It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 11:37 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 49 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Author Message
Post subject: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:35 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:11 am
Posts: 318
Well, I was all excited to get my '68 Custom Princeton Reverb and now I wish I wouldn't have done it. Terrible quality control on Fenders part. V4 had a 12AT7 and V2 had a 12AX7. The speaker was tightened to the extreme that it bent the speaker frame/basket, to the point that it rocks considerably on a piece of precision granite. The reverb hums so bad past 2 it can't be used. (I did swap all the tubes with new ones, check all the connections and tried a different tank with no resolve. It also has the same hum with no instruments plugged in.)

Musicians Friend, because I wanted to be safe and use PayPal, won't do an exchange. I called Fender again and they told me the closest repair place is 200 miles away. Fender won't do an exchange. This really pisses me off! I gave Fender a chance when I needed an amp and they dropped the ball. If I was rich I'd go buy a different amp, but I'm a normal guy who doesn't think of $800 as chump change.

I'm not whining.......I'm venting.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 10:57 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Suck it up, take the amp to an authorized service center, and insist that they fix the damn thing. Whining here on this forum seldom produces any positive results.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:20 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:50 am
Posts: 1399
Retroverbial wrote:
Suck it up, take the amp to an authorized service center, and insist that they fix the damn thing. Whining here on this forum seldom produces any positive results.

Arjay


Your advice is sensible and well offered. However, FMIC has very real QC issues to address if it really cares about its customers. We know they care about their shareholders. :roll:

_________________
I have some Fender gear.
(Telecaster, Jaguar, Villager 12 String. Mustang l, Bronco, SCX2, Rumble 350, HRDIII, Rumble 2x8 Neo Cab)
http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:25 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
modwiz wrote:
However, FMIC has very real QC issues to address if it really cares about its customers.


You're preaching to the choir, MW.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:30 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:46 am
Posts: 1019
Location: State of Confusion
Very disappointing that Fender would allow this unit to be sold and not catch the quality issues.

Equally disappointing in Musician's Friend. This is the first I ever heard of their no-return/exchange policy for items purchased via PayPal. Thanks for letting us know and I hope you can work your way through this with a positive outcome.

_________________
The quintessential sound of 60/70's R&R:
Fender Tube Amps
Gibson Guitars


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 11:33 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2012 9:50 am
Posts: 1399
Retroverbial wrote:
modwiz wrote:
However, FMIC has very real QC issues to address if it really cares about its customers.


You're preaching to the choir, MW.

Arjay


Nah. I'm singing with them. :lol:

_________________
I have some Fender gear.
(Telecaster, Jaguar, Villager 12 String. Mustang l, Bronco, SCX2, Rumble 350, HRDIII, Rumble 2x8 Neo Cab)
http://www.reverbnation.com/modwiz


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 2:56 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:11 am
Posts: 318
Sorry guys for venting. I know whining is frowned upon. My wife warned me saying, "You've built amps and they look and sound great, why aren't you building this one?"
I could have done a regular princeton build, old school, but time was a factor for me on this one, Christmas ya' know. Plus these looked pretty cool. I was hoping for the best on a blind buy. Nobody's fault but my own. I usually am a pretty calm guy, after 5 kids, disabled and retired you learn patience. Guess I dropped the ball too.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:04 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Not your fault, UN. You had (have) every expectation of receiving the quality product you paid for. Plan out a road trip and take the amp in for servicing under the provisions of the warranty and let us know how it plays out.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 3:50 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:41 pm
Posts: 764
Location: Sydney. Australia
upnorth wrote:
... because I wanted to be safe and use PayPal, won't do an exchange.


PayPal is the biggest fraud of all. They offer no protection and will never reimburse you for anything.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 3:43 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 7:11 am
Posts: 318
Well................I was able to work with Musicians Friend, who was in the end the biggest help, sent me a prepaid UPS tag, sent the amp back and they've refunded my entire purchase price. Sad to say, this has detoured me from any new production Fender amp. I'm sure there are many satisfied customers, but I will resort back to my own builds.


Merry Christmas to all!!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:02 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 2:30 pm
Posts: 792
Location: A Land Downunder
upnorth wrote:
Well................I was able to work with Musicians Friend, who was in the end the biggest help, sent me a prepaid UPS tag, sent the amp back and they've refunded my entire purchase price. Sad to say, this has detoured me from any new production Fender amp. I'm sure there are many satisfied customers, but I will resort back to my own builds.


Merry Christmas to all!!


Glad you came out relatively unscathed. Not good news for Fender though, already in our relatively small online community here we have had a few bizarre quality miss-hits with these new amps.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:10 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
upnorth wrote:
I'm sure there are many satisfied customers, but I will resort back to my own builds.


A wise decision.

:wink:

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 4:27 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:46 am
Posts: 1019
Location: State of Confusion
upnorth wrote:
Well................I was able to work with Musicians Friend, who was in the end the biggest help, sent me a prepaid UPS tag, sent the amp back and they've refunded my entire purchase price........

That sounds more like what I've experienced from Musician's Friend. Guess I'll hold off a while on getting a 68 Custom Princeton Reverb. C'mon Fender, get your act together! :roll:
Are you 'listening', Brad :?:

_________________
The quintessential sound of 60/70's R&R:
Fender Tube Amps
Gibson Guitars


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:34 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
IM4Tone wrote:
C'mon Fender, get your act together! :roll:
Are you 'listening', Brad :?:

+1000

FMIC needs someone with the force of will like a George Patton, Curt LeMay, or a Norm Schwarzkopf to go to those plants and fire some managers, deep-six the deadwood on the factory floor, and straighten that $hit out once and for all. A few heads rolling out the door of the R&D department might not be a bad idea either. Every instance of a substandard product falling into the hands of a customer further erodes Fender's once-stellar reputation as company that manufactured products that consumers could trust.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '68 Custom Princeton Frustration
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 12:22 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:33 pm
Posts: 581
Location: South Carolina, USA
I love Fender amps, they're fine quality and workmanship today as always.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 49 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: