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are copies being frown upon?

W

wooheehaa

Jul 14, 2013
66
107
#1
not to be confused with counterfeits which carry the original brand name and logo, im refering to copies with slightly difference in design. are they being frown upon here?

im in korea holidaying with my wife now (yup, i know, korea and their hyped dramas now) and good lord the amount of copies they have are insane. some of spalted and other exotic wood warwick copies look nothing short of amazing. good amount of hofner copies and ric copies as well. granted, i have yet to try them. doesnt seem to be very cheap, conversion works out close to 800 to a grand depending on models

what do ya think? if i purchase anyone of these, am i supporting piracy and being out down in the hall of shame? im really irking, i only have 3 days left in my tour and after that i had 2 days of free and easy
 
#2
just few things to add, im right now in busan and it appears that they are alot of cool little musical instrument shops, or your mom and pop instrument stores. a very refreshing experience and various of unheard string brands out there as well. never expected this in my trip!

**** im totally stooked
 
#3
I wouldn't frown on copies, I would just wonder about why spend 800-1k on a copy of a bass that can be found used for that much/slightly more than that? Or maybe even new. If the quality, sound and feel is better than the basses that they are trying to copy, then by all means grab one as that is a good deal! But if they copies that aren't as good the original instrument, I wouldn't buy them.
 
#5
Woodsbass said:
I wouldn't frown on copies, I would just wonder about why spend 800-1k on a copy of a bass that can be found used for that much/slightly more than that? Or maybe even new. If the quality, sound and feel is better than the basses that they are trying to copy, then by all means grab one as that is a good deal! But if they copies that aren't as good the original instrument, I wouldn't buy them.
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yea, they seem to retail fairly high, i would probably had to think twice before laying out the bucks. at the same time i dont think i could get a used 4003 or stage 1 anywhere near the region of a grand.

will be crossing my finger hard entering these disneylands:hyper:
 
#7
Woodsbass said:
I wouldn't frown on copies, I would just wonder about why spend 800-1k on a copy of a bass that can be found used for that much/slightly more than that? Or maybe even new. If the quality, sound and feel is better than the basses that they are trying to copy, then by all means grab one as that is a good deal! But if they copies that aren't as good the original instrument, I wouldn't buy them.
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The other thing to keep in mind is resale. The fact is, like them or not, Fender, Warwick, Ric, etc...are a known quantity that hold their value. Some unknown Korean brand might even be better quality wise, but what will it's value be back in the US if your tastes change down the road? For 800-1k you can get a minty used Fender USA P or J that you could resell for about the same price down the road if you want something else. Drop 1k on and unknown brand and what can you sell it for?

jgroh said:
Yes, no one should ever buy a Sadowsky or any other P / J bass unless its a Fender! And dear God, dont get me started on Rickenfakers!
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Well a Sadowsky is much different than a random Korean knock off. Sadowsky has brand recognition and holds its value. If you plan to keep it forever, by all means if you like how it plays buy a Korean unknown brand Ric copy for 1k and live the dream. I'm just saying if you decide to get rid of it, good luck getting someone to give you even half what you paid.
 
#9
inthevelvet said:
The other thing to keep in mind is resale. The fact is, like them or not, Fender, Warwick, Ric, etc...are a known quantity that hold their value. Some unknown Korean brand might even be better quality wise, but what will it's value be back in the US if your tastes change down the road? For 800-1k you can get a minty used Fender USA P or J that you could resell for about the same price down the road if you want something else. Drop 1k on and unknown brand and what can you sell it for?


Well a Sadowsky is much different than a random Korean knock off. Sadowsky has brand recognition and holds its value. If you plan to keep it forever, by all means if you like how it plays buy a Korean unknown brand Ric copy for 1k and live the dream. I'm just saying if you decide to get rid of it, good luck getting someone to give you even half what you paid.
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Yeah, Im just messing around :D :bassist:
 
#14
hey guys, thanks for the feedback. im currently in the holiday mood and alot of sense arent up there. i had read through the thread and alot points make alot of sense, from the resale value, to the high prices etc etc

i will give all these thoughts a serious consider. if anything, i should be free on monday and tuesday to have a proper look around. will keep this updated! cheers
 
#15
Just dropping by saying Hi because I'm korean! No, I don't know of any copies. So don't even bother lol
Hope you have a blast in Korea!
Wish I could go myself... But I can't
I want to buy a bass guitar but I can't unless you want me found dead in my house! o_o
 
#19
If you are going to be in Seoul during your trip be sure to stop at the Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade in Insadong. A mall with 200 music stores. It is very cool.

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#20
tmdazed said:
Why would you give 2 ***** about the opinion of a bunch of keyboard warriors, if you like it , if it plays nice , get it , who cares what the name on the headstock is
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Well the point a lot of us are trying to make is at the $800-1k price point the OP mentioned, that is not all that awesome of a price for a knock-off, in particular if you don't keep it for life, as is common with most bassists. If a jazz knockoff sounds and plays great and is $200, sure. But if it's a no-name and it's $800, it would be kinda silly when you can get a Mint USA Fender for that price, and it will hold it's value. If you keep it forever of course it doesn't matter.

GM60466 said:
I've said this 100 times, play what you like.
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I agree, just don't overpay for it.
 

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