UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Soloist1]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought a Mesa 20/20 from Matt at Matts Music that was spray foamed into the box for a perfect fit and they still managed to blast the backs of all the pots out without having the box look that bad on the outside. They also damaged a SL1 case of a guitar I bought from Matt as well. Again the box looked fine. Luckily the guitar was fine.

And I can quite honestly say that what happened to Greg is a regional problem. If I get stuff at work it is generally fine. If I get it sent to my house forget it. The replacement case that Matt sent me was left on the side of my house and covered in snow the day it was delivered. I didn't find it for a fucking week.

Even better, I had a gun shipped to me a few weeks ago that required an adult signature for delivery. They guy never even came to the door. He left it outside. That would have been real great if someone got a hold of that. Luckily I live in the bumble fuck and nobody is around. Not to mention I was there waiting for it. But it is a good example of their I don't give a fuck attitudes. Sorry to hear about your loss Greg.

[tmdiamond]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aside from being sick about the damage to that guitar [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] , I'm getting angrier at myself for selling my Dean Baby Z in off white years ago. It was an early 80's guitar that I had a Kahler installed on and I loved it. I think it was in the 400-500 dollar range back then. I think I'll try and find it again. Looking at Greg's headstock makes me sick and reminiscent at the same time.

[jeff300]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to see that.

I have had tons of problems with UPS too and refuse to use them. I will always pay extra to go with FedEx or DHL instead. I've never had any incidents with FedEx... Yet.

[atomic charvel guy]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

man, that blows large moose unit. sorry greg.
i think FED EX and UPS should merge and be called FEDUP.

[Shawn Lutz]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ah...man...I hate seeing that..Sorry Greg.

it is amazing that one can keep a guitar in great shape for 20yrs and only to see it ruined idiots who throw them around at UPS and FedEx.

I had broken headstocks from both UPS and FedEx..

[Newc]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had guitars damaged by both F'edEx and FuckUPS - F'edEx split the nose of an Archtop Soloist, and FnUPS cracked the head of an SD Soloist. Both guitars were packed by people who have experience packing and shipping guitars, but were handled by former Samsonite Apes.

I understand that Anvil cases cost a fortune, but surely case manufacturers can work something out to put out better cases with better supports in them - this "one point under the neck" shit sucks, and why Jackson cases aren't made to have a ton of clearance under the head is beyond me - they're using FENDER cases (designed for a straight-pull head). Gibson's case design is the best I've seen as far as head/neck support.

Newc

[lerxstcat]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've been VERY lucky not to have had anything broken (yet) but I HAVE had both Fedex and UPS bring me guitars carrying the box upside down, with very prominent
"Up" arrows that they ignored. Thank God for secure packing or they really would break a shitload of guitars.

[Kamo]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I haven't delt with UPS yet, but Fed Ex screwed up my guitar that ken did up for me [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] I had it refretted, and when it got here, the box was all flattened on the edges (dispite the fragile stamps alllll over it), and i open the case to find a few of the frets with the lining stuck under them >.< Frets were lifted everywhere...

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can usually find ATA style cases on E-Bay for between $100-150ish on a fairly regular basis.

It is a little more than say a SKB or G&G, but if you know that you will be keeping it for a while and or the possibility of gigging is a fact, it may well be worth it [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

They also have fairly decent prices on foam lined shock racks on the bay.

They aren't always "Anvil/Calzone" but comparitive.

[JACKSONFREAK]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YA know in the four odd years Ive worked in music instrument retail. I think i've only seen three broken guitars (two of them korean Washburns and one was a Vintage Gibson Jazz box)
I was pissed about that one.
I have yet to see a broken guitar come into GC broken. Yeah some of the boxes are dented or corners are scrunched a bit but the guitar is always fine. And most of these are over seas models that are just double boxed in cardboard with minimal packing. Just some styrofoam and cardboard. But yet when thigs are shipped to each other from the forum or from a business to one of us. They get damaged. Could ther be an over packing issue? Say for example a pitched headstock on a Gibson or a Jackson if it's wrapped and imoble and can't flex when bumped or nudged or dropped the stress of the vibration will crack the wood. I have a neck off of a DK2S that fell from the top row of guitars at work and its a good 18 foot ceiling. So the guitar slips in it;s hook and falls 15 feet to it's inevidable death taking out two others on the way. This guitar falls on its face when it hits the ground
snapping the headstock in half at the G tuning peg. The scarf joint is unscaithed, the control cavity is smashed in although the electronics work perfectly. why didnt the HS break it its Weakest point? because the wood had a chance to vibrate some. But falling face first from 15 ft up will make any guitars neck or HS snap like it did. It didn't snap in the usual place because it could vibrate the energy off to a point. I've seen guitars fall off of things and not break.
Like a Strat falling ten feet off a riser and not even getting out of tune. Granted its not a pitched headstock but the princaple of force and energy still applies. Although centrivagal force on a pitched headstoxck is greater than on a straight headstock.
I guess my point is if something like a pitched headstock can vibrate its energy of a fall or bump etc.. of then it can also survive the ordeal. If it can't the energy conctrates and it goes SNAP.
Gil

[RacerX]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I concur with Gil about guitars shipped from manufacturers to GC stores. I have yet to receive a shipping-related damaged guitar. Most of our stock guitars get delivered by a dedicated truck in pallets, but special orders come via UPS Ground. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
My theory is that UPS is more careful with GC deliveries. We do give UPS quite a bit of business.

[BlizzardOfOzz]

Re: UPS - FUCK OFF AND DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I never see a damaged guitar box sitting on the re-wrap/damage table at UPS, I would still always use UPS Next Day Air or even UPS 2nd Day Air when shipping a guitar. I realize that it takes only 1 idiot to damage a guitar, but any time you can have less people handle your guitar, the better. Say from CT (where I'm from) to CA, via UPS ground service it will more than likely take 5 or 6 business days to get to you and be loaded & unloaded approx. 4 or 5 times and spend the weekend in a very cold or extremely hot trailer. If a next day or second day service is used, you can eliminate your guitar being handled by 2 or 3 more people and it wouldn't be sitting in one place for hours on end. The UPS cost for Ground service would be about $18. and Next Day is about $88. And $58 for 2nd Day. Again, thats from CT to CA. It would be less from say TX to CA or FL to MO. I did happen to look at a Robin guitar that was shipped from WA to CT not to long ago and it was mint. The only reason I got to check it out was because the shipper didn't put the consignee's apartment # on the label so we opened it up to see if there was one on the packing slip.
I've always thought that the box the guitar case goes into was too small. 2" of foam or peanuts all the way around the case should absorb any bumps and knocks while in transit. Every guitar I've seen, whether it's mine or a friends, always gets shipped with a bunch of scrunched up paper. Usually at one end only, that's not good, paper doesn't absorb anything. I agree with JACKSONFREAK The guitar definately needs to move a little inside the case. Not a lot, it still needs to be secure. But it should be able to "breathe".