Annoying Twit

Is this "Yoshi" bass Matsumoku? Is neck through and seems to have mystery switches. Doesn't look worth £280 to me, unless it's something special that I haven't recognised. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YOSHI-Bass-Made-in-Japan_W0QQitemZ180478595750QQcategoryZ4713QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp4340.m263QQ_trkparmsZalgo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BIEW%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D8%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D8465310829701741283"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/YOSHI-Bass-Made-in-J...310829701741283[/url]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='773555' date='Mar 13 2010, 12:46 PM']I got a bass for £17 once, so it does happen.[/quote] Oooh, what sort of bass?

Hmmm..... But there are low bids and low bids. I'd guess that a bid of £8.67 on a Fender bass would have a one in 10000 chance of winning, or something like that. Maybe it's different for different things, but some of these bids..... As an example, I bid £79 on this bass which sold for £411! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220564486050&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEDWX:IT[/url] That's even worse than usual for me. I'd guess the chance of me winning that would have been less than 1/1000. Surely it's not even worth the cost of wear and tear on the keyboard to put a 99p bid or even £8.67 bid on something.

How the something can a bass have eight bids, but still be on at £26? I mean, I make a lot of lowball bids, so far none of which have won. But, I'm lowballing something worth £200 with a £100 bid or so. What are people thinking when they lowball a Fender bass in good nick with a bid of £8.27 or so? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-JAGUAR-BASS_W0QQitemZ290412932886QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item439df5af16"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-JAGUAR-BASS_W...=item439df5af16[/url]

Yeah, I'm not too worried about winning it with my tiny bid. But, my life will be just a tiny bit simpler once I'm outbid.

I thought there was supposed to be a policy by ebay where sellers who repeatedly fail to "perform" will get strikes each time they fail to sell the item, and if they get too many strikes their account gets closed. Since feedback is important, this is, I thought, sufficient motivation to keep rogue sellers in line-ish.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='772806' date='Mar 12 2010, 02:34 PM']Good if you're looking for Jap bass bargains & makes me glad I'm only selling guitars at the moment... [/quote] But not good if you realise that you have an outstanding winning bid on a Thunder bass, and are the kind of person who considers their bid to be their word! Look at the nice wood on this! And according to the Westone forum it has the "brass knobs" that people like. Bid, people, bid! [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120540731724"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=120540731724[/url]

Oops! My post looks rather repetitive now that I've seen the other thread. Has anyone ever made an acrylic Rickenfaker? Now, that would be cool

Why do I get the impression that this bass is not going to get any bids. Again. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTBURY-TRACK-2-BASS-GUITAR-MATSUMOKU_W0QQitemZ170457901469QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item27b015299d"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTBURY-TRACK-2-BAS...=item27b015299d[/url] Westbury track 2 bass, starting bid £355, £375 BIN. This one @£150 still has no bids. Again, this has been listed before. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/westbury-track-2-bass_W0QQitemZ250592099228QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item3a5873fb9c"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/westbury-track-2-bas...=item3a5873fb9c[/url]

It might be interesting to ask the seller for a photo including the headstock! It's suspiciously absent on the ebay listing. Here's a Wesley for comparison. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Acrylic-See-Through-5-String-Bass-Guitar-Wesley_W0QQitemZ140367120914QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxq20091214?IMSfp=TL0912140510001r24624"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Acrylic-See-Through-...140510001r24624[/url]

Thanks for the help. I was curious about it, but it was your comments that got me sent back to the shop with the intention of trying it out!

