mcnach Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 [quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1407831742' post='2524332'] Alternatively you could buy an identical bass made from identical wood and with an identical sound with a cheap logo on the headstock and a price tag of about 50% less, maybe a Harley Benton. If you can spare a ton!!!! [/quote] somebody write that to him, please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1407839709' post='2524462'] somebody write that to him, please [/quote] On it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Done! Thanks Wayne, that does help. You are completely right- why would anyone waste that kind of money on an instrument? Madness! In fact, why would anyone spend £199? I've seen an almost identical bass on Thomann.co.uk for £99, so have decided to buy that instead. Yes, it has a brand, but who cares about brands?? Tone is in your fingers, after all! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrmcgoo1964 Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1407861891' post='2524804'] Done! Thanks Wayne, that does help. You are completely right- why would anyone waste that kind of money on an instrument? Madness! In fact, why would anyone spend £199? I've seen an almost identical bass on Thomann.co.uk for £99, so have decided to buy that instead. Yes, it has a brand, but who cares about brands?? Tone is in your fingers, after all! Cheers [/quote] Nice!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 (edited) If you click on the link at the top of this thread, then you go through a number of relists of this bass (or more likely multiple HB Jazz basses). Each one of them goes up in price. Edit: I have received a mildly bizarre stream of consciousness reply from the seller. If anyone wants to see it, PM me. I think the seller probably knows that we're joshing with him. But if he's selling these, he's probably crying all the way to the bank. Edited August 12, 2014 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom1946 Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 He doesn't ever show a pic of the headstock, how about asking to see the front of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 He's not replied to my eBay message telling him its a HB........yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 The listings have shown pics of the front of the headstock which is Harley Benton shape but no logo. The two eBay listings linked to in this thread have the same spiel but are different instruments and the video clips do relate to the bass being sold. So I presume the guy sands off the logo, refinishes the headstock, sits down to play it for a video and then sells it on, suggesting that it's as good as a Fender. Interesting business model from a savvy reseller. Or a con artist... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Interesting too that the price keeps increasing... Perhaps he's chancing his arm a bit more each time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Perhaps he's finding out that people are more gullible than he thought, and he's increasing his profit margin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 (edited) So he buys these from TH at £99 plus £10 postage? An hour with some fine sandpaper and spray can, say £1.50. Sells on eBay for £199 minus eBay/PP fees. say £21. A good £70 profit. I have no issues with that other than he's hoodwinking buyers into thinking they are getting something more expensive than it is. Ethically wrong if not morally wrong too, IMHO. Edited August 12, 2014 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 (edited) [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1407885007' post='2525145'] So he buys these from TH at £99 plus £10 postage? An hour with some fine sandpaper and spray can, say £1.50. Sells on eBay for £199 minus eBay/PP fees. say £21. A good £70 profit. I have no issues with that other than he's hoodwinking buyers into thinking they are getting something more expensive than it is. Ethically wrong if not morally wrong too, IMHO. [/quote] I think they do free postage for big enough purchases. My Harley Benton BZ-7000 (still coming - shipment not due until 25th August) was free postage. Also, he sold one before for £150 via best offer. After fees, the profit won't be much. If he gets an arsey buyer who returns one deliberately broken, then the ebay seller could see all of his profit cancelled out. Is it possible that he might be reselling even cheaper B-stock, or C-stock items? Or even instruments he bought at the Thomann flea market if he has been to Treppendorf. I'm not sure how something can be ethically wrong without it being morally wrong as well. Edited August 13, 2014 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 B stock tend to have dents or other damage so he'd have to declare it. I should have said legally/ethically wrong..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1408022388' post='2526336'] B stock tend to have dents or other damage so he'd have to declare it. I should have said legally/ethically wrong..... [/quote] Depending on what the fault was, he may have been able to cover it up. He did sand and refinish the brand name off the headstock. As his long rambling replies to questions show, he's prepared to put some work in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Ask him if the headstock has been refinished...that'll catch him out.......! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1408054763' post='2526787'] Ask him if the headstock has been refinished...that'll catch him out.......! [/quote] We could give him a taste of his own medicine by sending him long rambling questions that don't really mean anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) Ask him why he bothers sanding the brand off the headstock if 'brands' don't mean anything to him. [i][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]"personally whatever writing is on a a guitars headstock is of no importance whatsoever to me as a musician"[/font][/color][/i] Edited August 15, 2014 by cameltoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 (edited) He can play though, for someone who 'can't play bass….' [media]http://youtu.be/U41coHJb9DU[/media] I love the irony in his revised description now!! [size=4][color=#000000][font=Times]STUNNING VINTAGE 70s LOOKING. QUALITY ASH JAZZ BASS. [/font][/color][u]UNBRANDED[/u][color=#000000][font=Times] .NO MAKE[/font][/color][b] [i]NO BRAND[/i].[/b][color=#000000][font=Times] NO BRAND 2 BITS OF WOOD, SOME METAL AND STRINGS THAT YOU CAN MAKE MUSIC WITH.........................If you can play that is.......................[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Times]If MAKES OR LOGOS ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU OR YOUR CONVINCED THAT'S WHAT DETERMINES AN INSTRUMENTS QUALITY THEN THIS ISN'T FOR YOU. SERIOUS MUSICIANS READ ON....[/font][/color] [i][font=Times][color=#000000][u]WILKINSON[/u] ALINCO VINTAGE PICKUPS. COST £50 ALONE…..[/color][/font][/i] [i][font=Times][color=#000000] [/color][/font][/i][/size][i][font=Times][size=3][color=#000000] [/color][/size][/font][/i] Edited August 15, 2014 by cameltoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 15, 2014 Share Posted August 15, 2014 [quote name='cameltoe' timestamp='1408132470' post='2527542'] He can play though, for someone who 'can't play bass….' [/quote] Maybe the guy in the video is Jaco Pastorius, except that the ebay seller has sandpapered all the distinguishing features off his face and body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Someone has FIVE Harley Benton basses for sale. Three 'Vintage' models, two standard. No way they can be making a profit here unless they are B-stock models, or less (e.g. Deko). http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/Bass-/4713/m.html?item=131299549884&hash=item1e921022bc&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&_ssn=simon020166 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I reckon the three Vintage models he's selling (those are the only ones I've looked at) are B stock, one has a mark across the top of the headstock and the other two look to have a very slight anticlockwise twist on the neck. That's the only reason anybody would have to buy a job lot of basses and then resell them as far as I can see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 "German engineered" I thought HB Basses came from the far far east? More BS although the prices are more realistic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Harley Benton is about as German a name as it gets... oh hang on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Yet another debranded Harley Benton being sold for more than the new price. About twice the new price for this one. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Six-String-Black-6-string-Active-bass-guitar-Sold-By-UK-Session-player-/201178396204?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2ed72ab62c Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1411629891' post='2561238'] Yet another debranded Harley Benton being sold for more than the new price. About twice the new price for this one. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Six-String-Black-6-string-Active-bass-guitar-Sold-By-UK-Session-player-/201178396204?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2ed72ab62c"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2ed72ab62c[/url] [/quote] Times must be bad when a professional session bassist has to flog off a 6 string Shine bass for £250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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