yorks5stringer Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 1 hour ago, NancyJohnson said: Freehand Dremel.....? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 4 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said: Freehand Dremel.....? I just feel for these poor instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 43 minutes ago, Meddle said: I messaged him on EBay to find out how a £90 Gear4music 12 string acoustic becomes a £170 guitar once it has half the tuners removed and a cheap plastic nut is fitted, jacked up on strips of wooden laminate. Our Mark is a chippy bastard if his work is scrutinised. He's got to cover his overheads, mate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentalextra Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 15 hours ago, NancyJohnson said: Its those little touches that are the difference between a production line instrument and a luthier enhanced one? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Meddle said: I messaged him on EBay to find out how a £90 Gear4music 12 string acoustic becomes a £170 guitar once it has half the tuners removed and a cheap plastic nut is fitted, jacked up on strips of wooden laminate. Our Mark is a chippy bastard if his work is scrutinised. Copy and paste? 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Meddle said: I messaged him on EBay to find out how a £90 Gear4music 12 string acoustic becomes a £170 guitar once it has half the tuners removed and a cheap plastic nut is fitted, jacked up on strips of wooden laminate. Our Mark is a chippy bastard if his work is scrutinised. Bassist mate emailed him about that Telebass neck. He was told by MDP that he was a 'troll' who didn't know the value of anything, or words to that effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Wait....what's going on here? There's some butchery been going on. Has he tried to get the 'board off? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Thanks, that confirms my suspicions... And he didn't even answer your question! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) Re the (other) 12-string: 'I didn't damage the finish, that happened en-route from China to Yorkshire and I bought it like that.' Anyone remember this same excuse being punted with that butchered Westone fretless bass he was trying to flog a few years ago? Like the title of this thread states: I wish he'd stop! Edited October 26, 2019 by NikNik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Gear4 do sell a lot of damaged stock so I can understand someone repairing and selling on but why, why, why make a 12 string in to a six so badly?? I just doubt get it. But surely nobody buys these? Even the least knowledgeable would compare prices and realise he's having a whole herd of giraffes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Just now, uk_lefty said: Gear4 do sell a lot of damaged stock so I can understand someone repairing and selling on but why, why, why make a 12 string in to a six so badly?? I just doubt get it. But surely nobody buys these? Even the least knowledgeable would compare prices and realise he's having a whole herd of giraffes? I think he's a few giraffes short of a full herd! 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 1 hour ago, Meddle said: Alrighty... I asked: "This is a £90 guitar from here: https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Dreadnought-12-String-Electro-Acoustic-Guitar-by-Gear4music/L7T You've damaged the finish, removed 6 of the tuners, awkwardly plugged the holes in the headstock and amateurishly fitted a new nut that is too narrow, badly cut and propped up with some sort of wooden laminate material. How does that make it a £171 guitar?" He responded: "Hello and thanks for giving me lots of information I could never have known unless you had messaged me today! I didn't damage the finish, that happened en-route from China to Yorkshire and I bought it like that. Of course I had to remove six of the tuners donkey, it is now a six string guitar not a twelve string. The nut performs its job perfectly; is recycled so I can keep the price of the guitar down to the low price this is for a wide neck custom guitar. I think that answers all your questions? Thanks, Mark................" So he got it for less than £90 ( as it was damaged), damages it even more and puts it up for £171. Genius! He's obviously taken off the finger board, rammed in a new truss rod (dual action wow!) Oh, and I've looked everywhere for the tuner 'don key' but cannot see it, can anyone help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 3 minutes ago, yorks5stringer said: So he got it for less than £90 ( as it was damaged), damages it even more and puts it up for £171. Genius! He's obviously taken off the finger board, rammed in a new truss rod (dual action wow!) Oh, and I've looked everywhere for the tuner 'don key' but cannot see it, can anyone help? The one with the 'board off (if it ever was) is a different guitar. Another 'Big Hands' guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 'Nearly new condition, but has had a bump on the back edge with crazing of the glaze but fixed with a hard penetrating bond.