Replacement uke plays better but seems to be poorly finished. What is the appropriate course of action in this situation?
I am a relatively new player and don’t know if these observations are within the normal distribution of “acceptable” for a $600 instrument. I would love a sanity check.
I bought a Kala Countour baritone about a month ago online from Sweetwater. It is my first “nice” instrument and I overall really like it, however, the G and B strings buzz on the first and second frets when playing. The sales rep reached out to me after three weeks to ask how I liked my purchase (their customer service is surprisingly attentive) and when I told him about the buzz, they sent me a whole replacement uke and replaced the stock strings with new Martins for me at no charge, and included a paid return shipping label for the initial purchase. The new instrument plays and sounds amazing. There are some noticeable differences in the finish between the two ukes though, and the new one has some blemishes. Specifically, the finish on the fretboard is uneven, with the grain showing through the stain and what kind of looks like drops of stain under the E string. The neck has what looks like finger/thumbprints in the urethane (I tried to wipe off with a damp paper towel in case it was dust or grease or something, but it is part of the finish). And the joint where the body of the uke meets the neck looks to be missing a coat. I don’t know what to do because I’m stoked about how it sounds, but this was a big purchase to celebrate completing a major life milestone and it seems like a step down on quality. I would feel like such a Karen telling them the unit they shipped out with a free string change is unacceptable and sending it back, but the original one doesn’t sound how it should either. I’m surprised either of them passed QC given the defects. What do yall think is the best option in this situation?
Photos attached. The one with the strap is the initial instrument after 100ish hours playtime for reference, and all others are of the replacement.