Trade...what to do...? - Page 2 - Vintage Drum Forum

Hello --

I'm the culprit in Montreal; my name is Luc Barbeau, please feel free to contact me directly. I did not respond sooner to this thread because today I was at work and tonight I’ve been busy with other stuff. I want to be completely up front with the members and there’s no prejudice intended. I feel as though I need to lean-in to give my perspective. One or two of the responses below seem a little awkward for whatever reason, and I wonder why Blair had to call me out on this public forum. It's all good however because I appreciate Blair who is actually very professional to deal with.

My purpose is to share my thoughts on a few different items as Blair has asked: “Your thoughts?”

To start with, I shipped the cymbal at my cost. That’s important to note. The deal was the cymbal for the hi-hat stand; I agreed to pay both item’s shipping costs. Today I get an e-mail from Blair. Here’s what he said:

Got the cymbal...thanks...nice and thin.......

But...it has around a 1/16- 1/8" crack around the bell hole!

You can't notice it from the top...but I could see it plain as day on the bottom..

I can do pics...of course...

In my handling of the cymbal, including packing it, I never noticed the crack, which is very possible considering that it was 1/16" that was only visible underneath. I had no idea it had a very small almost unrecognizable crack, not noticeable, “from the top”. But to set the record straight I have posted the picture herewith once again. If you look closely in the photo sure enough there is a small crack. You can see it in the photo, the same photo that I posted here when I put the cymbal up for trade. Blair saw the photos and he obviously didn’t notice it either at the time. Anyway, the crack is consistent with the overall condition of the cymbal which is going on sixty years old. Here’s my response to Blair’s message:

Thanks for confirming receipt of the cymbal although I'm not quite sure what to make of your observation about a crack. I never noticed a crack and with the exception of the key-holing the cymbal is (or was) in good condition. Either way it doesn't affect the deal we have for a trade.

I bought an old set of drums with the cymbal included; I have never played this cymbal because I don’t like the sound of a cymbal with holes. I took note of the cymbal’s vintage, a super light classic 50’s 16” A. Zildjian. I took a few pictures of it and decided to trade it for a decent replacement. Blair got involved when I listed it here on VDF and we talked about a straight trade for the hi-hat to match a Meazzi bass pedal I bought from Blair in 2011. That’s another story I’ll tell later here in the thread.

The cymbal is beautiful and the one and only reason I don't play it is because it has a hole in it. I have a problem with instruments that are drilled at manufacturing or even worse aftermarket.

I think you have to take all this stuff with a grain of salt. I know well enough that it's buyer beware, especially when buying stuff on-line. My kids tease me and say I'm always disappointed when I buy vintage gear on-line.

Blair talks about the money aspect because he’s normally the seller. It seems to me, Blair said he wanted to trade for it, to re-sell it. Our previous exchanges have been different because I’m usually the buyer. In this case I thought it was worth saving our relationship and I said I would take it back at my cost. I made this decision before double checking the photos to see whether or not there was a crack, which Blair feels undermines the deal. If things were the other way around though, I would honor the deal.

With all due respect, I've done business with Blair before and the results have not met my expectations either however I've honored those deals and bit the bullet on questionable conditions. The exchange for the Meazzi bass pedal mentioned above didn't quite pass the litmus test but I never said a word about it to Blair. Here’s the back story, my friend here originally posted an entry on VDF to sell Meazzi parts. I got in touch with him and we talked about a premium condition Meazzi bass pedal for $175. He said he also had the matching hi-hat stand and he would do both for $300.

I was focused on the bass pedal so we talked more about it, however after much reflection I decided to pass on it at the time because I thought at $175 it was too much. Eventually he listed it on e-Bay, which I thought was fair game, and it gave me the opportunity to buy it anonymously. It actually sat on e-Bay for awhile and no-one bid on it. In the end I bought it at the reserve which was $70; less than half of what he said it was originally worth, covering his costs ect. We did the deal through e-Bay and we never talked about it after.

In retrospect however purchasing the Meazzi bass pedal wasn’t that good a deal, even at $70 (plus shipping and his handling costs). The spring mechanism has been changed and the pedal was also shipped with an aftermarket MIJ beater. And to date I have never really played it because the action is no-where near as smooth as my old Rogers Swivo. The hi-hat stand mentioned above for $150 is the same matching piece, and to my understanding it does not have the original Meazzi clutch which unfortunately reduces its value, which is why I haven’t actually bought it.

For anyone following along, I’ll be happy to sell or trade the cymbal. The price keeps going down. For me it’s not really about the money per se. My focus is now to get the cymbal to someone who will appreciate it, even with a crack.