These aren’t real... but it makes you wonder...

[olddawg]

http://www.tvbdp.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=35

Even the headstocks look fairly accurate except for the decals...

[rjb]

Makes you wonder how they get away with it.

This $180 special edition pine Telecaster even has a Lollar Charlie Christian neck pickup!
http://www.tvbdp.com/index.php?main_...roducts_id=914
[EDIT: Quite a deal, considering that Jason charges $175 just for the pickup.]
http://www.lollarguitars.com/lollar-...stian-for-tele

This $109 Martin acoustic-electric costs $999 at Sweetwater. Those greedbags must have a 10x markup!
http://www.tvbdp.com/index.php?main_...oducts_id=1835

I do wonder how bad this stuff is. Anybody got some spare cash to find out?

-rb

[olddawg]

When I first saw this site I first thought they were selling blems, seconds, or something. They flat out say Fender in the description. If you mess around enough you can see the headstocks. But there is no Fender log. Hardly a log at all and blurry... but they look right. I wonder what the quality really is? I'm tempted to buy one just to see!

[nosaj]

Makes you wonder how they get away with it.

This $180 special edition pine Telecaster even has a Lollar Charlie Christian single-coil neck pickup! I wonder if Jason knows about that.
http://www.tvbdp.com/index.php?main_...roducts_id=914

This $109 Martin acoustic-electric costs $999 at Sweetwater. Those greedbags must have a 10x markup!
http://www.tvbdp.com/index.php?main_...oducts_id=1835

I do wonder how bad this stuff is. Anybody got some spare cash to find out?

-rb

Spare cash hahha sure you jest....

[The Dude]

So you wouldn't have to hunt, I took a screenshot of one of the headstocks for your viewing pleasure.

[rjb]

I'm tempted to buy one just to see!

While you're at it, pick me up one of those Martin cutaways, OK?

-rb

[The Dude]

Yep. I'll take a cherry burst Les Paul if we're submitting orders.

[rjb]

Scamadvisor.com gives the site a Trust Score of 4%. What could go wrong?
https://www.scamadviser.com/is-tvbdp...fake-site.html

-rb

[The Dude]

My best guess is that they are Chinese fakes and would be confiscated by customs and end up in a dumpster somewhere at which point you'd have to try to get your money back. You might even have some litigation to contend with for ordering counterfeit merch. I wouldn't risk my $.

[nosaj]

Scamadvisor.com gives the site a Trust Score of 4%. What could go wrong?
https://www.scamadviser.com/is-tvbdp...fake-site.html

-rb

What could go wrong the site is only a few days old....

nosaj

[olddawg]

That's why you use PayPal... but yeah.. I've had some decent luck using accurate knockoff parts lately. I'm not surprised they are being assembled and sold. As I've said before, I've seen unscrupulous local "builders" assembling from Chinese parts and charging for "boutique" instruments under their own name and saying they are made in USA. Wonder why Gibson is going under, lol!

[The Dude]

Well, I've been involved with PayPal disputes myself. Here's one experience.

I bought an 8" tom via eBay. I got a 10" tom. The seller measured/listed it wrong. I already had a 10" tom and didn't need or want it. After several attempts to contact the seller and get a refund, I started a PayPal dispute. The seller provided a shipping receipt. PayPal said that, since it was shipped, I had no recourse and there was nothing they could do in the way of a refund. I argued with PayPal. I told them that, by their rules, the seller could have sent me a bar of soap and it would be just fine with them. They didn't care. Luckily, I made the payment with a Capitol One "no hassle" card. I just called them and reversed the charges after which PayPal temporarily banned me.

I know, long story, but there is a point. If you ordered one of these guitars and the seller could show a shipping receipt, you'd be on the hook to pay whether it was in a dumpster at customs or not. At least, that's my experience.

[tedmich]

You could pick up your guitar in your new...SUPERCAR!

http://www.supereplicas.com/

you never get either buuuuut the prices are excellent!

[jmaf]

Factories in China and Korea build guitars for Western brands. A certain amount of guitars are produced extra, sold to the local market under no brand name. They're the exact same thing you buy in the West for 10X the price.

These local circulation guitars should't get branded, ever. They're not supposed to be counterfeits, just made for the local market consumption with no brand.

There are also rejects. The rejects are exact same thing as the "real" ones.

What happens if you're a clever local businessman in this region and have some form of access to the factory? You buy decals...

The real controversy here is the fact that some of the most famous guitars get branded and labeled "Made in XX" when they are not. Maybe some of the guitar was made somewhere, but the rest was made in a slave-labour factory out in the East.

Ever since the far East entered the game, the game has never been the same. This began in the late 1980's in fact, and I have a feeling a lot of people are holding Chinese mahogany in their hands having paid for Western.

[Mick Bailey]

The pine Tele pictures are lifted off Fender promotional material. Exactly the same guitar can be seen here; https://www.pmtonline.co.uk/fender-f...caster-natural.

It looks like a scam and I wouldn't bother. I'd be interested to see what you actually get if anyone does order one.