Rectroverb; Another UPS horror story? Or nothing at all?

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electrickn

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Well, I shipped my Rectoverb out last week, removing the power tubes, and packing it in the original Boogie box, with the foam and everything. The amp was in mint condition when I shipped the amp. Then today, I get this e-mail from the buyer who just received it.

" Hi,
> Well, I have the amp up and running and it seems to be a very good amp.
> Unfortunately, it sounds like the speaker has some issues. Certain
> frequencies create a nasty buzz (like a blown speaker). Playing a clean
> open G chord creates a speaker buzz centered around the low B note. If I
> place my hand on the lower portion of the speaker paper, the buzz
> disappears. Sounds like a busted speaker to me. Any thoughts?

I replied to him with the basics, like check the tubes, the speaker, the foam support under the speaker etc...

Does anyone have any ideas how a near perfect amp can be buzzing now?
I really appreciate any help you guys can give
thanks
 
Thanks for the response, I asked him if he has another cab. I'll probably have to wait until tomorrow to hear back from him. This problem worries me in that I can't see a speaker getting blown during travel, and it wasn't blown went it left my house. Is there a way it could be unseated, and that would cause a buzz? It's either another crappy UPS job, or something else is afoul.
 
Could the bolts holding in the speaker have come loose through vibration whilst in transit?
 
Not sure what speaker is in the amp (possibly MC-90) but it is possible the magnet could have shifted (from severe drop) causing the voice coil to rub at certain frequencies. The celestion has a stamped metal frame which can bend under the right circumstances, misalignigning the cone and coil. There are some speaker repair shops that are set up to fix this.
Or he may be experiencing the dreaded "edge yowl" common to some celestion speakers when played real loud and clean. Other posts have addressed this phenomenom.
 
If you packed the amp perfect and there was no damage to the box, then either the speaker is loose, or he cranked it and blew it when he got it or there is nothing wrong with it at all.

If you ask me This sounds like the typical Ebay response of hey, I think i paid a little to much so i am going to try to get the sucker to refund some money by saying there is something wrong with the amp.

How I usually get around this is by telling them we will file a claim and have UPS check it out or to just send it back, of course they are responsible for shipping in both directions so most times they just back down. I have run into this little scam a few times.


electrickn said:
Well, I shipped my Rectoverb out last week, removing the power tubes, and packing it in the original Boogie box, with the foam and everything. The amp was in mint condition when I shipped the amp. Then today, I get this e-mail from the buyer who just received it.

" Hi,
> Well, I have the amp up and running and it seems to be a very good amp.
> Unfortunately, it sounds like the speaker has some issues. Certain
> frequencies create a nasty buzz (like a blown speaker). Playing a clean
> open G chord creates a speaker buzz centered around the low B note. If I
> place my hand on the lower portion of the speaker paper, the buzz
> disappears. Sounds like a busted speaker to me. Any thoughts?

I replied to him with the basics, like check the tubes, the speaker, the foam support under the speaker etc...

Does anyone have any ideas how a near perfect amp can be buzzing now?
I really appreciate any help you guys can give
thanks
 
Not to be cynical, but there are those Ebayers who receive perfectly packed and working merchandise, and then claim it otherwise. It happen to my friend twice. So, just be careful to investigate whether it's the UPS or the unscrupulous buyer.

Have the buyer send pics of the amp (insdide and out), and if possible any sound clips.
 
Thanks to ALL of you! All good suggestions. I did have him check to make sure the speaker was fastened securely in the back of the cab (haven't heard back yet,) but I didn't consider the magnet shift.
I don't think it's the dreaded "Edge Yowl" as the amp never had the issue with me (unless it picked it up in travel, I knew I should have told it not to associate with any cheap amps while on the road.)
 
I had UPS drop a box/cabinet so hard it broke the magnet off the speaker. The box didnt have a dent. UPS paid up eventually.
 
rabies said:
zewango said:
I had UPS drop a box/cabinet so hard it broke the magnet off the speaker. The box didnt have a dent. UPS paid up eventually.

did you get a repair check or a full refund?

