Help me please, I don't know what to do.. - Happy Ending

[LKdubby]

Mismarked Pricetag content!!

I mentioned the other day that I wanted a Traveler MK-II Escape Bass to tote around with me for practicing. Mainly because it's so small and lightweight, plus you can plug earphones into it or switch over and use an amp if you so choose. At that time I had not tried out the earphones or amp yet, which is why I needed to go back today!

When I was there today I found one of those "wrongly marked price tags" deals that I always read about on here!

Just four or five days ago the Traveler bass was marked at $500 which is what I quoted before, and is also the standard going price on all the websites.. Now the same one I was looking at before is marked at $700!!!?? <--What the ****?
Yet there is another one in the acoustic guitars room that is marked at $300! Yayyy!!!

Now normally I'd be jumping all over the $300 one, with a quickness! BUT....

Both the $700 one and the $300 one have problems with their electronics...
Finding this out was the fruits of my labor in going to GC today..

The $700 one plays and sounds great with earphones plugged in, but when you switch into "amp mode" and plug into an amp no sound comes out at all...

Now on the other hand the $300 one plays great on "amp mode", but when you switch over and plug headphones in you only get sound through the left earphone..

I brought my own headphones and my own 1/4" adapter to test the bass(es) out with.. The salesman who was feverishly trying to help me figure out what was wrong ended up not knowing what to say or do... He thought that the fact that my 1/4" adapter was stereo instead of mono was the problem.. I told him I doubted it because the adapter worked just fine with the "$700" bass, so why shouldn't it work with the other one??

We searched all over GC, including the back rooms for a "mono adapter" and we could not find one in the entire store!! So this theory of mono vs. stereo is still untested..

Stereo adapter

Mono adapter

Anyways, they are holding the Traveler bass for me at this very moment and have said they would honor the $300 price tag that's on it until the end of the day..

I really want to get it at this price, but in working order though (of course)...
Is this worth it to buy it with electronics that immediately need repair? And, can I get this kind of problem fixed easily? Is it expensive work?

Please help me decide what to do with any informed opinions you might be able to offer.

Thank's TB'ers!

PS, it's 7pm right now on the dot.. I think they're open until 9 tonight so I do have a couple hours to figure something out.. If anyone can make suggestions then time is only partly on my side.. Actually, the time is crucial I guess... If it's meant to be then it will come together!

 

[wld3]

I'm not sure if this would make any difference or not but why not just buy a mono adapter (Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, etc.) - go back, check out the bass again and either buy it or not based on what you find out?

Otherwise, I wouldn't buy a marked-down instrument that seemed to be having problems - not under pressure of having to make a quick decision. But... that's me.

 

[LKdubby]

Why not just buy a mono adapter (Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, etc.) - go back, check out the bass again and either buy it or not based on what you find out?

That IS part of the strategy actually! I'm at home right now digging around to see if I already have one.. I'll probably be running back up there in an hour or so for another test..

Thanks for the suggestion though, please keep them coming.

 

[Bassbasixx]

IMO I would pass, I would not buy anything already having problems.Just a thought I have one of these, great for silent practice + built in effects not the best but fun + play along with CD's loop sections of songs or riffs, tuner ect http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-CDBT2-Portable-CD-Bass-Trainer?sku=242038

 

[LKdubby]

IMO I would pass, I would not buy anything already having problems.

I appreciate your thought on this. Not to mention the fact that both of the Traveler basses they have at GC have electric problems.. Coincidence, or signs of a disturbing trend? I'm still not sure personally and am wondering how much it would be to have these kind of electronics repaired.. Can anyone give an estimate? I'm still new enough that I haven't really spent any time "in the shop"..

Just a thought I have one of these, great for silent practice + built in effects not the best but fun + play along with CD's loop sections of songs or riffs, tuner ect http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Tascam-CDBT2-Portable-CD-Bass-Trainer?sku=242038

I would actually like one of these, but the Tascam MPBT vs. the CDBT.. Though I hate to say that I see this link as being outside of the scope of interest.. I can't "play" a Tascam bass trainer on the train.. I can definitely fit it into the overhead compartment on the airlines, but it wouldn't do me any good where I was going without my bass!

