smurfco
Meatus McPrepuce
Soo the time before the time I got that crazy deal on the Les Paul in the pawn shop, I was checking out this korina Gibson Explorer they had in there, no real intention of buying it but it looked nice. This was before the Les Paul had been marked down mind you so I wasn't even checking out the LP. Just in there killing time really. So they get the Explorer down for me out of the glass case and it plays pretty nice and looks really good, but it is a little... hinky. I mean something about it is kinda off. A few things really, the tuners didn't look right, the serial number was crooked... not enough for me to say for sure it was fake but enough to get my suspicions up.
Soo once I got home I did some research comparing the photo I took to some real examples and became convinced it was a fake-a-roo. My suspicions had been confirmed! But as far as fakes go it was still a pretty convincing one. If I didn't know as much about guitars as I do I doubt I would have noticed - it felt pretty nice and wasn't an obvious Chibson or anything. Plus I've been in there dozens of times and that's the first thing I ever saw that made me suspicious.
I went back a few days later and that's when I lucked into the marked down Gibson LP (which I'm still 100% convinced is real based on everything about it). As I was ringing up the Les Paul I told the cashier that I was just about sure that the Explorer they had was fake, and I framed it in an "I thought you guys would like to know" kind of way, giving them the benefit of the doubt. He was like "really? Oh damn, I'll let the manager know." So I paid my $519 for the Les Paul (haha) and left.
The next time I went in there the Explorer was still on the wall, still marked at $1850. So I was like hmm, maybe that guy didn't tell the superiors. But now I started to feel a little disappointed. One of the managers, a guy who I know that has helped with some good deals for me and seems like a good deal, came up to say hi. I told him I was almost sure the Explorer was fake and he said "you think so? a few people have said that but sometimes people just say that when they want a better price on something" and I was like "well, the tuners are wrong, the serial number is wrong, the knobs are too far apart, and the neck joint is wrong" and he was like "really? ahhh ok" and then we cordially finished our conversation and I left without getting anything.
So I hadn't been in there for a few days (that last visit was Friday), I went in there today to look around after work and wouldn't you know it the Explorer is still there and still tagged at $1850. I don't know why, maybe I'm naive, but I found that really disappointing. I know pawn shops aren't the bastion of integrity in general and it's always "caveat emptor" especially on high ticket items, but I really thought this shop was better than that, and like i said everything else I've experienced there has been legit which is why I was giving them sooo much benefit of the doubt. But at this point they can't possibly think it's genuine. So they're knowingly selling a fake.
I don't think I'll feel good about getting stuff there anymore, good deals or not. Am I too naive? Is that just the nature of the beast with pawn shops and should I just chalk it up to the fact that it's a scummy industry? Or am I right to want to not shop there anymore?
What would YOU do!?
Soo once I got home I did some research comparing the photo I took to some real examples and became convinced it was a fake-a-roo. My suspicions had been confirmed! But as far as fakes go it was still a pretty convincing one. If I didn't know as much about guitars as I do I doubt I would have noticed - it felt pretty nice and wasn't an obvious Chibson or anything. Plus I've been in there dozens of times and that's the first thing I ever saw that made me suspicious.
I went back a few days later and that's when I lucked into the marked down Gibson LP (which I'm still 100% convinced is real based on everything about it). As I was ringing up the Les Paul I told the cashier that I was just about sure that the Explorer they had was fake, and I framed it in an "I thought you guys would like to know" kind of way, giving them the benefit of the doubt. He was like "really? Oh damn, I'll let the manager know." So I paid my $519 for the Les Paul (haha) and left.
The next time I went in there the Explorer was still on the wall, still marked at $1850. So I was like hmm, maybe that guy didn't tell the superiors. But now I started to feel a little disappointed. One of the managers, a guy who I know that has helped with some good deals for me and seems like a good deal, came up to say hi. I told him I was almost sure the Explorer was fake and he said "you think so? a few people have said that but sometimes people just say that when they want a better price on something" and I was like "well, the tuners are wrong, the serial number is wrong, the knobs are too far apart, and the neck joint is wrong" and he was like "really? ahhh ok" and then we cordially finished our conversation and I left without getting anything.
So I hadn't been in there for a few days (that last visit was Friday), I went in there today to look around after work and wouldn't you know it the Explorer is still there and still tagged at $1850. I don't know why, maybe I'm naive, but I found that really disappointing. I know pawn shops aren't the bastion of integrity in general and it's always "caveat emptor" especially on high ticket items, but I really thought this shop was better than that, and like i said everything else I've experienced there has been legit which is why I was giving them sooo much benefit of the doubt. But at this point they can't possibly think it's genuine. So they're knowingly selling a fake.
I don't think I'll feel good about getting stuff there anymore, good deals or not. Am I too naive? Is that just the nature of the beast with pawn shops and should I just chalk it up to the fact that it's a scummy industry? Or am I right to want to not shop there anymore?
What would YOU do!?
