Real or fake sub bass?

Looks good in the picture, and they are not one of the hot topic instruments that are copied due to their relatively lower price vs the American instruments

These are decent basses, I’d probably lean for the white one myself

 

Not the best pics, but those look okay to me.

 

Vinyl overlays, perhaps?

 

Both basses have the stars. Maybe something they started doing, I'm not very familiar with their catalog changes

 

That's about the going rate for used. Just make sure it doesn't have any problems before you throw down your money. Pawn Shops aren't techs.
Plug it in and play it in the store, and don't get in a hurry. If you bond with it, good for you

 

I can’t imagine someone faking a low budget bass as such there’s no money in it but if you have your doubts here is a really nice White bass in the TB classifieds!!
For Sale - G&L Tribute LB100 with Gigbag!! Mint conditions !

 

If we're at the point where folks are making fake Sub basses, I'd be surprised. A $20 bill is just as easy to fake as a $1 bill - counterfeiters don't typically make singles.

 

That's about right.
Pawn shops often are open to offers... If they are asking $200, they may not have more than $100 into it.

Make them a reasonable offer, you could do better. At the most, they'll say "no". That's when you offer "$200, no tax" and, usually, you pay $200.

And, definitely agreed with giving it a very thorough look over.

 

It IS a fake. It's a fake EBMM Stingray. It just so happens that Sterling Ball gave his blessings to the company that makes them to do so. Which means its not counterfeit. I don't think any company out there is going to put a fake Sub out there. As stated previously do your best to figure out if anything is wrong with it. If something seems wrong in person and if the seller is acting dumb about it then he's probably trying to out-maneuver you. Follow your instincts. New toy glitter often blinds otherwise astute shoppers. Don't be afraid to walk away. Especially if the seller brags about how many other people are waiting in line to look at it.

 

Probably stickers on the 12 dots. Lots of people are selling instruments at pawn shops these days. Plug it in and make sure it works. Make sure the neck looks ok, for that price I wouldn't obsess too much. These are really cool basses for the value.

 

Make sure the neck is straight, make sure it doesn't make horrific sounds when you turn the knobs

You will know what are mistakes you make from not playing much vs something being wrong

If you have a bass player or guitar player friend, see if they can come demo with you

 

Hey @Erin Choi

Have fun, you only buy your first bass once

 

Unless it's a heck of a steal (doubtful at $200), I'd test it and also look at a few others. It's awfully easy to get hung up on one and not look around enough.

I'd check the weight, see how it feels on a strap.

They're likely not going to know if the truss rod is frozen, unlike a decent music dealer or (some) private sellers.

Most of the pawn basses that I look at on the Internet appear to have strict "AS-IS - we're not a guitar shop" disclaimers.

 

Fun cheap basses. Easy to set up, play great, hot preamp, bright pickup, rock on!

I'd try to talk them down from $200; they're only $300 new. If it's "like new" $200 is a good enough deal I suppose.

 

and you might as well grab that nice Fender Rumble amp sitting behind it while your at it!

 

A used SUB should be $220 or less. A lot of entry level basses are purchased, played three times and then they move onto something else. Nobody is going to go out of their way to scam you on a $200 bass. If you stick with it, in a few months you're going to want something else too. Do a visual inspection, no obvious drops or huge dings. Personally, I don't like dings on the neck, but that's just me. Make sure the neck ins't bowed and the action is reasonable. Plug it in and see if it makes noise (the good kind) and rotate the knobs to see if they're scratchy.