Dood

It does make you wonder though, how courier firms have been able to get away with such poor service for years? People aren't making up their reviews after all. Yup, I really do feel like we "literally have no options to choose from." Yes, couriers do hundreds of deliveries a day, but I am sure that a Dentist wouldn't last long if he'd managed to mess up 10 people's mouths out of every 100 check ups. A cashier in a bank wouldn't last long if they were handing out the wrong amounts of cash. example, example, example.. yet we are all happy to keep playing courier lottery. Too many people are having bad experiences verses those who are lucky enough to have never had a problem - and man, genuinely I am pleased that you have received a great service!! I welcome the balanced discussion and there are certainly points to be taken from it. @discreet's post helps to paint a wider picture that sadly will probably never get addressed, much like this situation. For this particular situation, We're all playing the game of "well it might turn up", if it hasn't found its way to CashConvertors yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM3SRG7D21Y

Actually, I wondered where the company went to, so I checked google. They went bankrupt in 2012. Well, that's one less to worry about.

I've actually seen this happen with my own eyes. I once watched someone playing football with a small parcel trying to 'score a goal' in to the back of a van. They tried several times whilst a "colleague" stood there laughing. Of course, I reported what I saw.

I'd venture that with the advent of the 'new wave' of digital processors such as Positive Grid, Helix, AxeFX and Kemper that Impulse Responses for bass are being used and growing in popularity at an accelerating rate. Even the likes of Darkglass are building pedals that load user preset IR's on. For the uninitiated, guitarists using overdrive or distortion, cabinet IR's help to shape and make driven tones more palatable - and as bassists are using drive (especially in say prog and metal situations) then IR's for classic bass cabinets are required more and more. I think that you only have to look at the likes of Sigma and other companies who specialise in IR creation to see that demand for bass IR's are growing. I actually managed to grab a download the other day that literally has hundreds, maybe more IR's and many are bass orientated. That said, all-analogue hardware examples that allow the mixing of direct and cabinet simulated sound and can also offer up the compression and distortion artefacts of a real amplifier are highly regarded too. P.s. Would like to review the Doug Pinnick pedal in GI please (Do I win a Q/Strip yet?)

Ahh not just me then!! I've got a D'Addario / Planet Waves adaptor that I have been using for years which has been really good. I went through plenty of those things until I found some that weren't loose!

I'm not a twitterer unfortunately, but that would seem to be one possible action. I've asked the "customer service" operative to give me the details of the person I should be escalating this to. I suspect I might not get a reply!!

And, if the will is there, it is actually possible to put in place failsafes which could ensure parcels won't get lost. A reasonably simple system that would pay for itself by cutting down on administration required to sort out these fairy dust coated packages. If I understand correctly, all 'lost and found' packages get sent to a new location for further admin!! Wha?? - Given that, in the words of the "customer service" person I've heard from that a lot of packages were delivered to their lost and found warehouse yesterday, you have to wonder why they aren't doing more to fix this situation. *needs a facepalm emoji to fill the page*.

A message back from someone at UPS. They still haven't been able to identify the parcel they found earlier yesterday. It also seems that they are now providing the excuse that it takes up to 8 days to investigate anything. Including the previously mentioned derrière and elbow situation. Who do I escalate this to? Who is willing to actually do something for me?

I have the unfortunate situation of having nowhere to hide when someone sends me a beautiful fretless bass to review. The least I can do is apologise to Youtube before I start playing 😂

And if you play fretless like I do, then it should be an Offender Imprecision..

Oh and I totally agree with you. I absolutely wouldn't if I didn't have to. But, why are we being held ransom when we do have to?

Ah yes, on the subject of my ole IT career, we used to receive deliveries that had a despatch note on the outside. The amount of kit that "got lost" was astounding. Right up until the point that the despatch note was updated and the contents couldn't be read through the plastic flap.

Yes and he, like my local driver, Luciano I think his name is, should be commended. He won't be though as he's actually just doing the job he's employed to do - Taking care of parcels. Hell, I used to work in IT and would think nothing of bringing a coffee out to my customer whilst I helped them out with their fault or project. I don't believe it was ever noted on my appraisals though. It's now seemingly so expected that service will be crap that anyone 'doing their job properly' is seen as 'going the extra mile'. - Maybe since 'going the extra mile' is too much effort for some, who don't care about anything other than getting paid, it's no surprise we are left with situations like those above. Pat on the back to friendly driver. We need more like you.

I will add that the local driver here can be excluded as he’s a nice chap. Sadly he is in a tiny minority at UPS.

