The Last Bass Outpost

Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Granny Gremlin on June 21, 2021, 09:02:05 AM

Title: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 21, 2021, 09:02:05 AM
Some guy wants $250 for a "low impedance" mudbucker "designed by Les Paul" with a DCR of 1.175k (so obviously a shorted coil).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/292901484083?hash=item443249f633:g:LgsAAOSwj91cLkL0

What kills me is the same seller has a working mudbucker with a DCR of 29k in another listing ($495) so he should be aware he's holding poop.

Another dude also asking $250 for a mudbucker with a 14k DCR.  But fair enough 14k seems like a reasonable DCrR for a humbucker, just not a mudbucker in particular.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/202643617423?hash=item2f2e80368f:g:9isAAOSw5cNYknLG

And my favorite is this guy selling what I believe is a Marauder bridge pup as a LoZ LP Rec pup. At least he's only asking $140.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174809144811?hash=item28b36fddeb:g:btMAAOSwGAZgonvJ

One honest  guy who did the most basic research:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/202843558204?hash=item2f3a6b113c:g:gi4AAOSwpUtd6W8U

Bloody caveat emptor
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: uwe on June 21, 2021, 04:03:46 PM
Bloody Caveat Emptor ...

What a brilliant band name, Jake!
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: amptech on June 21, 2021, 11:21:19 PM
Bullsh**ters on ebay is nothing new?
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 22, 2021, 04:59:58 AM
I swear it was never quite this bad/ridiculous, but I have had my head down for a bit.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Grog on June 22, 2021, 06:57:57 AM
Those are Maurader bridge pickups. I bought two on Reverb just like it with the protective film still on them.
My favorite score are the Les Paul Recording pickups, “For parts only, not working”. They sell them as defective because they have no ohm reading. 10 ohms isn’t much of a reading for a pickup these days. I’ve never found a bad one yet……
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: amptech on June 23, 2021, 07:22:48 AM
My favorite score are the Les Paul Recording pickups, “For parts only, not working”. They sell them as defective because they have no ohm reading. 10 ohms isn’t much of a reading for a pickup these days. I’ve never found a bad one yet……

Same here, bought 4 recording pickups about 10 years ago very cheap, from a claimed ex gibson employee. Listing said 'defective', but two of them vere like new and measured perfect (about 10-15 ohms). Two of them were actually open, but they had nice big alnico magnets👍
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 23, 2021, 04:11:04 PM
Yeah, judging by that one dreaming muducker seller in my first pot (as well as the MArauder pup seller), I'd say the jig is up on the loZ pickups.  The best deal I ever got on one (before I owned a Triumph) I shipped off to Rob.  The high end vintage shop close to my house at the time - they had no idea what it was but it said Gibson on it.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Basvarken on June 24, 2021, 10:26:08 AM
I’m very happy you helped me out purchasing that pickup.
It is still in my beloved Les Paul Bass.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 25, 2021, 06:59:56 AM
No worries man,  I was happy to help and hold one for a bit to examine before sending it off in the bargain. Made me really want a hobbit, and luckily my formerly-white Triumph came up for a song in Montreal a year later and karma came full circle when George bowed out to let me have it.  The dudes at the shop where I got the pickup where like "it's got 8 wires - good luck with that" - I  never took no condescending shit from them again (they were the snootiest shop in town, I swear everybody complains). 
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Alanko on June 26, 2021, 03:16:33 PM
I swear it was never quite this bad/ridiculous, but I have had my head down for a bit.

Reverb has made it worse. Any old battered-to-shit gear is now advertised at extortionate prices. Even USSR instruments that will be badly built and unplayable. Anything old is magical, even if totally broken.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Dave W on June 26, 2021, 10:40:29 PM
Reverb has made it worse. Any old battered-to-shit gear is now advertised at extortionate prices. Even USSR instruments that will be badly built and unplayable. Anything old is magical, even if totally broken.

It's not just Reverb. The shortage of mew instruments because of all the supply chain disruptions is driving up used prices. OTOH asking prices don't necessarily translate to sold prices. Especially on broken gear.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Rob on June 27, 2021, 05:17:27 AM
Anything old is magical, even if totally broken.

OLD - Check
Partially Broken - Check

In that case I stand ready to grant your wishes!
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Alanko on June 27, 2021, 12:59:43 PM
OLD - Check
Partially Broken - Check

In that case I stand ready to grant your wishes!

