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I recently posted a guitar for sale and then eBay removed it for either a trademark and/or copyright violation. I think some key words triggered it. But before I re-list it, I need to know, on what grounds (specifically) the item was removed. Ironically, I bought the ALL the parts for the item on eBay. I also gave a full disclosure of the work I did to the item. It appears honesty doesn't pay. Here's the listing description, more or less:
"Hey kids... up for auction is a Chinese Strat that I’ve been monkeying with...The body used to be married to a Chinese neck that needed a lot of work that was beyond my meager luthier skills. So I sold that neck and replaced it with a decent Fender Starcaster neck. I sanded and re-finished the neck with a satin lacquer, removed the logo and replaced it with a simple aftermarket Fender decal and then lacquered that as well. If you’re unfamiliar with the Starcaster necks, they tend to be reminiscent of the early baseball-bat style Strat necks. I’m not crazy about the feel, because it’s a lot of wood; they’re not shaped like the Squier and Strat necks, which makes them cheaper for Fender’s Starcaster series. So I sanded the back of the neck to thin it out, and then added a nifty, subtle thumb ridge that runs down the center, kind of like you find on higher-end classical guitars. I’ve modded several of my Strat and Kramer necks with this feature (only much more pronounced) which is great for bigger hands and aids with bridging when shredding or sweeping for you neo-classical fans. There’s still plenty of wood if you want to flatten it out further, or if you want to round it or shape it to your style.
I’ve also modded the vibrato arm, removing the white tip and filing the end so it’s rounder with a slimmer profile. I’ve reinforced the bridge with 4 springs and tweaked to so it rides off the body of the guitar, flush with mounting screws which are also anchored higher than the body. It’s based on a Gilmour trick that tends to keep the trem in tune because the springs keep the tension in place.
Having said that, all the electronics, pickups and bridge are stock Chinese crap, so they’d be the first to go if I were to continue tweaking.
The white finish is pretty good over the plywood body which makes the guitar a little heavier than an alder body. Tone snobs will go on and on about wood, but to be honest, if you’re playing Slipknot, the wood is a difference that doesn’t make a difference, as long as it’s solid. Invest in good pups and pots and a bridge instead.
The finish has some scuffs on it. Could probably be sanded out. The pickguard has scuffs as well. $15 gets you a new one so it’s no biggie. The tuners are standard Gotoh-style sealed tuners.
The tone isn’t too bad for a Chinese rip off.
Feel free to ask questions. Check my other auctions for more parts and axes. I have a Seagull 6 string acoustic up for auction right now with no reserve. Every Wednesday and Sunday, I’ll be putting up more cool guitars and pedals from my collection (along with videos), also with no reserve."
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Must use Buy It Now and PayPal.
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The neck IS a Fender. And eBay is filled with imitation Strats. That's what I don't get.
