Build Your Own Clone Message Board

Thing are really slow at work today, so I shot this and now I will rant...
This weekend I wanted to make a quick non-guitar-effect foot pedal for a colleague to use at work. He likes the 1590b enclosure. Due to where I am, orders from ManMeth usually come in 1 day if I order early enough, so I ordered it from them.The enclosure was to be etched, so when I got it I started sanding the top and that's when I saw all the problems....
1. On the top, two distinct casting flaw lines became more and more prominent as I sanded. Since these are density flaws (not flatness) they will not sand out, so the enclosure is useless for etching.
2. The manufacturer didn't tap one of the screw holes, so I would only be able to put 3 screws in the enclosure.
3. The lid is so badly bent and ill-fitting that I can snap it into place ( yep, it actually "snaps") and then turn the enclosure over and the lid will stay in place without any screws.
4. The screw holes have not been adequately countersunk. Even when the screws are tightened down, they stick out significantly.
5. The metal quality is inferior to any enclosure I have seen before.

In short, this enclosure is a piece of junk. Yes, I can spend time and money shipping it back for a replacement, but it will cost more in time and money than it is worth, and they will just give me yet another crappy replacement enclosure. Tomorrow I will drive way over to the nearest Fry's and get a Hammond 1590b, so at least i can build the pedal tomorrow...
I know these are all "1st world problems" but I think there is no excuse for ManMeth selling something this shoddy. I won't go so far as to say i will never order anything from them ever again, but I cannot see myself ever ordering another enclosure from them. I am posting this to maybe give others pause.
Thanks for letting me vent. End of rant. Have a nice day.

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"What you say is not enough, its what you try to do. "

Yeah,
I stopped using them for enclosures after my last one. I ordered a painted and drilled enclosure. The holes for the pots were drilled too small, the hole for the DC jack was way too large (a standard BYOC style DC jack fell right through it, and the LED drilling was far too small for a 5mm LED. The powder coat was ok at best. I really was bummed because I had hoped to save some time without having to drill/finish. I was wrong.
-P

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I can certainly understand why it's not worth the trouble to send it back, but at least shoot them an email with your photos & let them know you're not happy. They need to know that this is not acceptable.

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Yowza. That's brutal.

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µ

Yep. Enclosures from them are always a crapshoot.

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Okay I sent the pics and list of probs to the retailer. I told them i didn't not need or want a replacement enclosure.
They credited my card back for the cost of the enclosure, so they were at least fair and forthright about it...

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"What you say is not enough, its what you try to do. "

Glad they took care of you! Sometimes it's worth it to complain. Hopefully they'll take note of this. If enough people complain, they'll stop selling crappy enclosures and do something about the quality.

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I've used several hundred of their enclosures
and have never seen anything remotely close
to that. The worst I've had were slightly tight
holes that just needed to be chased with a tap
to work well. And some of that was probably just
powder build up in the hole.

That box you got was ROUGH to say the least.

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Basic Audio Pedals

Had one where the box and lid were A-Ok, but the holes were too shallow, screws stuck out nearly 1/8" more than in ur pics

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