The Harrisons found guilty of organising the £1 million raid on the Guitar Ranch, Verona in 2006.

mbe

My wife bought me a set of Rickenbacker flat wound strings and the wound E was missing

Rats, they saw her coming 

randella

heavyrocker said:

Kitsune said:

I used to go into the one in Denmark Street a lot. Never had any cash so bought sod all.

randella said:

I went into the Manchester one once.  I was killing time whilst waiting for my wife.  The shop assistant was incredibly pleasant, almost pleading with me to pull whatever I wanted off the wall and play it.  I didn't want to waste his time, so we reached a bit of an impasse.

In the end we spent a very pleasant ten minutes watching the big screen, which was showing the bit in the Band's 'Last Waltz' where Clapton is very obviously shitface-drunk and drops his guitar.

Not sure what this adds to the convo really, but not all their staff were horrible I guess.

Wow, some of these tales are outrageous! Keep ‘em coming!

I'm a hoot in real life

DB1

I was talking to an ex-employee of theirs a few weeks ago, who - after seeing at first hand what was going on - decided to part ways with them. After a slight difference of opinion over finances, he decided to go and see them with a negotiating tool that was probably best saved for baseball. After receiving fairly urgent legal advice that this perhaps wouldn't end well, he reluctantly turned round and headed back home. I have no reason to disbelieve this chap, other than that I'd have been frightened of him WITHOUT said negotiating tool!

NelsonP

Strat54 said:

The silly thing is despite all this fraudulent behaviour they still ended up owing £1.5M ! A million of that was to the guitar trade.
Wonder if they kept those nice houses. I think Harrison Snr's was for sale here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/81573622/Untitled

That looks like the perfect gaff in which to plot a few good blags....

rsvmark

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

scrumhalf

Who lives in a house like this? Insoector Knacker, it's over to you.

Didn't they buy/take over/replace Ron Roka's in Denmark Street?

DB1

scrumhalf said:

Who lives in a house like this? Insoector Knacker, it's over to you.

Is the answer 'Ray Charles'? 

terada

NelsonP said:

Strat54 said:

The silly thing is despite all this fraudulent behaviour they still ended up owing £1.5M ! A million of that was to the guitar trade.
Wonder if they kept those nice houses. I think Harrison Snr's was for sale here...

https://www.scribd.com/document/81573622/Untitled

That looks like the perfect gaff in which to plot a few good blags....

I try not to judge the taste of another, but that décor is bloody horrendous.

Is it any surprise he pedalled fake old stuff when at home he surrounded himself with more of it?

Octafish

Yeah that bar's fucking hideous, the curtains look like they've been knicked from a Travelodge. Besides does anyone believe it's an authentic 14th century, probably made out of bits of other houses he's lived in.

Dominic

Vintage.........Vintage............Vintage...........Antiques    ..........Antiques
Classic Cars
Classic Bikes
Vintage Guitars
Vintage Clothing
VintageRecords
Antique shops
Art Dealers/Galleries
Vintage Wine Investments
All of these are business' based on hype,bullshit,made-up provenance and perceived value.......they are skanker's playgrounds a perfect forum to mug the gullible, delude the deluded and charm the ignorant ; when expert knowledge is limited and the stakes are high it's a perfect arena for money-making.
A really top Mayfair Antique dealer /showroom of 3 generations and immaculate history was found to be selling a piece for half a million that was complete fakery and comparatively worthless .......they were eventually sued by the buyer and protested that even they were fooled by it and didn't know........therefore how easy it must be to stitch a guitar together from a few period parts eh ?

Twinfan

rsvmark said:

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

I can't remember the exact details, but it was something about buying a supposed original '58 V or Explorer which, surprise surprise, wasn't and he sued to get his money back.

lewism

Twinfan said:

rsvmark said:

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

I can't remember the exact details, but it was something about buying a supposed original '58 V or Explorer which, surprise surprise, wasn't and he sued to get his money back.

