Tell Me Not to Return This Uke! (Need Advice)

Its the kind of thing that not even box corporate music shops like selling. You paid a lot of money for this thing, it shouldn't have a twisted neck.
 
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Ukes come with straight necks, this one didn't. Return it. Simple.
 
This is an excellent reason to always install a graphite truss rod in the neck, it keeps thing stable.
 
Return it. I would return ukes far far far cheaper than this one for less.

Twisted neck - major fault.
 
Yep, send it back and get ready to fall in love all over again. :)
 
And keep us posted--whatever happened to this instrument (whether a mistake, bad wood or ?) shouldn't keep you from enjoying another LoPrinzi. If you contact Donna/Augie directly and tell them about your shattered dream (*after* getting your refund from the dealer), they might have something special for you without the long wait.
 
I am not saying he should not send it back if the twist bothers him, I am saying because the neck does have a slight twist, there may not be any problem with intonation and if there is it is an easy fix. I have encounter this problem with many older guitars and banjos in the past. This is a new uke and something happened, so send it back. Don't have a cow man!

There was a luthier in years past (can't remember his name) that actually made the neck with a very radical twist in it, claiming that is was actually easier to play because it suited the hand position better, especially with barr chords. It does work, but apparently people got too freaked out by it, much like the fan frets on some instruments.

Not trying to steal the thread here, but I think it's funny that the "twisted neck" luthier be mentioned. His name is Leo Burrell. His shop was about a 15 minute drive from where I live, up until he retired. It should be noted that the twist in his neck was intentional and the entire guitar was twisted. Below is a link to the old shop website. I'm surprised it's still active. On it it has pics of the guitars. Should be quite interesting to some of you luthiers out there.

http://www.burrellguitars.com/index.html
 
And keep us posted--whatever happened to this instrument (whether a mistake, bad wood or ?) shouldn't keep you from enjoying another LoPrinzi. If you contact Donna/Augie directly and tell them about your shattered dream (*after* getting your refund from the dealer), they might have something special for you without the long wait.

I'll post about what happens eventually--things are still being worked out as to a replacement uke vs. just a refund. The LoPrinzi is going to be shipped back tonight. I'm sad about it, really; the uke is absolutely beautiful. I hope it finds its real owner. :D

I thought getting a LoPrinzi from this particular seller was a no-brainer, and I couldn't go wrong with this decision. I don't want to post who the seller is--my situation is kind of unique, and it seems they were just trying to get a ukulele to me ASAP after they picked it up at NAMM. I guess I should have told them I'm not in a hurry! LOL
 
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Okay, so I got my second ukulele yesterday. I was sooooo excited. It had taken a while for it to get here (this model of LoPrinzi sopranos is on backorder, like, everywhere). I wanted to be sooooo in love with it. Well... I was really enamored with it until I saw that the neck looks twisted, up by the headstock. I've attached two pics, one from the headstock and one from the bridge.

I'm so bummed. I wasn't expecting the uke to be perfect, of course. I can deal with finish flaws and all that (if all I wanted was bling, I could have spent a lot less on a new uke, or just bedazzled my Kala). But if the neck is twisted, what to do?

I have emailed the same pics to the dealer, who is very reputable, does setups with all ukes, etc. I'm well within the return window, as the uke just arrived yesterday. It sounds fine, but gets out of tune--of course, it has new strings, plus there's the fact that I'm new to friction tuners. Hard to say if there's a resulting intonation problem.

Feel free to convince me I'm crazy, the uke's fine, just ignore it. I need advice from the folks in the know, so that's why I'm here. Believe me, I'd much rather be posting a happy "New Uke Day" thread. I feel sad for the poor li'l uke, whatever happened to it. :(

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Y'know - I bought a Kamaka pineapple last year. It came with a sizeable - but not huge - ding on it. I thought about it and eventually sent it back the next day. I haven't regretted it. It was bothering me and there was no need of it. (Coincidentally, I'm in the market now for a new one!) So...if it is on your mind, send it back. It looks like a real issue.
 
I know you've all been waiting on tenterhooks for an update. ;) Well, after some hemming and hawing, I opted for a refund instead of a replacement (which would have been a really good deal, by the way). Not exactly sure what I'll get now. Just wait and see what the tide brings in, I guess. I'm discouraged by the whole online shopping experience in general--I don't mean just this seller. I wish it weren't a day trip for me to the nearest stores that sell nicer ukes.
 
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