Hi - I'm a fan of Digitech stuff from the 90s, and found a DHP-55 harmony unit on Ebay for £250. The description read: "This time we are selling an:
DigiTech DHP-55 rack-mountable harmonizer/pitch shifter in perfect working condition. Some signs of use
. Comes without a power lead. As shown in the pics."
The 3 pics looked OK; what actually turned up was this (nothing of this was visible in the pics):
I messaged the seller, and they said "I'm sorry about the not-perfect device cosmetic condition. The processor looked like that when we sourced it. It worked perfectly, though, and I'm sure that all the functions are still operational now. Can you confirm that for me?"
It does power up, but I've not had time to test it yet. I messaged back that none of this was visible from the pics posted, and that something like this should have been specifically mentioned; they came back with: "Once again, I'm sorry about not mentioning the matter. The listing description refers to unspecified signs of use, though. We didn't say it looked like brand new. The slightly bent front panel plate doesn't impact the device's functionality and won't be noticed once it's been fitted into a rack."
Now what do I do...?
Comments
My band, Red For Dissent
Ebay mark7777_1
It was certainly a reasonable price, and these things are like constipated rocking horse shit; I've never seen one on sale before.
"A tiny bit of cosmetic damage on the underneath isn't a big deal"
It's the front plate, not the underside; this is on the left where the LCD screen is - i.e. the bit you'll be looking at most often.
"If it works and you’ve been after one for a while, I’d keep it and move on in life. Would you even see that once it’s rack mounted?"
Yes, but I'd need to stick it in the rack to check how much; I'll have time tonight (I didn't yesterday). I'd been after a Studio 5000 for many years and never saw one, this one is a very close brother to that unit.
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
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https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/machine-space-2
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/machine-space-2
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/machine-space-2
If there is any doubt in your mind, send it back
Your options are to basically to keep it, over look the damage and enjoy it, or send it back and wait for another to come along, try not to let your beef with the seller sway wither nor not you keep it, the seller can jog on.
What really bugged me was when stripping it down (as you do with a new/used guitar) was the what looked to be dry vomit under the pick guard, still, the issues soon paled into obscurity when I started playing it.
Could I resell it? probably but the bad bits would effect value, do I care? No, not one jot.
It looks like it will straighten fairly easily - the metal isn't creased, that would have shown up in the front photo. If it was a good price for what it is (I don't know) then I would keep it. I don't think they've misdescribed it, although they have been a little economical with the truth - and admitted that it was like that before shipping too - so try them for a partial refund.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Fantastic unit though, and it ploughed on for a decade ir so before the chips started going.
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/machine-space-2
We shall see...
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/null-hypothesis-5-ep
https://cziltangbrone.bandcamp.com/album/machine-space-2