MGM
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
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- 1,840
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With so much better expectations on quality etc peoples idea of a warranty have sometimes gone of the roof....For example replacing a instrument that was bought secondhand for alledged defect although mentioned here is NOT the norm. Warranties are against most major manufacturers defects. Some are easy to spot. A bridge flies off... tuner peg doesn't work...electronics fail or don't work right, neck breaks off....These are easy to determine....Others....action??? high or low,,,buzzing..for how is it played, strings changed etc. cracking..proper care and humidification..user error. Light spot in grain?? Hmmm. With all the variables I would be sending back 50% of all ukuleles i buy and receive if i were looking for 100% pristine perfection as ukuleles as a whole have not reached that level of sophistication. even with customs i find character as i call it in almost every one....showing they are handmade one by one...every ukulele manufacture with their warranty requires the buyer to burden the cost of shipping in repair....Kamaka, Kanilea, Koolau, Koaloha and G string all do and they need most times to determine cause and whether warranty covers said repairs. Most will not even cover cracking...as many factors could cause that....Using what is reasonable is what the rule of thumb is. Saying you kept the ukulele in its case all winter in a heated home with a humdifier sounds great until you find out you needed to add water every few days to the humidifier. As a car needs oil for maintenance the big demand for now all Solid Ukuleles are making for a rush of purchases by consumers who don't research enough about proper care for their instrument. it was easy when most were laminate but increasingly the demand for solid instruments and people wanting to play in Utah, Arizone or temperate climates where dry house heating and AC are always a factor makes these problems all more formidable. 10 years ago solid koa ukes as a commanplace in the east coast and arid areas etc was a rarity...now its a norm. I find that most makers do there best to keep the consumer happy. Keep in mind I comment on this as if you guys want perfection...you can get it but higher cost will soon be reflected by the manufacturers to cover the quality control needed.....anybody ever worried just how it plays and sounds...to me that is still the number one issue in my mind....
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