JohnMcClane5000 Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 Hey guys, look what I've found while looking at the various Casino's being offered at eBay... http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-JOHN-LENNON-COLOR-EPIPHONE-CASINO-NEW-GIBSON-CASE_W0QQitemZ150400626313QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item2304936e89 --> Why exactly is a Korean Casino with a black washer and a Gibson Case worth 1'800$ I don't understand, is that washer worth 1000$ or am I just dreaming things here? :D JM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I looked at the seller's feedback and saw that he sold a John Lennon 1965 Casino for $3200 less than two weeks ago...a new one from Sweetwater costs $2663. He probably believes there are more suckers out there and he just may be right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamm7215 Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I emailed him once about a month ago saying his prices were too high, he replied ignorantly about me not having the right to tell him what to charge. I replied that I was just wondering if he knew the appropriate prices, he's definitely knowingly over charging since his casino's are basically stock. He did have one JL for sale a bit ago but he was asking 3,000 or something stupid...he's a real piece of work, I'm sad to hear he actually sold one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted January 1, 2010 Share Posted January 1, 2010 I'm going to sell my cherry as a "Chuck Berry ES-330," just like the one he played on the Michael Douglas Show (with John, coincidentally). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Summerisle Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Because I'm bored (and dare not play my guitar while we have house guests who are sleeping), I just looked at that e-bay link. Seems the guy is not a musician or even really a regular instrument trader. He sells ephemera, for the most part. Star Trek tat and that sort of thing. He's probably just latches on to the John Lennon "brand" when things come his way. He has a particularly vulgar Sgt Pepper collector's plate for sale, too, if you feel like parting with $50. Hey, it's a free world. He can charge what he likes. What I cannot understand is this. If you are buying on e-bay then you obviously have access to a computer. Before sending this guy $1700 for a used Casino decked out with the usual 10 cent black washer from a hardware store, might you not be tempted to look at Epiphone's website, or even Google something like "John Lennon Epiphone" and hence discover...that you can buy one of the new IBJL guitars for $700 less? Caveat Emptor is just that. Beware (or be wary). Buying a guitar is not like buying a can of beans in the grocery store. And you don't need to be a musician to do a little research before buying. Let's face it - if people are dumb enough to buy this guy's stuff, what incentive does he have to lower his prices? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 He has a "Make Offer" button... does anyone want a Casino? If you make an offer of $750, you're paying exactly what he paid, minus taxes and whatever that washer costs, assuming he didn't pull it out of a box like the one in my basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epinder Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I looked at the seller's feedback and saw that he sold a John Lennon 1965 Casino for $3200 less than two weeks ago...a new one from Sweetwater costs $2663. He probably believes there are more suckers out there and he just may be right. I agree with you that his price was a bit steep, but remember that $2663 is the cost in the good ole USofA. I think there are some sellers on ebay, that are pricing equipment for the foreign market. From what I've seen, prices in Australia are outrageous as is South America. I'm not sure but, I think prices in Europe are a bit more than what we pay here in the states. There are sellers in Japan with left handed MIJ Fenders that have ridiculous prices on them, but me being in AZ will pay it if I really really have to have that guitar. (Side note, I haven't yet, but have been tempted a couple times) I did notice that the buyer of his earlier auction was in the states, but then again maybe this guitar spoke to them and they had to have it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'm not a big Casino or John Lennon fan but if the guy is describing the guitar as "John Lennon Color" shouldn't the back be a plainish brown color and not sunburst? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Most famous endorsements are simply a way to extract more money out of the buyer by using celebrity worship (idol worship). Epiphone does the same thing with the John Lennon models. Do you think John played a John Lennon model? They didn't make a John Lennon model back then. And other than the name, what does the Lennon model offer that is worth the extra dollars? One more thing, Lennon was a decent guitarist, but there are a lot better out there. Signature model guitars are plain old run of the mill guitars with some slight modification on them, often the mods do nothing but add to the looks, and if they affect the feel or sound of the guitar, the wouldn't be right for everyone anyway. The mods might cost the factory a dollar or two in the manufacture, but net the company hundreds of dollars more in profit. Idol worship is something I avoid. I am very impressed with some of the skills that other guitarists have and respect them for those skills, but I definitely do not worship them. And it isn't only musicians that do this. Why is a baseball with someone's signature on it worth more than a brand new ball? Idol worship. Why is a dress with Oscar de la Renta on it worth more than the dress from an unknown designer? Is that purse with a designer's initials all over it really worth 10 times as much as a similar one without? I remember a woman I knew getting a Gucci handbag with a certificate of authenticity. Did she think a person could forge the purse but not forge the certificate? Is it really identical to the purse the movie star was seen carrying? Or was it a forgery? And was the movie star paid to carry the purse and wouldn't be seen with it if she didn't make a ton of cash to carry it? Is a suit with Armani on the label worth more than a fine suit without a famous name on it? Why does a perfume with a starlets name on it sell for more than one without? Do you think the starlet was a master chemist who formulated the perfume? Back to the guitar. John modded his guitar, and did much less to his