On the David Pym website, it states that the Hammett guitar was a Zemaitis. It was Peter from the Cardigans who got flogged the Explorer. Always loved the Cardigans, saw them at Reading in 1995 and Peter looked to have played a different guitar each song, clearly loved old vintage stuff - sad to see him taken in by these crooks.

IvisonGuitars

lewism said:

Twinfan said:

rsvmark said:

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

I can't remember the exact details, but it was something about buying a supposed original '58 V or Explorer which, surprise surprise, wasn't and he sued to get his money back.

On the David Pym website, it states that the Hammett guitar was a Zemaitis. It was Peter from the Cardigans who got flogged the Explorer. Always loved the Cardigans, saw them at Reading in 1995 and Peter looked to have played a different guitar each song, clearly loved old vintage stuff - sad to see him taken in by these crooks.

I believe they did poor old Peter more than once. A quick google search of “Music Ground Fake” brings up hours of juicy, jaw dropping scams. 

jpfamps

Twinfan said:

rsvmark said:

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

I can't remember the exact details, but it was something about buying a supposed original '58 V or Explorer which, surprise surprise, wasn't and he sued to get his money back.

The truth actually maybe stranger than this.

It's actually quite possible that the Explorer is genuine (a couple of people whose opinion's I trust reckon it is as well as Clive Brown), however as a photo of the guitar in the 60's  was definitely faked the authenticity of the guitar was thrown into doubt, and hence legal action.

Regardless, unless some new reliable provenance comes to light this guitar will be branded as fake.

Ossyrocks

jpfamps said:

Twinfan said:

rsvmark said:

Twinfan said:

Wasn't there a issue with Kirk Hammett and Music Ground over a '58 V or Explorer?

Of course as a purely academic/made up/fictitious story, care to share?

I can't remember the exact details, but it was something about buying a supposed original '58 V or Explorer which, surprise surprise, wasn't and he sued to get his money back.

The truth actually maybe stranger than this.

It's actually quite possible that the Explorer is genuine (a couple of people whose opinion's I trust reckon it is as well as Clive Brown), however as a photo of the guitar in the 60's  was definitely faked the authenticity of the guitar was thrown into doubt, and hence legal action.

Regardless, unless some new reliable provenance comes to light this guitar will be branded as fake.

Clive would say it’s real. Graham Platts, his business partner, bought it from Richard Henry for “replica money” and it suddenly became a real one! 

Ossyrocks

@jumping@shadows , this guitar and it’s owners are still convincing people that it’s real!

Gassage

Question- have they been charged or arrested?

ICBM

jpfamps said:

The truth actually maybe stranger than this.

It's actually quite possible that the Explorer is genuine (a couple of people whose opinion's I trust reckon it is as well as Clive Brown), however as a photo of the guitar in the 60's  was definitely faked the authenticity of the guitar was thrown into doubt, and hence legal action.

Regardless, unless some new reliable provenance comes to light this guitar will be branded as fake.

Do you think Fiona Bruce and Philip Mould would take it on?



The provenance appears to be a lot dodgier than some of those paintings though...

For what it's worth, my respect for Joe Bonamassa - whose music and constant endorsement-whoring does irritate me - increased considerably when he was willing to publicly call it out as a fake. I'm also pretty sure I know why he had no interest in the Peter Green/Gary Moore(/now Kirk Hammett) Les Paul 'at any price' in his own words, given who was involved in arranging the sale.

rico

@ICBM when did that happen? Any juicy articles?

ICBM

rico said:

@ICBM when did that happen? Any juicy articles?

It was on one of the Les Paul forums, I don't remember which... I'm not a member of any, I just followed a link from somewhere. Basically Joe was willing to call out the guitar as fake and anyone associated with authenticating it as being in on it. Several pages of reading in it, but some useful information about some of the characters involved.

Personally I would not trust anyone associated in any way with this cesspit of fakery, dishonesty and deceit, and I'm pleased that someone with a profile as high as his was willing to say the same publicly.