Dear [bass seller]...

[nmiller]

I get it, this is your first time selling on [online emporium] and you're still figuring out how things work. I don't mind you taking an extra day or two if you have to. But for questions like "How do I get paid?", maybe the buyer shouldn't be the first place you go for tech support.

I get it, not everyone is an expert at setting up a bass. Your innovative stringing technique didn't damage anything, and it's not like I was going to keep using your varied bouquet of strings anyway. But while I don't mind doing my own setup work, your curious bridge adjustments put in question your description of "ready to play".

I get it, wiring an electric instrument is not intuitive. This is a rather complicated circuit and it took me a solid half an hour to figure out where all the disconnected wires went. But again, the disconnected neck pickup put in question the whole "ready to play" thing.

And I get it, not everyone has experience shipping a bass. A lot of people don't realize that you need packing material inside the case as well as outside. However, most people do realize that you need some kind of packing material outside the case. Most people realize that you need a box, too. Putting two thin bands of packing tape around the case to keep it closed and wrapping the UPS tag around the handle was not the best move. Just be glad that this particular bass was built like a tank and the case was speared by a minimal number of fork lifts.

Signed,
[bass buyer]

 

[NathOBX]

Wait! Wait! Did they called it a Base?

 

[nmiller]

Nope, they avoided that pitfall. But they did manage to give the wrong scale length.

 

[Spidey2112]

 

[skycruiser]

More pics! Let's see it.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

Someone shipped a Bass to me like that one time. It actually arrived intact.
The ones that really get me riled up are the ones who sell something as mint and it is actually very poor. I like doing some repairs and modifications, but stripped or broken truss rods are way beyond my skills and usually go right into the dumpster. Some sellers really have no clue as to why something is wrong. Some fully know that something is wrong and sell it anyway, then want to debate it. Then the bottom feeders who know something is wrong or broken and try to make a profit on it to buy themselves something that is new or actually is in mint condition. I now check feedback and troll sellers feedback to see if an item was recently purchased and being flipped. This to me is a red flag because if something is really good, no one would just turn right around and sell it again.

 

[Michedelic]

I’ve seen some band van packing jobs where a UPS or FedX ship would be much safer.

 

[FatherTrucker]

You can't make an incredible post like this and then just show a pic of the case!

 

[Killing Floor]

That’s awesome! I’d send it right back. Wouldn’t even open it. It’s been raining a lot all over the country.
Maybe if it was a flight case, sure. But that, points for comedy.

 

[QweziRider]

Gads!

 

[flannel cat]

its like trying to eat a candy bar with the wrapper still on.

 

[sleddogn]

bet a ups employee saw the box and needed it to ship a bass he sold on TB, and just snagged it off the belt or truck....i would either ask for some answers from seller or shame them here in front of us all....

 

[Smooth_bass88]

umm, ok

 

[nmiller]

The good news is that the bass really is OK. These early Kramers are quite tough - just try cracking that aluminum neck! Given the conversations I've had with the seller, I don't think they'll be selling any more instruments online, so I don't think there's anything to be gained by naming them. I really do think they're clueless in this matter, not delibrately deceptive. This thread was supposed to be my passive-aggressive way of venting.

I was going to wait until the sun came out tomorrow to take pics for the Kramer Club thread, but since a few folks have asked...

 

[micguy]

Ooh - I had a couple of Lumies - a Stagemaster, even. But that bass model/shape I always liked. If it weren't short scale......


And a Lumie, if it isn't set up, well, it's just bridge height, intonation, and pickup height. You don't have to worry about truss rods, string tension, the neck moving with humidity, etc - set it up once to your liking, and you're done. It's really a dream bass as far as tolerating setup errors - you really can't screw one up to the point where it'll have issues long term.

Enjoy the thing! The sustain on those things is absolutely epic!

 

[nmiller]

The short scale is the reason I got it! Actually, my ears prefer my DMZ 5000 but my hands prefer this XL-24. They're different pickups too, though.

I agree that they're pretty painless to set up. However, a previous owner installed a Badass bridge on my 5000 that has no height adjustment! I'm not sure why they even considered making such a thing... maybe I'll swap out the saddles one day for adjustable ones. At least the saddle heights are perfect as they are.

 

[devnulljp]

The good news is that the bass really is OK. These early Kramers are quite tough - just try cracking that aluminum neck! Given the conversations I've had with the seller, I don't think they'll be selling any more instruments online, so I don't think there's anything to be gained by naming them. I really do think they're clueless in this matter, not delibrately deceptive. This thread was supposed to be my passive-aggressive way of venting.

I was going to wait until the sun came out tomorrow to take pics for the Kramer Club thread, but since a few folks have asked...

View attachment 4509750 View attachment 4509753

That is fantastic. Worth the hassle even. What a bass.

 

[bassdude51]

Strange and sad what your seller did to ship!

Once I tried to ship a bass via UPS and they griped at me because I was using a used box. They said that they would not insure it. I told them........."The bass is in a case. The case is in a box. The box is in another box." Finally, they let me ship it.

I now use FedEx Ground because they are OK with re-used boxes.

I can't believe UPS let your seller ship like that! Not right at all!

 

[PennyroyalWe]

What a shame that something so cool was owned by someone so clueless.

 

[Gorn]

Before I started my job, every Friday my department has to send out documents that were prepared during the week in document sized envelopes. These were envelopes with those metal clasp thingies. They would close the clasp, and send these documents on their way. Medical records. Court documents. Everything anyone could want for stealing identities. I came up with the brilliant idea that we should seal these envelopes with tape. Everyone was flabbergasted.