front of my eyes. On 2 Bongos out of 2. I thought about some discounted units due to these defeats. But the retailer doesn’t mention anything about them. Just plain new units.

Both of those look like smudges from handling. Did you guarantee with the seller that these were completely new unopened totally untouched basses, or are they ones that have been on the sales floor? Blaming Music Man for issues with a retailer is not really fair, and yes, you are insulting people. I got a Music Man bass a few months ago, and like other music man guitars and basses I have, it was perfect.

 

[Humbufan]

Didn’t mean to offend no one. Just disappointed.

My bass was listed as new, in pre-order. No stock available. I reserved it (paying) and waited for 5 weeks. After receiving it, the retailer stock showed “available”. I promptly returned mine due to defeats, and I confirmed for another with less defeats as substitute. After this reservation, the stock showed “available in several months”. It is clear that they had none, and ordered 2 that arrived at the same time. Confirmed from the fact both the units have been produced on February, with 1 day distance. Both the units were defective. The retailer is not obliged to tell me whether they arrived defective from the manufacturer or it was due to their fault, since they offered me a “take or leave” condition. It would be weird to think that these 2 units were sales-floor b-stock units, having been produced less than 1 month ago, half of which (if not all) they probably spent traveling. But let’s imagine for a sec this to be exactly what occurred. Does Music Man allow his official dealers to sell defective/used gear as new?

 

[tbonesullivan]

Didn’t mean to offend no one. Just disappointed.

My bass was listed as new, in pre-order. No stock available. I reserved it (paying) and waited for 5 weeks. After receiving it, the retailer stock showed “available”. I promptly returned mine due to defeats, and I confirmed for another with less defeats as substitute. After this reservation, the stock showed “available in several months”. It is clear that they had none, and ordered 2 that arrived at the same time. Confirmed from the fact both the units have been produced on February, with 1 day distance. Both the units were defective. The retailer is not obliged to tell me whether they arrived defective from the manufacturer or it was due to their fault, since they offered me a “take or leave” condition. It would be weird to think that these 2 units were sales-floor b-stock units, having been produced less than 1 month ago, half of which (if not all) they probably spent traveling. But let’s imagine for a sec this to be exactly what occurred. Does Music Man allow his official dealers to sell defective/used gear as new?

Yeah, looking at the pictures you posted, I don't even see what's wrong. A smudge? an area that is slightly shinier? What are you even talking about on the second bass? I couldn't even make out some of the issues you had with the first bass. Are you seriously considering things "defective" because the matte finish doesn't reflect exactly uniformly over the entire instrument????

 

[mynan]

Matte finish shows everything. Get a little oil from your fingers on it and it's going to show. Rub it too hard to get the finger oil off and it's going to start to get shiny. That pic of whatever that is between the battery box and the control plate isn't a factory issue since I'm pretty sure they don't spray any finish after the battery box and control plate are installed.

If you're hyper-sensitive about the way your bass reflects light, don't buy one with a matte finish.