You're a wizard, Robby!
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: eb2 on June 29, 2021, 12:02:46 PM
People are moving everything.  Cooped up covid reaction maybe but between people cleaning out the closets and batty demand for anything reasonable, you can see all manner of misinformation and lunacy. And anytime inflation hits people in the face, you can expect the price tag to be a way to recoup some of the economic sting. We live in interesting times. 
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 30, 2021, 06:38:56 AM
People are moving everything.  Cooped up covid reaction maybe but between people cleaning out the closets and batty demand for anything reasonable, you can see all manner of misinformation and lunacy. And anytime inflation hits people in the face, you can expect the price tag to be a way to recoup some of the economic sting. We live in interesting times. 


I am finding the opposite - less of the things I usually search for.  Wrote a whole thing about it on another forum:

Quote

    [some other dude] said:
    Asking prices still seem up there but a lot of stuff is definitely sitting on the market longer than it was a year ago.

I also see less stuff on the market. Like there used to be piles of some things at any given moment; I think people reassessed whether to break out the old toys due to isolation boredom and re-fell in love.... or at least found it fun, better than just TV all the time. Then again there are people in desperate financial straights due to covid so also could be some deals because of that but that feels like minority to me. Then again again some people may not be listing cuz not into dealing with people, for either psyche or straight up covid reasons.

I dunno if people have been taking reasonable offers on things, because I haven't even been trying, but the asks are waaaaaay up in general. I see a lot of it just relisted ad nauseum with the same 1.5 to 3 times the going rate I remember pre pandemic. Maybe it also depends on what you're looking at; I guess my tastes are atypical in some ways.

The problem is that this sort of thing is viral; people see others asking that much, don't bother checking what stuff actually sells for (you can't on kijiji but you can on ebay, and kinda on Reverb) so give a what-the-heck go for their similar thing at a similar ask. More people see that now there's 2 listings at that price point and you get the snowball effect from there. Some of these people are stupid / dreamers ( this existed pre pandemic), but also there is the problem, due to the lower volume of sales I mentioned (fewer items listed at any one time + high asks) I can no longer find eg ebay completed listings for some things, and when I can they're sometimes 6+ months back, or as is for parts/ repair, or something that makes them not entirely valid/useful.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: Granny Gremlin on June 30, 2021, 08:33:55 AM
OMG, some people.

The dude with the Marauder pup relisted it.  I had contacted him to let him know (he replied and thanked me).  Like doesn't he know that it will likely sell faster if he corrects that? 
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: steveonbass on July 13, 2021, 09:41:44 AM
What is a working EBO pickup worth?  I actually have one with no cover. -

I also have a set of Gibson T Bird pickups (2012 I think) - fully functioning in excellent condition - also wondering about value on this set too.

Any advice or suggestions on pricing are appreciated. Thanks!

If anyone's looking for either, I'm happy to wheel and deal a little / hook you up
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: ajkula66 on July 13, 2021, 08:11:32 PM
What is a working EBO pickup worth?  I actually have one with no cover. -

I'd say $125 left after all the leeches have sucked their portion of your sale.

OTOH this topic has gotten me *really* paranoid about what I'd do if one or both pickups in my Les Paul Bass decided to go haywire.... >:(

Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: steveonbass on July 16, 2021, 10:31:45 AM
Thanks for the info though I'm still not sure what a good listing price would be.  If no one here is interested I will research pricing and sell them on some site that gouges me  :mrgreen:
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: ajkula66 on July 16, 2021, 11:59:38 AM
Thanks for the info though I'm still not sure what a good listing price would be. 

Try $150-165, depending on where exactly you're listing it.

Good luck.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: steveonbass on July 16, 2021, 09:33:43 PM
Try $150-165, depending on where exactly you're listing it.

Good luck.

Thank you!
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: ajkula66 on July 26, 2021, 12:28:30 PM
Thank you!

Please PM me if you haven't sold it yet, I just picked up a bass that could use it. Thanks.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: steveonbass on July 27, 2021, 07:36:41 AM
I still have it.  I want to pull it out and test it etc.  happy to sell it to you.  May take a week or so for me to get to it - IM when i can.
Title: Re: What's with all the mislabeled and broken mudbuckers on ebay right now?
Post by: ajkula66 on July 27, 2021, 08:06:19 AM
I still have it.  I want to pull it out and test it etc.  happy to sell it to you.  May take a week or so for me to get to it - IM when i can.

Sounds like a plan, thank you.