dyerseve

I understand your logic however, having sold and shipped more than 40+ basses to international buyers with zero incidents or damages, it is my experience that good packaging wins every time. I always pack the bass extremely carefully - lossening the strings, placing layers of kitchenroll between the strings and frets and strings and pickups, surrounding the bass with foam within the case - so it cannot move in any direction at all. I also remove the strap button from the bottom of the bass - this mitigates damage to both the bass and the case, if the parcel is dropped. I then package the case within the box it came in - or if I dont have that box anymore, I wrap it in double-walled cardboard and use plenty of duct tape to secure it. Of course accidents can still happen thanks to negligent handling but at least you, as the seller, can say that you have done your absolute best to ensure it got to the buyer in the same condition it left you. You also give yourself the best chance for a successful insurance claim in the event of damage during shipping... an example of my packaging for a bass i shipped to the US:

Well the bass has actually arrived! Firstly, the UPS driver was in fact a UPS employ in full UPS uniform. He even rang the doorbell! I asked him what had happened with this parcel but he said he had been on holiday for the last 3 weeks so could shed any light on it... As to the actual bass that was eventually delivered, I have to say that I am rather whizzed off with the seller. He shipped the bass in a case(which is great considering the listing said "case not included") but that was all he shipped the bass in. The case was "wrapped" in a whole two layers of clear shrink-wrap. Not surprisingly the case did not survive unscathed with significant damage to one end - not a big deal as long as the bass survived unscathed, right? Well the bass was not entirely unscathed and I would say that the fault actually lies with the seller - here is his idea of secure packaging... Please note there is also a random screw included in the case - just to ensure that the bass can rack up a few extra, completely unnecessary scratches and dings during transit... Considering that Reverb.com (the website I bought the bass via) has a very comprehensive guide to packaging guitars safely for shipping - which the seller has obviously completely ignored, it is pretty easy to understand why I am rapidly losing patience with the seller. Let me remind you that it is the same seller that thought it ok to ship an Alembic without insurance! The listing for the bass described the condition as "Excellent" - Reverb.com defines "Excellent" as "When an item has been used, but only has minor cosmetic defects, this can be considered Excellent. Minor surface level scratches, such as pick marks from regular use, would qualify." So imagine my surprise when I inspect the bass and find many non-surface level dings and scratches. Not to mention 2 of the 4 screws from the control cavity are missing(the rando screw included in the case is exactly that - random!), scratchy pots, highly tarnished bridge, a high frets, non-original fret dots(thankfully removable) -none of which is mentioned in the listing... I was really looking forward to getting my hands on this baby and think the bass has a lot of potential, I'm just rather frustrated and disappointed in the seller and UPS...

Last time I checked, Dimebag played guitar, not bass, so not sure HTF you can have a Dimebag signature bass guitar???🤨

thanks everyone for the input. I've just noticed an interesting update on the tracking details page: thankfully I am in all day today so will be interested to see what happens...

Unfortunately this is spot on. I would also blame the courier companies that have enacted a policy that allows their drivers to deliver packets without obtaining a proof of delivery: Though I have to say that I find it strange that my Amazon delivery driver has no problem locating and utilising my doorbell - and he even waits while I open the door! I mean if any delivery drivers are going to be under the pump then I thought it would be Amazon drivers!

thanks Binky. You dont happen to know the email of the CEO for UPS here in Germany do you please?

Unfortunately, it is impossible to call UPS. The investigation I have opened with them will hopefully reveal any such inputting error very quickly: Hi, we are looking into your claim. The following package has been reported as lost or missing. UPS will search for the package and contact the shipper with any updates or for additional information requests. UPS Next Steps: We will search for the package. We will contact the shipper with the results of our search, or if we need more information. Your Next Steps: You need do nothing at this time.You can check the status of the claim online at any time.

I would be very interested to know what basses you have.

Thanks UPS!🙄 The bass was shipped from Spain to Germany and was originally scheduled for delivery on Monday but never arrived. The tracking details were then updated on Tuesday to show that the bass was out for delivery and would be delivered between 13:00-17:00 on Tuesday. I waited all that time and it never arrived. Tracking info was updated again around 17:30 to say it was still due for delivery that same day but now before end-of-day(19:00 for residential properties). I waited and it never turned up. The next morning the tracking details were once again updated to show the bass would be delivered on Wednesday, again between 13:00-17:00. I was away that day but had activated notifications for the delivery on my phone - that way, if the bass was delivered, I would call my GF who lives 10 minutes away to go and collect the bass. Sure enough, at 13:04 I get an email to say the bass has been delivered and was left in front of my door(not as bad as it sounds as it is at the back of the property and not overlooked by anyone). I immediately rang my girlfriend, to go and collect the bass for me. But when she arrived 10 minutes later, there was no sign of the bass. She went to a neighbour and asked if they had received the bass on my behalf but they had not. They then both went around to all of my neighbours and asked all of them if they had received my bass - none of them had. They then searched all of the communal areas of the property and outside the property, the bins, the shed etc but could not locate the bass. As the bass was originally due to be delivered on Monday and then again Tuesday, I am suspicious that UPS has lost or stolen the bass themselves. There is no proof of delivery, no photo, nothing. As such I have filed a claim for this delivery - the claim was filed on Wednesday and as yet, there has been no response from UPS. Please keep your eyes out for this bass and let me know if you see it anywhere. Unfortunately the seller did not insure the bass, but I should be protected the Reverb.com buyer protection.

The seller has now added a youtube link, enjoy!

having read your posts, I have to agree with @binky_bass that your tone is far from friendly and borderline rude. you stated that it couldnt possibly be a Satellite bass as "Satellite's never had that style bridge." - Binky then informed you that you were mistaken and proved it by showing you his old Satellite bass which featured that exact bridge. He never said his old bass WAS the same as the one on ebay - just that it featured the same bridge. Side note - you asked "with that bridge and is string thru? Enlighten me?" well any bass with that bridge would have to be string through - I've never seen that bridge before in my life but a simple understanding of bass bridges means that I am certain it would never work without being string through...

I would like to offer you £2K for your creation. Sadly though it seems to be well executed, completed and fully painted. More fool you!

If you highlighted to new potential owners that it also has the "feature" of needing a complete new spray job which they have to arrange and pay for, you could easily ask £35k!

Why is it unfinished though? What's with the unpainted areas on the back of what's left of the headstock and the cutout for the new bridge? Not to mention the hideous looking area around the bridge? If you are going to ask top dollar, you should at least make it look like a finished article! As for it bring unique, anyone can drill holes in any bass and call it unique...

That's possible. In that case, that is all they needed to say...

Is it too much effort for you to post a link like every other person in the ebay thread?

As for a replacement, I was very happy with the John East pre that I ordered. These pres are very configurable to you requirements in terms of controls and knob count...

OK thanks for the info - very interesting! I've owned 2 MVPs and only ever had them with a Bart 2 or 3 band active Pre-Amps with the normal 4 or 5 knob config. I've never heard of a pre that operates in the way you describe, hence my confusion.

I wouldn't use the regular Warwick straplocks - they are rubbish. You can find videos online of people wiggling their straps loose from them with little effort. Plenty of corresponding horror stories as well. Warwick have recently released a "new" design of their straplocks which looks "incredibly similar" to Schaller straplocks - but half the price. You could try them...