 

[LKdubby]

THEY ARE NOT OPEN UNTIL 9 TONIGHT... Closed at 7 actually.. Just found this out truth be told.. Haven't been there at night too many times and it was an assumption that 9 was closing time..

So to quote myself:

Actually, the time is crucial I guess... If it's meant to be then it will come together!

It was more crucial than I realized.. And this is perhaps a sign to look in another direction..

 

[LKdubby]

Frustration...

 

[D.Don]

Mismarked Pricetag content!!

I mentioned the other day that I wanted a Traveler MK-II Escape Bass to tote around with me for practicing. Mainly because it's so small and lightweight, plus you can plug earphones into it or switch over and use an amp if you so choose. At that time I had not tried out the earphones or amp yet, which is why I needed to go back today!

When I was there today I found one of those "wrongly marked price tags" deals that I always read about on here!

Just four or five days ago the Traveler bass was marked at $500 which is what I quoted before, and is also the standard going price on all the websites.. Now the same one I was looking at before is marked at $700!!!?? <--What the ****?
Yet there is another one in the acoustic guitars room that is marked at $300! Yayyy!!!

Now normally I'd be jumping all over the $300 one, with a quickness! BUT....

Both the $700 one and the $300 one have problems with their electronics...
Finding this out was the fruits of my labor in going to GC today..

The $700 one plays and sounds great with earphones plugged in, but when you switch into "amp mode" and plug into an amp no sound comes out at all...

Now on the other hand the $300 one plays great on "amp mode", but when you switch over and plug headphones in you only get sound through the left earphone..

I brought my own headphones and my own 1/4" adapter to test the bass(es) out with.. The salesman who was feverishly trying to help me figure out what was wrong ended up not knowing what to say or do... He thought that the fact that my 1/4" adapter was stereo instead of mono was the problem.. I told him I doubted it because the adapter worked just fine with the "$700" bass, so why shouldn't it work with the other one??

We searched all over GC, including the back rooms for a "mono adapter" and we could not find one in the entire store!! So this theory of mono vs. stereo is still untested..

Stereo adapter

Mono adapter

Anyways, they are holding the Traveler bass for me at this very moment and have said they would honor the $300 price tag that's on it until the end of the day..

I really want to get it at this price, but in working order though (of course)...
Is this worth it to buy it with electronics that immediately need repair? And, can I get this kind of problem fixed easily? Is it expensive work?

Please help me decide what to do with any informed opinions you might be able to offer.

Thank's TB'ers!

PS, it's 7pm right now on the dot.. I think they're open until 9 tonight so I do have a couple hours to figure something out.. If anyone can make suggestions then time is only partly on my side.. Actually, the time is crucial I guess... If it's meant to be then it will come together!

Isn't there any warranty to claim from the manufacturer or is the gear used? Doe's GC provide some kind of warranty on used stuff?

D.Don

 

[LKdubby]

Isn't there any warranty to claim from the manufacturer or is the gear used? Doe's GC provide some kind of warranty on used stuff?

D.Don

Brand new.. I should probably go shoot myself right now.. I didn't even think of using a warranty to fix the damaged part.. How stupid.. I wish I would have seen this mis-marked bass sooner than an hour before closing time..

If I had read your post like I just did and they were still open then I'd be running back up there right now... It WAS a manager who was assisting me and who promised to honor the tag.. Maybe if I call first thing in the morning and get him on the phone I can convince him to let me pick it up in the afternoon for 3 bills!

Aside from all this I'm writing a letter to the manufacturers of the Traveler basses to let them know what I experienced today.. It's not a nasty letter, just a feedback letter and an explanation of why I was dissapointed.. I wonder what they'll say?

I think I'm going to go call that manager.. He did give me his card after all..

 

[D.Don]

Go get it!

D.Don

 

[LKdubby]

Go get it!

D.Don

Thanks man, I'm working on it! We'll see how it goes!

