Jean-Luc Pickguard

This couldn't more obvious a scam if it had a big red banner on every page saying "I want to steal your money". Apart from the embarrasingly low asking prices for what should be expensive instruments there is no information about where the business is located, and the info on the "about us" and other pages on the site are total bs. A big red flag is that the only way to pay enables them to collect creditcard details directly rather than giving the option to use PayPal, google pay or other similar services. My guess is that the scam is not that they will take £86 without supplying a Gibson Les Paul, but will instead sell the credit card details collected to several other criminals on the dark web who will use them for all sorts of mischief. A little digging reveals that the domain appears to have been previously used for hosting films & TV programs for people who don't like paying for their content - perhaps the copyright holders caught up with them or the ad revenue dried up.

It shouldn't be a boat anchor - my longhorn weighs next to nothing I would imagine anyone looking to drop this amount of money on two basses spliced together with one defretted would be interested in know whether the work was done by a skilled luthier with a reputation or on the owners kitchen table with a butter knife, a hammer and a roll of duct tape.

Something like this might work for a couple of quid. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DC-DC-Buck-Step-Down-Converter-9V-12V-24V-to-5V-3A-CAR-USB-Charger-Module/283982262965?hash=item421ea972b5:g:auwAAOSwTjpfOpQh

Some 'interesting' design decisions have been made. The close up of where the fingerboard meets the body looks rather scrappy. I wonder whether it has a truss rod

I have one of these. The stock strings with the green silks are Fender 9050L Stainless Steel Flatwound .045 -.100. These are standard long scale flats but they work well on this bass and I really liked them when I got my JMJ so I have kept them on.

I really don't like bronze strings on acoustic. I put a set of TI Jazz flats on my acoustic and they sound (and feel) much better.

They're a strong seven, but I'd add an extra point to make it eight as the pack only cost 41p.

I've just noticed... ...the knobs only go up to nine - that's one less

I’ll have to order some more of the medium scale flats from status to keep as spares while they’re still in stock as they sound great on the starfire and picato aren’t manufacturing them any more.

Thank you to everyone who shared this journey with me. I have just taken off the stock roundwounds and put on the status hotwire flatwounds - wow its like a time machine to the 60s!

Nah - its a small rug

And here it is...

That might have been a better idea Ok - I've managed to get the case out of the cardboard box - looks to be intact

If I'd been 20 minutes later I probably would have missed it desite having a lookout (who I suspect took a nap as soon as I went out)

Damn - I didn't notice that they're milk choc In other news - guess what has just been delivered

Maybe 'NBD' should stand for 'new biscuits day'

Well, I took the risk of going out for forty minutes and I now have a small supply of choccy biccies. I have been reliably informed that no monkey-sh!t-brown vans were seen in the area whilst I was gone, and the tracking page still says the same as before - my package is scheduled for delivery today but it doesn't say that it is actually on a vehicle for delivery.

I quite like the look of them not really - they are hideous

I’m going to have to go out at some point tomorrow as I’ve run out of chocolate biscuits, so I’m probably only waiting in for the delivery for a fourth day if the tracking updates to specifically say ‘out for delivery.’ I could easily jump in the car & drive to the depot to pick it up if UPS is incapable of providing the service they have been paid to provide, but I can’t get through to a human person on the phone to ask about arranging this and I know it’ll be a wasted journey if I just turn up.

The tracking page has just updated and now says without any apology that it is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Do they really expect me to believe it this time? They managed to get it from Germany to the local depot with no problems last week, but I have no idea why they're finding it so difficult to finish the job by managing to take it the final twenty miles. All the time they have it I don't know what temperature/humidity it is stored at, how carefully it has been handled, or whether it has actually gone missing.

yep - if it ever turns up

Looks like I've had another day of pointlessly waiting in for a delivery - the tracking says: In Transit Scheduled delivery Monday 17/08/2020 but the shipment progress hasn't updated to "Out for delivery" today - its still on the "In Transit" status which was updated at 6pm on Friday. I messaged the shop this morning with my concerns that the tracking info was vague and contradictory, asking whether they could chase up UPS for info, but only got a reply telling me to let them know if it doesn't come today. I then tried to phone UPS, but after having a robochat and taking the option to speak to an agent I was told that option was not possible. So I've stayed in waiting just in case it comes, although it looks like today isn't going to be the day. Grrrrrrrrrrr!

longest weekend ever

Just refreshed the UPS tracking page and there's an update! It now says the delivery is scheduled for Monday 'by end of day' - so any time from 7am until 9pm I suppose. I hope the box will be sitting somewhere safe over the weekend.

I have pretty much given up on receiving it today. I sent a message to the shop this morning to see if they could get any info from UPS - they said they'll get back to me when they get an answer, but I've heard nothing since then and the tracking page still gives no useful infomation.