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aliex to be trusted

#41
Mvilmany said:
Stay away from anyone/anything that sells counterfeits. Even though that thing doesn't say Fender or Rickenbacker on it, they sell counterfeits all day long, and I'll never give them any business. Also, you get what you pay for, and most often, people receive horrible instruments that need a lot of work to become playable.
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It's an interesting point. Who is to blame about the counterfeits? They only make them because someone buys them... don't buy them!
I think buying their non-counterfeit instruments and actively asking for non-brand logos is a more direct positive way to direct their business. But that's just me. If you just don't buy... they will never notice you. If, by contrast, people buy but they clearly avoid their fakes... maybe they direct their attention more there. I don't know. You have to look at and identify individual sellers... a lot of them are mere resellers.

Horrible instruments and lot of work? Depends on your definition of what constitutes a lot of work. A guy sold me his OLP years ago and I was giving him his asking price... but HE dropped the price as it had such horrible high action. It turns out some people cannot work out how and when to use a truss rod and they feel levelling frets is a hard/expensive job. A lot of people just buy with their eyes expecting an instrument that is normally $2000 even when they pay $200. And then they are disappointed. Ha! :)
There's lots of success stories on youtube too. There's that guy who seems to constantly buy fake Yngwie Malmsteen Strats... you cannot argue they are terrible instruments those (although I don't support buying a fake, this is just to illustrate a point about the quality).

You generally get what you pay for, that is true 'though... so be realistic before spending money. If you want a cheap jazz bass that looks and plays amazing straight from the box... don't go aliexpress, buy a Sire, or even a SX from Rondo.
 
#43
bobdabilder said:
You can ask for specific pics of the exact bass you are buying. Also ask specific questions about it. I have seen 2 such transactions from ae go smoothly. Slow but not disappointing.
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You can ASK, but that doesn't mean you will get what you are asking for. It's known that there is very little regulation over there. And even if you get the photo, you don't know what it will sound like, never mind what it plays like. I've heard good stories and bad stories.

I would much rather have a known source, with the understanding that if there is an issue, there will be no problems with a return.

This is not a toy. This is a tool.
 
#44
I have WITNESSED ONLY POSITIVE EXPERIENCES. Talking in all caps makes me feel good.

buldog5151bass said:
You can ASK, but that doesn't mean you will get what you are asking for. It's known that there is very little regulation over there. And even if you get the photo, you don't know what it will sound like, never mind what it plays like. I've heard good stories and bad stories.

I would much rather have a known source, with the understanding that if there is an issue, there will be no problems with a return.

This is not a toy. This is a tool.
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#45
mysticblaze said:
i mean i saw this Aliexpress.com : Buy 2016 hot 5 string bass guitar. Good style. Good voice. Free shipping, real guitar photo from Reliable photos of black hair styles suppliers on Yongchun guitar sales and i wanna know if its any good
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Killed_by_Death said:
Since when is counterfeiting legitimate?

Ali comes from Ali Baba, who was a known thief.
If you feel no moral obligation to fight piracy/counterfeiting, go for it.
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It's not counterfeit if it doesn't claim to be the original. It's a copy, yes, but no where does it have a brand name claiming to be (whatever it's a copy of).

That said, the particular seller of that guitar doesn't have very good feedback. Also the guitar claims to be "passive" yet has (as others have pointed out) oddly placed battery compartments, leading one to believe something is off about the electronics. IMO I would pass.
 
#46
"... real guitar photo from Reliable photos of black hair styles suppliers..."

As long as the photos are real, Reliable, and of black hair style suppliers, I feel confident in using both my debit card, as well as PIN, to purchase pretty much anything from Aliexpress...

"You can't have a lie, without Aliexpress in your life!"
 
#48
buldog5151bass said:
As long as ...
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you can get pictures of the actual item prior to posting, to verify it's exactly what you want and in case you want anything altered... that doesn't tell you much about playability etc but you can see the actual thing before it's sent, and aliexpress does not pay the seller until you confirm delivery... Really, we need to stop the scaremongering ;)

Of course, some folks still think it's dangerous for another person to have your bank account number, so I guess the fear of the far-away-foreign-market will be with us a while... :)
 
#49
mcnach said:
you can get pictures of the actual item prior to posting, to verify it's exactly what you want and in case you want anything altered... that doesn't tell you much about playability etc but you can see the actual thing before it's sent, and aliexpress does not pay the seller until you confirm delivery... Really, we need to stop the scaremongering ;)

Of course, some folks still think it's dangerous for another person to have your bank account number, so I guess the fear of the far-away-foreign-market will be with us a while... :)
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Not scaremongering. There have been numerous posts at TB talking about what was posted on the site was not the actual instrument.

