"We're not liars...

[Elwood]

..it says Tribute somewhere down in the description"
- is what I'd expect to hear from the guys at portland percussion...
Look at the newly listed ten tribbies : http://www.ebay.com/sch/Guitar-/3858/m. ... percussion
I see this as purposeful and it smells of deciept.
I mean, why wouldn't you put tribute in the title ?
That's insulting to anyone who knows G&L's and evil to those who are new to the market.

Can't put all the blame on PP , If there weren't a cheaperly made G&L out there...they couldn't sell them.
I see why in some markets , folks think G&Ls are only middle of the road.
I bet Dale would laugh and walk the other way , quickly.

I see portland percussion as lying liars who lie,
thoughts?

[meowmix]

Yes. Not putting "Tribute" in the title is deceiving. Just look at the price. That usually is the dead giveaway for New.

[Ray Barbee Music]

But then Musicians Friend et.al. have USA models listed as "Tributes" (see copper S-500). Might just be stupid vs. intent to deceive.

[Salmon]

They have been doing something like this for a while. I thought it was an oversight. I sent a message to them months ago via an ebay auction's "ask a question" because they had listed a guitar at typical Tribute pricing without mentioning Tribute. However, when I located the same guitar on their website it did say Tribute. Never heard back from them.

[KenC]

I used to work in Portland, right up the street from them. I was drawn in by their window display one time, and was out of there as soon as I realized that they were trying IMO to sell cheap import instruments at premium prices. I've never been back. BTW, I'm not referring to Tribbies as cheap imports here. I moved out of Maine several years before the Tribute line came out. I can't remember for sure what they were selling at the time, but I think they were Asian Fenders. What I do remember clearly is the sudden realization that I wasn't looking at what I had expected.

In fairness to PP, their approach was typical IME of the market up in that neck of the woods. Used gear and cheap imports went for ridiculous prices, and quality equipment was hard to find. We did have a well-stocked G&L dealer in town, but they stopped dealing around 2000 and have since gone out of business. I'm not sure what the market is like now, since Guitar Center has moved in. I'm usually up there visiting family at some point every summer, and check out some of my old haunts. I never go back to that one, though...

Ken

[aussiepete]

Yeah, I am one of those new to G&L and got a little excited until I saw "Tribute" hidden down the bottom of the page

[helle-man]

I'm not defending the sellers, but some of this is G&L's doing. They purposely make the Tribute letters very small on the headstock.

Look at any Squier - It doesn't say Fender in huge letters and Squier in small letters. It's plain as day it's a Squier, even at a distance.

The early Tributes had "Tribute" much bigger than the current ones. Strangely however, they seem to be less desirable than the small script ones. Weird!

WR

[Dave_P]

I have to agree with Will on this one, yes PP should have that somewhere near the top of the post but G&L is as much to blame for the confusion. On one hand I applaud them for putting out such a great "entry level" instrument on the other hand with the switch to the same font/font color for decals, color matched headstocks, very fine print "Tribute Series", etc. it makes it easier to rip someone off, especially someone new to the brand.

-Dave

[westsideduck]

They have great close up pics of the headstocks, except for one blurry shot it's pretty clear as to what they are selling.

[bloodied_fingers]

I'm not defending the sellers, but some of this is G&L's doing. They purposely make the Tribute letters very small on the headstock.

Look at any Squier - It doesn't say Fender in huge letters and Squier in small letters. It's plain as day it's a Squier, even at a distance.

The early Tributes had "Tribute" much bigger than the current ones. Strangely however, they seem to be less desirable than the small script ones. Weird!

WR

I kinda of agree with this, the 'Tribute' indicator is miniscule which has always seemed a tad bit deceptive, although I think it speaks to G&L's belief that customers are getting what G&L considers a G&L. Deceptive is maybe too harsh a term.

But...I don't think squire-tribute is exactly a fair comparison.

The best Squire's are probably 1/2 step down from the Tribute series.

I think Fender's MiM lineup is closer to the Tributes, and the only discerning factor on those is the serial number. So it can be even harder for a rank neophyte to identify a MiM versus US model.

