TO ORDER A MUSICAL CONCEPTS KIT OR INDIVIDUAL PARTS

 

Determine from the web pages what you want to order. Remember that some kits have different versions, i.e. Signature and Platinum. Please note that. If you want additional options, for example, new LC series filter capacitors, PS-200 board or Cardas binding posts for an amp - hint, hint - add that to the Order Form. Fill out the address, credit card info, etc and mail us the letter. Alternately, you can use the order form as a worksheet to organize your thoughts and then call us at 636-272-0040.

 

Methods of Payment

 

We accept payment by MasterCard, Visa, Discover and PayPal If you prefer you may pay by check, but this will delay shipment a few days. COD shipments can be made also. 

 

Ordering Installed Mods

 

Acceptability of Product

 

FOR REPAIRS

While we modify a wide range of equipment, Musical Concepts will only repair classic Hafler® model equipment with some exceptions. If your non-Hafler product needs repair please direct it to the original manufacturer's repair facility. You may wish to have the repair facility, after their repairs, send it directly to us for modification. Of course, after the modification we will be responsible for repairs. The reason we ask this is that we do not want to become a repair station which would bog down our main function.

 

FOR MODIFICATIONS

After reviewing our web site to find out about the mods you can fill out the Order Form  and follow the packing instructions outlined on this page. We also do custom work. You may wish to call about the particular product you want modified. Your computer system will need Adobe Acrobat or other .pdf reader to print the order form. Most computers will already have Acrobat installed since it is widely used on the internet.

 

If needed, Acrobat reader is available at www.adobe.com/reader 

 

• You will need to decide on which mod you want and the level of that mod, i.e. Signature, Elite, etc.
• You will have to consider what additions to the unit you would like such as RCA connectors, Toroid transformers, filter capacitors, binding posts, etc. Call us if advice is needed.
• If you have talked with us on any specific issues please make a note of it - request that service.
• We need a UPS-able return address or your specific preferred return shipping instructions, daytime phone number and method of payment. We accept MC, Visa, Discover and PayPal®. We urge you to provide a contact EMAIL address too. 

 

Please enclose a letter or our printable Order Form in the shipping box giving us the information above and your signature approving the modification of your product. 

 

Important note: Lets say you bought your unit on eBay® or other auction site and had it sent directly to us. We will need a letter in the box when it arrives which states that the original owner has transferred the ownership to you. He should provide, for us, your forwarding address and phone number too. Have him sign his name on the Bill of Sale. This applies to any equipment that arrives at our door from a second party.

 

SHIPPING - A FEW MINUTES READING MAY SAVE HOURS GRIEVING

 

Careful packaging, with an understanding of risks encountered with carriers, is essential. When you understand that your product could fall five feet at some point in the shipping process, you get a new respect for careful packaging. It's hard to "over pack" your product. 

 

Packaging Basics

 

When a PROPERLY DESIGNED package is dropped, it allows for some movement of the device enclosed within the packaging material. This allows the energy of the fall to dissipate over a short period of time and distance. It is risky to package a product inside stiff materials. For instance, placing stiff Styrofoam® board all around the product results in only slight absorption of kinetic energy by the packaging, but the instant stop of the product is a potential hazard. You'll note that most products come with the ends in a foam material while the bulk of the product is suspended in the carton. This technique allows the packaging to slightly deform, avoiding excess absorption of the impact force by the device. Remember if dropped on a corner, a small area, the force is sufficient to cause considerable deformation of that area.

 

Packaging Carton

 

Original shipping boxes are usually the best. They are designed specifically for your product. If you don't have the original package we recommend that products ship in "double wall" cardboard cartons. Single wall cartons have far less strength. Unfortunately "single wall" is the kind you often find at office supply stores. Alternately you can get a single wall carton that is just big enough to act as a skin to another single wall carton. That dramatically improves crush strength. We recommend that all products have a minimum of two inches clearance from all carton surfaces.

 

Packaging Material

 

Materials vary is softness or "give". Too much give is bad and too little likewise. Bubble wrap is a versatile packing material. It can give at pressure points nicely. Wrapping it around the ends of a product so that the product is suspended in space within the carton is very good. Styrofoam "peanuts" can have problems aside from the fact that we hate them. If you suspend your product in the center of "peanuts" it can move during shipping and could be up against the carton side by the time it arrives. If you must use these things then make sure there is a layer of bubble wrap around the product in case the product moves in transit.

Another great packaging material is something everyone has around the house, newspaper. You pull out pages and wad them up very tightly as though you intend to throw them. Pack this at least three inches thick around the product locating the product in the center of the carton. 

 

Packing The Product

 

Light Packages: We all know the force of a fall is tied to the weight/mass of the object. It would seem that you don't need packaging which is "heavy duty" for a light preamp or CD player, but remember cartons may be stacked on one another during transit resulting in crushing.

Heavy Packages: Here you have a lot of energy to dissipate in a fall. If you use bubble wrap, put it on thick and use a sturdy carton. Remember when a product in the carton is dropped on a corner, all the force is spread over a small area and so deformation will increase. A classic case of improper packaging is enclosing the Hafler DH-500 in a box that is too small. If dropped on a corner the amplifier accelerates and can pop the faceplate corner right through the carton. Your faceplate will look nasty.

 

Enclose An Order Form

Please enclose a letter or the order form. Do not depend on emails or phone calls since we won't necessarily remember phone conversations and computers can foul up. Using the order form or information provided above, put your letter inside the carton on the very top of the packaging material. 

 

We on occasion receive a package with the name of a shipping service company as the shipping address. Then we open the box to find no letter at all. 

 

WHAT IF #1 - Suppose somehow the label is destroyed in shipping. The carrier will have no clue who the package belongs to. 

 

WHAT IF #2 - When it gets here we have no way to know who it is from 

 

At least protect yourself with a minimum effort of enclosing your return address and phone number with the contents.

We thank you for that!