I explained the situation to Jens and he replied that he was sorry for the trouble and he would give me a substantial discount if I ordered a new bass from him.
I have no complaints about his customer service. I am mildly annoyed that this instrument has this problem; but with some more attention I will be able to get it just right. I played it last night and it was completely satisfying. In the end, I would consider getting another Ritter, but I would inspect it THOROUGHLY.