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Check out what fedex "dropped" off
- Thread starter shaggy45
- Start date
didn't someone here have a jaguar bass that UPS or fedex destroyed? I think I'm just gonna buy all my gear locally...or drive to the seller's house.
x a million.
I've never bought anything I really cared about without being able to put my hands on it, instruments are no exception. I should also mention that I've been repairing instruments for 20 years. On that same note, take heart that if nothing else works out, that's a relatively common break and a relatively easy repair (I say this without having handled the thing, but should be completely doable with a relatively short turnaround time)...
I don't know how Fedex does it, but I've been in the back of the local UPS terminal. Imagine this: A guy standing by a huge pile of boxes outside the back end of a semitrailer. He's pitching all those boxs into the trailer up to the front end of it. Now imagine your bass being pitched like that.
My Tacoma Thunderchief was shipped in it's hardshell case directly from Fender (who had just bought Tacoma) without being detuned and it arrived in perfect condition.
Most manufacturers don't detune. The whole purpose of the truss rod is to counteract the pull of the strings. If you detune without also loosening the truss rod you cause an excessive pull backward on the neck since you no longer have the string pull to even it out.
It is quite common in 60s and 70s Gibson Thunderbirds because there was no support for the neck in the case. Drop the case, the neck flexes, the giant angled headstock hits the case, snap.
Exactly... I was still standing in the counter room when I saw them do it to my stuff once... Which had fragile stickers all over it by the way. Up... Swing back... Launch. Right through the air for about 20'. I was also inside a postal sorting annex once, and at the bottom of the belt, there was literally a mountain of boxes... Had to be about 6' tall. And two guys were throwing boxes over the top of the pile from one side to the other.
Can you imagine... Three Spec Ops Osprey land on the top of some hill in Afghanistan next to the bad guys... The back door swings down and a bunch of guys in brown shirts and shorts get out with scanners in their hands. lol
- Feb 16, 2008
- 21,240
- 23,633
- Disclosures
- John K Custom Basses
I had a bass damaged by FedEx and they gave me a full refund, but here is how it went down: It was a Warrior bass so it had a pointy headstock and the seller shipped it in a really cheap gigbag and then a cardboard box that barely fit the bass. The pointy headstock went through the gigbag and cardboard and was exposed and scruffed up pretty good during shipping. I filed a claim and they picked it up to inspect it and they denied the claim, saying that there was no damage done (they didn't read my claim carefully or else they would've seen the damage). So I spoke with someone else at FedEx and this time, I gave them a receipt, pictures of the damaged head and they paid out the full claim amount soon after. FedEx said that even if the bass was not insured, they would've covered the bass since it was their fault, which made me wonder what insurance is for.
that damage is not from the guitar being dropped backwards, it's from being dropped on it's face.. i.e. strings down.. the impact is focused on the nut, and the headstock just pops off like that..
if the guitar was packed correctly within the case, and the case packed within the shipping box, it's *less likely* that it would have happened..
you have to pack the guitar/case to take a fall between 8-12 feet directly to concrete.. so, if you have misgivings about tossing your packed guitar off the top of your house to your driveway.. you haven't packed it well enough..
that bass could easily be repaired.. to the point that you wouldn't know it was broken..
the shipper will deny the claim the first time around.. find a cheap lawyer to write a letter to the shipper demanding the insurance to pay off.. some shippers will require you to give them the guitar to get paid.. make sure that is expressly stipulated in the written shipping agreement/insurance rider.. if not, keep the broken guitar and case..
also, you can get separate insurance from your home/car/life insurance agent specifically for shipping goods.. you do not have to buy additional shipping insurance from your shipper..
also, all the shippers have changed the language about what can and cannot be covered.. i know for a fact that FedEX will not cover "one of a kind, limited edition or vintage instruments over 20 years old".. so, if you ship one of those with FedEX and it gets damaged, your screwed.. read the actual shipping agreement and the insurance rider you are purchasing..
if the guitar was packed correctly within the case, and the case packed within the shipping box, it's *less likely* that it would have happened..
you have to pack the guitar/case to take a fall between 8-12 feet directly to concrete.. so, if you have misgivings about tossing your packed guitar off the top of your house to your driveway.. you haven't packed it well enough..
that bass could easily be repaired.. to the point that you wouldn't know it was broken..
the shipper will deny the claim the first time around.. find a cheap lawyer to write a letter to the shipper demanding the insurance to pay off.. some shippers will require you to give them the guitar to get paid.. make sure that is expressly stipulated in the written shipping agreement/insurance rider.. if not, keep the broken guitar and case..
also, you can get separate insurance from your home/car/life insurance agent specifically for shipping goods.. you do not have to buy additional shipping insurance from your shipper..
also, all the shippers have changed the language about what can and cannot be covered.. i know for a fact that FedEX will not cover "one of a kind, limited edition or vintage instruments over 20 years old".. so, if you ship one of those with FedEX and it gets damaged, your screwed.. read the actual shipping agreement and the insurance rider you are purchasing..
