Fake Marshall gear on Ebay right now

Bygone_Tones

Certain seller to watch out for on ebay using at least two accounts, maybe more. Sells a lot of thrown together pieces (lash-ups), artificially aged items and reproduction parts. Pretty depressing.

First up:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marshall-1968- ... OSwksBbZ~7 2

This is a 1968 basketweave cab that has been modified, not a pinstripe. It can be identified by the later period metal handles (wider at the sides). He has edited the title and description since, but it was originally being sold as an all original 1966 cab! Way over-priced, even for a real one.

The original grill material is here, sold using a different ebay account:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1968-Marshall-Basketweave-4-12-Grill-Cloth-Original-/253879686855?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137

Notice the business owner of 'londonvintagegts' is "J Harrison", a well known fraudster in the vintage community:

http://www.davidjpym.com/page459.html

Then there is this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marshall-19...t/183432954837

There's a reason it looks mint - it's because it has been retolexed. You don't find the corner triangles broken off the bottom of the baffle, and non original baffle screws in a mint & original cabinet. Also, a 4 digit serial in 69? I dont think so. Artifically aged so that it looks vintage. Price again, just insane for what it is.

This is all mixed in with some legit stuff, such as that nice 'Park' cab recently sold, but lots of cobbled together stuff too.

Of interest are some of the reproduction parts now being sold off.  Parts they used to make their fakes in the 90's such as these Celestion pre-rola labels. Notice the 25W G12M has the wrong impedance on it and should say 16 Ohm:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1967-1969-Marshall-Celestion-Greenback-20-25-Watt-Labels-/253879747390?nordt=true&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m43663.l10137

simonk

Good work! The vintage gear market is best observed from a distance I find. 

kreggs

Christ! 120 quid for something  that looks like a tea stained dishcloth no thanks!

IvisonGuitars

Well done @Bygone_Tones looks like they are at it again...did they ever stop??

Ossyrocks

Look at the level of scuffing on the jackplate of the "1969 Basketweave cab" and look at the level of wear on the levant surrounding it !?

He's havin' a giraffe!

Ossyrocks

I'm probably the only person in the world to have benefited in a deal with the Harrisons. About 20 years ago Justin bought a Park 100w head off me for what I thought was really good money at the time. He bank transferred the money and said he would send someone round to collect it soon. I reminded him a few times that it was still here waiting for collection, but no-one ever did come and get it. After six months of it sitting in my hallway, I sold it again to someone else for the same money.

He never did get in touch about it.

terada

Its stuff like this that keeps me well away from vintage gear.

All I know about it is that I don't know enough about it.

Thanks for the detective work

Bygone_Tones

Ossyrocks said:

Look at the level of scuffing on the jackplate of the "1969 Basketweave cab" and look at the level of wear on the levant surrounding it !?

He's havin' a giraffe!

Some of his fakes are so crap, its laughable. At least they are easy to spot. Look at the artificial ageing on the 20w speaker labels in the pinstripe cab, way over the top. When have you ever seen real speaker labels like that? They look as though they have been sanded in a  circular motion. They are probably the same fake labels he is selling as spare parts. You can tell by the extra ink bleed on the letter e.

ICBM

How did I guess that the words Fake and Marshall would be accompanied by the word Harrison?

grappagreen

Jeez 

m_custom

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HiWatt-1974-DR103-Hand-Wired-Custom-100w-Head-and-4x12-Cab/183438836077?hash=item2ab5ce816d:g:E-MAAOSwbbRbJDgn

The seller of the Marshall cabinets also has this Hiwatt setup on eBay.
I approached him a couple of months ago regarding the DR103, he wasn’t willing to split the setup....I had no interest in the ‘dog’ cabinet. 
The seller (James Wyatt) claims the cabinet is an original 74/75 fitted with ‘stock’ Goodmans drivers....ahum
Obviously not a Hiwatt cabinet despite his ferment defence of basic and glaring truths.
1 - Input jack location 
2 - Plastic handles
3 - Goodmans drivers
4 - Lack of rear port
5 - Not constructed like any Hiwatt cab I’ve ever seen.
6 - Replacement logo
7 - No I/D plate

I’ve no idea whether he’s linked with the Harrison cartel....what I do know is he is clueless regarding vintage / collectible British amps & cabs. 

Bygone_Tones

m_custom said:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HiWatt-1974-DR103-Hand-Wired-Custom-100w-Head-and-4x12-Cab/183438836077?hash=item2ab5ce816d:g:E-MAAOSwbbRbJDgn

The seller of the Marshall cabinets also has this Hiwatt setup on eBay.
I approached him a couple of months ago regarding the DR103, he wasn’t willing to split the setup....I had no interest in the ‘dog’ cabinet. 
The seller (James Wyatt) claims the cabinet is an original 74/75 fitted with ‘stock’ Goodmans drivers....ahum
Obviously not a Hiwatt cabinet despite his ferment defence of basic and glaring truths.
1 - Input jack location 
2 - Plastic handles
3 - Goodmans drivers
4 - Lack of rear port
5 - Not constructed like any Hiwatt cab I’ve ever seen.
6 - Replacement logo
7 - No I/D plate

I’ve no idea whether he’s linked with the Harrison cartel....what I do know is he is clueless regarding vintage / collectible British amps & cabs. 

That is Justin Harrisons ebay account.

I don't know enough about Hiwatt cabs to comment, but knowing Justin it is very likely a much less valuable cabinet, perhaps a sound city or late 70's Hiwatt, that has been meddled with to make it look more collectable and valuable.

ICBM

m_custom said:

I’ve no idea whether he’s linked with the Harrison cartel....what I do know is he is clueless regarding vintage / collectible British amps & cabs. 

He's not clueless.

He knows exactly what he's doing.

Bygone_Tones said:

I don't know enough about Hiwatt cabs to comment, but knowing Justin it is very likely a much less valuable cabinet, perhaps a sound city or late 70's Hiwatt, that has been meddled with to make it look more collectable and valuable.

Later Sound City or something even less valuable, I think. There are a large number of also-ran brands which used that type of plastic side handles.