I have nothing against buying from overseas, as long as it does not get into the counterfeit issue. But from everything I have read, here and otherwise, buying from there is a #@@~-shoot. I look at an instrument as a serious investment, and would rather buy from a known entity and shipping source. I have three basses that I play - one I built last year, the others I have owned for over 12 and over 30 years.
 
#50
The microphones I ordered were excellent, but clearly the images were photoshopped, because they couldn't actually make the grills the colour tin the pics - "Dear Mr Paul, please be happy with silver grills because champagne colour plating will not stick" - I took the silver!

One factory even told me when I asked that they had nothing at all in stock - the product images and specs were from the components and other products in the same housings - mine would be bought and assembled when I placed the order. It's fine with me if the products are what I want, and in fairness, usually are. For spares, I now send them pictures with arrows and showing voltmeter readings that don't require words - this works fine. Aliexpress is just a marketplace and you do the research before buying to minimise risk.
 
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#51
This bass is a knock-off of a Mayones Patriot. It's as counterfeit as a 3 dollar bill. (and likely worth as much).
Will go nicely with that $40.00 Rolex and a $5.00 bottle of Jim Beam flavoured anti-freeze.
Trust them ? Absolutely !!
 
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#52
Roland GR 88 said:
This bass is a knock-off of a Mayones Patriot. It's as counterfeit as a 3 dollar bill. (and likely worth as much).
Will go nicely with that $40.00 Rolex and a $5.00 bottle of Jim Beam flavoured anti-freeze.
Trust them ? Absolutely !!
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It's clearly inspired by the Patriot V-fret, thanks for the pointer. I didn't know that bass.
Looking closely at the pictures, there's a truss rod cover that says 'Patriot' and you can make out something that looks like an 'M' on the headstock. So that one pictured does qualify as counterfeit. I would not like that one. Bad boy.

You could try to order one like it without any Mayones-related branding 'though. People buy Precision and Jazz 'copies' all the time made by famous builders and little known builders alike, but we seem to be generally happy with that as long as they don't stamp 'Fender' on them, right? ;)

Quality of the instrument is another issue entirely, and I can't tell without having it in front of me... but the back covers are so odd that it doesn't look like this particular builder pays a lot of attention to detail.
 
#54
mcnach said:
People buy Precision and Jazz 'copies' all the time made by famous builders and little known builders alike, but we seem to be generally happy with that as long as they don't stamp 'Fender' on them, right? ;)
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We've been though this before up-teen times. The Fender bodies are not protected, and the headstocks with the same shape are licensed by Fender.
 
#57
Killed_by_Death said:
Since when is counterfeiting legitimate?

Ali comes from Ali Baba, who was a known thief.
If you feel no moral obligation to fight piracy/counterfeiting, go for it.
Click to expand...

Actually, Ali Baba was the good guy. The 40 thieves were the bad guys.
The name was chosen for the company because of it's world-wide recognition and the 'open sesame' line fit well with Alibaba's on-line approach.
 
#59
mysticblaze said:
i mean i saw this Aliexpress.com : Buy 2016 hot 5 string bass guitar. Good style. Good voice. Free shipping, real guitar photo from Reliable photos of black hair styles suppliers on Yongchun guitar sales and i wanna know if its any good
Click to expand...
fwiw, I came across this bass this week and reached out to the seller to ask about the scale for the longer side of the neck, I was hoping it's 37" but it's only 34". Our conversation went as follows:

ME: Hello, what are the two scale lengths of the bass? I am very interested, thank you

mingyong wu: Friend, you can say in understand some

ME:
pSAn5OH.jpg


mingyong wu: 648mm

mingyong wu: Tomorrow to confirm you, friend

ME: ok. can not be 648mm . is it 889mm? 939mm? thank you

mingyong wu: Friend, give you confirm tomorrow

mingyong wu: 864mm
 
#60
after ordering just after Christmas, my Mooer Tender Ocatver is finally in the good ole' US of A. in chicago, should be coming to me Monday! sat at the sorting center in China for a MONTH!

don't worry, the seller assured me..

"it shipped friend, i promise you. be patient friend." lol
 

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