Beedster

That's a very good point, as is 'at the moment', as apparently the backlog of imports is extraordinary. I'm still waiting on a package that Parcelforce say was imported to the UK on 25th April. I assume that lockdown/social distancing have messed up what was already a pretty slow service.

Yep, an interesting example of a courier insurance get-out I heard about (so possibly apocryphal) was a dropped tube amp, so being electronic equipment was covered by the policy the guy paid for. But no, the courier didn't pay out because the £200 set of tubes that were shattered, being glass, weren't covered! They can be tricky customers can couriers! I'm not going to use couriers any more unless I absolutely have to or unless I can afford to lose the item, period. They're increasingly a law unto themselves, to the point that even if it's 100% their fault that something is lost or broken, and even if they accept this, their T&Cs often give them a get-out. I battled with Interparcel over two cases of trashed gear a few years back, and although I got compensation for both, it didn't make up for the hassle, and I still lost in real terms both times. But then there's the fact that the customer is expected to pay the courier's risk (i.e., despite it being their fault both times, I only received compensation because I'd paid for extra insurance). It a great business model they've got going; imagine you went into a chippy, ordered a portion of chips, and after about 10 minutes they haven't arrived and the chippy's closing. So you politely and reasonably ask for your money back, and the bloke behind the counter says "I can only refund you if you paid for our chip-non-arrival insurance......?"

I would have a look at the closing posts in this thread before you use Eurosender

If you're sending it in a hard case, you could wrap the case in bubble wrap and then gaffa tape it in heavy duty bin bags, which I've done a few times. Offers good protection, meets the jiffy bag criteria, and might just keep you under the maximum dimensions limit?

Are you intending to send a bass without a box?

I'm not joking, that reminds me of a gig we did (stupidly) on World Cup Final day, at a sport event attended by about 400 people and at which the organiser promised us there would be no TV. There was, and everyone watched it, except ONE person

Someone on here did that a few years back, ended up at the receiving end of a summons and lost a lot more than the original amount he thought he was protecting. Understandable strategy when faced with a dodgy buyer, but PayPal are pretty tight on this stuff

It'll be up to 30% total cost, sometimes more as you pay duty/tax (I forget which) on the courier fee also. So, if you want the bass insured you'll pay the insurance plus the extra duty/tax on that insurance! Given this, the main risks are 1: If the bass needs to go back you will really struggle to recoup your expenses re duties/taxes 2. In the USA local state laws govern online transaction so occasionally you can find yourself in a bad position if the deal results in any issues. I've bought two basses from the USA, one, a Wal, went well, one a Modulus, didn't (and I was basically told by the seller that as the result of 2. above, there was nothing I could do, and he was right!). I won't import from the USA again.

Pay the £50 to get it to go away Nick. Nothing else is worth the hassle, eBay's case resolution algorithms make some daft decisions, and given you could end up with a sax coming back (possibly in worse shape than it left you) and refunding postage both ways, £50's cheap

I was tempted by this on eBay as I prefer Precision to Jazz body shape and like a project...... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Used-Mystery-P-Shaped-Jazz-Bass-Body-Off-White-Vintage-Cream-Luthier-Supplies/254628625191?hash=item3b490c7b27:g:bNAAAOSwPGNe61-K ......then I remembered that I have about 20 unfinished project basses lying around and am not especially a fan of Jazz Basses in the first place. The bridge holes don't look to be especially well aligned with the PUP routs, so I'd expect to have to fill and re-drill those, and that sort of thing always makes me worry that whoever built or worked on the bass didn't know what they were doing or were in a hurry, and I'm likely to find other issues. But the important/hard to do bits look OK to my eye, i.e., the PUP routs look to be aligned with the neck pocket. EDIT: Just realised you're looking for a bass not a body. Doh! Anyway, someone else looking at this thread might find the body useful

Glad you got it back mate, and I share your sentiments about them. Re middle man, Interparcel are the same type of business, but they resolve issues directly, not simply relying on the courier to do so.

Not at all, just the principle that there are couriers out there whose website allows you to book a delivery in one simple process that doesn't require you to wait for a response in person re the fee, that recognises standard postcodes, and doesn't give you a quote of almost £200 for UK to UK delivery after you've had to wait a while for that response in the first place. And couriers whose customer service staff do their best to help and do business, rather than simply say "you clearly don't understand how our system works, perhaps use another courier"

Jeez, 40 years since Permanent Waves, feels like yesterday. The first time I heard Spirit of Radio was one of those definitive moments that stays with you. But wow, 40 years has gone by quick!

I've played Flea Basses with pretty much every combination of pickups, preamps, and bridges, and to me they all sound like Flea Basses. LPs only have mystique because you can't buy them any more, if you could, they would just be one more PUP in the marketplace that some people like ("clean mids") and others don't ("quite polite"), and probably no better and no worse than most of the competition

Well spotted

I had one of the Trads and it was a very nice bass

If it wasn't for bass forums pre-framing people's expectations, I doubt anyone would hear any real difference between LPs and the rest.

My 70’s Tony Franklin, best fretless I’ve ever owned, sustain by the ton, tone to die for, fast and easy action

1. I'm not sure that we should be too impressed that a courier managed four successful deliveries, that should be a given 2. £30 is about average for UK delivery 3. Enhanced insurance is an idea not a reality until someone tests that insurance You keep using them mate, when I get back to using couriers, which given my post-Covid finances is likely to be quite soon I imagine, I certainly won't be

Mmm, i think we can probably narrow it down

It's with some serious trepidation that I choose to disagree with Dan on anything related to bass, but here goes...... It's is of no consequence what we think, it's the value of the bass to you that matters. I decided I wanted a Flea Bass a while back, and specified a budget - higher than the figure mentioned above - because they are now VERY hard to get hold of. Why? Because apart from a few dopaminergic characters on this forum (who generally, like me, end up buying them back anyway*), most people who own a Modulus Flea don't want to part with it, because they're THAT good. For some reason, you can pick up the 5-string versions pretty cheap compared to the 4-string (I wonder if that's the Flea effect, I never saw him playing the former), but if you want a 4-string, and you want it in good condition, you won't have too many to choose from, and you might have to take a big risk in import duties etc in buying from, for example a Japanese dealer (who list them at £4,000+) or a US eBayer (which in my experience can also be VERY risky). Whilst Covid-19 might force a few people to part with theirs for financial reasons, with Flea's it's always going to be a seller's market, especially for some reason the sparkly ones So, if this bass is one you can inspect in person, is from someone you trust (I was very lucky on both fronts with my recent purchase because I ordered the bass new fro Modulus in 2007 and it was being sold by one of the most trusted guts on this forum), and is the spec you want, you'll only regret it if you let a couple of hundred Euros stop you buying it. YMMV etc etc Good luck mate. * And sometimes selling them again and buying them back a second time

Grab it quick Pedro