Ron S

You may have to bug them in a couple of weeks--just email them and say that you sent it back a couple of weeks earlier, they they should have received it by then, and that you want your replacement sent out PRONTO. If they have it, they'll send it.

Actually, while Mosaic does sequentially number the regular box sets as orders are filled, I don't think that's true of the prenumbered Selects. They just grab one at random from their current stock and beam it to your doorstep.

no

you're absolutely right... Ron.... there is a significant drop in sound quality on the 3rd disc.... It's a bummer since the music is great.... I thought I heard the dreaded...... "hiss," at the beginning of cd 3.... this was one of the reasons (that and $$$) I begged off the JATP Live boxed set a few years ago... (poor recording quality...) but the music is really hot... I also have the JATP box, and on some of the discs the high end is so severe--especially on trumpets--I have to turn the treble way down before my head explodes. I think I probably attract every dog in the neighborhood when I play them. You'd think Verve could do a better remastering job. Then again, you'd think they could do better with their boxes, also (e.g., the rusting Bill Evans box, the self-destructing JATP box, the fingernail-destroying Granz Jam Sessions "partial" box)--who the hell thinks up these things??? But I agree with Brad that the music is great (and the sound for the most part is pretty good). (I have to agree with Brad--he lives in the next state over and could come beat my ass if I don't.)

Caiman has raised the Farlow price again to $51.77 (STILL a great deal), and they're now showing 8 in stock here. They also have another page listing brand new sets under the "like new" category, but I think that's just a parallel listing of this one (espescially since Caiman only sells new stuff). And BTW, others have reported just getting their Farlow sets from Caiman here.

They very occasionally do promotions - usually 10% off or free shipping. Of course the 20% off of LP sets that they did some years ago is still legendary ... I prefer the Caiman 60% off. But I'm afraid that's limited to the Farlow set.

ah, the possibilities ... btw, be careful, very careful, when doing a Google image search for "whipped" ... Reminds me of my FAVORITE Cat Shatner photo... Some day I'd love to hear the story behind the creation of Cat Shatner.

As my man Ralph Kramden says "I'm the King of my castle!" Yeah, but who's the landlady?

You have to read the fine print, Chuck. The official title, I think, is The Complete Verve Master Takes* *that fit on 3 CDs ...and that we didn't miss due to sloppiness... But it has such a cool metal box (and it doesn't rust, either).

I should add to my previous post: it takes one to know one.

Rooster's new avatar:

Well EXCUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSE ME!

Thanks, Brad. I guess my question was heard only as far away as Jersey, and not Texas.

It's pretty simple--if you send them an email stating the order number and the problem, they'll send you a return email with a link to a COD USPS return label. You just send the set back with a copy of your email stating the problem. I didn't hear from them for a couple of weeks after I sent the CD back, so I bugged them again and they immediately sent me a new CD. At that point, I received it quite quickly.

Sounds like it happened in manufacturing. If it's a problem for you, Caiman does take defective stuff back, and even pays for return shipping. I returned something to them once at their expense, and they sent me a brand-new replacement.

Plus, things always sound different in Austin.

But you should still grab it at that price (even if it does have another goofy Verve box).

I got it when if first came out and it's great. But see if you notice a difference in sound between sessions. As I recall, the first couple of discs have terrific presence and clarity, whereas the sound on a couple of the others are still good, but not as great as the first 2. I assume it's related to the original source tapes.

Could it be wiped off? I think those sometimes get on the CD's when the sets are assembled, especially small issues like Mosaics. You said "almost" exactly--were there any other differences?

You'd think that anyone who'd (1) pay these high prices for Mosaic sets would (2) be aware of the value of these sets and what they are and hence (3) would be aware of Mosaic's web site (including current listings). But not on Planet Ebay, where the laws of physics do not apply.

You notice how Allen has a lot of $900 bills to spread around? That's the bill with Millard Fillmore on it, isn't it?

I have a pair of NHT SB-3 speakers. These are phenomenal bookshelf speakers that have incredible bass response for their size--down to 39Hz, which is lower than many towers! Also, they're acoustic suspension and not bass reflex (no reflex port), so the bass is really tight even with that incredible range. They've gotten some great reviews. They're not cheap (list at $600/pr., I paid about $450), but give great sound for the size--meaning they pass the Wife Test when larger speakers may not. You can read more about them on the Audio Advisor (great high-end audio net dealer) site located here. And here is NHT's SB-3 page.

Thanks for the scoop on MusicMedia. I'll have to check them out. Speaking of Florida, I know that in addition to MusicMedia and Caiman, there is at least one other substantial Amazon merchant--CDQuest, maybe?--that is there. Also, I know that Tower.com has a lot of imports drop-shipped from a 3rd-party warehouse in south Florida. I wonder if maybe at least some of these storefronts are using the same distribution facility in Miami (a major import/export center) for their CD distribution, especially imports.

Looks like a perfect set-up.

Then let's see you start Photoshopping THIS: