# General Mandolin Topics > eBay, Craig's List, etc. >  A 50's Gibson with a story to boot!

## f5loar

I've seen a lot of BS descriptions on ebay attached to fake Gibsons but this one is well written by a PHD of the scam.  Check out the appears to be 50's but shows no signs of wear.  And has the serial no. and "made in USA" peel off stickers on the back too!  Even his poor dad who has been playing a vintage F4 for 30 years gets in on the scam and says this one sounds pretty close to his F4.  Another enjoy for you own amusement and entertainment:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-Mandolin-...QQcmdZViewItem

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## MikeEdgerton

I invited him to join us over here, let's see if he comes. I doubt he will.

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## Benski

Was it signed by Derrington...or maybe LL, too?  :Laughing:

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## man dough nollij

I wonder if a famous senator played it in Africa...

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## Tim Conroy

It has the very rare Gibson zero fret too-

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## sumibuilt

I looked in the f hole with my mandofying glass....Signed by Charlie Derrier, co signed by Steve Cumbersome :Laughing:

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## woodwizard

Too bad it has that scratch on the side. Diffinently lowers the value.  :Grin:

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## jeff mercer

Hey..C'mon guys !!

Are'nt you all being a bit harsh ?
Let's face it, there is an actual photo of Bill Monroe on the bit of paper inside the stringe package that was included in the auction..

I mean it's HIM !!..BILL MONROE !! FATHER OF BLUEGRASS !!
HE'S..PICTURED...RIGHT THERE..ON THE PACKAGE ...!!

Jeez, some people are hard to please... :Mandosmiley:

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## Eddie Sheehy

A genuine piece of BG history made by Lloyd Monroe.... can't beat it.

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## jeff mercer

Could you take out a Loar-suit against this fella for false advertising ?  :Whistling:

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## AlanN

Just looked at the photos. I have the exact same mandolin at home, headstock reads Sekova. Sounds nothing like an F-4.

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## MikeEdgerton

They were imported with dozens of brand names and many with no brand name at all.

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## allenhopkins

> They were imported with dozens of brand names and many with no brand name at all.


And the "no brand" ones have a nice blank headstock for your fake "Gibson" decal.

I suppose it's borderline reputable to sell "repro" parts and insignia for repair shops that are restoring vintage instruments.  I can't claim purity, since my Gibson GB-3 Mastertone guitar-banjo now sports a "repro" 5-string neck with "Gibson" inlaid on the headstock and "diamonds and squares" inlays, all put together within the last ten years.  I have no intention of fooling anyone about the provenance of the banjo, and I have the original 6-string neck.  But the fact remains that the current neck is a counterfeit.

Someone is making and selling "repro" Gibson headstock decals and labels.  Some other sleazeball is buying them, sticking them on cheap Asian import mandolins, and trying to pass them off on eBay as Gibsons.  The second person is a swindler and a crook.  But what about the first person?  Does he/she know the disreputable use to which his/her products are being put?

_"Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down?
That's not my department," says Wernher von Braun..._
-- Tom Lehrer

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## MikeEdgerton

Yes and I've been after that six string neck for a few years  :Smile: 

There aren't too many Gibson banjos from that era that had 5-string necks originally.

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## CES

Just clicked on the link...apparently bidding has ended  :Frown: 

On the other hand, along with the 3 "vintage" Gibsons advertised at the bottom of the page there was a flippin' sweet wig...????????  I mean, I know some folks have to/want to wear them, but advertised in the mandolin family section with vintage instruments?  The hair wasn't even salvaged from old fiddle bows...

Just adding that I didn't check out the 2 mandos and the mandocello at the bottom (nor the wig)...they may be the real deal...got distracted by the wig ad...

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## journeybear

You guys are no fun at all! Not 12 hours after the red flag went up the auction has ended. Not sure if the seller took it down or if some poor sucker actually "won" it. Now I'll never know the whole story. No fun!  :Frown: 


 :Wink:

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## MikeEdgerton

The story is that the auction was ended with zero bids and without the reserve being met. Nobody jumped for the 299.00 opening bid. Now, as far as if the guy ended it early or not, I can't tell that from the search. If you search for completed auctions using his user name it shows up.

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## journeybear

> The story is that the auction was ended with zero bids and without the reserve being met. Nobody jumped for the 299.00 opening bid. Now, as far as if the guy ended it early or not, I can't tell that from the search. If you search for completed auctions using his user name it shows up.


Thanks! Actually, I did find this another way - by using the listing's name (in quotes) in my search engine. Funny that it says the reserve was not met when nobody bid on it!  :Disbelief:  There is also this notice: "The seller ended this listing early because of an error in the listing." Wonder which error they mean?  :Grin:  There are several, in addition to the one concerning putting this obvious fake up for bid in the first place. I wonder what would happen if I looked up the serial number ...  :Whistling: 

BTW the seller has a 100% positive feedback rating.   :Disbelief:  Of course, 100% of 1 is still 100% ...

Here it is if anyone wants to look. I'm sure this link won't last for long.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-Mandolin-...22144006r21157

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## f5loar

Alan, If you bought one of these then I am worried your MAS may be going downhill fast!  
What I find hard to believe is that it even had a reserve on it.  If the $299 won't get a $50 mandolin what makes the seller think more will take it.  
While we may never know the true story behind these thousands of Gibson fakes like this out there in the marketplace it is sad to see someone get taken on the good name of Gibson for such cheapery.  And even the decal is not just exactly right for a real Gibson logo.  Something about it is slanted and more narrow then the real ones.  Oh well another will come along soon and another fool shall soon be parted from his money thanks to the kind folks that allow this to happen on ebay.

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## AlanN

No worries, Tom. A buddy gave me this pos about 15 years ago, tuners were awful, no strings. I bought a cheap set of tuners, strung it up and it was my car mando at stop lights. The neck started to lift, it now is in the attic. It won't even make a wall hangar.

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## MikeEdgerton

In the attic? Another found Loar in the making.  :Cool:

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## f5loar

No doubt these chainsaw importers are doing some furture research on this Gibson his Dad bought for his son off ebay a year ago in hopes he would learn to play on a real good Gibson mandolin.  Since the Dad was fooled it stands to reason the son would believe the Dad who apparently has an old F4.  Which just goes to show you that these fake Gibsons do get bought by some unsuspecting soul for much more than their value because it has the good Gibson name on it.  Aren't you glad you visit the mandolincafe before you bid?  Too bad the Dad didn't find us a year ago.  I just wished ebay had the manpower and knowledge to shut these scammers down within hours before someone gets taken like this poor old man did.  Not much you can do about it a year later.

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## Links

Quote:  "I suppose it's borderline reputable to sell "repro" parts and insignia for repair shops that are restoring vintage instruments. I can't claim purity, since my Gibson GB-3 Mastertone guitar-banjo now sports a "repro" 5-string neck with "Gibson" inlaid on the headstock and "diamonds and squares" inlays, all put together within the last ten years. I have no intention of fooling anyone about the provenance of the banjo, and I have the original 6-string neck. But the fact remains that the current neck is a counterfeit."

Alan  -  don't worry  -  you are pure as the driven snow!  Replacing necks on Gibson tenors and guitar banjos (with Gibson on the headstock) is perfectly legal and has been deemed so in a court of law.  Of course claiming they are original is not  -  but that does not happen too often, as most original 5-string banjos are pretty well documented.

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## wannabethile

This is actually a big deal.  Guitar Center here in Nashville, has this mandolins older brother for sale.
They say its an old 1941 Gibson mandolin and they're selling it for THOUSANDS!!!

That can't be right, can it??

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## MikeEdgerton

No, and I'm surprised that even GC would fall for this.

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## allenhopkins

I'm going to stick my neck out and guess that even Guitar Center wouldn't be fooled by such an obvious counterfeit as the eBay one.  I did a "used gear" search on the GC website and couldn't find the instrument listed.  There are real Gibsons that have a somewhat similar look.  If you can get pix and post them we could ID it more accurately.

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## f5loar

I bet the GC has the '41 wide body A50 which does look rather odd to the average non knowning Gibson admirer.
They only made those a few years and look nothing like the other A50s when compared side by side. 
If GC was selling this one as the real deal they would be suied.

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## MikeEdgerton

> ...If GC was selling this one as the real deal they would be suied.


Like this?

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## jim simpson

Mike,
That makes me think of the time I was in your neck of the woods and spotted a pig that was hanging by a noose. I was told it was a case of sueycide!

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## journeybear

I dunno, a pig tying a noose with those hooves? Sounds to me more like a hogicide!  :Laughing:

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## allenhopkins

Last two or three posts are really boar-ing.

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## MikeEdgerton

You guys are all hams if you get my drift.

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## AlanN

Now go pick Pig in a Pen (on your Pag in a Peg)...

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## jim simpson

I feel like I'm throwing pearls to swine!

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## Joel Spaulding

You guys are bacon me sick.

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## journeybear

Sorry to hear you're not feeling so porky.

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## Eddie Sheehy

If only pigs could fly....bacon would go up.

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