Jason01 Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 About 6 months ago I had a moment of weakness and decided to check out guitar centers website for used guitars and see if they had anything interesting for sale. I found a black dean V on there and started getting interested. It was advertised at about $1000 and I had no idea if that was a good deal or not, me being clueless to the point of ignorance about deans. I made a call to the biggest dean guy I know of (thanks Gene!) and learned what I needed to know about the prices and such. I've never owned a dean or a V but I've been gassing for a V for years and this one really looked good. My finances are not what they used to be with another mouth to feed (and clothe, and put diapers on, and buy medicine, and....) so in order to buy gear I need to sell gear. I don't really mind now because it makes me look very hard at my guitars and separate useful from ..ummm...art? I offered up one of my hamers for sale here, got no takers, then threw it on ebay, again got no takers. During this time the price dropped to $899 on the V at guitar center and now I'm starting to salivate. I threw another hamer up for sale and got an interested party who I'll call Mr. G. I'd done business with Mr. G. in the past (the world of lefty guitars really is a small one) and so when he told me he was short on money but interested in my guitar I did something stupid. I knew he was in the area where the dean was so I told him to just go in and haggle a price on the V (which had dropped to $809 by this time). Buy the guitar and I would trade him even up for my guitar. That way he gets the guitar he wants, I get the guitar I want, and everyones happy. The guitar drops off the GC website and I call Mr G to confirm that he picked up the guitar. He said he sent a friend to pick it up and he'll call me back as soon as he gets it in his hands and we'll make the swap (warning bells are starting to go off at this point). Time passes and I call him up to see whats going on and he tells me that his friend that picked up the guitar really liked it and didn't want to give it up. He also starts telling me that the price was alot higher than $800. I throw in the towel and thats the end of the story on the black dean......sort of. In my researching of the guitar I found out it was made for a dean endorsee named Jimi Bell, I looked him up in the dean endorsees on the dean site and found out that he also had a white V made as well. I figured I had nothing to lose so I contacted Jimi and asked him of he still had the white one and if he'd be interested in selling it. I told him I was mainly into Hamer guitars but I'd been jonesing for a V and stumbled across his black one. He told me he no longer had the white dean V but he had a white Hamer vector he was willing to sell (ears perk back up and salivation begins once again, damn you GAS!). I told him my story about having to sell gear and he says no problem, he'll hold the guitar until I get the funds together. Off to ebay once again I go and once again strike out selling my white cali but I get contacted by someone in Australia that wants to buy the cali but missed the end of the auction. He says he wants to use ebay though so he's got some buyer protection and I agree. We make a deal so that I will put the guitar on ebay with a high BIN and he will post an offer that we agreed on and I'll accept his offer and the deal will be done. I put the guitar back on ebay with minimal pics and an extremely brief description and suddenly I get interested people. I get offers and Liams offer (the australian guy) is not the highest. I'm stuck with a dilemma now, I need to make as much money as I can and I know I will need more money for the vector than the cali is going to bring in but I've already made a deal with Liam. I decide a deals a deal and honored the arrangement with Liam for the price we'd agreed on even though it wasn't the highest. To me it was the right thing to do. I box the guitar up and off it goes to the land down under. Liam gets the guitar and he's so happy with the packing job I did and the guitar he actually tips me. I've never had anyone offer me a tip on an ebay transaction but I was happy to get this one since it helped get me to the number I needed to reach for the vector. After a few more odds and ends go off to ebay I am able to gather the money for the vector and here is the results. I've never named one of my guitars before but "karma" just seems to fit this one. I've made two friends over the last six months of working this transaction and I can't say thank you enough to Jimi and Liam for making this happen. I smile every time I open the case on this one not just because the guitar kicks major ass but it will always be a reminder that there are some good people still out there.
duncans Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 I think you've got the better looking guitar! Nice.
doody Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 You ended up with a way better guitar than the Dean.
Mindseyes Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Great story and bad ass guitar!!!!!!Congrats and DIBS!!!!!!!!!
LiamMaru Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Spose I should stop lurking temporarily . Jason, glad to see you got an absolute beauty of a guitar, looks to be in impeccable condition and it couldn't have gone to a nicer guy. For my 2c, you got the better looking guitar, although I do like those Dean V's... I'd love to find a shrimpfork V, but alas that's not going to happen . I also found this pic, google'ing Jimi Bell, but look very closely, not all is as it appears: I'm actually a frequent poster on the Kramer Forum (Kramer, Hamer, notice a pattern?), and I know Mr. Bell used to own some VERY nice and VERY rare lefty Kramer's. A guy stopped by to try and sell them (I assume not Jimi), then changed his mind and things got a little sour. But yeah, Jimi's guitar exploits seem to be a source of beatiful guitars for all of us, not only because of his taste in guitars, but he looks after em'. PS, I figured that after me not giving you the highest offer and how incredibly smooth the whole thing was, getting you your original asking price which was the least I could do, glad to see it saved you some time and effort. As for that Cali, I'll get off my butt and take some pictures soon, I promise . Summer on the SUNSHINE coast in Australia, and it's raining like crazy - irony at its finest. And as for guitar names, I name all of my guitars: There's Pinky, Bluey, Blackey, Chazwozza (yes, Chazwozza) and in 2 weeks, I'll have Whitey!
hamerhead Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 I think you've got the better looking guitar! Nice.Agreed!Great story to start the New Year. Congrats!
cmatthes Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Great story, and congrats! You definitely won out there - it pays to be a good guy, eh? That white import Vector is interesting too, btw.
LefThanDed Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Jason:Keep an eye out for this relisting (again) - an '85 Gibson Lefty Explorer - in BLACK!!! The seller already slashed the price from $10K to $9.5K because, in his words: "I want to sell it"1985 Gibson Explorer, USA! , Left Handed, Lefty, Rare!!http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...RK%3AMEWAX%3AITAt least shipping is free.
Rodan Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 I think you've got the better looking guitar! Nice.+1!!
Steve Haynie Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 It is good that you honored the deal you made. Karma worked out for you!
svl Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Karma and kismet, the two constants in life. You get back what you put in, and fate controls all. Your tale is living proof!Congrats on a great guitar and on making great decisions in life. Happy New Year!!!
geoff_hartwell Posted January 1, 2011 Posted January 1, 2011 Great story, and congrats! You definitely won out there - it pays to be a good guy, eh? +100 You'll sleep like a baby, and you have a great guitar with EARNED mojo! And you can open the case with a smile every time. Awesome. Geoff
gorch Posted January 2, 2011 Posted January 2, 2011 What a great story! Congrats it all worked out for you.
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