Why do people blatently lie on Ebay ads??

[guitarmike]

Start rant -

Why do people feel the need to lie about the items they sell on Ebay"

"Up For Sale: Marshall Head 1976 50watt Amp Original - This is Original -(Not a Reissue!!!) This amp is in great condition,
No Rips or damage of any kind. This amp has that killer - Incredible Big warm Brown sound!!!"

I know it is a small thing but there is no way a stock 50 Marshall will give you a Brown sound unless you blow a wet fart when you play it.

End rant...

 

[cardinal]

I have no idea. I almost just bought something the seller (not a Rig Talker, btw) described as almost new, but with some "scuffing" on the bottom. Sent me higher resolution pictures, and the tolex is torn in multiple places in addition to being "scuffed" all over. Maybe not a big deal in the grand scheme, could have tried to just negotiate the price down, but no way am I going to deal with that seller now. What else could he be misrepresenting?

 

[rupe]

Start rant -

Why do people feel the need to lie about the items they sell on Ebay"

"Up For Sale: Marshall Head 1976 50watt Amp Original - This is Original -(Not a Reissue!!!) This amp is in great condition,
No Rips or damage of any kind. This amp has that killer - Incredible Big warm Brown sound!!!"

I know it is a small thing but there is no way a stock 50 Marshall will give you a Brown sound unless you blow a wet fart when you play it.

End rant...

I've gotta completely disagree with that on multiple levels. First, "brown sound" is subjective and we all hear things differently so there's no way to clearly define it. Is it VHI? VHII? Those tones are different...which is brown? Put that in a poll and you'll get disagreement.
Secondly, if we use VHII as the basis for brown sound (anybody with an ear knows that it's the benchmark ), then yes, I've heard people get damn close to that tone with a 50w Marshall (I believe Blix has demonstrated that right here).

Does the seller really believe that his amp nails that sound? Maybe, maybe not. At this point, it's simply marketing jargon that he's using to try and sell his amp. It's no more of a "blatant lie" than it is to say "there is no way a stock 50 Marshall will give you a Brown sound".

 

[reverymike]

A 50 watt Marshall can certainly get you a brown sound. Old Marshalls are all about the brown sound.

 

['63-Strat]

Yeah, I've heard people do a great job of that with a stock amp so I also disagree.

 

[xzyryabx]

can somebody once and for all explain to me what the masses (i know its subjective) think the "brown sound" is?
I have a feeling it's one of things that's blown around so much that it is meaningless by now as an adjective...same goes for "Plexi cleans"

 

[Mr. Willy]

There's a difference between a lie and an opinion.

 

[guitarmike]

There is a difference between an opinion and a lie. And yes, a 50 NMV Marshall can get sound close to VHI od VHII (brown sound). I doubt a mid 70's NMV Marshall will get you there in stock configuration and without pedals. I have owned 6 NMV Marshalls from 74-76 and stock at full volume they all were noisy and they sounded more like AC/DC and Judas Priest than VH.

My point is that most people never play amps at full volume and at any volume level we may normally play at home that amp will sound pretty much clean. Everything else aside (guitar, pickups, cabs and speakers, etc), a stock Marshall is the place to start but it is not the end all. If you have ever owned one of these you know what I mean.

There are many amps that right out of the box stock will get far closer to the "brown sound" just by plugging a guitar into the amp and the amp into a speaker cabinet. I suppose the word lie is too strong, but ads like that are misleading and make for unhappy buyers.

As an Ebay seller why would you want to go through the hassle of selling an amp claiming it does something it can't all by itself? That makes it very easy for the buyer to file a claim and the seller will eat the cost of shipping both ways.

 

[LP Freak]

Well eBay would never side with you because the amp you received didn't get the brown sound. I get the point you're making though Mike.

 

[Stramm8]

That's not a lie. You most certainly can get into "Brown" sound territory with that amp provided the other parameters are in place (right guitar, pickups, fingers etc.). Hell, EVH used 70's JMPs in the 80's. There's tons of pictures where he's got stacks of them in his rack/rig.

 

[carlygtr]

Buying something on Ebay, I'm more concerned with an item's condition. A seller can describe the sound however he wants, IMO. As long as the condition of the item isn't misrepresented

 

[LP Freak]

Buying something on Ebay, I'm more concerned with an item's condition. A seller can describe the sound however he wants, IMO. As long as the condition of the item isn't misrepresented

Right on.

 

[Mr. Willy]

You're upset over the guy's opinion that that amp gets the brown sound, and you don't think it does. Granted, there's a good bit of intintional misrepresentation of items on eBay, but I don't think this particular instance is it. Getting upset in any way over this listing seems like a waiste of energy. IMHO!

 

[blackba]

Wow, its called marketing. I don't see anything wrong with the ebay ad.

This thread gets my 'Come on Man' for the week.