The paid full price to replace the Celestion. :D
 
Its rare ,but it happened to me .
Heard a weird buzz when I played clean .thought I'd checked everything .
Turned out to be a pick jammed between the speaker cone and the spider .(speaker frame ) .
 
I finally heard back from him today:

"Hi,
> Well, I've tried everything I can on my side. The amp really iisn't
> usable in it's current state. If you think UPS is responsible, we need to
> file a claim so I can get a new speaker. Do know how to do this? Thanks
> in advance for any help.
>"

Looks like I'm off to UPS tomorrow to see what the procedures are. I wish he didn't live so far away so I could look at the darn thing. I can't figure if this is a scam, or if there really is a problem. I told him to go get a diagnosis though from a local repair shop. I've sent him all the suggestions I could think of plus the ones you guys came up with...I guess they didn't work. But If the speaker worked when he pressed on it?....I don't know... I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what he's doing though, which keeps making me think that if the speaker is really blown, it was done that first day he was setting it up.

and of all days, I get this e-mail from him on the Day my Mark IV arrives... :?
 
It is either the speaker was damaged by shipping or as was suggested a bad buyer. I had a similar experience last year with some vintage 10" alnico speakers that I sent to GA. The speakers were perfect but upon arrival the guy said that they sounded like they had rub. Well, I told him I would look into a claim with the shipper but also suggested that he return the speakers so that I could examine them. After a few days of tossing the ball back and forth I never heard back from him. I am assuming that the speakers were fine and that he was just trying to weasel some $ out of the deal. Considering that I had the speakers on their original baffles facing each other, double bubble wrapped them, and suspended them then double boxed the mess with styrofoam between the boxes with cardboard stabilizers and beefed up corners, I am sure they got there safely. In fact, it probably took the guy an hour to unpack the package. I sent a similarly packaged set of 12" Rola and Heppners to Sweden through regular mail and though they shared the baffle the package arrived safely.

Though the USPS can be expensive to ship with sometimes they can do a better job. I have had a few heads sent to me through various methods of USPS and they all arrived as sent, in good shape though not packed for WWIII. Beware though, a head shipped overnight cross country is about $120. This is double what UPS Ground would cost. But then again it gets there the next day instead of in 3-5 (and as many pieces).
 
"But then again it gets there the next day instead of in 3-5 (and as many pieces)." :lol:

I should have recommended that he send me the speaker; I think I only have a few days to put in the claim though since he took so long to get back to me. The overnight shipping for the amp sounds like it may be something I offer next time I sell something too. I think on the Rectoverb though that would be real pricey. I'm dying to know what is wrong with it..I'm going to ask him to record something (as someone else here suggested.)
 
It would be really funny if he destroyed a perfectly good speaker just to try to defraud you. The thing is that even if he records something there is no guarantee that it is a valid recording. There isn't even a guarantee that it is your amp. This is just one of those cases where you have to have it verified. An inspection by your shipper and then return to your tech would be the truest verification. If the guy backs out then you know it is a case of a scam. If he is all about returning the amp at least you know that the damage is plausible. If the amp is in fact damaged you can get your claim to have it repaired or replaced. In either case, you can resell it again afterwards and there is really nothing lost except time. Do not send any money right away or even offer a discount. Your deal is all or not. Watch your back someone has to.
 
Well, another update. This was supposed to be a thread about a diagnosis of a speaker problem, but soooo much has happened since. when this thread was started, the guy had UPS conduct a damage claim. The amp just came back to me now (because UPS lost it for a month.) The box looks like it went through a war zone. The damage inspectors declined responsibility because I used the original Mesa box. They also said it was packed in paper. The amp was packed with the mesa custom foam and all original packaging material. The amp now has a cracked chasis, and a missing tube. Beware of UPS. I will never ever, ever, ever use UPS again.
 
I'm sorry to hear this last update, I just went through the same thing and I know how it feels. UPS sucks.
 

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