Ordering Is Simple
TO ORDER A KIT OR INDIVIDUAL PARTS
Determine from the web pages what you want to order. Then remember that some kits have different versions, i.e. Signature and Platinum. Please note that. If you want additional options, for example, new LC filter capacitors or Cardas binding posts for an amp, 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 in us at 636-272-0040.
Ordering Installed Mods
Acceptability of Product
FOR REPAIRS
While we modify a wide range of equipment,
Musical Concepts will only repair 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 your mods you can
fill out the Order Form and follow the
packing instructions outlined on the order form page. We also do custom work.
You may
wish to call on the particular product you want modified. Your computer system
will need Adobe Acrobat to print the order form. Most computers will already
have it installed since it is widely used on the internet.
If
needed, Acrobat reader is available at www.adobe.com
- click here 
Specify
- You will need to decide on which mod you want and the level of that mod, i.e. Signature, Platinum.
- 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 if help is needed.
- If you have talked with us on any specific issues make a note of it - request that service.
- We need a UPS-able return address, daytime phone number and method of payment. We accept MC, Visa and PayPal®. We intend to add Discover card soon so check on that before sending
- 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 buy the unit on eBay® and have 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 your forwarding address and phone number too. Have him sign his name on the Letter of Assignment/Bill of Sale. This applies to any sale when the equipment arrives from a second party.
SHIPPING - A FEW MINUTES READING MAY SAVE HOURS OF
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 package is dropped, proper packaging 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 not good to package a product inside stiff materials. For instance, placing stiff Styrofoam board all around the product results in some of the energy being dissipated in deforming the package, 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 product to move, avoiding excess absorption of the impact force. Remember if dropped on a corner 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. We recommend that products ship in "double wall" cardboard cartons if you don't have the original package. Single wall cartons have far less strength. Unfortunately that 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 the original. 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 pack, 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 over a small area and so deformation will increase. A classic case of improper packaging is enclosing the Hafler DH-500 in too small of a box. 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. Using the order form or information provided above, put your letter inside the carton on the very top of the packaging material.