 

[LKdubby]

When I was with the manager I asked him "if I buy this now then it comes as is?" and he said "uh?h?hh, yeah". That was meant to be an extended "uhh", as in uncertainty..

I have to say that he seemed unfamiliar with the bass and the electronics on it, and though he was a nice guy he had no idea on how to remedy the problem and never suggested that there could be a warranty repair..

Though I suppose if I had just asked a couple of the right questions earlier on, then I could have steered this in my favor quicker.. Just thoughts I'm having..

You see, other people learn from reading about this kind of stuff!

 

[Marcury]

If both have electronics problems, then it may be manufacturing and even with a good warrantee could put you in repair-land hell.

 

[LKdubby]

Well I mentioned last night that I was writing a "feedback letter" to the actual manufacturer to let them know what I experienced with the MK-II basses at Guitar Center. This was not a hate letter, just honest feedback.

This is what I received in the emailz first thing this morning:

Richard,

Thank you so much for the email, there are so many good pieces of information I don't know where to start. Let's worry about getting you fitted with the bass that works and that works for the right price.

I can be reached most of the day here at the office (909) 307-2626.

Thanks,

Corey

J. Corey Oliver
Traveler Guitar

I'm really glad I wrote him that letter! I get a good feeling from Corey. This morning I was reading the "News" section on his website @ travelerguitar.com and realized that giving him feedback is probably the best thing I could have done. If you read his news page you would see that he mentions more than once that he wants feedback from dealers, and basically any other feedback he can get. It would seem that he's been doing a lot of footwork trying to improve his product and he seems to truly value what his customers think.

I mentioned in my email to him that I could have bought his MK-II for $300 yesterday, but that in general I thought $500 was too steep and that $400 was closer to a fair asking price. Based on his email response above I'm inclined to think he might be willing to negotiate a price with me. Not to mention that the Travel Bass I get would most likely be coming straight from his headquarters in prime condition!

I throw it out there that if you have not taken a look at the Traveler Guitar website and have nothing better to do right now, then why not take a look at their [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]? I was surprised with the finishes they have available.. I thought their entire line was natural wood finish until this morning.. Some really interesting stuff in there!

 

[LKdubby]

Oh yeah,

It would now seem that there is really no need to go through Guitar Center for this.. Why waste the time? If I'm going to get one of these then why not get it directly from the source and establish the personal relationship with the manufacturer? Something about that idea makes me think that if I do need repairs in the future that I'm going to be likely to be taken care of as a customer as best as possible.

Maybe that's just wishful thinking though?

 

[Rune Bivrin]

My guess is the issues with the ones you tried in the shop was QC related. The $300 probably had it's switch reversed. That would be consistent with getting just one channel in head-phone mode.

The $700 was probably incorrectly wired so that the output was shorted to ground when you put in a mono plug to connect to the amp.

 

[LKdubby]

My guess is the issues with the ones you tried in the shop was QC related. The $300 probably had it's switch reversed. That would be consistent with getting just one channel in head-phone mode.

The $700 was probably incorrectly wired so that the output was shorted to ground when you put in a mono plug to connect to the amp.

Those are definitely logical conclusions, but either way all of those models are selling for $499.00 new anywhere that you can find them. There is no way that the $700 one should have been priced that high, even if it were in perfect working condition..

My guess based on what I read on travelguitar.com, is that Mr. Oliver is probably either on the phone with the Westside Guitar Center recalling those basses, or he's on the way in person to pick them up and swap them with working ones.. I'll find out later when I call him to see if he's picking up those bad ones..

 

[LKdubby]

The $700 was probably incorrectly wired so that the output was shorted to ground when you put in a mono plug to connect to the amp.

Those are definitely logical conclusions, but either way all of those models are selling for $499.00 new anywhere that you can find them. There is no way that the $700 one should have been priced that high, even if it were in perfect working condition..

I misinterpreted what you were saying about the $700 bass.. I got it now..

 

[Marcury]

Smart Move. hope it all works out for you.