Not A Happy Guy

[Torpedotom]

Well, when I tracked my new mandolin to see if it was still on schedule to be delivered tomorrow the 4th, it said it has been rescheduled to be delivered the 8th. It's coming from New Hampshire to Arkansas so I guess the weather is the culprit. Was really looking forward to getting it tomorrow, but looks like I'll have a few more days of anticipation. Nothing I can do but wait.

[yankees1]

" Your outlook in life is not determined by what happens to you in life but by how you react to what happens to you "

[CES]

That stinks, man Had a mandolin that USPS lost for about a week last year. The waiting was not easy, but I think it was much harder on the seller than me. He was a very stand up gent who hadn’t done a ton of online sales, and was really worried that I’d think he was screwing me over. Think he emailed me 3 times a day until they found it. I knew he’d shipped it and was able to play it cool because it wasn’t that much cash, but was very relieved when it arrived in perfect condition. I wasn’t actually thrilled with the mando, but it arrived as advertised, and the seller had had enough stress already...no way I was sending it back

[Jstring]

I’d let it warm up for a half-day or more if it’s coming from the Northeast...we’re gonna be below zero up here.

I’m sure you don’t want to wait even longer, but you don’t want to thermally shock it + wreck the finish, or worse...

[Tobin]

I’d let it warm up for a half-day or more if it’s coming from the Northeast...we’re gonna be below zero up here.

I’m sure you don’t want to wait even longer, but you don’t want to thermally shock it + wreck the finish, or worse...

This is worth repeating for emphasis. Do not just open your mandolin when it arrives. This time of year, with this extreme cold weather, is the worst time of year to ship a mandolin. If you open it immediately when it comes in from the cold, the rapid warming can cause finish cracking, popping and creaking, and even structural issues.

Go through all the steps of letting it warm up properly before opening the package. It's going to be torture to wait, but it's the best thing. Leave the unopened package indoors for several hours before opening the outer cardboard. Then feel the inner packaging (such as the case exterior, assuming it's in a case). If it's still cold to the touch, let it come to room temperature before opening and exposing the mandolin. The trick here is to give the mandolin at the center of all the packaging enough time to SLOWLY come up to room temperature instead of shocking it with warm air when it is still cold.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Tobin might be understating it. If only for peace of mind, I'd leave the box alone for a solid day before opening it.

Remember that the better the instrument is packed, the better it's insulated. The best cases are well-insulated, too. So getting up to room temperature takes time. We've been down to 25-below in Maine lately, and New Hampshire gets colder than we do.

Shipping wooden instruments in winter takes guts of steel. You must want it bad!

[Dave Greenspoon]

I've had instruments come to me in the winter in Pittsburgh and Western Mass. Thank goodness I listened to others on the Cafe. Your instrument will likely have been in your area code for at least 8 hours before arriving at your home. It will have spent hours in the air, and then back on the ground in a warehouse and then out on the truck for delivery. Even though that won't be cold in AK as NH, it is still not comfy for the instrument. I suggest putting it in a closet overnight and pretending it is still in transit. The next morning open the box at breakfast, the case at lunch, and tune it up for a treat after dinner.

[mtucker]

Step I. Turn the heat off in your house then open the doors and windows as you unpack your new mandolin. By the time you get it all unpacked, the mandolin and house will reach the same temperature.

Step II. Leave the heat off but close the doors and windows and start playing. Your house and mandolin will warm up together, play it a couple of hours for the fun and enjoyment!

Step III. Put your mandolin back in the case, turn the heat on, and hit the sack for the night. The next day you will have a warm house and mandolin and already have had some fun with it. You won't even remember how freezing the inside of your house was yesterday!

Seriously, a couple three hours ought to do it. Varnish and lacquer finishes are more vulnerable to crazing than a poly finish.

[Torpedotom]

Thanks for all the insight. I know to let wooden instruments acclimate to the inside temp. That is something else that is going to be hard to do, continue waiting. Dave's suggestion of breakfast, lunch and dinner is a really good "rule of thum" we should all follow.

