30 seconds with a wet towel and a soldering iron and those dings are gone. Yeesh. Hardly worth the stink you're raising.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
There are at least 7 dings like those shown in the photo. Sure, they are minor, but my thumb feels them and I don’t like it.
I know I cannot 100% trust ads on eBay and Reverb. That’s why I asked the seller about the neck (I wouldn’t worry about minor body dings on used basses). The seller assured me that there were no scratches and dings and that the bass was in mint condition. That is what upset me.
I know I cannot 100% trust ads on eBay and Reverb. That’s why I asked the seller about the neck (I wouldn’t worry about minor body dings on used basses). The seller assured me that there were no scratches and dings and that the bass was in mint condition. That is what upset me.
It would upset me too. Clearly it was not as he described it.
From what I've heard, Reverb tends to side with sellers so your best bet might be filing a claim with Paypal, or with your credit card company if that's what you used to pay on Paypal.
Now you'll never be happy with the bass. Too much bad juju. Take the $50 loss and consider it a lesson. Next time ask the seller for more pictures.
Had the deal been smoking hot, I would try to repair the most offending dings (I’ve repaired neck dings before). $575 for a Ray 34 with quite a few neck dings isn’t a good deal. I could spend $150 more to get a brand new one.
It’s in excellent condition. What you want, so far as I can tell, would be described as “new” or “mint” condition. Obviously do return it, as you’re unhappy. Me, I would eat the fifty bucks and get on with my life, but we all need to pick a hill to die on at some point, and this just might be yours.
Under normal circumstances I'd say meet the seller in the middle on the shipping charges and take a small hit, but since you specifically asked him about neck dings and he said there weren't any, I think he should pay for all the shipping.
Respectfully, if what you've shown in your photo is representative of the "seven dings" you're concerned about, I would strongly recommend you take the $50 hit now and forever refrain from purchasing anything online, particularly if it is used. In short, if you want new, buy new; and do so in person.
Yep. I almost did a local trade, wherein I would have received a MM StingRay 5HH. It had the "unfinished" neck, which I had never heard of before, and it really threw me for a loop when I tried it out. For that and a few other reasons, I ended up not doing the trade. Afterwards I read up about it. Turns out a lot of players like it; others just get it finished in a manner that suits them. If you like the bass, that's not a huge mod.
Sorry to hear about your experience with purchasing a bass on Reverb. I’ve had two similar experiences as both a buyer and seller of basses on online sites. I’ve bought a G&L bass that had a warped neck. I was able to get the seller to refund enough money so I could purchase a replacement neck. It upset me that the seller wasn’t honest about the condition of the instrument.
On the flip side, I had a buyer return a bass I sold him. He claimed the neck was damaged, even though I had the bass professionally setup and inspected prior to the sell. I don’t sell junk. I suspect he had buyers remorse (or his wife told him to return the instrument). Whatever the reason, he lied, and given most buyer protection plans, I was held responsible for the sale going sideways. I’m not saying that’s the case with you. From what you posted,the buyer appears to have misrepresented the condition of the instrument.
The lessons I’ve learned is, I don’t buy instruments without playing them first. If I do buy an instrument online, I would only buy from a place that accepts returns and does not charge a restocking fee. Also, I never spend more money than I can afford to lose.
Unfortunately, there are people out there who are trying to offload damaged instruments to unsuspecting buyers and there are buyers who abuse buyer protection plans when they buy an instrument they don’t like.
I hope you are able to successfully resolve the issue with the buyer.
On the flip side, I had a buyer return a bass I sold him. He claimed the neck was damaged, even though I had the bass professionally setup and inspected prior to the sell. I don’t sell junk. I suspect he had buyers remorse (or his wife told him to return the instrument). Whatever the reason, he lied, and given most buyer protection plans, I was held responsible for the sale going sideways. I’m not saying that’s the case with you. From what you posted,the buyer appears to have misrepresented the condition of the instrument.