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) Gear4Music sell damaged stock on eBay usually at around half the normal selling price depending on damage. What I don't get is that plugging holes in wood is a very easy job unless you want to make it invisible, anybody with the most basic of woodworking skills (ie using sandpaper and glue) can get a tidy enough end result. I've said before on MDP threads but I have no idea how he gets these bridge conversions looking so bad and the stuff he uses to plug the holes looks awful. Then again I suppose spending a few £ on a dowel rod (which would do several bridges) and some wood stain is out of the question when you have a £100+ upcharge on the cheap and nasty instruments you're selling. Edited October 26, 2019 by lemmywinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Meddle said: "Hello and thanks for giving me lots of information I could never have known unless you had messaged me today!" To be fair he's mugged you right off there! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Right, anybody know what this stuff is he uses to plug bridge pin holes? Is it filler coloured in with a black Sharpie? Is it coal from a dolls' house fireplace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) 10 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: Gear4Music sell damaged stock on eBay usually at around half the normal selling price depending on damage. What I don't get is that plugging holes in wood is a very easy job unless you want to make it invisible, anybody with the most basic of woodworking skills (ie using sandpaper and glue) can get a tidy enough end result. I've said before on MDP threads but I have no idea how he gets these bridge conversions looking so bad and the stuff he uses to plug the holes looks awful. Then again I suppose spending a few £ on a dowel rod (which would do several bridges) and some wood stain is out of the question when you have a £100+ upcharge on the cheap and nasty instruments you're selling. I know. I've been perusing his auctions on and off and am puzzled as to what he's filled the holes in this bridgeplate with! Raisins?? Edited October 26, 2019 by NikNik 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Raisins! It has to be! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Rice Krispies and black Sharpie? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 ....and the scalloping of nuts and saddles - what's all that about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Ok, am cutting out of here for a while. Today has been, for me, a PCGC overload! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) 39 minutes ago, NikNik said: ....and the scalloping of nuts and saddles - what's all that about? He does that to disguise the original 12 string slots rather than ordering a new plastic nut and bridge piece. Again it's keeping the price down so he can stick a £100+ profit margin on a borderline worthless instrument. You can get a brand new bridge, nut, bridge pins and saddle for under £3 delivered: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Set-of-Quality-Acoustic-Guitar-Wooden-Rosewood-Bridge-Pins-Saddle-Nut-Music/232302748150?epid=3006809856&hash=item361652a1f6:g:gLUAAOSwHAxb~40c Of course this would cut into his greedy profit margins so he doesn't do that. He probably rationalises this as "conversion" or some magical guitar builder's touch that nobody else would think of when in reality it's just tightfisted greed, giving his customers a bodged wreck of an instrument so he can make money. Edited October 26, 2019 by lemmywinks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 I suspect that he is placing some value on the time he spends "building". I think he's paying himself too much.. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) 3 hours ago, lemmywinks said: He does that to disguise the original 12 string slots rather than ordering a new plastic nut and bridge piece. Again it's keeping the price down so he can stick a £100+ profit margin on a borderline worthless instrument. You can get a brand new bridge, nut, bridge pins and saddle for under £3 delivered: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Set-of-Quality-Acoustic-Guitar-Wooden-Rosewood-Bridge-Pins-Saddle-Nut-Music/232302748150?epid=3006809856&hash=item361652a1f6:g:gLUAAOSwHAxb~40c Of course this would cut into his greedy profit margins so he doesn't do that. He probably rationalises this as "conversion" or some magical guitar builder's touch that nobody else would think of when in reality it's just tightfisted greed, giving his customers a bodged wreck of an instrument so he can make money. He could buy a piece of bone for £1.00, cut and shape around 3 nuts from it and gain some respect too.....! Doubtless there would be paragraphs of hyperbole in his descriptions thereafter however. Edited October 26, 2019 by yorks5stringer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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