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Delivery date for the new TE Elf head


TheGreek
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I tried the new TE Elf at the LBGS and though I wasn't given a great deal of time to give it a thorough going over I was sufficiently impressed to place an order with Bass Direct after the Barnes & Mullins rep, Mark Hedge, advised they were due to arrive in the UK "[i]at the end of March, if not, then end of April." [/i]

"[i]Lovely[/i]", I thought, placed my order with BD and sent the money.

March came and went, nothing - contacted MH who advised "[i]end of April[/i]" for the head, cabs "[i]later this year[/i]".

I've subsequently emailed Mark Hedge a couple of times for a firmer date - he'd "[i]chase it up[/i]" but haven't had any further reply.

Just spoke to B&M, the distributors for the Elf - I'd also messaged Bass Direct about the delivery date. [b]Both now advise end of June. [/b]

When I spoke to Marcus at Bass Direct he offered me a refund but don't want to take this, [i]I want the head[/i].

I'm pretty peeved to be honest - originally advised the end of March, then April, now it's June, but what can you do? Hands are pretty well tied. [i]Sooo[/i] frustrating..

I appreciate the problem lies with the American end of the distribution chain but hate having no control over any given situation!!

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Let me get this right....

Trace, originally from the UK (and I'm aware of most of their history up to a point as I was a big fan of the SMX amps) is now manufactured elsewhere, but then sent to the USA, then sent to the UK, then hits a middleman dealer, then to the shop?!

It's 2017. I have no idea if the above chain of events is accurate but my god, what a waste of time and money, especially the dealer in the UK. Just send it to the shop. Those types of amp are so difficult to work on for a tech that I imagine they just give you a new one if it breaks!

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You also have to feel sorry for BD. In effect Greek is there customer, so the first point of contact in the chain, so any ear bashing is going to be aimed at them. Shops being let down by manufacturers/distributors must be a real pain for the proprietor as well as the customer. Glad you were offered a refund by BD they are obviously doing what they can to keep you happy.

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[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1493371390' post='3287797']
You also have to feel sorry for BD. In effect Greek is there customer, so the first point of contact in the chain, so any ear bashing is going to be aimed at them. Shops being let down by manufacturers/distributors must be a real pain for the proprietor as well as the customer. Glad you were offered a refund by BD they are obviously doing what they can to keep you happy.
[/quote]

I agree. Good of them.

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Just to add to this, I really don't think manufacturers/designers in the music world seem to have an idea of 'hit this deadline.'

If I don't hit a deadline at work, I absolutely know I will be in for hell on earth. It MUST be hit, so I hit them before the day if I can.

Just don't project dates you cannot hit to take orders (not related to BD by the way...not their fault). Be honest and add another month on top of your projection.

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[quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1493373463' post='3287826']
Just to add to this, I really don't think manufacturers/designers in the music world seem to have an idea of 'hit this deadline.'

If I don't hit a deadline at work, I absolutely know I will be in for hell on earth. It MUST be hit, so I hit them before the day if I can.

Just don't project dates you cannot hit to take orders (not related to BD by the way...not their fault). Be honest and add another month on top of your projection.
[/quote]

The thing is, with manufacturing electronics... you can't afford to ship a defective product, especially if you know that it's not right. The cost of shipping in an incorrect circuit board and then having the recalls to put it right could be enough to bankrupt the company.

I don't think that anybody purposely projects inaccurate dates, its a thing that happens when you are in manufacturing.

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Just to make it clear that I'm not angry at BD, in fact I've traded with Marcus a couple of times and value his opinion.

My frustration comes from being "misled" by the B&M rep, but TBH he was probably just acting on the info he had. Would have been nice to have been kept apprised of changes though.

Just frustrated and venting...

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1493370496' post='3287780']
Even if you don't like them as a company, there's a lot to be said for Apple's policy of only announcing new products when they are going to be available within the next few days.
[/quote]They only do that to get the i-sheep frothing at the mouth.

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I too placed an order for an Elf with BD back in March. At that time expected delivery was 'imminent'. This then went back to the end of April.

Was informed on Friday that delivery would now be end of June 😡.

To be fair to BD they offered me a refund (which I've taken). Would have much preferred to have had a shiny new amp but hey ho. As has been said already in this thread, I just wish that manufacturers would get all their ducks in a line (or at least in the same pond) before making announcements about availability.

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Part of the problem is that companies want to announce new products at NAMM, so if they think it will be out within the year then that's where they announce. Other industries that have a big trade show suffer the same problems.
The answer is, if you see something you like the look of, note it, but order nothing until they are available. This is always a possible issue with pre-orders.
Not that that negates your frustration this time around. Just a tip to avoid it in future! ;)

Edited by fftc
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[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1493574062' post='3289195']
I'd looked at one of these as a gig backup head but became aware of the extending timeline for availability, pity would've been perfect.
[/quote]

That's exactly what I wanted it for mart. Was toying with getting an MB200 but saw these and thought great, TE and small enough to keep in the gig bag. May still get one later on.

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I haven't placed a preorder but to be honest, if the reviews from those that have are half way good I'll be getting one of these. It's half the size of the mb200 and that's tiny...

... breaking new ground, I hope it's up to it :)

Edited by CamdenRob
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  • 1 month later...

[b]DELIVERY DATE UPDATE:[/b]

I contacted Barnes & Mullins today to chase up a more accurate delivery date (in June) for the new Elf.

I was advised that [b]they do not have a confirmed delivery date [/b]but expect delivery at "[b][i]the end of July[/i][/b]".

I'm not happy about this as I was promised "[i]end of March, if not, April[/i]" by the B&M rep at the LBGS and handed over payment for pre-order shortly after the conversation.

I've also emailed TE in the USA and I'm awaiting a reply from their Customer Sales Dept. but TBH I'm seriously considering getting a refund and waiting till they actually arrive....

Edited by TheGreek
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I'm interested in these, but I've noticed one of the cabs (I think the 28) is 400w rms handling. Given that the elf is going to put in about 130w rms, am i being suspicious thinking that theres a more powerful amp being planned to match the cabs?

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