hardprom Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Good morning, all... First off, it's nice to meet y'all. I'm the proud owner of an Epi EJ160E and a Dot Deluxe, and I'm the former owner of a beautiful cherry sunburst Les Paul and a cherry Dot (I have other guitars, but those are my Epiphones... Anyway, I was directed here from Beat Gear Cavern because I have a question about a particular Epiphone Casino that no one over there has a ready answer for, and here are the details as I know them: I've been offered an Epiphone Casino with a hideous "Homerpalooza" decal affixed to it, or so I thought...it turns out that the despicable thing is actually under the finish and not stuck to the surface, so apparently it came from the factory like that. In addition, there's what appears to be Matt Groening's autograph along with a hand-drawn Bart Simpson. I say "appears to be" because the guy who has offered the guitar to me told me that that was what he was told when he bought it, but he had his doubts...so I did some checking online and actually did find an obscure reference to a Groening-signed "Homerpalooza" natural finish Casino. But the link was to a website that I can't seem to gain access to. So here I am, asking if any of you know anything at all about this, or these...were there a bunch of them?. I have no idea. The serial number is R96A0676, apparently built in January of '96, if that's of any consequence... If I do a Google search for "Homerpalooza + Epiphone Casino" and the only return I get that seems pertinent is a reference to a site called starsummary.com which times out when I try to get there...but the little paragraph that Google pulls up for me says this... "Prizes also include personal wearables from KISS and pop diva Madonna, a "Homerpalooza" Epiphone Casino guitar autographed by SIMPSONS creator Matt Groening ..." Anyway, I'm almost completely in the dark on this one...any help will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueyonder Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 About that web site (starsummary.com), according to archive.org the last active record for that site is June '08 and Alexa shows zero traffic in the last six months, so I'm not surprised you're unable to get to it. Wikipedia also let me down and didn't have any reference to it either. About the guitar, I don't know anything about it personally, but I agree it does look god awful with that Homerpalooza logo on it. I'd personally consider it almost a sin for for someone to scribble on a perfectly good Casino regardless of their status, unless it was Lennon himself (and we all know that ain't gonna happen). Sorry I couldn't be of more help than that. Edit: I also found a link referencing an "Homerpalooza" Epiphone Casino guitar autographed by SIMPSONS creator Matt Groening, and two days hotel accommodations at the Hard Rock Hotel" at the news archive on kissonline.com, but the link takes you to a blank page. But at least there's another clue. Also, Groening apparently sponsored the ATP Pacific Fesitval in 2003 and essentially turned it into a kind of "Homerpalooza", so maybe there's something related there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 I couldn't find any more info than you did, but your upper arm/elbow will block out the Homerpalooza decal when you're playing it and the Groening signature doesn't stand out too much. I'd whine about them to get the price down and then buy it. It could be collectible someday; if not, you've got a Casino that's a conversation starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardprom Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Thanks to both of you...confirmation, at least that I'm not too far off base here. Ugly is the word for it, but you're right, my right forearm does completely obscure the "Homerpalooza" decal while I'm playing it. I'd originally assumed that it was just something stuck onto the surface and my intention was to peel it up carefully and lightly polish the "Bart" off with some Maguiire's swirl remover or something of that nature. But upon closer examination I could see that the big ugly sticker was a factory item, and that got me curious as to whether or not the Matt Groening story might contain a bit of truth. And I keep finding little clues here and there that maybe it's a real deal. It is a good player, and I'm interested in buying it (it's being offered at a reasonable price) regardless, but I'll confess that I've always been much more partial to the sunburst Casinos. Anyway, thanks again, and any further information that anyone here might stumble onto will be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 This is from eBay, and is by Matt Groening. Note what he writes about most of autographed items being accompanied by a certificate of authenticityi: "Hi. I'm Matt Groening, cartoonist, and creator of Life in Hell®," "The Simpsons™," "Futurama™"¹ and other works. Welcome to my page. You've probably seen my name, or signature, on many items offered for sale on eBay, such as photographs or cartoon cels featuring "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" characters. You may also have noticed that a lot of sellers claim that their photos and other items bear my actual or original signature or autograph. While I do from time to time sign or autograph items, I am sorry to report that many of the items posted on eBay that are described as having been signed by me actually do not bear my actual or original signature. Many of these items have stamped or