More auction beware

[Ted Eschliman]

Daddy always taught me, "If it's too good to be true, it probably is." You really have to used common sense with these online auctions; inside information from someone who knows these inside and out, there is no hope for this:
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Rigel-R-100-Deluxe-Mandolin-Burgundy-Sunburst_W0QQitemZ7358164843QQcategoryZ10179QQssPa geN
ameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">Chronically misrepresented Rigel R-100</a>

I hope no one here gives up their hard earned $999 for this one.
That which cannot be fixed. (http://images.andale.com/f2/126/107/15724777/1130108634052_IMG_4240.jpg)

[glauber]

That's bad enough that it probably should be reported to eBay.

[OregonMike]

How does one even manage to crack that? Drop it off the roof of your house directly onto the end pin?

Rigels are pretty tough one piece bodies. Looks like one of my friends got a hold of it!

[arbarnhart]

Can you explain further? I know why a traditional mando could not be repaired, but it seems possible that the Rigel design might be repairable. If I understand correctly, that is a thicker piece of wood that is not under stress, so routing a channel and gluing in a carved scrap seems possible, though not optimal. I think a grand is probably a bit high.

Is my naivity on display again? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[glauber]

Almost anything is repairable (remember Bill Monroe's mandolin). But paying $1k for an instrument in that condition, with uncertain cost to fix, seems a lot.

It seems to me that the endpin came lose and someone shimmed it tight and hammered it in real good...

[glauber]

What really irritates me with this listing is the careful wording: "There is a crack on the bottom of this instrument. It does not affect playability."

Of course it doesn't affect playability. It affects everything else, though. It may end up affecting playability in the future, when the mandolin splits open, and you cut yourself on the jagged edges, but right now, the playability is juuuusst fine! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[Dale Ludewig]

That crack would probably be more repairable on a standardly made (bent sides)mando than on a Rigel. IHMO.
It definitely looks like it was dropped on the tailpin, or worse. Just my opinion. No lawsuits please.

[PhilGE]

Wasn't there a topic a few to several months back about someone dropping their Rigel on it's tail? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

-Phil