What's Up With The People At SD?

[SavageRiffer]

So I bought a brand new pre-wired pickguard a couple of weeks ago with a set of Duncan P-Rails. I've been using the P-Rails a bit and don't really like them, so I thought about exchanging them. Funny thing is when I called SD some young dude gets on the phone and tells me to call the Seymour Duncan dealer I bought them from to make sure they weren't modified and to see if they might be able to send me the little plastic cases that came with the pickups. I was like "Uh, no they're brand new. They're just installed on a pickguard. I received them in a pickguard sized box directly from the dealer." Then he re-explained the whole thing like 3 times, I told him they were new in the pickguard, they're from a dealer, then he insisted on explaining again. I think that dude was high or something. Frustrating - got no help.

What is the point of calling the dealer to ask them if they modified a set of brand new pickups loaded into a pickguard? I didn't buy modified pickups. Everything was stock. If they're a dealer, then what's the problem? Pissed me off man. SD used to have great service. What happened? I'm not going to be calling back and forth. Screw it. $230 wasted.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Maybe you should do like he says.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Yeah OK. I'll call the dealer and sound like an idiot just so they can tell me "Uh we don't modify the pickups we sell, and we don't keep the pickup cases for the pickups we prewire into pickguards. Then what? Am I supposed to call back to Seymour Duncan and say "Well I called the dealer and they said they don't modify the pickups they sell and they don't keep the little plastic cases of pickups that go into their prewired pickguards. Now what?" Did you even read my post? What's the point? I bought the pickups new, it's within the 21 day window, so why do I have to be hassled for no reason? It's stupid. I'm not going to bother with it based on principle.

 

[ICTGoober]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

SO GLAD you've never been my client.

 

[Gtrjunior]

What's Up With The People At SD?

Yeah OK. I'll call the dealer and sound like an idiot just so they can tell me "Uh we don't modify the pickups we sell, and we don't keep the pickup cases for the pickups we prewire into pickguards. Then what? Am I supposed to call back to Seymour Duncan and say "Well I called the dealer and they said they don't modify the pickups they sell and they don't keep the little plastic cases of pickups that go into their prewired pickguards. Now what?" Did you even read my post? What's the point? I bought the pickups new, it's within the 21 day window, so why do I have to be hassled for no reason? It's stupid. I'm not going to bother with it based on principle.

I respectfully disagree with your logic....
By a matter of principal you deserve to be able to exchange the pickups and get what you want.
However, you shouldn't have to do the footwork. I completely agree with you here. But don't just throw away $230 because of being stubborn. Call back and be a huge A-hole. That's what I'd do. Seems to work pretty well. Tell the guy you talk to that HE needs to call HIS dealer and figure it out...
Ask to speak to the manager on duty...
Just plain old return them from where you got them and get a refund.
You have options. Just don't let them talk you down. And don't get frustrated. Fight for it.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

I respectfully disagree with your logic....
By a matter of principal you deserve to be able to exchange the pickups and get what you want.
However, you shouldn't have to do the footwork. I completely agree with you here. But don't just throw away $230 because of being stubborn. Call back and be a huge A-hole. That's what I'd do. Seems to work pretty well. Tell the guy you talk to that HE needs to call HIS dealer and figure it out...
Ask to speak to the manager on duty...
Just plain old return them from where you got them and get a refund.
You have options. Just don't let them talk you down. And don't get frustrated. Fight for it.

I don't have time for all of that. They're an authorized SD dealer and the pickups were brand new. It should be simple. It's a waste of time to make an effort beyond calling SD.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

I don't see a prewired Prail pickguard in Duncans Product catalogue.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Like I said, I bought it from an authorized dealer. I didn't buy it directly from Seymour Duncan, so they're not going to have it in their
catalog. In any case, I only answered to respond with the obvious, but I can see where this is going so forget it. It's better to display brand loyalty and show solidarity among the fanbois than to care what anyone has to say otherwise right? Pfft. These guys are a joke.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

However, you bought them from someone who already bought them. They were not in their original boxes and did not have their original warranty cards/paperwork etc. It does seem like it would be the dealer's responsibility to warranty them after installing them into the pickguard, since THEY were the original purchasers, not you.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

However, you bought them from someone who already bought them. They were not in their original boxes and did not have their original warranty cards/paperwork etc. It does seem like it would be the dealer's responsibility to warranty them after installing them into the pickguard, since THEY were the original purchasers, not you.

That makes sense!

