reliablefender a.k.a. The STRATosphere - Anybody know these guys?

[FLICKOFLASH]

I wondered if they slip in off factory parts or seconds. Fender would love the sales no matter if they were dismantled.

[dennistruckdriver]

Before I figured out what a 'chop-shop' they are, I bought a MIJ '62 neck once that was obviously some kind of 'blem'. It had a crack in the fretboard that had been clear-coated over. They did exchange it for me.

[#1guitarman]

I have bought from STRATosphere, and what they do is buy in bulk from Fender...2nds and blems, and part em out,you can buy from the factory in mexico. I actually thought about doing that myself. If you can buy a mim strat for 100-175 bucks and part it out for thier prices, they make a TON of money, as for the shill bids, can't say, I buy on Ebay and I will make a max. bid and then watch the auction, and if I REALLY want the item I'll bid in the last 3 or 4 seconds of the auction...Usually go high so if they shill bid another 20 bucks I win it anyway, but I REEEEAAALLLY have to want it before I bid like that. Oh, and the serial # neck plates?...Fender will not allow them to be sent outta the factory, so they come with blank or just the Fender logo neck plates.

[cncbcncb]

i just bought a les paul studio from that store.

here's the description:

Description: Official American Gibson Les Paul Studio Body & Neck- 6 lbs, 10 oz-
Carved maple top, mahogany back
Neck/Profile:
Mahogany, 58 Chunky Les Paul
Fingerboard/Inlay:
Rosewood, 22 frets-
Scale/Nut Width
24 3/4"/1 1/16"



Color: Black

Condition: Good (relic)

Year: 2003

Serial #: 00843655

Country/Make: United States- American

Comments: You are looking at a gorgeous 2003 USA Gibson Les Paul Studio Body & Neck. This is the perfect piece for a custom project. The body has an awesome naturally aged look with finish wear and dings- great vintage appeal and fully functional. The fingerboard is in good shape with plenty of life in the frets- nice and straight, as well. It has a classic '58 profile and plays very smooth. Buy yourself this beautiful 2003 USA Gibson Les Paul Studio Body & Neck today!

-------------

appearantly, this vendor doesn't count on selling to anybody who would do anything more with these projects than slap some hardware and electronics on them and play away.

i stripped the paint off the entire body-no problem. then i noticed while stripping the neck that the paint was a little different. it was more gummy, like it possibly wasn't fully cured (not wet or anything, just different from the body). and as i worked my way up the the headstock, i made quite a discovery.

just as i get to the headstock joint, i start to see that there is some brown colored wood filler under the paint. hmm? as i keep sanding a bit further up, there it is. the neck had been cracked and re-glued.

my guess is he bought it broke, glued it up, and threw some new paint over it. which is fine, but i don't think the item description comes anywhere near disclosing this. yes, it seems structurally fine, but come on. you have to disclose something like that.

i've written back to reliablefender, but haven't received any response. we'll see if they ever get back to me.

i've got pictures, see for yourself. i may post this report on some other forums.

[Wickedlester]

Originally Posted by Frails

Case in point- tonight I watched a lefty Strat body in red nitro stay at $79 until 30 secs left. I bid $102.52 and take highest bid. But then with 3 secs left it jumps to $160. So typical with their auctions!

That doesn't mean fraud on their part. I sell sports apparel and memorabilia on ebay and have that happen with some of the vintage stuff.

I just had a signed All Star jersey from the Montreal Forum jump from $62 to 949 in one refresh of the page. People use snipe programs that bid at the last second and if more than one use it the one with the highest set bid will take it at the next bid over the second highest set bid.

[BillB1960]

The Stratosphere are good ebayers. Pricey? yes, dishonest? very doubtful. If you look at their store they have hundreds of listings, many are BIN and they know how to keep their items high in the search engine so they get a lot of bidders. Also many of their items start very low which promotes higher numbers of bidders hoping to "steal" an item for cheap. I don't know what their source for parts is but I suspect they have developed quite a few over the years over and above the ones they purchase on eBay. Shill bidding? Nah...anyone who has spent any time on ebay has lost out on an item at one time or another to an automated bidding system.

[cncbcncb]

from a transaction standpoint, i would agree that they are good, if in fact i am receiving a good studio at the price i paid. they feedback quickly, they ship quickly, and they don't charge too terrible much for shipping.

i'm not even all that pissed, because the neck i got (((see my story and picture proof two posts up))) appears to be fine structurally and it will still work out for my project.

i just think that it appears more than a bit shady that you get a guitar you paid for which was described as being "reliced" as the only damage, and then when you sand the paint off, the neck has clearly been broken.

