jim g Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 I bought a "used" Jack Casady signature bass only to discover later that it's apparently a refurb. I'm not upset because the bass sounds great, but I'm a little mystified because (1) It obviously doesn't have the Jack Casady low impedance pickup. My pickup is chrome rather than cream of black. (2) It has what looks to be a different varitone switch (labelled 1, 2, 3 instead of 50, 100, 250). (3) The pickguard is not the standard Epiphone pickguard--it doesn't have the Epiphone "E" on it. (4) The serial number has a new serial number sticker over it. As I said, I'm not upset about any of this because the bass is great. However, I am curious why, if Gibson/Epiphone actually refurbished this bass, they didn't just use the real stuff. Or was it refurbished by an outside company? The dealer seems to be as much in the dark as I am. He claims he just took it in on trade and has no knowledge of the bass's history. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted December 12, 2021 Share Posted December 12, 2021 Epiphone does not refurbish their guitars. A white sticker with a new serial number typically indicates an MIRC refurbished instrument. That said, if the dealer got in a trade, how do you know it wasn't modified by a previous owner other than MIRC? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim g Posted December 14, 2021 Author Share Posted December 14, 2021 I was told by a dealer in Knoxville (not the one I got the JCB from) that Epiphone had a refurb facility south of Knoxville, TN. I read it on the internet, so it has to be true, right?😁🤪 Well, maybe not... You are correct in saying that this one was refurbed by MIRC in Nashville (Franklin, TN). They placed a new orange stick-on serial number over the old one. The dealer I bought it from in Bristol, TN has verified he got it from them, and they verified that they do Epiphone licensed refurbs. I have not pressed them for any additional info on it, like, "What is the pickup?" and "What does their varitone switch actually do?" As I said, I am very happy with the bass, so as far as I'm concerned, they did a great job. In this case, it's like the old saying says, "Ignorance is bliss." Thank you for your response! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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