NBD with a raised eyebrow and a "hmmmmmm."
 

I had a nice crisp box on the porch when I got home(I love that.) Opened it up and saw my new Peavey Millennium BXP. There were no finish flaws or damage, but the strings were all touching the frets!

I like setting up basses so I got my tools out. The neck was cranked down really far and the saddles were low as well. It took a while, but it's going to be ok. No neck/trussrod problems. No high frets. It sounds really good (not just for a cheap bass, but just plain good.)

It was in factory wrapping with tags, etc. I am wondering if the factory let it slip out like that?

Does the truss rod still feel like it has plenty of travel left both ways? If so, I wouldn't be too terribly concerned if it were me. But since it's you, and if it may bother you at all whatsoever in the future, I'd try out the warranty exchange policy of whomever you bought it from.

If it's any consolation, I took delivery of a minty new Gibson EB 2013 straight from the factory and that was a right mess as well. I've had to get my tools out and work on sharp frets, wonky pickup screws etc. I've sorted it all out now and it's a lovely guitar... But should I have to?

Yes, it's fine (thankfully.)

Hmm, never been a fan of factory setups, but receiving a bass that is setup to be unplayable is ridiculous...

Fortunately you know how to setup it and I bet you're already rocking your new bass! Congrats!

Hard to say how the bass was handled while shipping. If it was shipped from a very dry location to a very humid location, the neck can develop backbow.

With a little fine tuning it will be nice to play. Change in temp/humidity would be possible, but the strings were pressing so tight on the neck that 3 of them were muted. I am surprised at having to work on a Gibson though!

When I bought my Carvin, it came with an instruction sheet that stated, amongst other things, that the neck can become backbowed in shipping. And sure enough, it was. The only other bass I've bought over the web was my Schecter 8-string, which also arrived backbowed. So I'm guessing that's a common problem with shipping. Fixed easily enough, as you apparently already know. :)


Happy NBD!!!

Pretty common. Especially if the bass is down tuned or strings completely loosened prior to shipping.

If it was mine, I would tune it and let it sit for a day before I did any setup work on it. Some retailers even recommend letting the bass stay in the box for a day before its unpacked.

Photos! It's a new bass, right?

Well, I discovered a paint chip. I don't know how I missed it initially! It's going back.

:eyebrow: hmmmmmm

I bought a Schecter Model-T once from a brick and mortar retailer. It took a couple of weeks for them to get it in stock and it was still in the sealed box when I went to check it out. We opened it, tuned it, it played like a champ!

A few days later, I noticed a chip on the back of the headstock. Called the dealer and described the defect, and they offered me 10% store credit sight unseen.

If it took you that long to notice it, maybe call them and see if you can get some money back? Unless you don't mind the hassle of shipping it back and waiting for another.

Good luck with that.

Too bad..

What does it matter on a Peavey? It's not like it has a resale value to begin with. Having a bass that sounds good is more important to me than a minty finish.

Yeah, that's my attitude too. If I paid a fortune for some high end bass then I get picky and raise hell, but on any budget bass I try to evaluate it on how it plays/sounds first. If I loved how it played and sounded, I'd just eat the paint chip thing. Hey, I KNOW from mucho past experience that my basses are sooner or later (usually sooner) going to have me smashing my headstock into a cymbal or something. I HATE the ding I put in my Ken Smith headstock, but I can only blame myself.

So if the peavey sound and felt good to me, I'd keep it regardless of chips. On the other hand if it didn't feel "right" to me, I'd dump it even if it were perfect, because I'd know that that feeling would haunt me as long as I owned it. Of course if it didn't feel right AND had the chip, I'd SAY I was sending it back because of the chip, but that really wouldn't be the real reason.

I contacted the seller about the chip. They sent me an email offering me a $25.00 refund so I could have it repaired. I was pretty pissed by this. After a nice, but firm reply they told me that they could refund my purchase price or send me another bass. They didn't have the same color but I chose the replacement bass.

After cruising ebay this week, I noticed a lot of Peavey Millennium BXP's for sale. Looks like Peavey may have dumped a lot of them lately. Maybe there's a good reason?

Sounds like your expectations are big, but your wallet isn't.

No, just when the auction description is for a new, undamaged product that's what I expect to receive. :smug:

My 2004 and 2012 Carvins arrived in tune, except for the '12 being about 1/4 of a step flat on one string. Both were set up perfectly. And yet, the '12 had some fret buzz on the E. I let her settle in a few days, and ended up needed to do a small amount of relief in the neck. Going from dry/hot socal to moderate temps in 4 days of rain at a few thousand feet of higher elevation was too much for her. Point is that shipping + vast climate changes can = need for this or that.

But a paint chip?
:rolleyes:

Millenniums (and Grinds) have been available for low prices for awhile so no, it's doubtful that Peavey dumped a bunch of sub-par basses into the market. My guess is that basses in that price range generally have more flaws than something a little higher priced.

FWIW, I ordered a brand new Squier SS Jag from a brick and mortar store, and it had a crack in the finish by the strap button. Hardly noticeable. Yes, they offered me $20 off and I took it.

Good luck!