preprinted signature blocks and many are forgeries. How do I know? Well, I have made it a habit over the years that when I do sign things, I only do so in a certain way. One of the reasons I do this (aside from being a creature of habit) is so I can tell if someone has attempted to duplicate my signature. Unfortunately, it is not as hard to do as one might think -- anyone with a computer can copy my handwriting. Anyway, because I've adopted a certain style, I usually can spot a forgery from the real thing instantly just by looking at it online. And, believe it or not, I do spend a lot of time reviewing the postings on eBay and elsewhere on the Internet. When I find something that is a forgery, I notify eBay and they remove the item from the site before the auction closes. This happens all too often and I'm trying to put an end to it and need all the help I can get. Why do I do this? That's simple: I owe so much to all the people who have supported Life in Hell, "The Simpsons" and "Futurama" all of these years, and I just can't stand the thought that fans of my works are getting ripped off. So, what can you do to help? Well, my best advice is to be very careful when bidding on so-called "autographed" items, especially the more expensive ones described as "rare" or "one of a kind." I suggest that if you are interested in bidding that you email the seller and ask a lot of questions about the item before you bid, such as: • where did you get the item? • how do you know Matt really signed it? • when and where was it signed by Matt? • did you actually see Matt sign it? • do you have an original certificate of authenticity? • was the certificate of authenticity issued by 20th Century Fox or verified by Matt? • do you have an actual place of business, like a gallery or store where customers like me can come look at the item? If the seller doesn't respond or if you don't get satisfactory answers, do yourself a favor: Save your money and don't make a bid. If you really want to be sure you are getting what you pay for, my best advice is that you visit a reputable dealer who is willing to give you a either a certificate of authenticity from 20th Century Fox, or a written money-back guarantee that the item is the real thing. That way, you'll have some recourse if you later find out you've bought a fake. Thanks for your interest, help and support. Your pal, Matt P.S. for more information on "The Simpsons," visit the official 20th Century Fox website at www.thesimpsons.com. For "Futurama," go to www.fox.com/futurama." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSDx Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 I'd rock it .... but then again, I like The Simpsons....years of laughs, there !!! And, yeah, perhaps it might be worth something some day (more than your run o' the mill Casinos, perhaps...who knows ???) It's different, and different can be very cool ..... sometimes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 This is from eBay' date=' and is by Matt Groening. ...And, believe it or not, I do spend a lot of time reviewing the postings on eBay and elsewhere on the Internet. When I find something that is a forgery, I notify eBay and they remove the item from the site before the auction closes. This happens all too often and I'm trying to put an end to it and need all the help I can get. [/quote'] A longshot maybe, but you could send a photo of the Casino with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: "The Simpsons" c/o Twentieth Television Matt Groening's Office PO Box 900 Beverly Hills, CA 90213 If it's a fake, you might consider having the top refinished. If he remembers signing it I'd keep it as is, but of course it's your decision. If you get a reply, you'd have the provenance that is important for a collectible. I'm a Simpsons fan also and I don't think it looks bad. No worse than guitars I've seen that have signatures all over them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deflepfan Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 I'd rock it .... but then again' date=' I like The Simpsons....years of laughs, there !!! And, yeah, perhaps it might be worth something some day (more than your run o' the mill Casinos, perhaps...who knows ???) It's different, and different can be very cool ..... sometimes [/quote'] . . . and ugly is still ugly. If you're a Simpson's fan, it's cool. If not, hopefully the price is low enough to justify being seen with and ugly guitar. If you love the sound? Get it. If the signature is not real, does that effect how you feel about the guitar or the prie you'ld pay for it? Without a COA, assume it's not real and pay accordingly, agian, if you don't mind being seen with an ugly guitar!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stig Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Go Lennon on it, and just sand the top down. Even if it's genuine. Hey, aren't you a member of Beat Gear Cavern? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardprom Posted October 12, 2009 Author Share Posted October 12, 2009 "Hey, aren't you a member of Beat Gear Cavern?" Yeah, that's me, Stig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I came across this Music City Auction Listing which shows that Mat Groerning has signed at least a couple of Gibson Custom Shops guitars (a LP Custome and an ES175) so possibly there may well have been Epi versions done at the same time - maybe for a competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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