NBD: Kiesel IC5 :-(

[tom dicus]

K, they said they can’t reproduce the problems I was having.
They recommended I switch to single coil pickups.

I asked if its possible and how much for them to do the pickup swap for me.

It’ll be funny if I end up loving the sound with Single’s in there.
I’ll have to change my technique as the instrument has no attack or bloom of the note - its just there.
In my research, it seems like this is the trait of Walnut basses - the moment you hit the string, its just sustain; no attack, no bloom, its just immediate.

I think you will like the single coil sound. I hope you like it, that's for sure. You could end up really liking the bass as much as I like my Carvins! All of mine have the single coil. Very warm I think.

 

[IronSpatula]

I dunnno about walnut as a body wood. But I have had two walnut necked basses and I find them to be less middy, more bloomy, and articulate than Maple necks.

I concur. I played a bunch of Carvin basses at the old Sacramento store and the walnut ones were consistently my favorite.

 

[Bliff Curton]

Kisel installed the Singles.
No charge for labor, just parts and shipping.

Very pleased.
Thank you.

 

[Handyman]

I dunnno about walnut as a body wood. But I have had two walnut necked basses and I find them to be less middy, more bloomy, and articulate than Maple necks.

I had a walnut BB75 many years ago. I honestly don't remember how it sounded, but it sure was pretty.

 

[bound'n'blocked]

Kisel installed the Singles.
No charge for labor, just parts and shipping.

Very pleased.
Thank you.

I'm glad things are looking up for your situation. I hope you like it afterwards.

BnB

 

[Bass Viking]

It should be pretty clear to anyone that there's a real risk buying something sight unseen that is marked "no returns." Sometimes we make mistakes. That's what they are, mistakes. Who is responsible for my mistakes? Me.

This thread is super weird. I have purchased expensive basses that sometimes Turn out not to be my thing. That’s the risk. I have never tried to come up with any excuse. I bought it and it didn’t work out. Either I sell it or keep it. Not the manufacturers problem.

EXACTLY. I would hope most people who order sight unseen realize this and take whatever happens in stride. Or they may actually be happy with their purchase (we tend to hear about negative outcomes more than positive ones).

 

[Bass Viking]

Especially with it so clearly stated that there is a strict no-return policy.

But also, this return policy seems really odd, possibly a little shady, and definitely one that is going to create unhappy situations like this.

How is it shady? It`s clearly stated.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Kisel installed the Singles.
No charge for labor, just parts and shipping.

Very pleased.
Thank you.

That's good. My only experience is with videos, but I consistently liked the single coil clips better than the humbuckers.

 

[MordBass]

How is it shady? It`s clearly stated.

Because it seems to be worded in a fashion that leaves them a back door no matter what. Its 2019 and most companies realize that customer service and buyer confidence drive gross revenue. What does it say about your product when 99% of people cant try it first and the returns are sometimes questionable?

 

[bound'n'blocked]

One of the funnier aspects of this thread (to me anyway) was all of the "I would never buy a bass sight unseen or if I couldn't play it first and that's why I would never buy a Kiesel/Carvin" gas. I looked at my wall last night while I was glancing over this thread again and realized that of the seven basses on the wall, and of all of the ones I've owned over the years (around 20), maybe five were played before purchase. Most have come from ebay, reverb, the talkbass classifieds, etc. Same thing for guitars and amps too. Every bass sold in the classified section is being bought by someone sight unseen and not played beforehand. I just found this rather funny.

And for the record, I own five Carvins. Three basses and two guitars. The guitars were ordered and built for me. Top notch in every respect. Of the two, I made a change afterward to one by putting in different pickups, swapping single coils for stacked humbuckers. In regards to the basses, one was bought from the instock section and is perfect in my opinion. The second one is a kit that I assembled and is nice too but not my favorite. The third is the only Carvin I played before I bought. I got the guitars first, because I wasnt a bass player yet, but my bass player owned one and raved about it, so I took the chance. I've never dealt with "Kiesel". To me, they are two different companies, Kiesel and Carvin, when it comes to building guitars and basses. IMO, Kiesel's instruments are so very different from what Carvin offered, that they don't really hold any relationship to the older instruments and the ones I own, that they really aren't an option for purchase to me anymore. But if they offered something that interested me, I wouldn't hesitate to order "sight unseen".

BnB

 

[MordBass]

One of the funnier aspects of this thread (to me anyway) was all of the "I would never buy a bass sight unseen or if I couldn't play it first and that's why I would never buy a Kiesel/Carvin" gas. I looked at my wall last night while I was glancing over this thread again and realized that of the seven basses on the wall, and of all of the ones I've owned over the years (around 20), maybe five were played before purchase. Most have come from ebay, reverb, the talkbass classifieds, etc. Same thing for guitars and amps too. Every bass sold in the classified section is being bought by someone sight unseen and not played beforehand. I just found this rather funny.

