Question about brand new Rode NTG-3 and Rode Blimp packaging!!!

[Filmkid2003]

Hey everyone. I just bought a brand new (or so I thought) Rode NTG-3 shotgun microphone and also a brand new Rode Blimp from an online audio store. When I opened the Rode NTG-3 box (which was just a little beat up), the brass threaded ring for the mic stand wasn't even in the small plastic ziplock bag, like someone just tossed it in there. Also, the foam mic sock wasn't in a plastic bag or wrapped in anything. Then I opened the leather pouch and the mic stand wasn't enclosed in a plastic bag, it was just loosely wrapped with paper thin foam and the foam wrapping wasn't even taped together! I unscrewed the aluminum mic tube and pulled out the NTG-3 and saw that there were scuff marks on the inside where the male XLR connections are, as if an XLR cable had been plugged in and the mic was used before! Can someone who has bought a brand new NTG-3 tell me if that is how their packaging was or if each item was bagged?

So, then I opened the Rode Blimp box (which was kind of beat up) and laying on the top Styrofoam piece were the rubber "O-rings" sealed in a plastic bag so, they definitely were new. I removed the top Styrofoam piece and pulled out the Rode Blimp. The blimp was already connected to the handle and neither one was wrapped or sealed in plastic! Is this normal? Then when I inspected the blimp, I noticed some white stuff on the XLR cable! It kind of looked like the white corrosion you sometimes see on a car battery terminal. I looked closely at the Blimp and noticed what looked like a brown thorny seed stuck to the black fabric of the blimp! There is no way this is a piece of brown cardboard because there is no brown cardboard inside the box! So, now I'm thinking that this was definitely used by someone outside and then they returned it? I opened up the blimp and the faux fur cover was just folded up and stuffed inside, no plastic wrap or bag or anything. Is this normal? Can somebody who has bought a brand new Rode Blimp tell me if this is how it comes packaged? I feel like I've been sold used equipment. I'm going to call the place up and tell them I want it exchanged for NEW equipment! But, I want to make sure if this is how Rode packages these two products or not. By the way, I went onto the audio store website and noticed that they ALSO sell used stuff! But the items I bought were definitely supposed to be brand new.

[luster]

bought the blimp new.. packaging seemed the same as you've mentioned, mine even has white stuff on the xlr cable. i don't suspect that mine was previously used.

[Filmkid2003]

Hmmm...that's interesting. What do you think the white stuff is?

[10s]

Damn Aussies! ;)

[PaulWM]

Hi

Just got mine this afternoon so I've just opened the box. In order of your points raised:

Brass adapter WAS in a plastic bag. The foam windshield was inside the leather pouch. but not wrapped in anything. The stand mount was inside the leather pouch in a plastic bag in turn sealed inside bubble wrap. The protective metal mic cylinder (what a great idea!), was in a plastic bag also inside the leather pouch. I opened this and eased the mic out. There is a tiny scuff mark on the first part of the outer mic shell but as this is a tight fit I wouldn't be surprised if they all have a little mark here. I bet these were inserted by hand and not by a machine - hence the blemish. The mic/cyliinder feels very sturdy. Also enclosed in the box was the ten year warranty (well, invitation to register) card, and an instruction leaflet.

Moving on to the blimp: A protective white polystyrene end stop has a small cutaway unit. This holds the suspension rings - which are sealed in a plastic bag. The polystyrene is shaped to enclose the curved front end of the blimp. The similar polystyrene block at the other end of the box houses the neat little fold up brush and a small hand tool plus a basic instruction booklet.

Next, unscrewing the front section of the blimp I too found the 'dead wombat' - not enclosed in a plastic bag (presumably because static on this item would scare the s**t out of you). Gently unscrewing the other end I found that the 'tail end' flopped out.

No bits of white corrosion/seeds/baguettes/doughnuts or anything else included!

This kit seems pretty well made yet it is still fairly light in weight. Have to pack it all away again now though as I won't have time to test it until sometime next week! Can't wait.

Did you register at the website for a free Rode Mic? You are entitled to one if you just bought this NTG-3 (on a first come first served basis).

Regards

[Filmkid2003]

OMG!!!! I totally got hosed then! Thank you for giving me all those details. Now I know for sure they sent me a USED NTG-3!!!! Here's what I discovered when I opene my NTG-3 box... brass fitting was just rolling around loosely. The small plastic bag was empty. The mic windshield was out of the leather pouch and just laying inside the box without any cellophane wrapping! Inside the pouch, the mic stand was loosely wrapped with the thin foam, no plastic bag! The storage cylinder was NOT in a plastic bag! There was no warranty card OR any other literature like an instruction booklet! And I paid the full price of $700.00 for this mic! Man, I'm really angry now! I called the place up and sent both the mic and blimp back and the guy agreed to pay for shipping and said he would send me two new items once he received the old ones. If I open the NTG-3 box when I get the new one and it doesn't look exactly how you described, then I'm getting a refund and totally bad mouthing this company on every film/audio forum I can find for the next 6 months!

