How hard is it to pack a guitar?

[hippietim]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

And just to be clear, I didn't start this thread to attack anyone or single anyone out. It is a problem with darn near everyone in the business it seems.

[hippietim]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

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Great. Now I have to spend the day wondering how I interpreted something the same way Newc did. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] This desire to hack up my guitars...will it pass?

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[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[txcharvel]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Wow, from reading this I honestly believe Matt was referring to the big name manufacturers.

He is correct. It's easier for Fender to take a chance and pay for a damaged guitar than it is to institute across the board changes in how they package instruments.

Just think how Matt feels, his inventory and livelihood depend on his suppliers shipping undamaged gear.

[lerxstcat]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

I think your dealer you order from would probably upgrade the packing once it gets to them, if you're willing to pay for it. But you'd have to ask for that ahead of time I think, otherwise they'd just get it, put a new label on and ship it on to you. I doubt they open the boxes to inspect the guitars at the dealer. It takes a few minutes - times however many guitars they handle - and until you get it and find the problem, it's something they can deal with later. Doesn't sound very customer-service oriented, but then inspecting the guitars could seriously slow down their response time to others. So I think a squeaky wheel would probably get grease, if you buy the grease.

Hell, my first Jackson I bought from MF, a JDR Pro Reverse, I bought after having a couple of bad experiences with acoustic guitars getting whacked in shipping. When I called to order, I told the CSR that when I'd finished placing the order I wanted to talk to someone there who actually handled and knew guitars. I got him on the horn and explained my 4-guitars-bad in a row experience, then said, "here's what I want: Decent action, a uniformly dark fingerboard, no zebra shit, and take 5 minutes to make sure everything worked, no cracks or blems, etc. They had to unbox it anyway because I ordered a hardshell case that it didn't come with, so In just said, pick me a decent one and we'll be cool the first time". He did and I liked what I got, even if it was a Taiwan model MF special.

Of course they might not do that today, that was 1996. But if you discuss the issue in advance, they slready know you will raise hell if they fuck up, and nobody really wants that in their day. So they will go out of their way to do for you what they should be doing for everyone, if the world were fair and just.

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Hey, wait a frekin minute here. Did I say I did that ? No. Did I say I ship guitars like that ? No. Please read my statement again and notice there is no "I" in there. I actually had that worded with "If a manufacturer ships 1000 guitars and a certain amount breaks.." but shortened it. I am just telling you what the manufacturers are probably thinking. Not mentioning any names, some manufacturers are really pretty darn close to sticking a guitar in a box and that's it. They flop around quite a bit.

Maybe they can afford to have 1 out of 100 get damaged and not covered by insurance, but not me. Anyone who has ever ordered ANY guitar, or anything for that matter, from me knows it either comes in the hardshell case which protects the hell out of it or it is packed very well.

Any of you are also free to read any of my posts if you think I am rude and discourtios to anyone.

Matt

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Ya know, even my very worst post to anyone in here (If there is one) is not nearly as rude and biased or whatever as I have seen a lot of users here make. I see all kinds of Racist statements, insults, gay bashing, political bashing and a lot more that basicly go unchecked here, but I make one statement about shipping and you guys go balistic on me. Is that because I am a business man ? That's not exactly being fair is it ?

If any of you think I am a bad guy, just ask some of the people here who have dealt with me. Like my views or not, I am not just in here to sell you guitars. When I lost me dealership and stopped sponsoring the board, did I stop coming here ? Go look at some of the other sponsors here and see how many of thier posts are reguarding sales or perspective sales ?

Matt

[hippietim]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

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I see all kinds of Racist statements, insults, gay bashing, political bashing and a lot more that basicly go unchecked here, but I make one statement about shipping and you guys go balistic on me.

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I don't think anyone went ballistic on you. Based on my impression of you and your post I think reaching the conclusion that some of us did is not unreasonable. You could have simply clarified what you meant and left it at that.

As for the unchecked comments, this place is not politically correct - far from it and I'm fine with that. Heck, even some of the admins make the sorts of comments you are referring to.

[hippietim]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

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I think your dealer you order from would probably upgrade the packing once it gets to them, if you're willing to pay for it. But you'd have to ask for that ahead of time I think, otherwise they'd just get it, put a new label on and ship it on to you. I doubt they open the boxes to inspect the guitars at the dealer. It takes a few minutes - times however many guitars they handle - and until you get it and find the problem, it's something they can deal with later. Doesn't sound very customer-service oriented, but then inspecting the guitars could seriously slow down their response time to others. So I think a squeaky wheel would probably get grease, if you buy the grease.