[ripper70]

Originally Posted by cncbcncb

i've written back to reliablefender, but haven't received any response. we'll see if they ever get back to me.

If you used PayPal you can open a claim to dispute the sale. Chances are this will get you your money back. Under the circumstances, I'd say the description should have noted that the neck had been repaired.

[dennistruckdriver]

Originally Posted by cncbcncb

....i just think that it appears more than a bit shady that you get a guitar you paid for which was described as being "reliced"....

I sold a used Fender Telecaster a while back. The buyer was not reliablefender, however, I noticed the name of the buyer in the PayPal transaction seemed familiar. It was the guy who runs reliablefender. They buy using different names. The guitar neck was sold separately, then the whole loaded body was sold, being described as being 'lightly reliced', when in fact it was just 'used'.
I don't like them.

[The Dali]

I've bought a few things from them and they seem fine, but I agree that the prices of their stuff is a little high. I think that stems from the fact that there is the PERCEPTION that they are a high quality dealer who won't rip you off on ebay. People will pay more (bid higher) with that assurance. Would you buy a USA Fender Strat neck for $235 from Joe Blow you've never heard of or $265 from Reliable Fender? Most of us would pay the extra $30 because we believe that a store with this many transactions is probably legit.

A buddy and I have discussed this seller... we, too, are amazed at how he can get so many guitars on an ongoing basis to sell on ebay. We also agree with the previous poster that they must get seconds or blemished product from Fender or other authorized source.

In addition, I find it odd that they can use the name "Reliable Fender". I think it backs up some kind of link, partnership, or agreement with Fender. Knowing how tough Fender is on license infringement (especially on ebay) I find it hard to believe they'd let a business with 300+ transactions a day use the name "Reliable Fender".

[jonesy]

Their success is simple, "Supply and Demand" Fender has always made kit guitars for the most part, bolt on necks and interchangeable parts etc. More people are modding and building their own guitars more than ever before.

If you don't like what these guys are doing with the Fender stuff then don't buy from them instead of bad mouthing them. Evidently they must be doing something right to move the amount of merchandise they do, and many people feel that they are offering a valuable service supplying Fender parts like they do.

[joebonsai]

I bought Vintage Reverse Bass Tuners, fair price, fair shipping cost and very fast shipping, 5 workingdays to Germany!!!

[ripper70]

Originally Posted by jonesy

Their success is simple, "Supply and Demand" Fender has always made kit guitars for the most part, bolt on necks and interchangeable parts etc. More people are modding and building their own guitars more than ever before.

If you don't like what these guys are doing with the Fender stuff then don't buy from them instead of bad mouthing them. Evidently they must be doing something right to move the amount of merchandise they do, and many people feel that they are offering a valuable service supplying Fender parts like they do.

Agreed, Jonesy. I believe he's a sole proprietor operating out of New Hampshire. Probably uses eBay and craigslist to buy every axe he can get his hands on then parts them out.

When I first discovered this guy I called Fender to see if I could figure out where he managed to get his massive inventory of parts.

The Fender rep told me, in no uncertain terms, that Fender does not sell factory seconds and, I have to admit, I've never seen a genuine Fender product stamped 2nd, or BLEM. Same could be said for Gibson. I've seen plenty of Hagstrom's sold as "B" stock and have even owned a few.

I don't think that Fender or Gibson allow blemished guitars to leave their factories.

It could be that the seller didn't know that the headstock had been repaired. After all, it wasn't until you stripped the paint off the neck that you noticed it. If the sellers reputation is worth a grain of salt, he should refund you the money or maybe lower the selling price so the price of the guitar is commensurate with one that had a headstock repair.

[cncbcncb]

i should add that the seller did finally get back to me and offer a refund if i restored the mods that i made and ship it back to him. however, after not hearing a response for some time, i just went ahead with my project, thinking that i wouldn't get a response. at this point in time, i've done way too much to it and i'm not going to re-build and re-finish the guitar just to get a refund and start over with a different one. i was happy with his appearant honesty as to not knowing about the damage and willingness to refund.

so i guess, things happen, and i would probably buy from them again.

[Rock Johnson]

Stratosphere uses shill bidders. Guaranteed.


There's an excellent thread on The Gear Page that goes into great depth on how you can tell:

Ok, I have a question about STRATosphere on ebaY - The Gear Page


Here's the feedback page from one of his buyers.... notice how many of the auctions are in the last hour:

http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d..._None_ViewLink