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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2015 7:27 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Definately, highly suspicious, starting with the conflicting photo's. An explanation, as to which represents the guitar being offered, might be a starting point as to a questionable representation of what is intended for sale.

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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:09 am
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To me....the first and last pictures (front and back view with white-out background) are the same guitar based on wood grain. And the two middle pictures (obviously taken in a private residence) are the same guitar based on where the in-put jack plate ends at the wood grain.
But they are definitely two different guitars no matter how you look at them.

Couple that with the fact that the seller is asking for "extra" money to throw in the "original parts", would be enough for ME to pass on this transaction.

With scamming sellers, and spamming 'non-buyers', Craigslist is getting pretty annoying any more. I have done a lot of business (buying, selling, and trading) on there...but, I am getting sick of all the nonsense. :evil:


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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 12:44 pm
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Thankyou guys so much for the advice, yeah this guitar is up on Gumtree (UK Craigslist, pretty much) so I'm really hesitant to look into buying it (especially with the photos. I can't believe I didn't notice the blatant difference in backgrounds?!). I am selling a lot of my things to afford a new guitar, and I feel like it will make more sense to save up for a bit longer and maybe get a new Fender Classic 60s strat. At least that way, I know I'm getting something legitimate and not wasting my money on something that I'm not sure is real. I'm just glad I checked with you guys first! :lol:

Oh, and I reverse image-searched the suspicious white background images, and they're all from gak.co.uk. All the info apart from a little is also copy-pasted from that site. So the other photos could be the guitar this guy has, but I'm still not keen on the idea of paying £50 for the pleasure of having the original pickups & pickguard etc...I think I'll give it a miss.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:22 pm
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Location: Rossendale UK
Tholomew wrote:
I am selling a lot of my things to afford a new guitar, and I feel like it will make more sense to save up for a bit longer and maybe get a new Fender Classic 60s strat. At least that way, I know I'm getting something legitimate and not wasting my money on something that I'm not sure is real. I'm just glad I checked with you guys first! :lol:


You've made a good decision.
Enjoy your new squeeze when she lands :)


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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:41 pm
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I certainly would not give up on preowned. Not everyone out there is out to rip off others. Yes when it comes to used / preowned guitars, you do need to check things out. But great deals on originals surface all the time.
I'm all for buying new, having just done so myself, but 80% of my guitar purchases are preowned.
Again keep in mind that guitars are not investments. At least 35% of their original value drops once you take it home and the return by ... is expired. I much prefer buying a recently returned newer guitar than a brand new and have to incur that uptick.

Used guitars online... If it seems questionable, ask. If the seller is doing a song and dance than walk away. There are literally hundreds of guitars out there for you to consider. Your Gumtree ( UK Craigs list ) is a cautionary marketplace. I will not consider anything on Craig's list here where I would have to drive more than 2 hours tops. AND THEN, the seller is going to have to prove to me that all is as advertised.

I believe you also have Guitar Center in the UK ? They will ship to you that used guitar you want. It may cost a nominal fee, but the guitar you will get is what you expected to have. Plus you definitely have a return policy...

If you need to sell so much to buy a guitar, it may not be wise to buy new.. buy used..
Preowned guitars need adoption... :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:03 pm
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53magnatone wrote:
I believe you also have Guitar Center in the UK ? They will ship to you that used guitar you want. It may cost a nominal fee, but the guitar you will get is what you expected to have. Plus you definitely have a return policy...


They'll ship to the UK, but as far as I know Guitar Center have not landed over here.
By the time shipping, import duty & VAT (sales tax) have been added to the price any savings made do not amount to a whole hill of beans.
Then there's the expense of returning the instrument should it not be up to scratch, and warranty repairs cannot be dealt with locally unless Guitar Center do a deal with someone capable over this side of the pond.


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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:57 pm
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Location: Connecticut
My point was more on a used guitar not new. I think it would be worth the expense for a new guitar that was returned. They discount new guitars returned by quite a bit. It would not hurt to ask and you can often negotiate with them for a lower price. I have.. You just have to ask. They would prefer to close the sale then have the inventory not move.
See their debt ratio. It's public and they are highly leveraged.. If not over-leveraged...

A $1,200 Stratocaster Deluxe that was returned and is now at $800 is not going to cost $400 in shipping and fee's simply because sit is a used guitar..
Same principle as to when I bought my car, I paid $21,000 preowned with a full 2 year warranty versus the $45,000 it listed brand new.... :idea:

As for finding someone qualified to work on a guitar, it's not rocket science and good techs are around, one can also find a luthier but that takes time and a waiting list usually.. ( Luthier by definition of someone with skills who can and does build guitars from raw material versus assembling parts. )

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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 7:15 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:49 am
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I definitely agree with those who suggest caution!!


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Post subject: Re: Newbie here - does this look legit?
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 7:26 am
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Joined: Mon Jun 22, 2015 2:24 pm
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I am all for pre-owned & am keeping my eye out regarding my local guitar shop (my bass was purchased second-hand from there) to see if I can bag a bargain. My Schecter was bought second-hand too, & I would prefer to not pay new prices but I'm just a very cautious person & despite having to save up for longer, I'd rather save up a bit longer & pay £100 more for the peace of mind of a new guitar as opposed to something I'm not 100% sure on. I have already managed to save up about £200ish just from selling things I don't need any more this week so it's not too bad. :)

I wish the UK had Guitar Centers! We have a few large chains, the closest to me is a huge superstore called PMT (great name, right?! :lol: ) and they always have a LOT of strats. Mainly £1000> American ones, but I might drop by this weekend & have a look at their second-hand section. Might get lucky!

I'm also not gonna look on Gumtree any more, or at least not as much. Too many guitars on there seem questionable & as a stupidly shy 17 year-old girl, I highly doubt I'd be any good at haggling prices down on stuff that seems legitimate anyway! :lol: Thanks for all the responses, and for not laughing at all my stupid questions. it's been super helpful & I hope that soon I'll be able to update this: 'hey guys, look what I bought today!' :D


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