Updated Amazon Deals

[BassDudeSA]

NO kidding? Wow! Thats VERY sad

Heck, wouldn't bother me a bit. I do my own setups. Don't really care about a manual and not that interested in "case candy". Unless the bass was flawed or scratched or had some kind of "real" problem, then I'd be keepin' it! It's about the instrument, not about the fluff.

 

[Tunaman]

Well, you gotta question the warranty at that point which is a big deal. If you bought a new car but got a slightly used one with 500 miles on it... its a problem

 

[UncleFluffy]

Heck, wouldn't bother me a bit. I do my own setups. Don't really care about a manual and not that interested in "case candy". Unless the bass was flawed or scratched or had some kind of "real" problem, then I'd be keepin' it! It's about the instrument, not about the fluff.

Yeah, and if it had been advertised as "used" for that price I would have set it up and not been too stressed. But if it's sold as new I expect to get what I paid for, not "it'll be almost what we advertised if you put a couple of hours work in sorting it out"

This isn't all that bad. I once bought a 128G SSD and got a 16G that the previous owner had swapped the label on and returned. No idea how Amazon had accepted it with a poorly aligned, half-peeling-off label, but there you go ...

 

[fatdoggie]

Well ... it's here, and I'm not impressed. This makes it clear that at least some of the hot deals are customer returns. The case candy came in a regular #10 envelope with a big piece of tape across the back, the manual was missing, the setup was awful and it was obvious that someone severely lacking in clue had tinkered with it:

Does anyone really think it came that way from the factory?

I called Amazon and they're sending a guaranteed new, un-******-with replacement and UPS will be coming to my door to collect this one.

If the next one is no good I'm getting a refund, else it'll either be kept or turning up in the TB classifieds at cost.

Mine arrived on Tuesday. FexEd had managed to punch a couple good holes in the outer carton, but the relatively flimsy inner carton somehow survived. I was a little shocked at the packaging and lack of box contents. There were just a few foam blocks in the box and the bass was packed in one of those white thin foam bags.

Like yours, my case candy was just an envelope with some tape on the back and a very cheap instrument cord. There was a hang tag on it with "Plek'ed in Chicago" bearing a signature and cling film on all the tuning keys. I don't recall if there was film on the pickups or not.

I did expect to see a manual or warranty card, but the bass did not appear to have been used - I didn't see a fingerprint or mark anywhere on it. As far as setup, I thought it was pretty good and the bridge didn't seem to have been screwed with.

I found an unboxing video for a Skyline 44-51 on youtube and it looks almost identical to my unboxing experience.

 

[UncleFluffy]

Like yours, my case candy was just an envelope with some tape on the back and a very cheap instrument cord.

You got a crappy cable with yours? Now I'm really feeling ripped off

 

[Texan]

Mine arrived on Tuesday. FexEd had managed to punch a couple good holes in the outer carton, but the relatively flimsy inner carton somehow survived. I was a little shocked at the packaging and lack of box contents. There were just a few foam blocks in the box and the bass was packed in one of those white thin foam bags.

Like yours, my case candy was just an envelope with some tape on the back and a very cheap instrument cord. There was a hang tag on it with "Plek'ed in Chicago" bearing a signature and cling film on all the tuning keys. I don't recall if there was film on the pickups or not.

I did expect to see a manual or warranty card, but the bass did not appear to have been used - I didn't see a fingerprint or mark anywhere on it. As far as setup, I thought it was pretty good and the bridge didn't seem to have been screwed with.

I found an unboxing video for a Skyline 44-51 on youtube and it looks almost identical to my unboxing experience.

I'd still rather pay $120 extra if Lakland would change their policy and ship everything in a case!!! I know they are trying to keep costs down but come on Lakland, an American std Fender that costs less comes with a case for protection. They are using the same packaging as a Squier....get with it!!!

 

[user2048]

Mine arrived on Tuesday. FexEd had managed to punch a couple good holes in the outer carton, but the relatively flimsy inner carton somehow survived. I was a little shocked at the packaging and lack of box contents. There were just a few foam blocks in the box and the bass was packed in one of those white thin foam bags.