Thanks again for your reply, Paul. I greatly appreciate the details you gave. In answer to your question, no, I'm was going to wait until I got the new replacement items but now, I think I'll just go ahead and register for the free mic just to be safe. And to think this is an authorized Rode dealer I bought from! One more thing, can you tell me where you got your NTG-3 mic and Blimp? Thanks.

[PaulWM]

Hi

I got mine from a company called Jigsaw24 in the UK - don't know if they have branches worldwide. I have never used them before but apparently lots of other people have. Fast service from them here and very well packaged item with lots of packing material to help the items survive being delivered! You have to have the serial number of the item you are buying in order to qualify/register online for the free mic. The offer ends today I think, so perhaps you ought to phone and get this number from your dealer (though I believe you have a while to register AFTER purchase).

Good luck.

By the way, I'll be using this on a forthcoming micro budget feature later this year. So it was interesting for me to see several pro teams using the NTG-3 lately and one sound recordist told me that in my case I should buy better mics like this one (he bought one for personal use so they must be fairly good), then feed directly into the cam rather than place a cheap preamp/mixer- in the chain. He said that a lot of modern camcorders these days have very clean preamps and advised me to always boom wherever possible.

I just realised that we should have been chatting about this in another section?!

[Martti Ekstrand]

OMG!!!! I totally got hosed then! Thank you for giving me all those details. Now I know for sure they sent me a USED NTG-3!!!!

They might also have opened the box in the store to show it to a customer and then have re-boxed it badly. I see it happen all the time when I'm in a store and want to have a look at something. Did any of the gear show any actual wear and tear?

[Filmkid2003]

Paul, good luck with your feature! I'll be doing the same exact thing with my mic. I'll be booming it and going directly into the input of my HPX170. From what I've read on the forums, the NTG-3 is supposed to be comparable to the Sennheiser MKH-416! Can't wait to start using it!

Martti, you might be onto something there. The only problem I have with that is:

1. Some of the packaging like plastic bags weren't even IN the box.

2. The warranty registration card, 10 year warranty certificate, and the instruction/specifications booklet were all missing! Even if you took the mic out to show the customer, why would these three items not be in the box?

3. And, yes, there seemed to be some slight scratching on the inside wall of the mic where the XLR connectors are located as if this mic was plugged in multiple times.

I think I'm going to go to Guitar Center and ask to see a brand new Rode NTG-3 and when they open the box, I'll look inside and verify what Paul said the packaging should look like for a brand new Rode NTG-3, and if the replacememnt NTG-3 I ordered from the store I bought the first one at doesn't look exactly like what I see at Guitar Center, then I'm going to request a full refund!

[Filmkid2003]

I have a question for everyone. If the place I bought the mic from is running a special where, if you buy the Rode NTG-3 mic you get a free Rode Blimp with your purchase, and then I decide to return the mic for a full refund, am I obligated to return the Blimp as well, since it was thrown in free with the mic as a limited time special deal? Or do I get to keep the Blimp and just return the mic for a full refund? Any lawyers in da house? Hahaha!

[Martti Ekstrand]

The only problem I have with that is:

1. Some of the packaging like plastic bags weren't even IN the box.

2. The warranty registration card, 10 year warranty certificate, and the instruction/specifications booklet were all missing! Even if you took the mic out to show the customer, why would these three items not be in the box?

A messy clerk demoing several microphones at once perhaps... BTW I'm not defending them, they shouldn't have shipped it in that condition to you. Leaving out the warranty papers is a definite no-no. Perhaps you should just get the refund and by it from that Guitar Center even if they charge more. Sometimes the ease of personal service in a brick'n'mortar store is worth some extra dough, especially if you can get that $1 deal. I would return the stuff exactly as shipped - don't give them a reason to reject your refund.

[Filmkid2003]

Thanks, Martti. I actually got a reply to my question from Rode themselves and the Rode guy suggested the same thing you did...that perhaps the sales person at the online store I bought it from took the mic out and didn't package it back up correctly. I would just go to GC and buy the mic and then buy the Blimp online but, I'm on a tight budget and the mic and Blimp for $700 out the door is about all I can afford at this point.