View Full Version : Interesting Ebay item
Chadly
May-13-2005, 1:11pm
Check out this mandolin on Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=10179&item=7321814336&rd=1)
mandopete
May-13-2005, 1:15pm
Yep. it's also been in the classifieds here on the Cafe too. Personally I think it needs distressing!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Spruce
May-13-2005, 1:24pm
"I can tell you with a straight face that this mandolin put that Loar to shame."
"We can't get nice enough wood anymore to make Blonde mandolins - we don't offer them any more at any price"
Chadly
May-13-2005, 1:54pm
Good one Bruce!!
See you at weiser??
Chad
Bruce:
Is that as high as your BS meter will go?
Many consider the Bozeman era mandolins to be the best to ever bear the Gibson name.
Lloyd who? Nope I never heard of him either. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif
I had someone offer me $10,000 cash at Wintergrass for this mandolin. I thought that was a good start, but I think something this rare deserves to go to someone who can really appreciate just how rare this is.
Kinda turns that old money talks and B.S. walks phrase on it's head to me.
I love that B.S. meter of yours Bruce but I don't think the scale is high enough for this B.S. artist.
GVD
G. Fisher
May-13-2005, 4:19pm
It isn't even a true Master Model. #It is a blonde F5L with a lacquer finish. #I seem to remember seeing it listed at the unnamed guitar dealer (Gruhns) for around 6 or 7 thousand a few years ago.
I also seem to remember seeing a whole table of wood that Spruce had at Wintergrass that looked better than that AAAAA wood.
Lane Pryce
May-13-2005, 5:01pm
Yeah that one has been in the ads a couple of three time I believe.It is nice looking though.---Lp
Paul Hostetter
May-13-2005, 5:19pm
The seller's hype (not to mention the "Buy Now" price!) sure sent my BS meter into the red, but that said, I had one of these things through my shop some time back: Bozeman F-5L, bigleaf and Sitka, dipped in clear plastic, blonde and shiny as could be. It looked like a Duncan yo-yo reborn as an F-5, and it sounded fantastic. To be honest, I don't care that much for F-5s, but I told the owner after I set it up for him that if he ever wanted to sell it, to please let me know. I would have gotten real creative shifting things to make room for that mandolin. He didn't, of course, he just turned it back in to Mandolin Brothers, whence it had come, toward some subsequent musical confection.
So the seller's feckless BS aside, I wouldn't dismiss the claim of an extraordinary sound out of hand. I have had my hands on a lot of extraordinary mandolins over the years, and this was one of the best I've ever played. Unforgettable. And it was clearly from the same clutch of eggs this one came from.
That is a beautiful mandolin, I like blondes, and I like Webers; but I agree that Spruce's BS meter should be pegged! This guy lays it on thick right up to the end:
Then bid now and bid high..... this one is going to get some attention!
Kind of amusing when he's got one day left on a 5 day auction and 0 bids. I guess those eBayer's just don't know a good deal when they see it... if I only had $18K kickin' around... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
pd
Gibsonman
May-13-2005, 9:14pm
I just love that meter. I think you hit the nail on the head.
PaulD
May-14-2005, 11:31am
It's been a few years since I've sold on ebay, but it seems to me this guy is going to get nailed with a pretty good fee based on the starting price even if this thing doesn't sell... OOPS!
pd
G. Fisher
May-15-2005, 8:12am
I knew I saw a blond Master Model recently. #Big Joes' X-braced Master Model (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=23670;hl=blond+master+ model)
G. Fisher
May-15-2005, 8:15am
Here is the back. It seems that they found at least enough good wood for one blond Master Model. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
J. Mark Lane
May-15-2005, 8:26am
I don't really have the knowledge or experience to comment on the likelihood of any of it being BS. But I have two thoughts (rare):
1. What's the story with this "doctor" who had a fancy instrument collection and then Gruhn sold them all off for him? Does anyone know why that happened. Morbid curiousity here, I guess.
and
2. Although there may or may not be a load of BS in the auction hype, the following language has been pasted into my Documents file for future use:
Please read: NO RETURNS - NO REFUNDS - NO FUNNY BUSINESS. I GUARANTEE this mandolin to be in MINT, "as new" condition with no noticeable playing wear of any kind. I'm not going to ship this beauty all over the place for "try outs". NO WAY. If you want to try it out - get on a plane and come to Portland.....
I only accept money orders, cashiers checks, PayPal or wired funds BEFORE shipping the instrument to you. If you want to use Pay PAL, then YOU MUST PAY THE 3% PAYPAL FEES. NO EXCEPTIONS.
I'm with him on that stuff.
Mark
knockwood
May-15-2005, 9:09am
Even if this particular sale isn't completely full of ####, I'm wondering if there is anyone on this earth who'd shell out several thousand bucks to buy anything from someone with a 94% rating after only 32 transactions... Would you catch me doing this? Nope.
mmukav
May-15-2005, 11:19am
"What's the story with this "doctor" who had a fancy instrument collection and then Gruhn sold them all off for him? Does anyone know why that happened. Morbid curiousity here, I guess."
Mark---I've wondered the same thing about the doctor selling these instruments. But a few things easily come to mind. Medical malpractice costs are skyrocketing, and many of the docs I know are scrambling just to stay in business. Divorce, child support, lawsuit, illness, the reasons could be varied. Hopefully though, he's just bored and wants to buy a Loar! Or a Maserati! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif
Mike