 

[Discharged]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

So I bought a brand new pre-wired pickguard a couple of weeks ago with a set of Duncan P-Rails. I've been using the P-Rails a bit and don't really like them, so I thought about exchanging them. Funny thing is when I called SD some young dude gets on the phone and tells me to call the Seymour Duncan dealer I bought them from to make sure they weren't modified and to see if they might be able to send me the little plastic cases that came with the pickups. I was like "Uh, no they're brand new. They're just installed on a pickguard. I received them in a pickguard sized box directly from the dealer." Then he re-explained the whole thing like 3 times, I told him they were new in the pickguard, they're from a dealer, then he insisted on explaining again. I think that dude was high or something. Frustrating - got no help.

What is the point of calling the dealer to ask them if they modified a set of brand new pickups loaded into a pickguard? I didn't buy modified pickups. Everything was stock. If they're a dealer, then what's the problem? Pissed me off man. SD used to have great service. What happened? I'm not going to be calling back and forth. Screw it. $230 wasted.

You seem to have no idea how things work. You bought a custom-made product by one dealer using Seymour Duncan p'ups, but you didn't call the dealer but the Duncan Co., which have absolutely nothing to do with the sale or the making of the product, then complain when a Duncan employee have trouble finding a product that doesn't exist, and then moan about here? You don't deserve having opposable thumbs...

/Peter

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

The guy wants to exchange a pickup within the 21 day period. Why is he getting attacked?

OP- Talk to the dealer who sold you the pickups. Maybe they understand you have options as a customer and may try to make sure you're happy.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Read Duncan's policy on the 21 day exchange. Nothing that's been mentioned would disqualify him.

 

[Gtrjunior]

What's Up With The People At SD?

I never meant to insult the OP. I apologize if I did. I merely wanted him to see that he still had options had he wanted to persue them. But he doesn't, so that's that.

 

[Alex Semple]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Hi All, the product in question is a custom loaded pickguard featuring our pickups. It was spec'd and assembled by an authorized dealer, Sigler Music, in this case. As this particular pickguard is not an official Seymour Duncan sku, the P-Rails installed unfortunately do not qualify for our 21 Day Exchange policy. The same would be said of the pickups in a Duncan loaded guitar or a custom wiring assembly. If a consumer is unhappy with the pickups used to create a custom made product, their best recourse is to contact the original retailer directly and ask for an exchange or other form of support to remedy the situation. Sigler Music is a long-standing and highly reputable dealer, so I'm confident they would work with the OP to make his experience satisfactory. I will be reaching out to them in the morning as well and make them aware of the situation. Thank you.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

Given the popularity of pre-loaded pickguards, SD should probably update the language in the exchange policy. I can understand the guy's confusion/frustration, since he didn't buy a SD-loaded guitar and DID buy from an authorized dealer.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

You seem to have no idea how things work. You bought a custom-made product by one dealer using Seymour Duncan p'ups, but you didn't call the dealer but the Duncan Co., which have absolutely nothing to do with the sale or the making of the product, then complain when a Duncan employee have trouble finding a product that doesn't exist, and then moan about here? You don't deserve having opposable thumbs...

/Peter

What I said wasn't complicated, but you seem to have ignored the whole post. The problem wasn't that he couldn't find the SKU, the problem was that he wanted me to call them and ask them if they modified the pickups and if they could send me the original pickup cases. YOU don't seem to have a simple grasp of my complaint. Next time before you respond, at least understand the situation first.

The guy wants to exchange a pickup within the 21 day period. Why is he getting attacked?

OP- Talk to the dealer who sold you the pickups. Maybe they understand you have options as a customer and may try to make sure you're happy.

Thank you for being fair and sensible. The dealer Sigler Music has been very good to me. I'm sure they'll take care of me. Unfortunately, that's a lot of hassle when all I really wanted to was exchange the pickups.

Because he's got a bad attitude, and he's not very smart. Not a good combo.

It's funny that you say I'm not smart when you're the one full of all kinds of insults. You seem to get butthurt so easily that you're all bent out of shape for nothing. If you can count to four, then count all of your pathetic posts. Your opening post was rude, then you just continued to insult me three more times. For what, because you didn't like my complaint? Stop being such a sissy and getting so butthurt over nothing. By the way, I've actually been a member of this forum longer than you have so who the hell are you supposed to be around here?

Hi All, the product in question is a custom loaded pickguard featuring our pickups. It was spec'd and assembled by an authorized dealer, Sigler Music, in this case. As this particular pickguard is not an official Seymour Duncan sku, the P-Rails installed unfortunately do not qualify for our 21 Day Exchange policy. The same would be said of the pickups in a Duncan loaded guitar or a custom wiring assembly. If a consumer is unhappy with the pickups used to create a custom made product, their best recourse is to contact the original retailer directly and ask for an exchange or other form of support to remedy the situation. Sigler Music is a long-standing and highly reputable dealer, so I'm confident they would work with the OP to make his experience satisfactory. I will be reaching out to them in the morning as well and make them aware of the situation. Thank you.