IMO what PP is doing is not 'evil' as much as a bit of an underhanded way of getting people to look at what they got. Plenty of people (myself included) will put in a search like: `g&l legacy -tribute`

The `-tribute` will get rid of almost all the tributes - except for? Yep, people like PP who don't put that in their listings subject. So those results get more views, and perhaps some customers who would otherwise not have even looked at them.

It is actually really aggravating for this reason because if you apply a dollar limit filter then recently listed or really good deals might get missed.

[Salmon]

I disagree that G&L shares any blame or the "doing" for what Portland Percussion is doing. People who are interested in G&L eventually learn there are USA made G&L's and there are import Tributes G&L's. Although both are great instruments, one is superior in quality and craftsmanship. Clouding the identification in any way is deceptive. It does not matter that G&L writes Made In Indonesia or Tribute in small letters. Knowing what you are looking at matters. The seller is culpable for clouding this information and this is why ebay has strong rules to protect buyers on this specific issue. Portland Percussion is walking a thin line by burying "Tribute" in the description text instead of declaring it in the title.

[Fumble fingers]

he could have put Tribute legacy instead of just Legacy in the first paragragh , but it's still clear that he's talking about a Tribute if you read the whole thing

[Salmon]

True, and they are not crossing the thin line in danger of violating ebay's rules. But this is a rude way of advertising. It misleads people not looking for Tributes in the process of trying to get the few people who might take interest.

Regarding the smaller "Tribute" lettering on the guitars, the focus should be on the guitar not the version. "G&L" is priority. "Tribute" in large letters was in essence broadcasting "CHEAPER VERSION G&L" thereby casting a shadow over the strength that exists regardless of the version. If an audience of one or hundreds believes a Tribute is a USA does it matter? No. Tribute and Made in Indonesia are on the guitar. That is enough.

The importance is when an owner or potential owner needs to know.

[Dave_P]

I think Fender's MiM lineup is closer to the Tributes, and the only discerning factor on those is the serial number. So it can be even harder for a rank neophyte to identify a MiM versus US model.

Point well taken!

[Lazer]

I have been in Germany, took the opportunity to visit Thomann. There for the first time I saw the new Tributes. I'd say they
are very comparable to the "higher end" Squiers. Strangly enough they didn't have a single American G&L in their show room.

Cheers
L-zr

[bloodied_fingers]

I have been in Germany, took the opportunity to visit Thomann. There for the first time I saw the new Tributes. I'd say they
are very comparable to the "higher end" Squiers.

I have never picked up a Squire or MiM Fender that felt as tight as my legacy. Maybe I didn't try enough of them or got lucky with mine, or just personal preference...

But if they are equivalent then the Legacy Tribute is not such a good deal. The Squire CV seems about 100usd less than discounted Legacy.

I'm curious if you would rank MiM Fenders as generally better than G&L Tributes then?

[Fumble fingers]

never had a Tribute , but my other internet friends rank the Tribute above a MIM Strat ... or they say it takes a good MIM to equal a Tribute and you know the Tribute has way better pick ups than a Fender stock verses stock

[bloodied_fingers]

never had a Tribute , but my other internet friends rank the Tribute above a MIM Strat ... or they say it takes a good MIM to equal a Tribute and you know the Tribute has way better pick ups than a Fender stock verses stock

I have tended to agree with your friends.

I would add the PTB controls and DF bridge are also superior to the systems/components on anything from Fender for less than the USA built stuff. But those things could down to personal preference.

That said, I haven't owned a MiM or a Squire. I have a couple friends who love them. But usually the first thing they do is swap all the electronics...

[Fumble fingers]

you said it better than me , with the PTB hardware and electronic's they are for sure better than the MIM .... my teacher has a MIM and it "ahh fair" at best

[Lazer]

I have been in Germany, took the opportunity to visit Thomann. There for the first time I saw the new Tributes. I'd say they
are very comparable to the "higher end" Squiers.

I have never picked up a Squire or MiM Fender that felt as tight as my legacy. Maybe I didn't try enough of them or got lucky with mine, or just personal preference...

But if they are equivalent then the Legacy Tribute is not such a good deal. The Squire CV seems about 100usd less than discounted Legacy.

I'm curious if you would rank MiM Fenders as generally better than G&L Tributes then?