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Then what is the point of a dealer being involved for mail order/online purchasing? The dealer is adding no value in the transaction as you describe it. Let me just order the guitar direct so I can save a couple bucks and eliminate the need to ship the guitar an additional time.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

I think it is because they ship x amount of guitars and any damaged items are probablly on the small % so there is no concern????

I received a couple new guitars and I personally wouldn't have shipped them out like that. I'd be affraid of damage. When I ship stuff I ship it out how I'd expect it to be shipped, well packed and insured [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I see all kinds of Racist statements, insults, gay bashing, political bashing and a lot more that basicly go unchecked here, but I make one statement about shipping and you guys go balistic on me.

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I don't think anyone went ballistic on you. Based on my impression of you and your post I think reaching the conclusion that some of us did is not unreasonable. You could have simply clarified what you meant and left it at that.

As for the unchecked comments, this place is not politically correct - far from it and I'm fine with that. Heck, even some of the admins make the sorts of comments you are referring to.

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I would have been more than happy to clarify anything, but nobody asked. You just started saying you wouldn't buy anything from me cause of my attitude.

And BELIEVE me, I couldn't be more on your side. Do you know how bad it is to have to call up a customer and tell them the guitar they have been waiting on for 2 months is damaged and has to go back.

I don't want to be a guy who just responds to business related stuff in here.

Matt

[neilli]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

I agree about the sentiments regarding poorly packaged guitars (I'd have considered shooting someone if I was the guy who had his spalted maple KV turn up with a headstock break!), but for what it's worth I bought a used RR1 from Matt and it was well packed and made it across the atlantic perfectly....

[axeman81]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

I'm with Matt, I think you really misunderstood what he was saying and jumped the gun on that one...
At the same time, I also share Tim's frustration. When I got my SL2H from the US all the way over to Norway, it was allright but one corner of the hardshell case had been only slightly cracked, so I could see the isopore inside, but the guitar was just fine probably because of the snug fit.
But I think to crack open the plastic like that, would require quite a blow to it.

It is just as big an issue that these people who work in UPS, DHL, USPS etc. don't seem to take any pride whatsoever in delivering something to you in one piece. It's like it's all worthless boxes to them!

These are some reasons why I'm specifying a proper flight case with my custom Jackson order...it would simply kill me if I waited 18 months for a fancy box of $4000 dollar toothpicks!
It's not fair that I have to pay an extra amount of money just because people handle everything like it was tank armor, but hey, you can't park your car in a mall parking lot and expect the doors not to be dented when you go home, so........

[Twisteramps]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Matt's one of the good guys - hate to see misunderstandings like this. I see him as a fellow JCF member that I've known for years first, a business guy 2nd.

Regarding packing guitars - I always put bubble wrap inside the case so the guitar can't shift. Then I usually take trash bags and fill them with newspaper, and cushion the hardcase inside the box with that. Haven't lost a guitar yet!

Ditto on the taylor boxes, and there was another company I can't think of right now that did that with electric guitars. they had two end pieces of cardboard that fit over the ends of the case, and kept the corners from crushing, held the case firmly, and also had an inch or two of 'crush space' on the ends. I've had guitars come to me damaged, I think those of us that have 'lost one in transit' pack like we're shipping our grandmother. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Pete

[OnlineStageGear]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Another reason some "Manufacturers" (not me) will opt to ship with little or no packing is they are rarely at a total loss on an item. A broken neck can be replaced on a bolt-on. A chipped item can be sold as B stock and some guitars can be parted out.

“Disclaimer” Online Stage Gear and it’s advertisers do not support this practice or policy in any way.

However on some higher dollar items, some manufacturers will take it an extra step like Jackson that does require that all thier USA guitars ship in a hardshell case to thier dealers.

Matt

[Chrisb]

Re: How hard is it to pack a guitar?

Like Pete said, OSGMatt is on our side, he's been a poster here for as long as I have (a long time) and he's never been about just the sale (and thats not to say Scott and Matt are, because they both contribute to the board far beyond just selling gear to posters), he's a jackson fan first and foremost like any of us. He used to be a regular chatroom user back in the day as well, as was Pete. It was just a misunderstanding and if OSGMatt was still a custom shop dealer I would have gotten my guitar from him as I said I would a few years back (I try to remember my promises, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Happily everything has gone well with Matt from Matt's Music.) , he's a stand up guy.

It scares the living SHIT out of me that I am getting a custom with all the horror stories I hear from you all, but Matt has a good rep and I'm sure it will be fine. But it does worry you to know you spent over 2500 on a guitar and that some dumbass UPS driver is gonna be tossing it around like a football. I work in a warehouse so I know how those guys treat their cargo, its appalling.