Rougher trading in basses?

uOpt

uOpt

Something Cool
I just had another incident of a mislabeled bass on Ebay. Wrong model not to mention far from the advertised "mint".

Overall my history of trading basses has a lot more WTF moments than guitars. I don't recall ever having received an unplayable guitar unless labeled so. Got this with an expensive vintage AVRI and seller with attitude.

Currently ongoing mislabed bass has the seller not answer two messages, > 24 hours now.

Anybody else seeing this or is it just me?
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

I do not find bass guitar vendors to be any more or less flaky than those selling guitars, amps or effects. The more deals you strike, the more chance you have of getting a dud.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

Bummer. I have only ever bought one bass guitar used, it was a Squier II and it was my first bass. I bought it from a pawn shop and yes, it was beat up. I replaced in about two years later with a Fender deluxe P-bass and have bought brand new basses since. I like breaking them in and making them my own. I would buy a Music Man used and maybe the right Warmoth... either way though, experiences like these can make you appreciate a good seller even more.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

I wouldn't buy one from ebay. Those vendors could have lots of problems such as duds and whatnot. I usually go to Guitar Center or somewhere where I can actually see the bass and try it out.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

I have had mostly good experiences buying basses remotely. All my ebay experiences have been good. I got one clunker where I specifically asked about the neck, was told it was good, and then it turned out to be a little warped. But it was only $100, and it wasn't from ebay.

Usually, ebay sellers will go to certain lengths to protect their feedback ratings. If it was me, I'd start a dispute resolution with ebay. You have already tried to contact the seller with no response, and that's the first thing they ask. Let ebay do your talking for you. If he won't listen to you, he'll probably listen to them.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

That's good that you haven't had too many problems. If you know what you want, you can also order from Musician's Friend. I have never bought from them before because I have always gone to Guitar Center but I have known about them for years.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

Well, Ebay case opened over wrong model given. Dude didn't react to two message in 72 hours. Sigh.

A couple months back I had to leave my first negative feedback on Ebay in a long time on an AVRI.

Maybe it's not basses - maybe it's Precision bass players that are the problem? :)
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

uOpt said:
Well, Ebay case opened over wrong model given. Dude didn't react to two message in 72 hours. Sigh.

A couple months back I had to leave my first negative feedback on Ebay in a long time on an AVRI.

Maybe it's not basses - maybe it's Precision bass players that are the problem? :)
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Haha, hey, they have had their history as the "pick up and play" bass for a reason. Most P-basses end up in the hands of a beginner who then falls in love with the tone as "their" tone as they wander from P-bass to P-bass without ever knowing too many specifics about what they are under the hood. Fair guestimate in my book. I've owned two P-basses in my day and not suprisingly they were stop number 1 and 2 in my migration through the low end valley.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

My warped neck experience had a P-bass body attached to it. They aren't that "pick up and play."


A tip for those who shop at Musicians Friend -- Music 123 has the same items, the same prices, even the software and same search engine driving their website. The difference? They exist in different locations, meaning they charge sales tax in different states.

In Washington state, if you order from Musicians Friend, they have to charge sales tax. Music 123 doesn't.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

Maple necks warp easier on a 34" scale, it just happens sometimes as each piece of wood will always vary. There are some pieces of maple that are 60 years old that never warp but a lot of the modern stuff just isn't as good. I do not own a single guitar or bass with a maple neck anymore (I hate the stuff for necks). The P-bass is still known as a beginner's bass, I cannot think of too many bass players I've met and talked to who didn't start on one... especially rock players. Pick up and play?? They are not? Last time I checked a Fender bass with standard electronics bought from a non-online retailer comes not only with electronics a player shouldn't touch until they know what they are looking for with that particular instrument (again, wood varies) but also comes with a free set-up. Mail order is never pick up and play, ever. Period.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

My case where I had to give bad feedback was when a "fully functional" semi-vintage instrument had the nut slot in the E string down to the fretboard (due to misuse of a D-tuner), which was then compensated for with large amounts of neck relief and bridge posts up to 31th floor. Unsuccessfully compensated for, of course.

I guess this doesn't happen to guitars because of the wimpier strings.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

uOpt said:
My case where I had to give bad feedback was when a "fully functional" semi-vintage instrument had the nut slot in the E string down to the fretboard (due to misuse of a D-tuner), which was then compensated for with large amounts of neck relief and bridge posts up to 31th floor. Unsuccessfully compensated for, of course.

I guess this doesn't happen to guitars because of the wimpier strings.
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I would leave negative feedback for that all day! Yikes, I hate high action on a bass the way it is but to have a nut that needs replacing is ridiculous considering the description!
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

SnakeAces said:
I would leave negative feedback for that all day! Yikes, I hate high action on a bass the way it is but to have a nut that needs replacing is ridiculous considering the description!
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Oh and did the truss rod loosening without taking off the pickguard, simply taking chunks out of a 1983 AVRI tortoise shell guard :mad:
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

There's a special place in Hell for people who screw up musical instruments out of stupidity. Personally, I only do that with cars.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

uOpt said:
Oh and did the truss rod loosening without taking off the pickguard, simply taking chunks out of a 1983 AVRI tortoise shell guard :mad:
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What a nightmare! I'm sorry to hear that, those old school tortoise pickguards are nice when all original too.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

Funkfingers said:
I do not find bass guitar vendors to be any more or less flaky than those selling guitars, amps or effects. The more deals you strike, the more chance you have of getting a dud.
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Generslly if I buy on line I research the heck out of it before I pull the trigger, and if it on Ebay then you have to be willing to take a loss, just in case. I have always made out ok, I prefer to buy it in person.
 
Re: Rougher trading in basses?

Just as an update, unresponsive seller was woken up by ebay service and refunded me enough money to keep the mislabed bass. Still not sure it was wise to keep it but I probably would have lost the return shipment money either way.

Whatever. Just play.
 
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