Packing 101 saves my board(with pics, I think)

[gerard]

Got a good deal on a Tascam M3500 24 x 8 in Cal, i live in North AL. Long story short, the seller didn't have a clue on how to ship. He didn't want to go to a "pack and ship" type place so I gave him "directions" to this place and the Packing 101 thread. 6 weeks later, the board arrived, all 336LBS of it. The crate also had the power supply, a bunch of usable cables, docs, and 3 patchbays on the first level. Not a scratch on it. Only peeve is they didn't throw some plastic over the board. Seller was quite mad at the end of the deal, cost was almost $700(!) with packing and shipping. Thanks HR for saving my board!

Not very good at posting pictures, hope they came out OK.

Jerry

[cjacek]

I LOVE IT!!!!

I feel all warm and bubbly inside!

Seriously, THAT'S what it takes to assure safe delivery. You went "by the book" pointing the seller to the 101 thread but more important that the seller was good enough to follow through.

I can assure you that this beautiful and heavy mixer would not have come in its original condition should it have not been crated as your great photos showcase. Yes, there are always the nay sayers but if you want ultimate protection for heavy electronics, that's the only way, if it has to be shipped. Then again YOU know this to be true and your mixer arrived safe and sound. Don't forget that now you have a custom made case / crate for life. Don't throw it out for goodness sake. Yeah, it cost quite a bit to ship but the sting of extra $$ on shipping goes away fast but the pain associated with "damaged during transit" stays with ya for a long, long time. GREAT JOB ON THE PACKING. Looks like there's styrofoam panels on the inside too! WOW!!

Yeah, the plastic wrap would have been helpful but that's for next time. Go over it carefully with a vacuum hose and brush.

Point the seller to this thread. He'll feel better knowing that there's so much love for his positive action.

I gotta post this link up on the 101 thread.

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[gerard]

I have more pics if needed. 2 type's of foam was used, the soft "standard" and the "rigid/hard" type. I can post a step by step dissassembly of the crate. Even the power supply and "odds n sods" were packed in padded shipping paper. Tested the board out (in the box) and all works well! Can post more pics Wendsday.

Now, how do I get it up 2 sets of stairs without stipping it down to the chassis?

[cjacek]

I have linked this post to the official 101 packing thread so as you get more photos, post 'em here.... Thanks!

Not sure how you'd haul it up but the crate weighs a lot and it probably would help if you would carefully strip the crate away from the mixer and transport the mixer by itself [2 people job - and be careful].

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[mastercontrolme]

Wow that's one nice board! Congrats, glad it got there in one piece!

[stevieb]

I suspect the seller is upset, not just because of the cost of packing/shipping, but because you held his feet to the fire on him picking up all or most of that cost. Really, if you specified the packing after the sell, you bear some responsibility for cost of same. If you got it at a mondo deal, that goes double. I have backed out of a sale because the buyer had unreasonable expectations of what shipping would cost (that was a BSA motorcycle, AND I had advised him of shipping cost upfront) and would do it again.

[gerard]

Stevieb, I honestly didn't want to sound like I took advantage of the seller, and if I did come off sounding like that, I apologize. I also want to apologize for using the word "clueless", I should have picked my words better. I told the seller right away were I live and offerd $300 over his price to pay for shipping. After agreeing he told me he forgot to mention the solo function and meter lights were not working and some knobs were missing the caps ( his ad didn't state this). I asked him several times if he was sure he still wanted to sell it to me because were I live and shipping cost and if not, I understood. He still agreed. That's when I suggested the HR thread on packing (101) to use a guide.

[gerard]

Just a few more. Man, i wish it was as easy as picking that puppy up, even with 2 people. May try it with 4 people, anyone want some free pizza? It's 160LBS and I have 3 blown disk's in my lower back, ouch!
I used the 32 x 8 before and liked the results, just gotta keep the gain structure/levels in check and the board "behave's". Some folks say the EQ sounds like a "ducks butt" but I find it usable along with the mic and line pre's. It's also pretty flexable and for the "one man band" music I'm (gonna try) to play, it fits me well. I dig the Tascam gear, got a MSR 16 to "mate" with the board, should be fun!

Jerry

[gerard]

Just a few more. The last 2 are just testing the board "in the box" Feel free to cut/paste any pics needed for the "101" thread.

Jerry

[cjacek]

Ooops, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Thanks for the additional photos. You did a real good job at documenting your "story". You have a lot to offer so I hope you stick around.

[sweetbeats]

So that's what they mean by mixing in-the-box!!! I always wondered...

Hey I second that...Thanks for putting up all the pics. I hope yo stay active too. You've got a great setup there with the MSR-16 and the M-3500.

Lookinig forward to hearing more about both...didja get the console up the stairs okay? I literally blew out two disks a couple-three years back. I hear ya.

[Vintage Texas]

He did a great packing job, Wow !

[gerard]

Nope, it's still in the garage. Took the rest of the crate down and started to pull the master module out. Wanted to try taking the whole thing apart and bring it up piece by piece. Definitely bad approach! WAY to many connectors, real small ones and I couldn't even get a marker in there to label them. Major diss assembly of the module to access most of them. I need to do this anyway 'cause the solo is out (bad relay or relay driver?). At bench height this would be cool but not on a garage floor level. Me and the wife pushed it to a better location and wraped it in moveing blankets. Plan-B, my friend will "lend" me some guys from his side job to bring it up. This is great but......

Now I need a pedestal to put it on upstairs. I'll try building a nice wood one with wheels for wiring access. The seller had the Tascam stand but wouldn't ship it, he threw it away!

Would definitly like to stick around! Got a really great crew here and one can never stop learning from the expereanced folks on this site! Thanks again!

Jerry