Ok: My faith in fellow humans is at an all time low!!!

In the last week I have received two (yes two) banjos I bought on ebay. Both of them are unplayable!!!!

The first was a noname banjo I "won" for 91.01 plus $10.00 shipping. It was supposed to be a great frailer and it is when you avoid fretting the 4th or 3rd strings on the 2,3, and 4th frets. Someone in the past jammed the 5th string tuner in the neck so hard that it caused a bulge in the fret board!!! and they said that they neck was straight and without problems!!!

The second was supposed to be MY BANJO. It is the Lyon and Healy that I started this thread with. It arrived today and looks like someone doctored it up just so it would take pretty pictures on ebay and sell. The fingerboard has been painted black. It has a fret marker on the 10th fret that has been hidden. How a fret marker got out of sequence on the 10th fret I'll never know. It has an action of 3/8" at the foot of the fret board and over 1/4" at the 12th fret. It also has a bridge that looks like it has never been used and is too wide. Every time I try to bring it up to tune the 1st and 5th strings pop out. I can't play it!!!! I'm crying inside!!!

I have sure learned my lesson the hard way.

JAB

P.S. If anyone has suggestions on how to fix these things let me know.