I don't need you to contact Sigler, and I don't want your help. Now that I've seen how it works, I'm not interested in your products any longer. You guys told me to call Sigler and ask if they modified the pickups which they didn't. They're the same stock pickups they sell in the box. Plus he asked me to request the original little plastic cases which obviously isn't possible since I bought the pickguard loaded. If you would have told me in the first place straight out that installed pickups don't quality even if they're installed by a dealer, I wouldn't have had a complaint. It was pointless to have me call back and forth to ask stupid questions, and it was pointless to insist on explaining the same thing 4 times.

You're an admin on this forum, but you let some newb continually insult your customer without reprimand. From this experience, I cannot say that Seymour Duncan is a good company anymore. Please do nothing on my behalf. I will speak to Sigler myself and inform them of my experience.

I never meant to insult the OP. I apologize if I did. I merely wanted him to see that he still had options had he wanted to persue them. But he doesn't, so that's that.

I know you didn't. My impression was that you were trying to be reasonable and see my side of things without stirring up controversy against your comments. I appreciate your commentary and wish other people were more like you.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

So from what I can see with the information provided, you have 3 options. You can return the loaded pickguard to your authorized SD retailer, which given your previous comments appears to be your best bet and is what I'd recommend. Failing this you have two other options. You could either trade or sell it in an attempt to either minimalize your losses or get it switched out for a more suitable set of pickups.

You do have one last option, which depending on what type of person you are is either a good option or a horrible one. I don't know where you stand on magnet swapping, as it is a great way to improve and personalize your tone, but also voids any remaining warranty. The P-Rails have two magnets, so if you are a mag swapping type of person, you are in luck.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. That's how I've gotten around buying a set of p'ups or loaded pickguards that I didn't like. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

 

[Aceman]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

I gotta say - It really seems like the Custom Pickguard Dealer is the first stop goto on this issue. OP could have stated the situation more clearly, no doubt.

No one is lauding or defending Duncan either. They have obviously offed up enough customer service issues lately (meaning last 2-3 years...).


The SUPER thing to do for Duncan would have been to:
- Do the exchange in spite of the issue.
- Note the dealer
- Follow up with them, in writing.
- Next problem from that place, provide the documentation to the customer
- Then do the exchange anyway...


My comment here is the Custom builder knows what he is doing and does not want to go through the hassle.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: What's Up With The People At SD?

So from what I can see with the information provided, you have 3 options. You can return the loaded pickguard to your authorized SD retailer, which given your previous comments appears to be your best bet and is what I'd recommend. Failing this you have two other options. You could either trade or sell it in an attempt to either minimalize your losses or get it switched out for a more suitable set of pickups.

You do have one last option, which depending on what type of person you are is either a good option or a horrible one. I don't know where you stand on magnet swapping, as it is a great way to improve and personalize your tone, but also voids any remaining warranty. The P-Rails have two magnets, so if you are a mag swapping type of person, you are in luck.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. That's how I've gotten around buying a set of p'ups or loaded pickguards that I didn't like. Good luck with whatever you end up doing.

I love magnet swapping. In fact, I've got about 21 guitars so I keep a little stock of various magnets from AddictionFX and Mojotone. I haven't tried magnet swapping in the P-Rails yet because I didn't want to void the warranty. However, seeing how things work, I may consider doing so. P-Rails are pretty hot pickups to begin with, and the only magnet I thought would give me more of what I want are ceramic mags, but they're a bit hotter than A5, so I'm not really sure it will do what I want.

Actually, after installing the pickguard back into a guitar, I noticed the bridge is sounding very weak. The neck pickup is much hotter now, and my multimeter shows a very low reading, so there's probably something wrong with it. It's no big deal because I literally have a box of pickups laying around. Maybe I'll take one of the coils out of it and see if I can make a hybrid with a 59 I have in my junk box.

I gotta say - It really seems like the Custom Pickguard Dealer is the first stop goto on this issue. OP could have stated the situation more clearly, no doubt.

No one is lauding or defending Duncan either. They have obviously offed up enough customer service issues lately (meaning last 2-3 years...).


The SUPER thing to do for Duncan would have been to:
- Do the exchange in spite of the issue.
- Note the dealer
- Follow up with them, in writing.
- Next problem from that place, provide the documentation to the customer
- Then do the exchange anyway...

My comment here is the Custom builder knows what he is doing and does not want to go through the hassle.

Thanks man. I wish I would have gotten comments like this earlier when I was feeling frustrated. I didn't contact the dealer because I just wanted to see if I could exchange it for some other pickups. It's not a big deal now so I've let it go. It's all good because it ended up making me think about the sound I wanted, so at least I know now which pickups I need to get for that guitar.