Apathetic

[deepblue]

I dont want this to turn into WW3....but...

 

Why do we get so worked up about the fake Gibsons being sold?

Most guys here agree that they would NEVER buy a guitar via E-bay. Too much could go wrong and

too much hassle to send back if there is a problem. Yet, some guys make it a daily routine to scan the various

Gibsons etc. being sold just hoping to spot an imposter. Dont get me wrong. I understand its wrong and illegal

and some poor schmuck may get a bad deal but in the long run...what do we care? There are right ways and wrong ways to purchase any item, including guitars. Anyone who uses E-bay must know its a crap shoot. You roll the dice and take your chance. If you see a Gibson Les Paul selling for $500 and it appears in good shape...doesnt a little light go on in your head saying to you that if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is. These guys have to do their homework. Ill never get duped..why?...Im smart enough to only buy from an authorized Gibson dealer. If little Bobby dreams and wants a Les Paul then save up for it. They are pricey, but not that out of range that a little hard work and some saving will get him his guitar soon enough. If not, then a Gibson is out of his league and he needs to accept that. I want an Aston Martin, but drive a Chrysler. I know the feeling.

I think the rule of thumb here is to never buy ANYTHING that you cant hold in your hands and examine before you

hand over the cash. E-bay and all those related sites are anxiety attacks waiting to happen.

[TommyK]

My opinion is that some poor schmuck will buy a brand new pac-rim copy of a Gibson, not knowing what a 'real' Gibson should cost. Then when it plays and sounds like buffalo excrement is put off of Gibson's forever, or worse, put off playin' guit tar forever... he might end up playing drums.

 

Some of us here have a John Wayne mentality of protecting poor souls who don't know no better. We don't personally gain from it, but what's right is right, what's wrong is wrong, and we feel a duty to shed light on what is wrong.

[deepblue]

Tommy....

I hear you. I think it comes down to educating yourself before you make a purchase. Find out everything you can and go into the deal fueled with knowledge.

[Tim Plains]

Some people don't live anywhere near a Gibson dealer, where the nearest one is a three hour drive.

Or in countries like Australia where a new Gibson Les Paul costs more than a house! (I'm exaggerating)

I think eBay is good to give you a general idea of what used guitars are selling for, but I agree with you in that I would never buy anything expensive from eBay.

 

Personally, if I were to buy a guitar online unseen, I would only do it from an authorized dealer, such as GC.com or MF.com.

Which is what I did with the R8. GC.com.

 

Btw, I want a white Lamborghini Murcielago LP640, but I drive a Honda Civic.

Hey, at least the Civic is a two door; so, it's kinda like a Lamborghini...

[Tim Plains]

Here's a question speaking of fake Gibson guitars...

 

Why do we cover up our serial numbers when posting the back of the headstock in a picture?

Don't get me wrong, I do it too, but Gibson.com explains the serial number breakdown on their website. http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Support/SerialNumberSearch/

For example:

 

M YRRR or MYRRRR

M is the model year being reissued

Y is the production year

RRR® indicates the guitar's place production for that year.

 

I can look at this and just make one up...9 8513.

There, how hard was that?

If my R9's serial number was given to the Chinese forgers and used on their guitars, would it devalue my R9 at all?

[ChanMan]

Understand... I am not NEARLY good enough to call some one out for anything other than the most obvious fakes. But...

 

Buying on Ebay-

Some guitars are rare and may only be available via Ebay.... such as the Walnut Elite Strat w/ ebony fretboard. I've never bought a guitar I haven't played, but this guitar would be the exception, as I already own an Elite and know what it can do. Ask questions, ask for more pics, and always use PayPal for the $2k protection. If I don't get a good feeling about something, I'm out.

 

Brand protection. Down south, EVERY carbonated beverage is referred to as a "coke". "Xerox" and "copy" are interchangeable. If they (we) let folks get by with putting crap out AS a fake, that will ultimately depreciate the value of our guitars. The economic lesson here was demonstrated during the 1970's gas shortages. Diesel engines were produced by Mazda and other foreign manufacturers that were delivering as much as 60 mpg. Detroit was still making big gas guzzlers and had nothing to compete with the foreign threat. Their answer was to flood the market with inferior gas-to-diesel converted engines, which were notoriously problematic, and thus killed the market for diesels. At least, it bought them time to produce a comparable product, or in Ford's case, buy 1/4 of Mazda

 

 

Tim-

 

I don't know about the s/n pics. It is hard to take a good full guitar shot of my Strat without showing it... it is on the face of the headstock. For me, I can't imagine needing to display a picture of the back of my LPs headstock, as it is likely the least attractive part . (and God willing, I will never have to sell her!)

[Tim Plains]

For me' date=' I can't imagine needing to display a picture of the back of my LPs headstock, as it is likely the least attractive part . (and God willing, I will never have to sell her!)[/quote']

Even the back of this R9's headstock is pretty...you have to admit.

[Thundergod]

They reached our shores recently... I tried to report them but our version of evil bay is even more mediocre and unwilling to do anything... so I oficially dont care anymore. If anyone wants to buy of ebay or "mercadolibre" they asked for it...

 

 

I am an official supporter of DeepBlue's "I dont care anymore" movement!

[ChanMan]

The wood is gorgeous! (I'm not a big fan of the green tuners, though )