First, and important…this isn’t a criticism of the vendor. I’m only sharing my experience and pointing out two disappointments. I hope that anyone who makes a purchase will consider asking a few more questions before hitting the [BUY] button.
Not to bury the lead… I returned the uke within the ‘no fault’ return policy and had the return shipping deducted from the refund. There were two important reasons for the return.
This was an expensive instrument (for me, $800-900) from a reputable builder and dealership. I have two other instruments from the same builder and also purchased from the dealer twice before in the last year.
First, thanks to everyone in the forum who has commented on threads involving “dead notes” and “wolf notes” … Having that knowledge and background helped me make the decision to return the uke. [I have two other instruments that display this flaw, both were improved (though not completely mitigated)n by suggestions of trying differ string sets.]. When I got this uke, after a quick, admiring inspection I tuned it and did some fretboard warmups. Two notes on the upper five frets had little or no sustain; dead. And on the 14, 15, 16th frets on the low G sustain disappeared little by little as I was ascending. F & F# were the notes most noticeable.
I tried four different sets of strings, including the originals. Different tensions, composition, and diameter. Worth Browns helped “slightly” on the C string, 5th fret, but was still noticeable. Replacing the Low G with a high g resulted in no improvement.
Second, the gloss finish wasn’t the same on all surfaces. The sides and back were clearly mirror-like, as expected. But the sound board had small dimples at most of the pores. Most people wouldn’t notice it, but I did. It was a production flaw made notable when comparing with the other surfaces. By comparison, my other uke -from the same builder- had a flawless finish on all surfaces (same price range). So I thought my expectation of a flawless finish were reasonable.
The policy of the dealership was that a defective return would result in a full refund, NOT having return shipping deducted from the refund. The dealer’s representative indicated that the instrument wasn’t defective; dead notes and finish issue were not defects, but flaws. Defects affect playability in some significant way.
In their return policy, the dealership clearly points out that defective instruments qualify for a full refund. I simply didn’t understand want a defect is/was. Consider that the first uke purchased from them… same builder, same price, didn’t have these “flaws!” And, of my five other ukes, only one has dead notes (and only in one upper position) with those instruments costing $250-$350.
Finally, the shipping and insurance fee amounted to $46. The dealer provided the return shipping label; I did not choose the shipper or value of insurance. By comparison, when I purchased a less expensive uke from them, I was charged under $26 shipping.
My recommendation. Read and understand the return/refund policy and conditions outlined therein. Ask for clarification of any terms that might disqualify you from a refund of any kind. Be willing to pay the ‘fees’ before you hit the [BUY] button. Me… I’m not buying from this dealership, or any online unless I can view, hear, play the instrument!
Thanks for “listening” everyone. No comments expected. I’m worn out!
Not to bury the lead… I returned the uke within the ‘no fault’ return policy and had the return shipping deducted from the refund. There were two important reasons for the return.
This was an expensive instrument (for me, $800-900) from a reputable builder and dealership. I have two other instruments from the same builder and also purchased from the dealer twice before in the last year.
First, thanks to everyone in the forum who has commented on threads involving “dead notes” and “wolf notes” … Having that knowledge and background helped me make the decision to return the uke. [I have two other instruments that display this flaw, both were improved (though not completely mitigated)n by suggestions of trying differ string sets.]. When I got this uke, after a quick, admiring inspection I tuned it and did some fretboard warmups. Two notes on the upper five frets had little or no sustain; dead. And on the 14, 15, 16th frets on the low G sustain disappeared little by little as I was ascending. F & F# were the notes most noticeable.
I tried four different sets of strings, including the originals. Different tensions, composition, and diameter. Worth Browns helped “slightly” on the C string, 5th fret, but was still noticeable. Replacing the Low G with a high g resulted in no improvement.
Second, the gloss finish wasn’t the same on all surfaces. The sides and back were clearly mirror-like, as expected. But the sound board had small dimples at most of the pores. Most people wouldn’t notice it, but I did. It was a production flaw made notable when comparing with the other surfaces. By comparison, my other uke -from the same builder- had a flawless finish on all surfaces (same price range). So I thought my expectation of a flawless finish were reasonable.
The policy of the dealership was that a defective return would result in a full refund, NOT having return shipping deducted from the refund. The dealer’s representative indicated that the instrument wasn’t defective; dead notes and finish issue were not defects, but flaws. Defects affect playability in some significant way.
In their return policy, the dealership clearly points out that defective instruments qualify for a full refund. I simply didn’t understand want a defect is/was. Consider that the first uke purchased from them… same builder, same price, didn’t have these “flaws!” And, of my five other ukes, only one has dead notes (and only in one upper position) with those instruments costing $250-$350.
Finally, the shipping and insurance fee amounted to $46. The dealer provided the return shipping label; I did not choose the shipper or value of insurance. By comparison, when I purchased a less expensive uke from them, I was charged under $26 shipping.
My recommendation. Read and understand the return/refund policy and conditions outlined therein. Ask for clarification of any terms that might disqualify you from a refund of any kind. Be willing to pay the ‘fees’ before you hit the [BUY] button. Me… I’m not buying from this dealership, or any online unless I can view, hear, play the instrument!
Thanks for “listening” everyone. No comments expected. I’m worn out!