My new solid body is a piece of garbage

[Pedal Steel Mike]

And when I say that, it's an insult to yesterday's goffee grounds.

I occasionally do bar gigs, and I don't want to take my new Rigel to those kinds of places. So I also bought this solid body specifically for that purpose. It arrived yesterday.

This is the worst piece of junk I've ever seen. The frets are not parallel, and some of the upper frets are further apart than lower ones, the nut is about 3/16ths of an inch high, and the fretboard seems to be made out of balsa wood.

I expected this to be a low end instrument that needed a lot of tweaking before it could be made playable, but this goes beyond my worst expectations. This thing cannot even be called a real instrument. It falls into the catagory of a fraud perpetrated on unsuspecting people thinking they are buying something that can be used to make music.

I am appalled and angry that anybody would even make something like this. It is in the same league as the "batbox" psuedo-guitars of the 50s and 60s.

I still need a solid body electric for the bar gigs, so I'm going to get a new neck from Stewart-Macdonald and graft it in place, but I can't stress enough how shocked and bitterly disappointed I am at the quality of this piece of garbage.

The brand name is "Galveston." Be forwarned. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[mikeomando]

"Galveston oh Gal-ves-ton..." Glen Campbell
I've never actually played a Galveston, and I'm okay with that. $200 seems to be the cheapest electric mando that will get you into the game (a mandobird), and everybody seems to want to tweak those, too. $500-$600 gets you a Bluestar mandoblaster, and those work out of the box.

[mad dawg]

My condolences Mike, and thanks for the heads up. This sounds like a textbook example of an MSO (Mandolin Shaped Object). http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[Christian McKee]

I remember years ago looking at those listings on eBay... I'm glad I saved my pennies for one of Steve Ryder's instruments. Good to know that they're not even worth picking up for "beater" use.

Christian

[MartinD_GibsonA]

Mike -- I think the principle is called caveat emptor! # #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[sunburst]

Caveat emptor for sure, but beyond some point of lousyness, fraud starts to move in.
If you sell something as a musical instrument, the minimum expectation should be that you can play music on it.

[Pedal Steel Mike]

Caveat emptor for sure, but beyond some point of lousyness, fraud starts to move in.
If you sell something as a musical instrument, the minimum expectation should be that you can play music on it.
Precisely. I didn't pay a lot for this thing, and the money I lost is fairly inconsequential, but this is not a real instrument, and falls into the catagory of fraud.

Incidentally I wrote to the dealer, (Music Pals) and told him I wanted to return it and get my money back and he basically told me to do something to myself that is anatomically impossible.

It seems to me that any reputable dealer wouldn't handle this kind of junk in the first place, and would honor the request of a dissatisfied customer for a refund. (And by doing so, gain that customer's trust and loyalty.)

I will never do business with this dealer again, and if asked, would advise anybody to do their business elswhere.

[mando bandage]

"Galveston oh Gal-ves-ton..." Glen Campbell

Or was it Jimmy Webb?http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

R

[mikeomando]

OK, written by Jimmy Webb, imortalized by Glen Campbell, spanked by mando bandage... At least I got the lyric quote right!

[sunburst]

I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but I have heard of something called an "implied warrantee".
As I understand it, a product should, by law, perform the function for which it was sold. Now, whether or not it's worth pursuing,... probably not.

[steve in tampa]

Sounds like you might want to rip out and fill in the poorly placed frets, and experiment with a fretless mando. What do you have to lose if you can't actually do what the seller suggested and get that on video:laugh:

[Steven Stone]

Gordon Roberts at Eastman Strings told me that in the violin world there are tons of PAC RIM instruments that look like violins, but are totally unplayable. The Eastman people call them VSO's - Violin-shaped objects.

I'm afraid the Galviston is an MSO - mandolin-shaped object, but not, by any stretch, a mandolin http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[glauber]

Like the Flute-shaped objects they sell in eBay (mostly from Pakistan). They're not even pretty enough to hang on the wall.

[jmcgann]

Hey Mike!

The aforementioned Bluestars are quite good; i have a student working on both Srinivas ( C G CG C) and standard tunings on it, and it sounds and feels nice. About $500 or so, he got his from Elderly.

All you players be forewarned- Mike is a deadly musician who works wonders with a pedal steel- I bet he's a bitchin' mando player to boot!

[delsbrother]

[Sorry for the attempted thread hijack, though I suppose this could apply to PSM's emando]

John, you're giving lessons in Srinivas-style Carnatic mandolin? Where do I sign up?

Darrell

[Pedal Steel Mike]

Thanks John. You already know that I think you are one of the finest musicians on the planet. I consider praise from you to be the highest honor I could have.

At this point I have 3 options, I can try to turn this object into a real mandolin by removing the fretboard, and installing a new one along with a truss rod, throw the thing in the garbage, or file complaints with both E-bay and the better business bureau in the hope of forcing the dealer to give me a refund.

At the moment I'm still very angry, and my inclination is to make trouble for the guy. But I will wait a day or 2 and make a decision after I've calmed down.

[jmcgann]

aw shucks Mike!

I can relate to your horror, and hope you'll find a good solution. Life's far too short for shite instruments!

Darrell- basically, my student is a total beginner, a nice Indian fellow who loves that music (as I do) and we try to decipher some of the melodic stuff together- I am FAR from an expert on Carnatic music despite 6 months of sitar lessons as a teenager http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif I hear the first 30 years are the hardest...

