yorks5stringer Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 This guy in Newquay and I have history as I took him to task via eBay message around him allegedly selling HB's with the Logo removed around a year ago. I suggested he be more honest in his descriptions, at the time he was selling B Stock's and not disclosing the fact and sanding off the logo (this was before Decos). We traded a couple of messages regarding "German Engineered" too as I suggested they were actually Far Eastern engineered, he countered they were designed in Germany although unless one works in Thomann's Purchasing Dept, one could never know if Thomann actually designed them or just they get the manufacturer to submit some designs to a price point. At one point in our message exchange he lost his cool and I then had about 3 messages in my inbox timed 12.00 am,.2.00 am and 4.00 am with him accusing me of slander and threatening legal action! I countered I would report him to eBay and was going to delete any of his further emails unread at which point he quietened down. One could be tempted to take him to task again regarding these instruments but he has a very aggressive and robust manner and as others have said already, "Caveat Emptor". If the photos actually show the D stamp then I guess they are still "new other" but many will not read the full description of what that entails anyway. I guess a public spirited citizen could contact Thomann and point out a certain buyer from Newquay is re-selling Decos as "New Other" on eBay, whether they would be bothered is debatable...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 I'm not sure that it would help to contact Thomann. Pointing out that the dekos will sell for more than the price Thomann is asking may not be helpful in the long run, though as a large organisation, they should know. It does seem that lots of us are getting lots of dekos. So, while it may take longer to obtain the dekos we want (e.g. the huge wait for the four string fretted natural acoustic), there are still enough to go around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfretrock Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I wonder if the small 'D' stamp is only for Thomanns use, it hardly discourages passing them off as non-dekos, it is very faint on my prog 4. I note all the ebay items have HB tags/barcodes attached. I don't think any of my dekos had, I do have a tag and it must have came from my only non-deko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Another Option could be a "Buying Guide" posted on eBay regarding Harley Benton items, or even an actual ad for a HB Bass , priced at a silly sum so it would not sell? Within the ad could be an explanation of what a Deco is, and how to spot it...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) I say just let it go and keep quiet incase it ends up stuffing up the deko joy for us all! Edited August 28, 2015 by miles'tone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 An eBay buying guide might be a good idea, but I must admit that I also agree with what miles'tone says, let sleeping dogs lie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1440755888' post='2853506'] An eBay buying guide might be a good idea, but I must admit that I also agree with what miles'tone says, let sleeping dogs lie? [/quote] Agreed. If he was selling loads of them, then you could say he's cornered the market on winning them, but he hasn't. Besides, if any one of us were to get a Deko and decide it's not for you, what would you do? If you send it back, fine. If you go to sell in an auction, what makes you different to him? Edited August 28, 2015 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1440757825' post='2853529'] If you go to sell in an auction, what makes you different to him? [/quote] Depends how you sell it. 99p no reserve would mean you stood equal chances of making a loss or a profit. Or it just not selling. Has anyone looked at the guy's history to see what he's succeeded in actually selling? Ebay's full of desperate opportunists punting tat with fantasy price tags that will just never sell. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1440757825' post='2853529'] Agreed. If he was selling loads of them, then you could say he's cornered the market on winning them, but he hasn't. Besides, if any one of us were to get a Deko and decide it's not for you, what would you do? If you send it back, fine. If you go to sell in an auction, what makes you different to him? [/quote] It would be different if the eBay listing said that this was a Deko. I was thinking that if I sold, I would mention that it is a 'factory second' and give a detailed description of what, if anything, is wrong with it. And I would mention 'decoration only' in the listing, but describe it's actual level of playability. And I'd show a close up of the D stamp. @Bassassin - I checked and he has sold some stuff at prices that would make it worthwhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I've now received my Kahuna Ukulele bass , and my initial thoughts are that there's nothing much wrong with it as far as I can see/hear , but then I've never had a Uke bass before! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Sounds like a result. Enjoy your NDBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1440763644' post='2853625'] It would be different if the eBay listing said that this was a Deko. I was thinking that if I sold, I would mention that it is a 'factory second' and give a detailed description of what, if anything, is wrong with it. And I would mention 'decoration only' in the listing, but describe it's actual level of playability. And I'd show a close up of the D stamp. @Bassassin - I checked and he has sold some stuff at prices that would make it worthwhile. [/quote] It is interesting how all his pics are crystal clear except the ones where he "tries" to show the mark; and there it's all out of focus on most of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 [quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1440765918' post='2853655'] I've now received my Kahuna Ukulele bass , and my initial thoughts are that there's nothing much wrong with it as far as I can see/hear , but then I've never had a Uke bass before! [/quote] I wondered who got to that before me Hope it's a good'un! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roman_sub Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) I think it's pretty clear that the person on ebay is purposefully trying to deceive buyers and make money on the difference... I couldn't resist asking for a better picture of the dent for this one.... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262013707642?euid=9881b617c1fd4874bb2d6f49bd85e41a&cp=1"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/262013707642[/url]..... it seems almost masterful how bad the photo of the D is. Also, I must say, on the Deko acoustic they are selling, it appears as though some effort was applied to turn the D stamp into an actual dent! Edited August 28, 2015 by roman_sub Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Deliberately out of focus?...Hush my mouth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Great news on your bass uke Donnyboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 (edited) DEKOS! Just popped up, including this left handed Jazz bass. Didn't someone want one of these to make a reverse headstock righty? [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_75lh_na_vintage_ser_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ge_ser_deko.htm[/url] I can't remember what was up, and what wasn't. Was this progressive bass present? [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_450_black_progressiv_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ressiv_deko.htm[/url] Edited August 28, 2015 by Annoying Twit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 I wanted the lefty for reverse right. Snagged one a couple of days ago. It's patiently waiting in Koln as we speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1440780995' post='2853870'] DEKOS! Just popped up, including this left handed Jazz bass. Didn't someone want one of these to make a reverse headstock righty? [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_jb_75lh_na_vintage_ser_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ge_ser_deko.htm[/url] I can't remember what was up, and what wasn't. Was this progressive bass present? [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_b_450_black_progressiv_deko.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ressiv_deko.htm[/url] [/quote] The Prog has been up for much of the later part of this week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Got a Deko uke bass, has a few little setup issues. Had to work the truss rod carefully to get any relief in the neck. Some frets needed levelling in all sorts of places so had to level all the frets, although due to the higher than standard bass action height the frets were not much of an issue anyhow, but wanted it right. The body is perfect but the neck has a tiny 2mm dint near one of the tuners, hardly visible. I left the action height as is as really not sure how I want it. Plays nicely and sounds good all the electrics work as they should. Not sure it's really for me though, but it is fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myke Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 My acoustic arrived! It's absolutely fine, I really do not see what is wrong with it! But that is enough for me, I hardly even play bass now so I honestly do not know why I bought it in the first place! Thinking I might move the Deko Jazz on. Haven't played it much since I bought it. I don't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Looks like another 75 jazz is up... Mine was excellent Also, in other news... My pb20 was waiting for me on the door step when I got home from work whoever signed for it must have got bored of it cluttering up their house... It's flawless and sounds great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 I'm still keeping my eye out for a fretless jazz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annoying Twit Posted August 29, 2015 Author Share Posted August 29, 2015 [quote name='paul h' timestamp='1440828204' post='2854124'] I'm still keeping my eye out for a fretless jazz. [/quote] I'm not sure that I've ever seen the factory fretless jazz bass being sold as a deko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 [quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1440832653' post='2854144'] I'm not sure that I've ever seen the factory fretless jazz bass being sold as a deko. [/quote] Maybe one day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.