NicJimBass
Flossin'? I thought your name was Munson!
This is the key. There seems to be a lot of misinformation on the web about how detuning and loosening the truss rod is a necessity. I look at it this way- how many countless instruments are taken around the country on tour? How many are stored in trailers or under buses while going from town to town? Now, of all those instruments, how many do you figure are detuned and have the truss rods loosened? It makes no sense. Instruments are made to handle a good bit of abuse, and will do so for many many years.
Now, despite that, I have to agree with those who say that packages are treated pretty roughly, to say the least, but companies like UPS and FedEx. I worked for UPS last year during the Christmas rush. Sorting packages consisted of unloading several semi-trailers, all jamme packed with all of your packages. The guy unloading them doesn't care about being careful, he simply wants to unload and go home, so guess what happens? Packages are just thrown around with reckless abandon. Pack your instruments appropriately.
It's the seller's responsibility until it arrives safely. I'd be asking for a refund from them.
Most shipping companies view it this way too. The claims process usually has to go through the shipper... they don't want to deal with the receiver. They'll pay the shipper too, not you. Additionally, if they are a retail store (not an individual) they have insurace of their own that could cover this.
Ask for a refund, then file a paypal (or CC) claim if they refuse.
What he said. FedEx will either pay a claim, or not, to the seller, not you. What goes on between them and FedEx isn't really any of your concern, and is entirely beside the point. Any money paid out by FedEx will go to them.
I'd simply (and persistently) ask for a refund. Since this was through EBay and PayPal (I'm assuming), they're pretty much on the hook for either getting you what you paid for, or giving you a refund.
1) shaggy45... sorry that this happened. Hopefully the insurance will cover the expense so that you can eventually get a replacement.
2) I still don't understand why a lot of bass manufacturers using angled headstock designs don't leave a volute at the neck to headstock transition. What we see in shaggy45's pic has been such a common break with that headstock design since it's inception decades ago.
3) From what I see in the pic that's one of the cleanest breaks I've ever seen. A competent tech/luthier can fix that with no problems. I'm just a DIY kinda guy and I've fixed plenty of headstocks much worse than that.
2) I still don't understand why a lot of bass manufacturers using angled headstock designs don't leave a volute at the neck to headstock transition. What we see in shaggy45's pic has been such a common break with that headstock design since it's inception decades ago.
3) From what I see in the pic that's one of the cleanest breaks I've ever seen. A competent tech/luthier can fix that with no problems. I'm just a DIY kinda guy and I've fixed plenty of headstocks much worse than that.
Thats some bad neck angle... 
I can't imagine how bad it was for you when you opened the case... sucks!
P.S.: I was "happily" reading thru this thread... but oh, no! The "De-tune strings for shipping" thread again... no, that pointless disscussion again?!?!?!?! No. No? No!!! I'm not saying I do or don't, but please people, every other day we have all this argument about it...
I can't imagine how bad it was for you when you opened the case... sucks!
P.S.: I was "happily" reading thru this thread... but oh, no! The "De-tune strings for shipping" thread again... no, that pointless disscussion again?!?!?!?! No. No? No!!! I'm not saying I do or don't, but please people, every other day we have all this argument about it...
As has been pointed out, this is certainly repairable. Maybe you could negotiate with the seller to pay a big old pile of money for repair AND lost value, effectively giving you a big discount.
This all sucks no matter how you look at it, but eventually you will have a great bass and a good story to tell.
This all sucks no matter how you look at it, but eventually you will have a great bass and a good story to tell.
The damage sucks. Sorry to hear about his.
I am sure many here have experienced lotsa joy in receiving a shipped instrument from TB'ers or other shippers in the condition as advertised, but this is another reason I prefer to buy new or used from a local store, or sell locally.
YMMV
I am sure many here have experienced lotsa joy in receiving a shipped instrument from TB'ers or other shippers in the condition as advertised, but this is another reason I prefer to buy new or used from a local store, or sell locally.
YMMV
