Horror Stores when Selling an Instrument

[Red Rover]

The title says it all...

What are your stories that make you cringe when you were selling (or buying) an instrument?

For me it happened last year. I needed money so I had to sell my much beloved Fender P. It was nothing luxurious but I loved it... MIM but sounded fantastic. Had many a compliment on my tone.

Anyway... I had a few interested people but most were no shows but this one guy comes in to try it out. No problem there... he plugs in to my amp and sets the EQ flat... again, no problem. He plays a few notes, then stops... looks it over, down the neck, etc... checking that everything is in order. Still no problem, the bass is in excellent condition. He then puts his right hand at the base of the neck and his left at the headstock. He pushes in towards himself with his right hand and out with his left. I hear a fairly loud crack! I'm thinking.... *** is he doing!?!? I swear I almost punched him in the head! He then looks at the neck joint and says "there some cracking in the finish there." No kidding!!! You did that! All I say is "So you have the money?". He says, "Yeah, sure. I'll take it." You bet you're taking it! I take the money and quickly escort him out. As much as I loved that bass... I hope he actually damaged it! Bastard!

Your go!

[invader3k]

Wow. That's all I can say to that.

[God of Rapture]

Sold a guitar to my roommate. Paid me for half of it right then and was going to give me the rest later. In the meantime I come home from work one day and find him gone. He moved out during the day and moved 3 hours away.

Asked him for the money and now i can't get a hold of him at all. He also stole a guitar cab from another guy and a brand new guitar from another guy. Lived with the guy for almost 2 years. You think you know a person....

[fishtx]

Originally Posted by God of Rapture

Sold a guitar to my roommate. Paid me for half of it right then and was going to give me the rest later. In the meantime I come home from work one day and find him gone. He moved out during the day and moved 3 hours away.

Asked him for the money and now i can't get a hold of him at all. He also stole a guitar cab from another guy and a brand new guitar from another guy. Lived with the guy for almost 2 years. You think you know a person....

I had a similar situation happen to me...only the culpret was an exwife...lol

[DWBass]

'Sold' a synth module to a drummer/songwriter friend of mine for $100 along with some other equipment for which he paid for....expect this particular module. I waited (I know he ain't rich) almost a year and then politely asked him for it back. He gave it up no problem. Not really a horror story but one shouldn't have to constantly be after folks to pay their debts. If you ain't got it, why bother making a deal in the first place?!

[hbarcat]

Same problem as others in getting the balance of money for a sale. I agreed to sell a flute worth about $400 dollars to the cousin of the singer in my band. He was in the regular habit of hanging out with our band for the year and a half that we had been together so I knew who he was and where he lived and that he also had a good steady job, and I told him I'd sell it to him for $350. I agreed to take the $40 in his pocket and give him the flute and he needed to pay me the balance by next week's practice.

Weeks go by and I don't see him, and our singer (his cousin) said he hasn't seen him in at all. After a few months go by, the singer says that he went back home to his native Albania to get married and he didn't know if or when he was coming back. This turned out to be the truth and I found out from others that he did return with his arranged bride many months later but I had since moved out of state and so I just wrote it off as hopeless.

[Rattman]

Oh man .. these stories make me so sad.. but there is NO WAY I'd ever let anyone.. not even a relative walk away with any of my musical gear without payment in FULL.. There can be no promise good enough to ever make that happen. Sorry that some of you had to find out that basic premise the hard way.

[mothmonsterman]

Wow

only thing that happened to me is i took a 250$ 5string, traded it for a practice amp, tried to sell the practice amp and only got 25$ for it.

bought a pack of smokes and a 6pack to make myself feel better.
ahh being young and stupid.