do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

[DankStar]

ok, you can't tell me every amp for sale has "fresh tubes" and was "recently gone over by my amp tech," but this appears to be the same line everyone uses now. are people really dropping $50-$100+ to sell a $350-$500 amp?

is this like the tagline used to try and sell gear, or do you believe the hype? I guess paperwork would be the best way to prove. I guess you can ask for it, but then you're basically accusing a dude of lying right off the bat, hehe.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I assume everyone is full of **** until I see docs.

Then again, I'm an asshole... YMMV

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I never believe any of the hype lines like that. But if the amp plays and sounds good and the tubes and insides look good ill give the benefit of the doubt.

That being said I have before had an amp serviced just so that I could sell it. Problems that to me that were negligible could scare off prospective buyers or force me to drop the price from what I would to get paid for the amp.

case in point I recently sold an older Mesa MKIII that i had it had been sitting for a few years without playing it. When I fired it up to sell it I found the pots were kinda sticky and scratchy. Now I probably could have sold it as it was but if someone buys it thinking they have to service it right away they sure arent going to offer you as much for it.

In a case like that I can see someone doing it. But its like all things buyer beware.

I dont see asking for paperwork as implying that someone is lying its just called smart shopping I really only think people trying to be deceptive would be truly offended.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I hate to say it but you never know. There are honest musicians out there, but at the sae time there are dishonest people. I take good care of my gear, but thats not always the case when dealing with other peoples gear. It all depends on situations. Some are tag lines, some aren't

 

[glassman]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I see very few amps come through the shop for a health-check/re-tube prior to sale...though there are few of my customers that are known "amp flippers" that do. Most prior to sale amps I see are non-functioning and some of those guys elect to not sell the amp after it has been repaired/rebuilt.

I do see quite a few come through that have been recently purchased and had some sort of "electronic band-aid" applied, presumably so it could be sold.

I think it is totally within your right to ask for paperwork documenting the work done. If it was done by a reputable shop, they would have received a bill. Also, many of us in the repair business put a sticker on the amp (sometimes inside the chassis) documenting the date of service. If someone asks me for information about a particular amp that I have serviced, I have all my past bills electronically stored and can bring them up to review what was done.

 

[UberMetalDood]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

Whenever I read something like that, I ask for the receipt and I will call the tech myself.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I don't think that I'd believe it unless I saw the dated receipt for the work that was supposed to be done.

 

[uOpt]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

ok, you can't tell me every amp for sale has "fresh tubes" and was "recently gone over by my amp tech," but this appears to be the same line everyone uses now. are people really dropping $50-$100+ to sell a $350-$500 amp?

is this like the tagline used to try and sell gear, or do you believe the hype? I guess paperwork would be the best way to prove. I guess you can ask for it, but then you're basically accusing a dude of lying right off the bat, hehe.

Generally no, but there are people who do that.

You can very easily have -say- a Mesa Boogie Mk V owner who also owns a BMW. The BMW goes to regular maintenance (*) and they pay the thousands and thousands it costs them. They do the same thing with the amp and it costs peanuts. Easy.

Others want to make sure there's no post-sale trouble. A couple bucks more or less don't matter as much as trouble to a lot of people.


(*) Contrary to common belief BMW is German for "Bring mich Werkstatt" which translates to "bring me [to the] workshop".

 

[drpietrzak]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

Unless there is documentation or the context (flipping) gives you some clues there is jst no way to know.

 

[sbecker67]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

Show me the CarFax,,,,er AmpFax! I'd have no problem calling someone out asking for a receipt that the amp was serviced, regardless of the price. If they're advertising it they better be prepared to back it up.

 

[Warheart]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

So, if I retube it, and go over it making sure none of the pots are scratchy everything works and the amp is generally clean, does that count?

 

[Kam]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

 

[glassman]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

So, if I retube it, and go over it making sure none of the pots are scratchy everything works and the amp is generally clean, does that count?

As long as you state it that way...as in YOU did it...yes. Don't try to say it has been gone through by a tech unless it has been.

It's a matter of responsibility. If a tech certifies it as suitable for sale, that tech will back his statement (to varying degrees) as long as he knows that the item is to be sold. If you go through it, you either should (1) say that you did so but the amp is an "as is" item or (2) be prepared to take it to a tech or pay to have it taken to a tech should it not perform properly for the purchaser.

The safest bet is to sell it "as is...works fine" and leave it at that.

 

[DankStar]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

So, if I retube it, and go over it making sure none of the pots are scratchy everything works and the amp is generally clean, does that count?

one dude says retube and he means he picked up old tubes in his bedroom and dropped them in with no biasing. another dude orders new ones and opens the amp up and biases it correctly. you never know who you're dealing with.

I just sort of forgot as I was perusing tube amps again - there's the whole matter of immediately wanting to take it to someone like glassman to do it up right - more costs to factor in.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I love Public Enemy...

 

[wickenspoet]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I'm currently selling a guitar on Craigslist which really was just given a pro set-up, nice hardware upgrades, and is awesome... so I guess I'm obligated to believe other people's claims, lol. I still believe in testing stuff out and finding out why they're selling first, though.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

i just look at the feedback record and return policy. If those look good, I could care less if they really retubed or had a tech look at it, cuz either the amp works when I get it, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, they're gonna hear about it.

It's like if some guy claims he just got a setup on the guitar he's selling. O sweet cuz I'm actually gonna have to tweak nearly everything to my style anyways. If he got his joint retubed, so what? I've got tubes I plan to use anyhow.

 

[Broeheem]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

Those claims are much the same as the ones folks use when trying to sell a used car. Here's some:

770k FREEWAY MILES - Uh huh. Document that, please - and how are "freeway" miles any different than "regular" miles? Ever been to L.A.? Freeways are more stop-n-go than suburban streets.

494K MILES - MOSTLY TOWED BEHIND MOTORHOME - Nope, I don't believe you. That car is a 2003, so if I'm right, that's more than 61k miles per year... in a motorhome. When do you find time to drive the CAR? And by the way - doesn't matter. Cars towed behind a motorhome STILL build up miles on the trans, rear diff, wheel bearings, etc, so yeah I'll pass.

TITLE LOST - COMES W/ BILL OF SALE - Hell no. STOLEN. How do so many people lose one stupid piece of paper? Answer: They don't. Never had it, so NO, I won't bring cash and meet you in the Denny's parking lot in Bellevue.

Take the claims for what they're worth (basically nothing) and don't be too timid to call them on obvious BS. Just like others have said.... No documents, no sale. There ARE legitimate folk out there - just take your time, you'll find 'em.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

I don't think that I'd believe it unless I saw the dated receipt for the work that was supposed to be done.

Ditto.. In these ads people often Parrot what they have seen before. Ive seen some really stupid stuff.

Genuine original licensed floyd rose!! Many tag lines reading: Kramer/Charvel/Hamer and you open it up and its an old 80s no name guitar with a pointy headstock..

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: do you believe the craigslst/ebay claims?

Show me the CarFax.