Author Topic: AAAAUUGGHHH!!! BRIDGE SPLIT! (Read 6917 times)

cedwards · « **on:** May 03, 2011, 07:55:19 PM »

So I'm rocking out on my WI45 the other night. Finally, I hang her up and cast my gaze lovingly over my other guitars in the room. Now the light is a little beery but as my glance falls onto my D10SCE, sitting all lonely in her stand, I think, odd how the light's hitting the bridge on that.

Then I look gut-punchingly closer and what do I see?

This:

. . . and This:

. . . and THIS!

AAAUUGGHH!!!!!![:0][:0][:0][

][

][V][

!][

!][xx(][xx(].

Thank the stars for the wisdom of Brother Epp.

Anyway, I shot my note off to Customer service tonight. This guitar was purchased new in 2008 and I actually registered the warranty when I got it. As you folks can imagine, she has been treated kindly.

I suspect that return shipping costs from here on the remote shores of Atlantic Canada may outweigh the value of the warranty so I'm hoping Washburn will let me get work done by a luthier here.

Nick - any help you can offer would be appreciated. You should know from my presence here that I'm not out to put anything over on anyone. I just want my every day Washie back in action and back to the way she was. I miss her terribly.

Looks like the WG2S and the JM300 are going to see a little more action over the next while.

Pining · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2011, 07:07:49 AM »

That would hurt!
I hope all goes well with the repair.

Pike · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2011, 08:56:29 AM »

Bummer. Keep us posted Chris...

evenkeel · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2011, 04:32:14 PM »

Ouch!!! That stinks. I would hope the good folks at washie land would let a local luthier do the fix up. It's a very simple job to remove the bridge and put on a new one.

Let us know what heppnes.

pescadore · « **Reply #4 on:** May 05, 2011, 10:27:26 AM »

Wow!! That is disappointing. I hope they will allow you to get it fixed locally so you want have as much down time with her.

DontTreadOnMe · « **Reply #5 on:** May 05, 2011, 10:31:26 AM »

bummer but that's the beauty of having 'back-up' guitars, right? They should do the warranty work in Mundelein so shipping should not be bad and they will ship it back to you. They turned around my B52SW pretty quick last year.

luvmyshiner · « **Reply #6 on:** May 05, 2011, 05:58:54 PM »

Chris, I feel your pain brother. Here's hoping everything turns out well.

cedwards · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2011, 08:43:43 AM »

So I'm learning a lot about warranties these days. You would think a lawyer in his 50s would know this stuff cold but there are always new surprises. I contacted Washburn Customer Service through the website. Here's what I got:

Since the item was purchased in Canada, you need to go through our Canadian distributor to find your warranty and service options. We are warranty service for items distributed in the US only.

Oh.

It ain't going to Mundelein. Looks like a long and winding road is about to lay itself out before me.

The Canadian distributor is Erikson Music. I actually misinterpreted the email above on my first read as meaning I should go back to the distributor I bought the guitar from. So I contacted Music City in Newfoundland. Those guys are really helpful and good! One thing I learned is that the process often works better if I just go through the local dealer and let them deal with the distributor reps, whom they know and deal with all the time.

Turns out I actually do have an authorized dealer in my town (didn't know that!) so I took the guitar to them with a plea for help. Should find out more today.

Another thing I have learned, from the local guy, is that there is a huge difference between lifetime warranty and limited lifetime warranty. According to him, the latter phrase is essentially equivalent to nothing and is in vogue with a number of guitar manufacturers including some that we normally associate with top-end quality.

For those who engage in the debate about keeping the guitar properly humidified, be aware that this becomes a central question in a warranty situation like this. It is essential that one be able to pass the red face test on whether the guitar has been cared for and humidified properly. I'm doing fine on that point (so far) and am glad that I am.

cedwards · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2011, 08:55:34 AM »

BTW, in my conversation with the guy from Music City, who called me literally within two minutes of my sending them an email, he had a lot of praise for the WD10 series which he considered to be superior to the D10 series. He said the guys there, including himself personally, had been deeply impressed by how good they sounded. WD10SCE has a price point of CDN$349 at their shop (I think that's about 550 tanking greenbacks these days isn't it?[

][}:)][

])

Ripple · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2011, 12:06:20 PM »

You can get a WD 10 for 200 American I hear the current ones coming here are of good quality.

Pike · « **Reply #10 on:** May 14, 2011, 06:51:39 AM »

Good warranty info Chris. Some good news about the WD10's too.

WB-Nick · « **Reply #11 on:** May 16, 2011, 10:49:25 AM »

Hey Chris,
I know the guys at Erikson pretty well so keep me posted.

cedwards · « **Reply #12 on:** May 26, 2011, 01:53:04 PM »

Quick update. Erikson, the Canadian distributor did, in fact, honour the warranty. I had to ship, return, to Montreal at a cost of $70. That's a bit of a pisser but still cheaper than repair by a local luthier, I know it will be done right and, finally, doing it this way keeps my warranty intact.

So, all in all, not a bad expreience so far. Glad I worked it through the local dealer: that was definitely the path of least resistance.

So now I'm just waiting for my baby to come home. In the meantime, WI45 has been getting a workout. BTW, on the WI45, I had said in past reviews that its sweet spot appeared to be pop-punk. However, the more I get to know her (been a couple of years now) the more I like the 45's blues voices, especially on my Vox amp's clean settings; very articulate indeed.

cedwards · « **Reply #13 on:** June 09, 2011, 10:07:11 AM »

I got my D10SCE back from warranty repair yesterday. [

][

] Here are the results:

1) local dealer handled all the shipping etc. and the price was $35 total for round-trip shipping, as opposed to $35 each way, as I had thought previously;

2) Erikson (or whoever does this for them) replaced the bridge with a new one;

3) the bridge is the proper D10 bridge and the replacement appears to have been done very well. It looks good cosmetically and, more importantly, the sound and action are just the same as they always were;

4) I feel like the amplified sound changed a bit (boomier bass and less treble volume). I'm guessing it's pretty hard to avoid some such changes when changing out a bridge with an under-saddle pickup. Anyway, the pre-amp settings can compensate nicely.

So, in sum, I have my guitar back looking, sounding and playing like new for a total layout of $35. That's fair in my books.

Good job, Washburn! I was worried with the initial response from the US reps but, in the end, it has turned out well. I'm a satisfied service customer.

Finally, I will say, once again, that working with the local dealer was key. Those guys were great and really made this very easy.

Ripple · « **Reply #14 on:** June 09, 2011, 10:23:06 AM »

Great news,and the bridge looks exactly the same as far as wood, black like my D10SDL what are the first 2 letters on your S# mine are GO from about 6 years ago when I purchased it fro Sam Ash I wish they still had them in store.

Washburn D26S Washburn D60SW Washburn D10SDL Alvarez Yairi DYK75P American Standard Srat Buffet R13