CES, I know what you're saying. I got a mandolin about a year ago myself that was coming from Texas to the USPS hub in Memphis. It came through Memphis, didn't stop, kept on going and ended up in Chicago where it was lost in a warehouse for a week. Finally arrived after almost two weeks. I don't understand why MY stuff always gets messed up. LOL

[Tobin]

CES, I know what you're saying. I got a mandolin about a year ago myself that was coming from Texas to the USPS hub in Memphis. It came through Memphis, didn't stop, kept on going and ended up in Chicago where it was lost in a warehouse for a week. Finally arrived after almost two weeks. I don't understand why MY stuff always gets messed up. LOL

We always think "why me?" when it happens, but in reality it happens to almost everyone at some point. And that's the real disappointment: the system is just too error-prone. They could make it better, but there would be a cost associated with it that consumers would be unwilling to accept. So we roll the dice and hope that our packages get to us as intended.

Most recently it happened to me with my dog, of all things. And this was with a specialized pet delivery service when I had her shipped from the high-end breeder in Kansas to me in Texas. What should have been a 2-day road trip ended up being 10 days on the road, with my poor puppy (in a small crate) traveling all the way to Oregon, down the west coast, and then through the desert to get to me in Texas. It's one thing for a mandolin to be late; it's entirely different when it's a living animal. Outrage doesn't begin to describe it.

You just have to scratch your head sometimes and wonder how people can be so bad at their jobs...

[journeybear]

A bucket a lifetime of playing is, a drop in the bucket this waiting is, says Yoda.

[Willie Poole]

I bought a mandolin from a fellow in Col. and we both agreed that he would ship on the same day as I mailed the check, the mandolin got here in 3 days, the check took 10 days to get to him and I guess the stress for him was terrible thinking that I had bilked him...One thing you do know is that it is on the way so a few more hours won`t hurt as long as you have it in your possession...Enjoy it...

Willie

[Torpedotom]

Hey Tobin, that was terrible about your dog. There is no telling what he was thinking, probably, damn they're giving me the scenic route.

Man, all I can do is laugh. As I get older, I am better at this sort of stuff, it will get here eventually.

[Mark Gunter]

I bought a mandolin from a fellow in Col. and we both agreed that he would ship on the same day as I mailed the check, the mandolin got here in 3 days, the check took 10 days to get to him and I guess the stress for him was terrible thinking that I had bilked him...One thing you do know is that it is on the way so a few more hours won`t hurt as long as you have it in your possession...Enjoy it...

Willie

Ouch, that's a tough one.

I bought guitar parts from a guy in Arizona, he said he'd ship it the day I sent the check or money order.

Two months later, his wife, the bookkeeper, called to tell me I'd never paid. After another month and a few $$ to the Post Office for research, USPS sent me a copy of the canceled money order with all the banking info - it was their bank, she'd forgotten to log it in the books! I know they were stressed for the same reason, probably thought I'd bilked them, and I wasn't too comfortable about it either until I got the canceled money order.

[Torpedotom]

Awright boys and girls, three more days. The 8th of January, wait a minute, I believe there might be a song in there somewhere.

[allenhopkins]

Step I. Turn the heat off in your house then open the doors and windows as you unpack your new mandolin. By the time you get it all unpacked, the mandolin and house will reach the same temperature.

Step II. Leave the heat off but close the doors and windows and start playing. Your house and mandolin will warm up together, play it a couple of hours for the fun and enjoyment!

Step III. Put your mandolin back in the case, turn the heat on, and hit the sack for the night. The next day you will have a warm house and mandolin and already have had some fun with it. You won't even remember how freezing the inside of your house was yesterday!...

Glad this was tongue-in-cheek -- and by an LA resident. "High" in Rochester today was a sweltering 1º F. Don't ask about the wind-chill factor...

[mtucker]

Yes, I hope no one took it seriously, all in fun Allen. We tend to take the climate so for granted out here. You guys have really been slammed with cold weather.