If I was a lawyer, I could probably understand this in one reading: [url="http://www.gillhams.com/articles/394.cfm"]http://www.gillhams.com/articles/394.cfm[/url] It talks about loss of bargain, but doesn't mention a difference between private and commercial (including B2C) contracts. So, maybe loss of bargain can apply. However, it's necessary to consider when a contract is formed. Many online companies say that a contract is formed upon dispatch of the goods. Which, if it holds water, means that they can send you a confirmation email, take money from you, and there's still no binding contract. However, since these goods were sold on ebay, the ebay T&Cs would apply, and I believe that they state that a bid is a binding contract. You can't (I believe, I'm no lawyer) have one side bound to a contract without the other side. (Attempts to do so would, I believe, come under the unfair terms in contracts banner). So, I'd guess that ebay's T&Cs for sellers would also state that the seller is bound when a bid is made, auction is completed, etc. In which case, that defence wouldn't hold water. Does anyone know the ebay T&Cs word for word? For companies, I believe (I'm no lawyer), that if the price is an "obvious error", then they can argue that the buyer knew the price to be an error at the time of purchase, and this can be successful. Some time ago there was a shop selling a Fender Amp for £0.00, and several people "bought" one. The company replied later on that the amps were "out of stock". Nobody tried to argue the toss due to the obvious difficulty in convincing a judge that they honestly believed that to be a real price for an amp However, on ebay there is an expectation that there are bargains to be had, and I wouldn't think a second hand price of £35 is an "obvious error". But of course, it's a judge that would have to be convinced, not me.

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='772104' date='Mar 11 2010, 09:07 PM']Nah they'd only refund it you again. Stick with your plan of calling ebay - it's much better than filling out forms. Don't let anyone fob you off, your winning bid is a contract.[/quote] I'm not a lawyer and this is not legal advice, but wouldn't it be possible to sue the seller for loss of bargain? Ebay pretends to be the law and highest court concerning sales on the site, but as far as I know (i.e. not that far) it isn't true. In the case of loss of bargain, you could sue for the difference between what you contracted to receive the item for, and the cost of buying elsewhere. This applies to the "bass guitar, has strings and excellent tune" listing too, I'd guess. Surely it can't be the case that Ebay won't do anything if the funds have been refunded. As that would give every seller who wishes to back out of a contract an out. However, in other contexts I've searched high and low for evidence that someone has actually sued someone for loss of bargain on ebay due to a non-performing seller. And I've never found even one case. Whether that's because the strategy won't work, or because in the end the wronged buyers just bend over and take it, I don't know. Here's a non-ebay case of loss of bargain: [url="http://www.bitterwallet.com/bq-%E2%80%93-the-dishwashers-with-no-discretion/13425"]http://www.bitterwallet.com/bq-%E2%80%93-t...iscretion/13425[/url] Edit: I'm not sure, but it could be that loss of bargain remedies only apply if the seller is a business, not a private individual. I'll continue digging.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='772077' date='Mar 11 2010, 08:37 PM']If push comes to shove I'll give you £50 over what you paid for the Cimar. Or maybe £40... [/quote] 'tis mine I tell you, ALL MINE. If I won the Westone, that'd be my guitar buying budget zeroed until .... end of June! Vantage ending in 22 hours or so here: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=390166039939&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT[/url]

[quote name='Clarky72' post='767690' date='Mar 8 2010, 10:34 AM']Ahh! I wanted one of those so much when I was a kid.... I'd completely forgotten about them! Can't be bad for £1.25! I'm sure you could get that black paint off and restore it quite easily.[/quote] It's gone up quite a bit now, but another one has been listed. And there's someone selling a Westone Rail over in the basses for sale forum. I was thinking very, very, seriously about this: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-bass-guitar_W0QQitemZ180479402531QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item2a05692223"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Thunder-1A-b...=item2a05692223[/url] I'd already checked where the seller's house was in relation to the 127 bus stop. But I won't be bidding now I have my Rickenfaker. Though, I'm a bit worried about the bid I still have outstanding on another Westone. It is quite low though, so I don't think I have anything to worry about. I.e. if I win I can probably sell it on for a profit

Congrats on your Ibby! Looks great.