Ahhh yes, that reminds me... “Why didn’t your driver deliver?” “He couldn’t find the address” YOU HAD ONE JOB!!!, gahhhhhhhhh! Obviously too stupid to use Sat Nav, or even a mobile ‘phone. Or.... dare I say it.... THE POWER OF SPEECH and ask someone!

I think it’s all getting out of hand and I agree with you La Bam, Ambient. Why are we having to pay extra because a courier can’t be trusted to do one simple job? It has always irked me, but now it really is boiling my fosters. Baggage handlers and Couriers are in a special group all of their own. Neither will be dealing with anything valuable of mine in future. Whilst on the subject of shipping instruments, there have been countless examples of pieces of gear that I planned to review that either arrived damaged or got back to their ‘owners’ damaged due to those muppets who don’t care. I’ve seen more than one speaker cabinet arrive in triple layer packaging with several inches of foam supports, only to have the box in one hand and a whole tweeter in the other. Bass necks that look like bananas and amplifiers that have had their ‘internal organs’ ruptured. And an apology from any single one? Nah.

After seeing the graphic pictures here on BC and hearing how UPS managed to destroy yet another valuable instrument my heart sank. Not just because Andy Travis’ dreams that were unfolding on his NBD thread were crushed.. a bit like what UPS did to said instrument, but because at the same time UPS were handling the shipment of something valuable for me too. Even feeling huge sympathy for a fellow bassist and BC family member, you still don’t think that it will happen to you. Well, unless the parcel you are expecting doesn’t turn up on the promised day. And so, the story begins... Back to Wednesday last week, time was getting a little late, so I thought I’d drop a call to my local UPS depot. “The parcel wasn’t scanned in. That means it wasn’t ready for collection. It wasn’t picked up.” Odd, considering how good the shop I was in contact with had been. I’ll give them a bell. The parcel was definitely collected. Much head scratching ensued. Thursday, lots of telephone calls and emails back and forth to the shop trying to get through to UPS customer services, who didn’t really seem that bothered. We did manage to get a request raised to investigate a lost parcel though... eventually. Maybe they see this happening so often, it’s not really deemed as important anymore? Well the good news via the shop is that the driver on the route that day remembers the collection and should have scanned the item on to his van. As I now understand it from UPS “customer services”, parcels should have also been scanned off the vehicles in to the depot. Which appears to have not happened on both occasions. It’s all a bit... well, odd. “So what of a parcel that hasn’t been scanned going through the UPS system” you ask? UPS don’t know. Over to those helpful tikes at UPS for an answer to that one.. Where do packages that “haven’t” been scanned end up? Are they stopped in their tracks by some sort of clever sorting process? I asked. You wouldn’t want anything dangerous accidentally going through right? You could hear the look of confusion over the ‘phone line. In fact, if you took the word of the chap I spoke to, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the staff who work at UPS lived in Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. Magic spells making things seemingly disappear? .. well, the possibilities are endless. Friday I think came and went.. Monday, and Tuesday and communication is made, but to be honest it all still felt a bit like, “we’re telling you we are looking in to it, but no one is.” - because how long does it actually take to search a local depot? Surely a large box without a shipping label isn’t that difficult to miss? It wouldn’t have been allowed to leave a depot unmarked surely? UPS don’t have a solid answer for those questions either. Today, this morning we had a message saying a parcel that possibly matches the description has been found. Yet as I type this late in to the evening, have they possibly managed to look at the parcel? Or are they possibly still doing flip all? I wonder where they found it too? I’d love to have an answer to that question. I would love to know. If it’s even the right parcel! So here we are. UPS don’t know their derrière from their elbow and are fast demonstrating a level of incompetence that is practically unmatched in all the years I’ve been sending kit using any courier. (Save for the last time they messed up) The shop have had problems before with them and are moving to a new courier too.

Dear UPS. Read and learn! So pleased to read that this one arrived safely!

So, the output of the new preamp connects to the FX return on the Evo. Don't forget to turn up the master volume on the amp as well as the preamp! Don't forget to unmute too!

Yes, take it to a professional Luthier! A mate of mine has repaired many-a-break and some have been completely invisible. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing properly

Very favourably. Sadowsky are obviously a massive and well known US brand. I've enjoyed trying out a few of their models. To put it in to perspective regarding Shuker though. I've been very lucky to of course review some pretty amazing instruments out there and I can put my hand on my heart and say that the quality of finish on Shukers have been better than some of the 'best of the best'. I'm not going to name names, but I've been disappointed with set up issues, poor fret dressings, questionable electronics, necks that shift constantly and in one case a a neck that I couldn't decide how it could be fighting me so much. It just would not play ball.

I hope it is a simple fix too! It's going to be something like a weird battery or loose connection!

Shuker all day long.. month... year(s)!