fuck ebay need advice (rode nt5s)

[koalamo]

So I just noticed that my rode nt5s that I bought off of ebay have the serial number blacked out with what seems to be sharpie. They came in a rode case with the manual the mic shields and the clips. Should I be concerned? The seller said he never noticed and they seem to sound okay do you think its worth starting a dispute over? Have you guys ever heard of fake nt5s? If you guys want pictures I can post them when I get home and there's a clip of the unprocessed sound in the rmt thread id link nit but I'm posting this on my phone....


What do you guys think I should do?

 

[Wolfeman]

I would be more concerned that they are stolen

And yes, fake Rode's have been popping up.

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

I assume you bought them from someone else in the US?

If they're from the Far East, they will no doubt be fake.

It's a tricky one though... what's the point of blacking out a serial number?

Surely this is just attracting attention to the fact that something might be suspect? Or maybe it could be something as innocent as the previous owner had your pair and his friend also had a pair for some studio work and they wanted to make sure they never got muddled up...

* EDIT I just found this though...

"The NT5s with the black sticker around the bottom showing the serial number are the older ones. The newer ones have the serial number embossed in the metal. Those newer ones sound a little less pronounced on the high frequencies, i.e. more balanced."

Could that be relevant? From the Gearslutz forum.

 

[koalamo]

* EDIT I just found this though...

"The NT5s with the black sticker around the bottom showing the serial number are the older ones. The newer ones have the serial number embossed in the metal. Those newer ones sound a little less pronounced on the high frequencies, i.e. more balanced."

Could that be relevant? From the Gearslutz forum.

Yeah I read that too the black band they're referring too is at the bottom and on it should be the serial number. The newer ones have it engraved. Mine just has a black line where the number should be and the more I think about it, even if they are legit it's gonna be a bitch to resell them like this as.

 

[Wolfeman]

Is the black covering up a SN?
I know I've seen items used as store demos, or as demos for the manufacturer, they usually mark out the serial to prevent them from being warrantied. Maybe that's just the issue. I'd contact Rode and ask them.

Also, from what I read about the fake Rodes, if you disassemble them, you can read the names of the parts of the mics they came from. I think one guy had Behringer labled parts in his.

 

[Auroras]

now you have me worried i just bought some off ebay used 0_o man i hope i dont get burnt

 

[koalamo]

Thats what it looks like. And if I do contact rode how will they figure out which mic I have if it doesnt have a serial number :

now you have me worried i just bought some off ebay used 0_o man i hope i dont get burnt

And yeah dude watch out, if its the newer ones they have the serial engraved. If its the older ones its on the band on the bottom.

 

[Auroras]

Thats what it looks like. And if I do contact rode how will they figure out which mic I have if it doesnt have a serial number :




And yeah dude watch out, if its the newer ones they have the serial engraved. If its the older ones its on the band on the bottom.

Btw how much did you get yours for i scored mine for 250 ;p To be honest seems like mabey they are floor models did you get the ones with a buy it now price for floor models? i can't recall the seller but they were 340 i believe?

 

[koalamo]

Nah I bought them from some guy i payed $325 for mine but they came with the case the windshields and the original paperwork. It's very possible they might be floor models but even so it's just kind of annoying that it was never mentioned especially for what i payed for them. I could get them new for 100 more so I'd honestly rather just not even have to worry about stupid shit like this.

 

[Auroras]

have you tried rubbing the sharpie off serial number might be underneath?

 

[koalamo]

I think that its just on the laminate part and that if i peeled it off it might be underneath but idw to do that because i'd rather just return it. Maybe I'll try some soap and water or a little Windex or something and see if it comes off!

 

[Auroras]

i bet a dab of rubbing alchool on cotton should work

 

[koalamo]

Hmm I actually found that if you look close enough you can see the serial number its really faint but you can make it out. and it actually matches the numbers written in the original owners manual! <33333333.


Phew, that makes me feel so much better. I still can't imagine why someone would black it out though.

 

[Auroras]

who knows haha Cannot wait to use these i should have mine on friday hopefully customs releases them fast enough -__- man the CBSA is a tad slow around this time of year 0_o i believe i got newer models mabey we should do a shootout and compare results

 

[koalamo]

I'm down for that man, let me know when you get them! I'm eqing a clip of them right now. I keep getting this damn whistle from my crash its soo annoying!!

 

[Auroras]

I'll be doing a sonor force 3007 4 piece kit with mostly Zildjian A custom's top that with some recto goodness haha

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

I don't think it's been covered by black sharpie. Looks more like the black sharpie used to write the serial has spilled all over. So I'd be worried to try to remove it.

 

[LeSedna]

+1

 

[amarshism]

Let this be a lesson to stop buying mics from undeniable sources on the bay. If I had a dollar for every guy who bought a fake 57 off the net to save 20 bucks from buying one in a store...

 

[Skaldir]

I have a Rode NTK and the serial number gets more and more blurry over the years. Can hardly read it by now.
I think the same happens with your mic. So no fake mic necessarily