guitar than some of the modders on this forum. The only reason why Gibson gets so much more for it is because of idol worship. If you want to buy a guitar, go to the music store and try them out until you find one that you like. If you want to buy a celebrity icon, and pay the extra dollars, do so, but remember, anyone who can forge a Gucci handbag can also forge a certificate of authenticity. And even if it isn't a fake, be aware you are paying extra for the name, not for the instrument. If that's important to you, it's OK. There isn't anything wrong with it. To each his/her own. --- One more note on celebrity instruments. Charlie Parker was one of the greatest saxophone players of his day. Unfortunately he had a huge heroin problem. Much of the time his sax was in the pawn shop to pay for his habit. He would play any sax, even loaners from other sax players. He even played the Grafton Plastic sax a number of times (a real dog of a sax). But he always sounded like Charlie Parker. It wasn't the sax that made him sound like that, it was Charlie Parker that made him sound like that. I could buy the exact same guitar and amp set up as Beck, Clapton, Kath, Walsh or any other guitar idol, and I would never sound like them. Instead, I would sound like myself. Insights and incites by Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnMcClane5000 Posted January 2, 2010 Author Share Posted January 2, 2010 Most famous endorsements are simply a way to extract more money out of the buyer by using celebrity worship (idol worship). Epiphone does the same thing with the John Lennon models. Do you think John played a John Lennon model? They didn't make a John Lennon model back then. And other than the name' date=' what does the Lennon model offer that is worth the extra dollars? One more thing, Lennon was a decent guitarist, but there are a lot better out there. Signature model guitars are plain old run of the mill guitars with some slight modification on them, often the mods do nothing but add to the looks, and if they affect the feel or sound of the guitar, the wouldn't be right for everyone anyway. The mods might cost the factory a dollar or two in the manufacture, but net the company hundreds of dollars more in profit. Idol worship is something I avoid. I am very impressed with some of the skills that other guitarists have and respect them for those skills, but I definitely do not worship them. And it isn't only musicians that do this. Why is a baseball with someone's signature on it worth more than a brand new ball? Idol worship. Why is a dress with Oscar de la Renta on it worth more than the dress from an unknown designer? Is that purse with a designer's initials all over it really worth 10 times as much as a similar one without? I remember a woman I knew getting a Gucci handbag with a certificate of authenticity. Did she think a person could forge the purse but not forge the certificate? Is it really identical to the purse the movie star was seen carrying? Or was it a forgery? And was the movie star paid to carry the purse and wouldn't be seen with it if she didn't make a ton of cash to carry it? Is a suit with Armani on the label worth more than a fine suit without a famous name on it? Why does a perfume with a starlets name on it sell for more than one without? Do you think the starlet was a master chemist who formulated the perfume? Back to the guitar. John modded his guitar, and did much less to his guitar than some of the modders on this forum. The only reason why Gibson gets so much more for it is because of idol worship. If you want to buy a guitar, go to the music store and try them out until you find one that you like. If you want to buy a celebrity icon, and pay the extra dollars, do so, but remember, anyone who can forge a Gucci handbag can also forge a certificate of authenticity. And even if it isn't a fake, be aware you are paying extra for the name, not for the instrument. If that's important to you, it's OK. There isn't anything wrong with it. To each his/her own. --- One more note on celebrity instruments. Charlie Parker was one of the greatest saxophone players of his day. Unfortunately he had a huge heroin problem. Much of the time his sax was in the pawn shop to pay for his habit. He would play any sax, even loaners from other sax players. He even played the Grafton Plastic sax a number of times (a real dog of a sax). But he always sounded like Charlie Parker. It wasn't the sax that made him sound like that, it was Charlie Parker that made him sound like that. I could buy the exact same guitar and amp set up as Beck, Clapton, Kath, Walsh or any other guitar idol, and I would never sound like them. Instead, I would sound like myself. Insights and incites by Notes[/quote'] Wow. If this was a therapy session I'd charge you 400 bucks for that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spyke1 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Wow. If this was a therapy session I'd charge you 400 bucks for that If it was marketed as a Notes_Norton Therapy Session you could charge double! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 I did notice that the buyer of his earlier auction was in the states' date=' but then again maybe this guitar spoke to them and they had to have it.[/quote'] This is a possible scenario I came up with for the sale on Dec. 21 of that $3200 JL guitar. The buyer, a non-musician, gets desperate for a nice Christmas gift to give to a loved one who likes The Beatles. Buyer doesn't know about Sweetwater, Musician's Friend, GuitarCenter, etc. and goes to Ebay because they use it a lot. There may have been other JL Casinos listed, but this one had NEW in the title and so bought that one. Buyer either lived close to the seller in order to get it before Xmas or used expedited shipping. If this is true, I can't blame the buyer for overpaying because they just didn't know where to get the best price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamm7215 Posted January 2, 2010 Share Posted January 2, 2010 Again, one of the earlier auctions of his I looked at and commented on-he was selling a plain sunburst Casino for 1200.00us. Not even an IBJL. I think he actually does have a JL Casino (from the case in the auction, and paperwork) but I know as it's been mentioned above, all he could say was it was the John Lennon color. Of course, as always, buyer beware and due diligence, but hey, maybe he got taken for a ride and is just trying to make his money back. In any case, I'm suspect of his naivete... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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