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Waiting for UPS

Started by Hinfrance, December 18, 2013, 01:26:01 PM

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Hinfrance

 . . with some excitement.

A few months ago I discovered that my much loved and well used Hohner B bass had suffered some damage. Everyone in the house denies having knocked it off of the guitar stand, of course, but it has a deep impact impression in the body and the lacquer has split. So I decided that I would keep it for high days and holidays. So I then embarked upon an intensive savings programme with a view to finding myself a cheap everyday replacement.

So on Monday I ordered one of these: http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbz2005.htm

Fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow, which would be nice because it's supposed to be raining and I won't be able to do any gardening  :tup:

The reviews say quality on these seems to be variable, but with Thomann you can just throw defective stuff back at them if you need to.

Mick

Nice one Howard.  Hope it plays as good as it looks.  :tup:
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Hinfrance

#2
I'm hoping it's as good as the LP copy. The tracking says it's still in Germany, but it often lies. Today or tomorrow I reckon.

Mmmm. Not today, it's in Lille apparently, or at least it was just before lunch. :(

Mick

Quote from: Hinfrance on December 19, 2013, 08:04:09 AM
I'm hoping it's as good as the LP copy. The tracking says it's still in Germany, but it often lies. Today or tomorrow I reckon.

Mmmm. Not today, it's in Lille apparently, or at least it was just before lunch. :(

H, hope it arrives safely tomorrow then.  I'd appreciate some feedback once you've had a play with it. and maybe a pic or two.  ;)
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Hinfrance

#4
It's turned up. I did a quick review on the Thomann site, but I can't cut and paste it, dang it!  I'll cobble it together tomorrow and post it here with some piccies.

First impressions are that it is astounding VFM. I'm quite a hard player and it really growls through the Hartke combo. A few build issues, as always at this price point. Suffice it to say I would gig with this guitar without a second thought. And it is very pretty. :tup:

Just took the photographs for the review, and found that the headstock is broken where one of the machine heads had not been properly mounted. So it's going back. Will report further when I have more news, and hopefully a replacement. :(

Mick

Quote from: Hinfrance on December 20, 2013, 04:50:16 PM

Just took the photographs for the review, and found that the headstock is broken where one of the machine heads had not been properly mounted. So it's going back. Will report further when I have more news, and hopefully a replacement. :(

Doh, that's a shame H.  :doh:  Lets hope they resolve this without further hiccups. (Let's see how good Thomann is at customer service). 
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Hinfrance

Well so far Thomann have been brilliant. I emailed them some snaps of the problem and they then asked for some snaps of the packaging (which was completely undamaged) and then they emailed me a pdf with a prepaid return label. All this was done this afternoon, and in English too. So on Monday it'll be down to the post office with it and then a bit of a wait while they get the damaged guitar back and ship the replacement.

I do hope the new one is OK, because it did play and sound so good. I can forgive small cosmetic faults on a guitar this cheap - we shall see.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to you and yours Mick. A big thank you for keeping this site and Camera Craniums running - it can't be easy.

Mick

Quote from: Hinfrance on December 21, 2013, 06:56:35 PM
Well so far Thomann have been brilliant. I emailed them some snaps of the problem and they then asked for some snaps of the packaging (which was completely undamaged) and then they emailed me a pdf with a prepaid return label. All this was done this afternoon, and in English too. So on Monday it'll be down to the post office with it and then a bit of a wait while they get the damaged guitar back and ship the replacement.

I do hope the new one is OK, because it did play and sound so good. I can forgive small cosmetic faults on a guitar this cheap - we shall see.


Fingers crossed for you mate.  Hope you get to enjoy the guitar some time over Christmas.  :tup:


Quote from: Hinfrance on December 21, 2013, 06:56:35 PM

In the meantime, Merry Christmas to you and yours Mick. A big thank you for keeping this site and Camera Craniums running - it can't be easy.


And the same you you and yours Howard, Merry Christmas.  As for the sites, the only hard bit is getting members, and posts.  It's more frustrating than anything else.  I don't give up easily though, as you know.  ;)
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Hinfrance

Ta Mick.

I think it's unlikely I'll see a new bass before next year - that's just one of the hazards of cross border internet shopping <gallic shrug>. Thomann's customer service response has been very impressive so far.

TTFN.

Hinfrance

The replacement guitar turned up yesterday - it is cosmetically exquisite. I shall post some pictures tomorrow or Saturday, and then a review.

I've been a bit distracted on account of the fact that when I plugged it in there was no sound. At all. After a chat with Thomann I whipped the inspection plate off of the back and found the culprit - a badly soldered wire on the pickup balance pot. Re-soldered it and everything is AOK.

It's been disappointing that the QC on their own brand products can be a tad dodgy, but there is no doubt that Thomann's customer service is very hard to beat. And when you can get one of their Harley Bentons that has properly passed QC then they are amazing things for the money.

So while getting here was a little fraught, the bass in the end was worth the wait.  A really lovely through neck active 5 stringer for less than £200 can't be bad.

Hinfrance

My review of the HBZ 2005 is now up: HERE

Hinfrance

Well, two months in and the electronics on the HBZ-2005 were getting more and more glitchy - lots of noise and clicking. I couldn't be arsed to send it back under warranty, so I decided to bin the original active circuit and install an Artec replacement. The first one arrived, was installed using the wiring diagram from the Artec website . .  and didn't work. So I sent it back and got a replacement. Wired that in the same way, and it didn't work. A bit of probing with the meter determined that the wiring diagram on the Artec website was a little bit confusing, and swapping a couple of wires got the bass working again.

So at after a little bit of a short while I have got my 5 string bass back and working. Hussar!

shannonrichards

Quote from: Hinfrance on December 18, 2013, 01:26:01 PM. . with some excitement.

A few months ago I discovered that my much loved and well used Hohner B bass had suffered some damage. Everyone in the house denies having knocked it off of the guitar stand, of course, but it has a deep impact impression in the body and the lacquer has split. So I decided that I would keep it for high days and holidays. So I then embarked upon an intensive savings programme with a view to finding myself a cheap everyday replacement.

So on Monday I ordered one of these: http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbz2005.htm

Fingers crossed it arrives tomorrow, which would be nice because it's supposed to be raining and I won't be able to do any gardening  :tup:

The reviews say quality on these seems to be variable, but with Thomann you can just throw defective stuff back at them if you need to.

Sorry to hear about your Hohner B bass! It's wise to save up for a new everyday bass. Good luck with your search!

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