Bought some counterfeit guitar pickups on eBay.

[Rick Lee]

This is amazing. Two weeks ago I got a pair of EMG 81s on eBay, listed as new old stock, no packaging or receipts, but came with some of the solderless wiring harness. I had to do a lot of work to get them to fit, did some routing, lots of wiring, hooked it all up and got uncontrollable, howling feedback with anything more than slight crunch on the amp. I emailed the seller, asked about the history of the pups, he restated they were new old stock, probably from around 2009 and that he'd take them back if I couldn't make them work. I was pretty sure my wiring was good or they'd have not performed at all. They sounded great on the clean channel, but with boost pedal or overdrive channel, they howled uncontrollably.

EMG is known for pretty good tech support, so I got into an email discussion with their tech guy. He ran me through some tests, I made videos of them and sent him Youtube links. So he mailed me a pair of new 81s he had laying around just to test my wiring job. His pickups worked perfectly. I asked if I could buy them and he said to just keep them and mail him the bad ones. Wow. I didn't buy from them or an auth. dealer, had no packaging, receipt or decals with date codes - nothing.

Today he emailed me that he received the pickups, took them apart and they are totally fake. I feel like an idiot. I think he's convinced I was fooled, but I still offered to pay for the pickups he sent me, but said I'd probably need those bad pickups back to send to the seller if I wanted to get a PayPal refund out of him. Obviously, EMG doesn't want to let those fakes back out. I am not sure what to do about the seller. Was he in on it or totally ignorant? If he had never installed them, he'd never know they were fake either. And he did offer to take them back. He has 110 transactions with only two neutrals, the rest positive, though the most recent one says he sent fake pickups. Wow. I want to protect others, but I know eBay won't do anything to him and I can't produce the pickups anymore, since EMG won't let them out. What to do?

[GWN7]

You payed for pickups and ended up with pickups. Leave negative feedback and be prepared to testify about the transaction if needed. That is if EMG goes after the guy.

[Nostril Cheese]

I second customer support for EMG. I had a wiring problem a few years back and they sent me out a harness. No questions asked.

[Gogar]

I'd email the seller and tell him you sent his fake pickups to EMG and see how he reacts.

[Rick Lee]

I told the seller I sent them to EMG and he seemed very happy for me that they sent me a new pair for free.

[GWN7]

Of course he's happy. He sent you junk and gets to keep your money......

[Rick Lee]

I could easily forward the email from EMG to eBay or PayPal and get that transaction reversed. I have irrefutable proof from the the foremost authority. I don't think a fraudster would be happy about those odds.

[Shuie]

How much is a pristine set of EMGs worth? I guess I am shocked that anyone would fake these.

[Nostril Cheese]

They are like $200 new..

[Rick Lee]

I think $228 new. I paid $95 delivered.

[Nostril Cheese]

I should buy one of those Chinese Les Paul knock offs and send it to Gibson.

[mikesride]

WOW!!! They sent you a new set N/C? That's pretty cool on them!! (guess they have a new loyal customer) Makes me feel good when a company stands up and does something like this for its consumers. Will make me think when I buy a new set.

[Rick Lee]

Well, EMGs aren't for everyone, but I do want at least one guitar with them. I will sing their praises from the highest mountain top. I wish I could help them more.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

China is just so awesome, isn't it?

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Well, EMGs aren't for everyone, but I do want at least one guitar with them. I will sing their praises from the highest mountain top. I wish I could help them more.

Buy their real stuff from a reputable dealer...

[craigster59]

That really speaks a lot for EMG's customer service! I would contact the seller and demand your money back, or you could really bring some grief to his Ebay career for selling knockoff items.

Slight thread hijack, yesterday was "new guitar day". Picked up a 1930's Regal Diamond Head, lap guitar that I wanted converted to conventional style. Couldn't keep the celluloid fretboard (warpage and bad frets), sent it off to vermont where it was "rehabbed" into a blues machine. Similar to a 1930's martin 0-18 at a tenth of the price...
Before:



After:




No pickups needed!

[Aragorn]

Was the seller in on it? I think you also said he had other feedback stating he had sold counterfeit pickups before. Most likely he either knew or had suspicions of them not being real. On the off hand if he is a crook he might have sold quite a few counterfeit pickups to others and they have not realized it yet. Its your call as to giving him negative feedback. But it may prevent someone else from falling for his "good deal."

On the plus side, good on EMG for their good customer service.

[rusnak]

I think you should leave feedback stating what the manufacturer told you: that you received fake merchandise.

Other buyers might not be as lucky as you.

[Zeke]

Out of his 100+ transactions, what has he sold? And how does he send out his stuff? USPS would get involved if he used them. But a couple of sales of pick ups sure won't help make much of a fraud case. 20 would. Maybe.