And for the record, I own five Carvins. Three basses and two guitars. The guitars were ordered and built for me. Top notch in every respect. Of the two, I made a change afterward to one by putting in different pickups, swapping single coils for stacked humbuckers. In regards to the basses, one was bought from the instock section and is perfect in my opinion. The second one is a kit that I assembled and is nice too but not my favorite. The third is the only Carvin I played before I bought. I got the guitars first, because I wasnt a bass player yet, but my bass player owned one and raved about it, so I took the chance. I've never dealt with "Kiesel". To me, they are two different companies, Kiesel and Carvin, when it comes to building guitars and basses. IMO, Kiesel's instruments are so very different from what Carvin offered, that they don't really hold any relationship to the older instruments and the ones I own, that they really aren't an option for purchase to me anymore. But if they offered something that interested me, I wouldn't hesitate to order "sight unseen".

BnB

I feel you on it but I also feel like it comes down to every individual. Some companies are known for being ultra consistent so its not an issue to order without playing that exact one. For instance, my guitar player LOVES PRS and ive owned one myself in the past. Theyre all basically identical so you can buy with confidence. But then you take somebody like fender where the squier/mim/mia offering can vary wildly from instrument to instrument. That sort of situation makes me not willing to buy it without playing that exact one.
The other aspect is that everybody is different. I have a friend that only buys dodge/plym/chrys vehicles. Its how he was raised and he is legitimately happy with them. Whenever something breaks, he just says "its a car.. things break... its not a big deal". So with his relativity, an alternator taking a dump at 70k on a modern car is acceptable... as is the radiator or fuel pump going out in the first 5 years. And... he does post on forums.. so a potential car buyer might find his posts and gain confidence in purchasing a new jeep compass or something. Unfortunately, we never know all the details of the individual giving the opinion.
The important part though, is that we're all happy and loving what we play.

 

[mmon77]

The other aspect is that everybody is different. I have a friend that only buys dodge/plym/chrys vehicles. Its how he was raised and he is legitimately happy with them. Whenever something breaks, he just says "its a car.. things break... its not a big deal". So with his relativity, an alternator taking a dump at 70k on a modern car is acceptable... as is the radiator or fuel pump going out in the first 5 years.

This to me is familiarity with a product. I'm similar with my Chevys. I know the weak spots, and I can deal with them, so "better the devil you know..." sort of thing.

The same can be said for some bass manufacturers. Some manufacturers' QC is all over the place, and many people are brand loyal, and just accept that for a fact and deal with it.

I've never dealt with Kiesel either, but I love my Carvin 7 string guitar. The quality and fit and finish is light years ahead of anything else in that price range.

 

[Bass Viking]

Because it seems to be worded in a fashion that leaves them a back door no matter what. Its 2019 and most companies realize that customer service and buyer confidence drive gross revenue. What does it say about your product when 99% of people cant try it first and the returns are sometimes questionable?

When it comes to custom made instruments, not being able to try before buying comes with the territory. Most Keisels CAN be returned and the ones that can't are clearly marked as such. Shady would be if they had loopholes in fine print, etc.

 

[LBS-bass]

Kisel installed the Singles.
No charge for labor, just parts and shipping.

Very pleased.
Thank you.

That's promising. I hope it works out well for you once you get it back!

 

[bound'n'blocked]

When it comes to custom made instruments, not being able to try before buying comes with the territory. Most Keisels CAN be returned and the ones that can't are clearly marked as such. Shady would be if they had loopholes in fine print, etc.

I think that is one of the keys in this whole argument of buying without trying. Some guys will put a thousand dollars down on some custom build by a guy, and then wait for a year to get it, AFTER paying another three or four grand. I dont know what kind of warranty some of these boutique luthiers offer, but for the money they make I would expect at least as good as the Kiesel 10 day trial period.

Either way, I hope Bliff gets what he was hoping to have when this mess first got going.

BnB

 

[Bass Viking]

I looked at my wall last night while I was glancing over this thread again and realized that of the seven basses on the wall, and of all of the ones I've owned over the years (around 20), maybe five were played before purchase.

I'm in the same boat. The vast majority of my basses were bought online without ever having played one. It's a fact of life for we bassists: limited local selection. Guitars are a different story, the selection is almost overwhelming by comparison!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I think that is one of the keys in this whole argument of buying without trying. Some guys will put a thousand dollars down on some custom build by a guy, and then wait for a year to get it, AFTER paying another three or four grand. I dont know what kind of warranty some of these boutique luthiers offer, but for the money they make I would expect at least as good as the Kiesel 10 day trial period.

Either way, I hope Bliff gets what he was hoping to have when this mess first got going.

BnB

The boutique builders aren’t making the big bucks you may think they’re making.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

If the single-coils work for you, don’t say I told you so...
See post #106...
I hope it does work out, seriously!
Good luck!

 

[Bliff Curton]

When it comes to custom made instruments, not being able to try before buying comes with the territory. Most Keisels CAN be returned and the ones that can't are clearly marked as such. Shady would be if they had loopholes in fine print, etc.

Aktooally,
While Kiesel makes custom intruments, not every intrument they make is custom ;-)
So please stop insinuating that my instrument is custom. It is not.

I notice you and the other TB’ers who are also members of Kiesel’s forums are the only ones who dont see what Kiesel did as being shady.
In the cannabis indistry, we call these people ‘industry shills’
Kiesel never had to engage in this forum because they have you guys constantly defending their company for them.

 

[Bass Viking]

I notice you and the other TB’ers who are also members of Kiesel’s forums are the only ones who dont see what Kiesel did as being shady.

Apparently your credit card company didn't see it as shady either.

I'm confused. What exactly is shady about this affair?