Like yours, my case candy was just an envelope with some tape on the back and a very cheap instrument cord. There was a hang tag on it with "Plek'ed in Chicago" bearing a signature and cling film on all the tuning keys. I don't recall if there was film on the pickups or not.

I did expect to see a manual or warranty card, but the bass did not appear to have been used - I didn't see a fingerprint or mark anywhere on it. As far as setup, I thought it was pretty good and the bridge didn't seem to have been screwed with.
...

I bought one of these, during the same sale. Mine was like fatdoggie's, for the most part. There were no holes in the outer box. There was a date on the "Plek'd" tag, 10-25-11. There was film on the tuners, none on the pickups. The bass was very clean except for some little bits of sticky adhesive and some styrofoam bits. It seemed like there should've been another tag or two, with the model name & #, and warranty blurb. But maybe not.

My taped-up case candy envelope contained a basic instrument cable in a plastic bag, but also had: three different-sized Allen wrenches in a plastic bag, a printed sheet about the required string length and such, and a very crookedly-cut piece of paper with the warranty. The crooked warranty paper and taped-up envelope were very tacky. It seemed like there should have been more, maybe some sort of "Congratulations on your purchase of a Lakland bass! ..." paper.

About the packaging: My inner box had obviously been opened and re-taped. A minor problem was that the styrofoam in the inner box was half crumbled and coming unglued from the box. But the real problem was the size of the outer box (Amazon's) vs. the inner box (Lakland's.) The outer box was just a little bigger than the inner one, front to back (OK). But it was a little longer and twice as wide. So the inner box could slide around a lot in the outer box. There was no sort of filler. Seems like a bad idea, but the bass was undamaged.

Overall, I'm satisfied with the bass itself but a little dismayed about the extras and packaging.

Several posts mention a manual. Should there have been one with the bass, other than the two pieces of paper about the strings and the warranty?

 

[fatdoggie]

You got a crappy cable with yours? Now I'm really feeling ripped off

I'd send you mine, but it honestly wouldn't be worth the stamp to do it!

I did open my crappy envelope this morning and there was a sheet with some string info and a little xeroxed snip of paper that was the "warranty certificate" in addition to a few hex keys.

I wonder if the re-taped box is due to the bass being repacked in the box that it is shipped in from Indonesia after being Plek'ed?

 

[kjpollo]

When I got my Schecter Model T a couple of years back, the packaging was the same! A really crappy inner box with random foam pieces in it which was inside a decent but overly large outside box. I had that bass shipped to my drummers house because we were away for a week or so and he called me and warned me that the box didnt look so hot. Fortunately, the bass was fine, I got the allen wrenches, SOME paperwork and the cheap 10' cable.
But rewind a couple years prior when I got my Schecter Riot, THAT bass was impeccably packed! A very good inner box packed inside a properly sized outer box that was definitely provided by Schecter (had a ginormous logo on the front). All paperwork & wrenches plus another cheap cable. No issues with that bass either.

 

[user2048]

... I wonder if the re-taped box is due to the bass being repacked in the box that it is shipped in from Indonesia after being Plek'ed?

That makes perfect sense. The inner box is from Lakland, with "Made in Indonesia", model #, and color. And a big yellow sticker that says "Loaded". And a little sticker that says "NEW KNOB". (One of the detented knobs is a little less "detenty" than the others.)

 

[macribas]

I am glad to see that there seems to be first time Lakland owners here. At least first time buying them brand new. Welcome! Don't forget to register at Link Removed. There we will be happy to answer all your questions. Soon people will start complaining about us discussing the new owners' experience here in the Amazon thread.
But yes, sorry for not setting the expectations accordingly, the packaging and "case candy" are very humble, from the factory. These are not returns, that's how they come. Crappy envelope and crappy photocopies. It is a way to cut costs, since the majority of people just throw that stuff away.
I hope you enjoy your new basses, I love my Laklands. In case you are not happy with your purchase and don't wanna go through the hassle of returning it to Amazon, let me know. We might work something out.

 

[Tunaman]

Well there it is folks, these are NOT amazon seconds! Thank you very much Macribas.