Srinivas is an incredible genius musician and a real trailblazer on the mandolin.

[mikeomando]

I have to say that I'm sorry you got a ###### mando, but you probably don't have any recourse. If the thing makes noise and looks like an emando, which unfortunately it does, then who's to say it's some kind of fraud? Some kind of piece of * * * *, no question, but Ebay makes a lot of money off of people buying * * * *.
If it makes you feel better, I bet I've paid more for an emando than you did, which doesn't play any better. I would take the Galveston to a live gig, switch to it during someone else's solo, and then destry it on stage a la Pete Townshend. The feeling you get may offset the way you feel now a little bit.

[MartinD_GibsonA]

I expected this to be a low end instrument ...

I didn't pay a lot for this thing, and the money I lost is fairly inconsequential, but this is not a real instrument ...

Pedal Steel Mike,

I'm sorry to be the voice of dissent here, but if you paid so little for this "thing" that you consider the monetary loss "inconsequential", then just how good did you think it could possibly be? #I agree with mikeomando -- if it looks sorta like a mandolin and makes a noise sorta like a mandolin, then while it might be a POS, it ain't necessarily fraud. #You tried to get somethin' for (almost) nothin'; next time, you'll know better.

Don Smith

[Pedal Steel Mike]

...just how good did you think it could possibly be?
I expected the frets to be in the right place and the instrument (I use the term loosely) to be able to be made playable after some tweaking. This thing can not be upgraded to the point where it will play in tune.

I also expected professional behavior from the dealer instead of his "I've got your money, go $%*& yourself" attitude.

[aimee]

A local second hand store carries that particular brand of "musical instruments". I seem to remember that the acoustic mando featured in the front window was two frets short of the required number, and totally unplayable.

Be forewarned- this same company also has a line of guitars, and worse, ba**o's.

[mandroid]

All else fails, try bottleneck tuning http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif

[Pedal Steel Mike]

If all else fails, I'm going to saw off the neck and put on a new one- a bolt on. (I won't attempt to do this myself, I'll have a luthier do it.)

The thing is, I didn't lose a lot of money, but the guy who sold it to me did so under false pretences. I feel that I was ripped off. It doesn't matter that the actual amount was insignificant. And when I asked for my money back, he not only told me to go do something anatomically impossible, he left negative feedback on E-bay (my first and only negative feedback.

I did a web search on this outfit (Musicpals.com) and found that there have been other incidents similar to this one. The guy, whose name is Jim Taylor, has a history of this sort of thing and I am only his most recent victim.

I suggest that anybody thinking of doing business with this guy/company bear that in mind.

[delsbrother]

Is this the bulldog guy?

[mad dawg]

I've seen some of this guy's auctions in the past, and a couple of times sent him emails asking about them. His replies were alway non-commital, or even smarta**ed:

Me: "Is the next straight, and are the frets true?" #

Him: "I doubt it."

[mad dawg]

BTW Mike, you have my sympathy, and I think this guy does push the ethical limits on his auction descriptions, or does at least in your case. I believe I found what appears to be your auction, and his auction text indicated that the instrument "needed some setup work", but IMHO, a new fretboard and frets -- or even a new neck for that matter -- goes beyond the realm of setups and ventures into the territory of "rebuilds".

[Pedal Steel Mike]

Is this the bulldog guy?
I don't know who the bulldog guy is.

But as long as we're talking about dogs, I have 75 pound pit bull that's absolutely the sweetest friendliest most loving dog I've ever known. Pits have a bad reputation because they are so strong, when you get a vicious one, they are dangerous. But Petey has never known anything but love and affection and positive reinforcement ever since the day we got him, so he is a loving and affectionate pet.

Even people who are afraid of dogs love him.

[delsbrother]

I don't know who the bulldog guy is.
There used to be a guy on eBay selling all kinds of... stuff... Including those Galvestons. He always added a picture at the bottom of his auctions: himself, his wife, and his bulldog (I think it was a bulldog) standing inside his music store. Can't remember his name, and for all I know he may be a fine and upstanding dealer. Just thought it was a funny picture.

ps I think it was his wife..

[Pedal Steel Mike]

I thought I'd mention that I took the mandolin to 2 different well known repair shops (McCabes, and Carruthers) and got written extimates on what it would take to make the thing playable. McCabes said $800, and Carruthers said between $750 and $1,000.

I turned the whole mess over to the FBI's internet fraud division. I doubt that I'll get my money back, but I might be able to stop this character from doing the same thing to anybody else.

[billkilpatrick]

wow! ... guess you're serious. please let us know what happens.

i'm in sympathy with ebay dealers who put a piece of junk out there with a terse yet strictly accurate description of the object and leave it up to the buyer to decide. but those who dabble in superlatives to sell their dodgey goods ("awesome" - particularly when paired with "dude" - i find especially irritating) deserve to have their knuckles rapped.

- bill

[Pedal Steel Mike]

The seller has agreed to take back the mandolin in trade for other merchandise. I told him I want 6 sets of Jim Dunlop straplocks. I don't know whether or not he can get them. If he can't we'll have to work out something else.

But at least the lines of communication are open.

To be continued.....

[delsbrother]

McCabes said $800, and Carruthers said between $750 and $1,000.
Considering you could get very nice handmade emandos for that kind of dough, I'm glad you didn't take them up on it!