I honestly don't agree. Vintage gear stays very high without regard to any other factors. This is due in part and parcel to the quality of the tones and such that are not reproducable by today's technology. You can't get a piece of software to dupe a strat through a Leslie (sp?) with any sort of solid convincing level. ... and so on. But, you CAN dupe the sound of pretty much any drum with someone who knows how to tweak a dial with style. It's a much simpler process. It's the feel for the drummer that is the variable. That can't be overcome.

Maybe he changed his mind about selling it and kept bidding near the end so noone would get it instead. Thus avoiding angry bidders complaining to ebay when he refuses to part with it or pulls the listing.

The time stamps are what get me. There's about 1 to 2 minutes between each bid. It was an intentional and thought out action. It's not precise enough to be software, but it is definitely a stepped bid.

The biggest problem with all of this is ebay would not list each successive bid as a TOP bid. It would just increase the individual buyers top end. It wouldn't register the top end unless someone bid against it. Then and only then would ebay compare the new bid to the original buyers top bid and adjust accordingly. Something is very wrong here.

I hope there was a huge amount of sarcasm there.....while it would be nice to get mega-bux for any of my gear, I would rather have it they way it was 20 years ago when a vintage anything kit wasn't vintage, just used. That way the WORKING drummer can afford something decent again......the only "affordable" kits today are cheap asian imports with no character.

I really think I got the last of the good deals when I bought my Leedy's and my Gretsch snare, yes they all needed work, but that's probably why I got the deals I did. The vintage market has gone to the collectors, not the guys who actually play them. Most collectors do just that, collect the nice ones, horde them, put them on a shelf and never play them. "This one's still got the ole tagger on it. No, don't touch it....don't point at it, don't even look at it.....no these can never be played..."

"Asian imports with no character"....You,ll likely get some oposition with that statement.There is a huge MIJ fan base here,and i for one have a couple of these kits with LOADS of character...I also got a great deal on a Gretsch RB 13 AND 22,and it also needed work,but i feel the deals are out there,we just aren,t going to see them like we used to.Mister T

This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw this. ebay proxy would not have shown incrimental increases if it were not a bidding war going on. Something indeed is amiss, and methinks it is SniperGate. We shall see...

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...Wayne, I truly think L-D is referring to the true crap from the MIT and MIC stuff, not the stuff we are so fond of, at least I would hope and pray we have buried that hatchet for good...so let's you and I assume this to be the case, OK?

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading the input to my initial post regarding this transaction.

In my opinion (for whatever it may be worth) there are two critical yet separate issues here:

1. Was this a legit or a bogus transaction?; and

2. What effect will this transaction have on future sales of the same item in comparable condition, both functionally & cosmetically?

In regard to the first issue, based on the feedback received thus far, there seem to be a number of unanswered questions remaining. I certainly don't have enough facts to support the term "bogus" but perhaps the term "questionable" would be more appropriate.

In regard to the second issue, until it's determined whether this particular transaction actually was "legit" future pricing (both selling & buying) for Ludwig Oyster Blue Pearl Jazz Festivals will more than likely be skewed.

I've never placed much weight in "asking" or "listed" prices" because they're just that -- "requested" prices. However, once an item is actually sold and can be found under the "completed items" section of e-Bay, the selling price, whether legit or not, becomes part of that item's history. That history might be sending out a totally accurate or totally false message regarding the true value of that particular item. It all depends on the answer to the first issue addressed above.

In this particular case I guess that would mean GREAT news for future sellers of this particular drum and HORRIFIC news for prospective buyers.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Yeah, but someone wanted the drum so was the seller greedy or was it that the buyer really wanted the drum? Oyster Blue Pearl is technically more rare than Oyster Black Pearl...

Mike Curotto

Yes this is what I was talking about.....modern stuff, not vintage....

Technically yes it is Mike, but IMO Oyster Black is more desireable...the whole Ringo thing, you know?