Need a Little Help Here (Long)

[southernGuild]

The guitar has gone 37 years without a neck reset. Pay to get it done and it will probably be good for 37 more.

Actually, from what I've read, it'll probably be set for longer than that. Once the body geometry has settled enough to require one reset, it tends to remain pretty stable and it may be a verrry long time, if ever, before a second reset is necessary. Of course, there will be exceptions, but remember, it's changes in the body more than the neck that cause a reset. If the body is subjected to the same stresses after the reset as before, things tend to remain in equilibrium. At least, that's what several luthiers have said.

Having just gone through a Neck Reset on my D-25m, and being overjoyed, awed, and amazed at the results ............NOT wanting her to change too much at all! THAT is most welcome news Bob!!! I LOVE this guitar!!!!
But on this matter, Yea, i agree with getting her done yourself, by someone you know and trust. Thats what i would do. Yet ,.......i also agree that in principle, FMC should honour their obligations......even those that they have inhereted! This "Lifetime" warrenty flim -flam stuff just stinks! To me.....it's dishonest, and It reaks of deciet!

 

[fronobulax]

This "Lifetime" warrenty flim -flam stuff just stinks! To me.....it's dishonest, and It reaks of deciet!

The problem, of course, is that when used in the context of a warranty "lifetime" becomes a legal term which no longer has to mean what you think it does. Personally, I consider it quite honorable that Fender has and will honor a warranty on a guitar that was made nearly 20 years before Fender owned the company. So many corporate deals these days allow the buying company to shed liabilities so the willingness to extend the warranty back that far is almost certainly voluntary.

In contrast look at the shenanigans in involved with the restructuring of the U. S. automaker, General Motors. Basically they took most of the debt and liability and spun it off to a separate company that will never attempt to meet those obligations and will liquidate assets and file for bankruptcy as soon as it can.

I agree, however, that there is a higher standard exemplified by L.L. Bean and Sears (at least for the Craftsman brand of tools) where "lifetime" refers to the lifetime of the object and the companies will replace clothes or tools, no questions asked, and in some cases even if the current owner is not the original purchaser, or cannot prove that.