Thornton Davis
Well-known member
Here's a short story for you all and let me state now that this is not a complaint thread, but rather just one of disappointment and no one in particulars fault.
When BP announced the arrival of the Big Al in January 2009 just prior to NAMM, like everyone else I was excited to see it as a standard production item. My only concern at that time was that it was a 4 string bass which doesn't work for me. I need a fiver, so I drooled when they started shipping, but didn't buy one.
Fast forward to January 2010 and low and behold BP announces the Big Al 5 and not just in the SSS config, but my favourite H config. I've been playing SR5-H's for years and love them. So now I need to decide on which config to order, so I decide to wait until I can find out more about the H config before placing my order for one.
In the meantime, BP also announced the introduction of the new Classic Series basses. I'm thinking, I gotta get me one of these in my favourite colour combination. So I placed my order in January for a Classic SR5 (and this part is extremely important too me) configured as Classic White, with Rosewood fretboard, Tortoise Shell pickguard with Black pickup cover from store number one.
Now I wait 5 mths for it to arrive, meanwhile i'm doing my homework on deciding which pickup configuration of Big Al-5 to order and i'm still gigging with my standard SR5-H. I decide in late May to go with the BA-5-H and place my order for it knowing that i'm not going to see it for the better part of 5 mths from store number two who's quoted me a much more aggressive price than store number one did. So I placed my order with store number two. But in order to do this i'm going to have to sell my longtime standard SR5 in order to cover much of the cost of the BA-5-H which means that i'm going to be without a Music Man bass. But not to worry, my dealer store number one told me that my Classic SR5 as expected within a couple of weeks time. So I can get by until then using my other (won't mention the brand) 5 string bass to get me through till my Classic SR5 arrives.
3 weeks later I get the call from store number one, your new Classic SR5 has arrived. Awesome! So first thing the next day I hop into my car and drive to the store which is 1 hour away. I enter the store and my good friend who placed the order for my new Classic SR5 is working the counter. He sees me and say's hey TD, here's your bass, would you like to take it out of the shipping box and open her up, and that's exactly what I did.
Now the carton was fine, took the case out of it and it was fine. Put the case on the countertop and opened it up and my jaw dropped. I took the bass out of the plastic bag it was in for a closer look. It was then that I said, "Houston we have a problem". Someone somewhere along the line had messed up my order. The bass was Classic White, but it had arrived with a Maple neck on it and a white pickup cover. I had ordered a Rosewood fretboard with tortoise pickguard and a Black pickup cover period! No deviations.
Well it took me about two seconds to say, i'm very sorry but I can't accept this bass, it's not configured as I had ordered it. The way I figure it as long as i'm paying the kind of money that I have too for it, it has to be configured exactly as I want and was ordered. The store knew what I wanted and told me that they were very sorry for the mix up and would order me another one right away, but I can't wait for another one to arrive. Plus my Big Al-5-H would be here before it anyways and I need it now. Not living in the USA, means that I don't have the option of going to or calling another store to buy one, because very few of the dealers here are currently stocking their guitar racks with the new Classic SR5, only the Classic SR4's.
So I passed on it. Now I have several more months to wait for my BA-5-H to arrive, but whats most upsetting here is that I am currently Music Man less having sold my SR5 to help cover the cost of the Big Al-5-H.
Guess i've learned my lesson here. To say that i'm disappointed would be an understatement. So now i'm going to sit on the forum side lines until my Big Al-5-H arrives. See you folks in the late fall with pics of it once it has arrived.
TD
PS - If there are any Canadian bass players looking to buy a Classic SR5 from store stock, I know where there's one available. PM me i'll be lurking around here every now and then.
When BP announced the arrival of the Big Al in January 2009 just prior to NAMM, like everyone else I was excited to see it as a standard production item. My only concern at that time was that it was a 4 string bass which doesn't work for me. I need a fiver, so I drooled when they started shipping, but didn't buy one.
Fast forward to January 2010 and low and behold BP announces the Big Al 5 and not just in the SSS config, but my favourite H config. I've been playing SR5-H's for years and love them. So now I need to decide on which config to order, so I decide to wait until I can find out more about the H config before placing my order for one.
In the meantime, BP also announced the introduction of the new Classic Series basses. I'm thinking, I gotta get me one of these in my favourite colour combination. So I placed my order in January for a Classic SR5 (and this part is extremely important too me) configured as Classic White, with Rosewood fretboard, Tortoise Shell pickguard with Black pickup cover from store number one.
Now I wait 5 mths for it to arrive, meanwhile i'm doing my homework on deciding which pickup configuration of Big Al-5 to order and i'm still gigging with my standard SR5-H. I decide in late May to go with the BA-5-H and place my order for it knowing that i'm not going to see it for the better part of 5 mths from store number two who's quoted me a much more aggressive price than store number one did. So I placed my order with store number two. But in order to do this i'm going to have to sell my longtime standard SR5 in order to cover much of the cost of the BA-5-H which means that i'm going to be without a Music Man bass. But not to worry, my dealer store number one told me that my Classic SR5 as expected within a couple of weeks time. So I can get by until then using my other (won't mention the brand) 5 string bass to get me through till my Classic SR5 arrives.
3 weeks later I get the call from store number one, your new Classic SR5 has arrived. Awesome! So first thing the next day I hop into my car and drive to the store which is 1 hour away. I enter the store and my good friend who placed the order for my new Classic SR5 is working the counter. He sees me and say's hey TD, here's your bass, would you like to take it out of the shipping box and open her up, and that's exactly what I did.
Now the carton was fine, took the case out of it and it was fine. Put the case on the countertop and opened it up and my jaw dropped. I took the bass out of the plastic bag it was in for a closer look. It was then that I said, "Houston we have a problem". Someone somewhere along the line had messed up my order. The bass was Classic White, but it had arrived with a Maple neck on it and a white pickup cover. I had ordered a Rosewood fretboard with tortoise pickguard and a Black pickup cover period! No deviations.
Well it took me about two seconds to say, i'm very sorry but I can't accept this bass, it's not configured as I had ordered it. The way I figure it as long as i'm paying the kind of money that I have too for it, it has to be configured exactly as I want and was ordered. The store knew what I wanted and told me that they were very sorry for the mix up and would order me another one right away, but I can't wait for another one to arrive. Plus my Big Al-5-H would be here before it anyways and I need it now. Not living in the USA, means that I don't have the option of going to or calling another store to buy one, because very few of the dealers here are currently stocking their guitar racks with the new Classic SR5, only the Classic SR4's.
So I passed on it. Now I have several more months to wait for my BA-5-H to arrive, but whats most upsetting here is that I am currently Music Man less having sold my SR5 to help cover the cost of the Big Al-5-H.
Guess i've learned my lesson here. To say that i'm disappointed would be an understatement. So now i'm going to sit on the forum side lines until my Big Al-5-H arrives. See you folks in the late fall with pics of it once it has arrived.
TD
PS - If there are any Canadian bass players looking to buy a Classic SR5 from store stock, I know where there's one available. PM me i'll be lurking around here every now and then.