What Lakland does is Laklands business and not a fault of Amazon

It doesn't look like these basses have any blemishes, maybe just cost cuts on setups, packaging & case candy. Overall you guys enjoy your BRAND NEW very nice instruments!

 

[Bottoms_Up!]

Mine arrived in perfect condition. The action and intonation were spot on. Fantastic instrument and one of the nicest B strings I've ever played. My only complaint is the noisy single-coils when soloed, but that's par for the course.

 

[macribas]

Mine arrived in perfect condition. The action and intonation were spot on. Fantastic instrument and one of the nicest B strings I've ever played. My only complaint is the noisy single-coils when soloed, but that's par for the course.

Nice! See you at Link Removed then.

 

[dave79]

I am glad to see that there seems to be first time Lakland owners here. At least first time buying them brand new. Welcome! Don't forget to register at Link Removed. There we will be happy to answer all your questions. Soon people will start complaining about us discussing the new owners' experience here in the Amazon thread.
But yes, sorry for not setting the expectations accordingly, the packaging and "case candy" are very humble, from the factory. These are not returns, that's how they come. Crappy envelope and crappy photocopies. It is a way to cut costs, since the majority of people just throw that stuff away.
I hope you enjoy your new basses, I love my Laklands. In case you are not happy with your purchase and don't wanna go through the hassle of returning it to Amazon, let me know. We might work something out.

So you work for Lakland and can make this a definite statement on the company's behalf?

 

[UncleFluffy]

But yes, sorry for not setting the expectations accordingly, the packaging and "case candy" are very humble, from the factory. These are not returns, that's how they come. Crappy envelope and crappy photocopies. It is a way to cut costs, since the majority of people just throw that stuff away.

Thanks for the info and the invitation. I'm still very suspicious about mine, given the G string saddle and the overall state of the setup. It's hard to believe that someone who took pride in their work would sign their name to a job that poor, so my guess is still that someone else messed with it after the factory. If the replacement is good, I might just head over to LOG-land and say hi.

 

[macribas]

So you work for Lakland and can make this a definite statement on the company's behalf?

I wish I worked for them. I have to make a living in the IT industry unfortunately. I am just a fan. The aforementioned website is an independent community of bass players that like Laklands. I am the webmaster and I do it for free.

I just asked people, if they don't like the bass, to let me know before they return it to Amazon. I missed the sale due to financial constraints (was hoping for it to come down) but maybe there's a second chance.

By the way, their customer service is second to none. If you really need an official statement, maybe you should email Brian or Leo there. The contact page is Invalid Link Removed, their contact info is there. They are really good people.

 

[baba]

Thanks for the info and the invitation. I'm still very suspicious about mine, given the G string saddle and the overall state of the setup. It's hard to believe that someone who took pride in their work would sign their name to a job that poor, so my guess is still that someone else messed with it after the factory. If the replacement is good, I might just head over to LOG-land and say hi.

I cannot believe your G string saddle came from Lakland OR the Indo factory like that. Why would they Plek it and then have a saddle like that?!?! Somebody must have played with it.

 

[dave79]

I wish I worked for them. I have to make a living in the IT industry unfortunately. I am just a fan. The aforementioned website is an independent community of bass players that like Laklands. I am the webmaster and I do it for free.

I just asked people, if they don't like the bass, to let me know before they return it to Amazon. I missed the sale due to financial constraints (was hoping for it to come down) but maybe there's a second chance.

By the way, their customer service is second to none. If you really need an official statement, maybe you should email Brian or Leo there. The contact page is Invalid Link Removed, their contact info is there. They are really good people.

That's okay(in regard to contacting Lakland), I'm just a fly on the wall. Thanks for being candid with your response, I actually assumed everything you just said, I just wanted to make clear to Tunaman and whomever else is paying attention that this wasn't an "official" answer to any new/used quandary.

 

[macribas]

That's okay(in regard to contacting Lakland), I'm just a fly on the wall. Thanks for being candid with your response, I actually assumed everything you just said, I just wanted to make clear to Tunaman and whomever else is paying attention that this wasn't an "official" answer to any new/used quandary.

Oh, ok, cool. Sorry if I came across as a "Lakland official".