[quote name='silddx' post='771573' date='Mar 11 2010, 01:29 PM']Looks lovely! Good player?[/quote] I make no claims to be a skilled player. So my judgements should be taken with a pinch of salt. But, I REALLY REALLY like the way it feels. And it was my money involved

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='771546' date='Mar 11 2010, 01:07 PM']Dare I ask?[/quote] Ask what? If you mean the price, it was enough that I could have bought a [b][color="red"]new[/color][/b] Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass for the same money. But, I really like the Cimar, so it's worth it to me.

Bought this in my local guitar shop today.

I quite like the body of this bass. And I'd like the headstock on a Jackson or something. But IMHO the two just don't go together. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-II-XRB-BASS-MIJ-JAPAN-1980s-BEAUTY-J-P_W0QQitemZ120541534240QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item1c10d5d820"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-II-XRB-BASS...=item1c10d5d820[/url]

[quote name='robocorpse' post='770800' date='Mar 10 2010, 07:09 PM']...are true, and there was a new era of MDF starting on ultra budget stuff in the late 1990s. This even makes the crappy Korean plywood guitars look good. I still see it occasionally today on noname budget guitars, and its really hard to tell until you take the neck/plate off and look, or (if you are unlucky) it starts to swell or crack. I have seen it with my own eyes on a less than 5 year old MDF Telecaster.[/quote] I once tried out a no-name precision bass. Despite being full sized, it was amazingly light. The first thing I thought when I lifted it (with extreme ease) was "balsawood". I've since been told that some cheap guitars actually do have balsa wood as part of their construction as it's cheap. And, it's technically a "hardwood" too.

Humph. As an owner, I'm entirely unconvinced that Shine basses deserve the reputation they seem to have on this thread. The same thing happened in the thread where I mentioned I'd bought it. There was quite a lot of negative sentiment, until someone popped up whose first bass was a Shine 5 string. And he said that it was a very good bass for the money, and it had stood him well. The Harmony Central reviews, which I checked at the time, are mostly good. E.g. [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/product/Shine/SB-26SN/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews...ne/SB-26SN/10/1[/url] The Harley Benton which is the same bass also has good reviews. Not stellar reviews, but certainly not "piece of junk" reviews. [url="http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Electric+Bass/product/Harley+Benton/HBB600TBK/10/1"]http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews.../HBB600TBK/10/1[/url] Mine certainly does not have an MDF I know some six string players who are very experienced and consider Shine guitars to be a little known secret. Again, the reviews agree with them. It's not just here, I've seen elsewhere as well that Shine don't have a good reputation, but I can't see what justifies it. All these comments about going back to the era of MDF. Can't see it. What do we have in the squier range now? The Vintage Modified and Classic Vibes. Certainly I've heard many, many, comments that these are very decent basses, not just for the price, but even compared to "the real thing". And a classic vibe Jazz can be had for £220 + postage.

If this were Japanese, it would fit well into the "JapCrap Spotting" thread. Is anyone interested in old European basses as well? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shaftesbury-Telecaster-bass-Italian-Model-with-case_W0QQitemZ250591185658QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item3a58660afa"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shaftesbury-Telecast...=item3a58660afa[/url]

[quote name='robocorpse' post='769219' date='Mar 9 2010, 01:43 PM']The thing is, he wants 59 quid for it, I have seen those "Shine" basses for 39.95 new in the box. They truly plumb the depths of horrific cheapness, matched only by the MDF telecaster I saw a couple of years ago.[/quote] As the owner of a "Shine" bass, can I point out that this is a "Swift" bass, distributed by "Swift Music of London". It clearly says Swift on the headstock. Shine basses get better reviews than Swifts, and I think my Shine six string is well worth the £60 I paid for it. It's the same bass as has been sold as the Harley Benton six string.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Quantum-X850-Bass_W0QQitemZ300404450226QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item45f18023b2"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Westone-Quantum-X850...=item45f18023b2[/url] Westone Steinberger copy-ish. The end of the neck where the headstock would normally be looks a bit beat up. Is this a problem? Edit: Dodgy repaint job as well. Could be a bargain for someone uninterested in the cosmetics? Where is Jon?