The lessons I’ve learned is, I don’t buy instruments without playing them first. If I do buy an instrument online, I would only buy from a place that accepts returns and does not charge a restocking fee. Also, I never spend more money than I can afford to lose.
Unfortunately, there are people out there who are trying to offload damaged instruments to unsuspecting buyers and there are buyers who abuse buyer protection plans when they buy an instrument they don’t like.
I hope you are able to successfully resolve the issue with the buyer.
I think you need to chalk this up to a lesson in unrealistic expectations. Those "dings" are so minor that I would still vouch for the seller on claiming excellent condition. Mint? Technically no, but unfortunately in our modern world the word mint has taken on a broader meaning... like literally.
Regardless, if what you expect is literal perfection then you need to be buying brand new from an authorized retailer. Ive sold a bunch of times on ebay/reverb/cl etc... easily over 500 transactions total and a few times I've been on the sellers side in situations like this. If you don't want to pay full price plus taxes, you don't get a mint condition instrument. That's the reality of things. Is it possible?? Yea, it is but its not likely.
Regardless, if what you expect is literal perfection then you need to be buying brand new from an authorized retailer. Ive sold a bunch of times on ebay/reverb/cl etc... easily over 500 transactions total and a few times I've been on the sellers side in situations like this. If you don't want to pay full price plus taxes, you don't get a mint condition instrument. That's the reality of things. Is it possible?? Yea, it is but its not likely.
It’s funny to see some folks being ok with buying items not as described.
2 of my current basses (2004 MIA P and 2005 MIJ Geddy) were bought on eBay. Both were advertised as mint and they were delivered in mint condition. There are honest sellers.
2 of my current basses (2004 MIA P and 2005 MIJ Geddy) were bought on eBay. Both were advertised as mint and they were delivered in mint condition. There are honest sellers.
@Chrisk-K I'd be pissed. I'm wondering if many of the posts actually read your first post or follow up. You were told it is mint. It's not. I don't think there's even a gray area here. I don't care about much of anything as far as nicks on a bass or flamenco guitar other than the back of the neck where I can feel it. That's beside the point. You sent an email asking specifically about this and were told it was mint.
Call PayPal if that's where Reverb stands. You shouldn't have to eat anything on this deal. I don't have a lot of experience with Reverb but I've bought and sold a lot on eBay. I've dealt with both eBay and PayPal on funky deals...in my experience, both are extremely reasonable. Have you talked live to Reverb? Do they know about the correspondence before the sale? Good luck!
Call PayPal if that's where Reverb stands. You shouldn't have to eat anything on this deal. I don't have a lot of experience with Reverb but I've bought and sold a lot on eBay. I've dealt with both eBay and PayPal on funky deals...in my experience, both are extremely reasonable. Have you talked live to Reverb? Do they know about the correspondence before the sale? Good luck!
Im not ok with things not being as described... im just willing to allow some grey area when it comes to these things. Its all about relativity... if you're buying am 80's Alembic for $15,000 thats listed at mint and being sold as a collectible?.... then yes, it had better be literal mint. But for a farmed out copy that somebody has played??? Something that is most certainly not bought as an investment and is not/never will be collector grade??? Im willing to give a tiny bit of room on that and from the pics shown... Id call this a no harm/no foul.
OP if those tiny dings really bother you then you should give up buying used online, it’s not for you. You, like me, need to see, handle, and play an instrument before buying it.
What does mint actually mean? To me, mint means "as new". Excellent, great and good mean something different. This neck is clearly not mint. I really don't understand how this can be looked at differently.
The neck finish is normal. EB has oiled necks , they finish the back of the headstock in poly if it's a colored headstock face. If those tiny marks worry you that much I'd do 2 things:
1. Contact PayPal, they will get you a full refund.
2. Never buy used on the internet again.
1. Contact PayPal, they will get you a full refund.
2. Never buy used on the internet again.