They had only 3 tributes on display in the show room, and it would't be hard to pick a Mexico Fender that i rate higher.
But on the other hand I could also pick out a few I rate lower. The worst guitars I have seen are Indonesian Squiers.
But I have also seen quite a few good ones... The only other tribute I have seen except or theese 3 was Korean built. At
the time I regarded it higher the Squires but during this time (2005-2006) Squires had a real low point, they are better
now.

The bottom line is, budget instrumens vary so much it's difficult to say which make is better. There are good ones and
not so good ones. Therefore I never buy one unseen, the only exception beeing from someone I trust.

To me G&L's are most attractive due to unique features. Take the S500 for instance, A strat feels almost like a toy
in comparison and with the modern MFD and PTB its always easy to find a workable tone.

Cheers
L-zr

[bloodied_fingers]

I see portland percussion as lying liars who lie,
thoughts?

Aggravated by their listings repeatedly showing up in searches I asked them about this, and here is their response:

it’s a buy it now listing in the “NEW” category- new usa G&L’s do not sell for $549.



From: eBay Member: perry_hargrave
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2013 3:19 PM
To: portlandpercussion@portlandpercussion.com
Subject: Details about item: perry_hargrave sent a message about 2012 G&L S500 #150866183633



Dear portland_percussion,

It would be nice if you put 'tribute' in your listing subjects lines.

I think its a bit disingenuous to list them without this and it also makes searching for USA made models that much more difficult.


- perry_hargrave

as the kids say, "smh"

[Elwood]

"it’s a buy it now listing in the “NEW” category- new usa G&L’s do not sell for $549."


Well, I bought my USA L-2000 , practically NOS ('89), for 597 w/free shipping.
If I used price points for my search criteria, I would have missed it.
Sellers can't be counted on to put things in the right category.
PP's auction is the perfect example of why some sellers shouldn't be trusted to do the right thing,
whether it's because of lack of understanding ebay's system or flat out deception.

kudos for calling their hand,
elwood

[Elwood]

Same sh*t ....Portland Percussion should be put on G&L's blacklist IMO

/rant (for now)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-G-L-ASAT-S ... 23389e456b

[Case24]

I find it in poor taste to not state the it is a Tribute in the heading of the listing. I've had a MIM Fender and a Tribute ASAT Classic. The Tribute was a far better guitar that required no upgrading.

[Fumble fingers]

I see the brand new price and know its a Tribute , the add doesn't really bother me anymore ... Tributes are pretty nice and still missing a 1 in front of the 5 on the price tag , its looks like a decent deal to me

[Boogie Bill]

I think the ads are deceptive, and they irritate me because they waste my time.

But I also agree with Will. I've said it from the beginning when the guitars were introduced: they should have been labelled "Tribute, By G&L". Would have saved a lot of misconceptions.

Bill

[Boogie Bill]

I think the ads are deceptive, and they irritate me because they waste my time.

But I also agree with Will. I've said it from the beginning when the guitars were introduced: they should have been labelled "Tribute, By G&L". Would have saved a lot of misconceptions.

Bill

[koni]

Sometimes Ebay listings can go both ways. I got a G&L S-500 USA 2012 in excellent plus condition that was listed as a Tribute for 550. It even came with the deluxe hard case.

[yowhatsshakin]

Sometimes Ebay listings can go both ways. I got a G&L S-500 USA 2012 in excellent plus condition that was listed as a Tribute for 550. It even came with the deluxe hard case.

- Jos

[SouthpawGuy]

To be fair all of their US made G&L listings are prefixed with "USA G&L"

Besides, anyone who thinks they are buying a new USA made G&L for $500 probably shouldn't be pressing that buy it now button anyway

[bloodied_fingers]

To be fair all of their US made G&L listings are prefixed with "USA G&L"

That makes them even worse!

They know and recognize the difference enough to demarcate their USA models but not the Tributes. That tells me something about their motivations.

Besides, anyone who thinks they are buying a new USA made G&L for $500 probably shouldn't be pressing that buy it now button anyway

Somebody mentioned it above: if you're searching G&L by price points many used USA models start out in new tribute price ranges so you can't easily filter these out. To leave something like country of origin to the fine print is dishonest in my book anyway.

I try to imaging myself walking into my favorite guitar store and having the salesman there hide this type of information in a book in the bathroom. I would find a new favorite store quickly.

PP is definitely on my 'never buy from list'