Your most ridiculous pawn shop / music store experiences ?

pnut166 · #1 06-23-2011, 12:34 PM

So, a few months ago, a local pawn shop had a mid/late 80`s Japan Precision. Had it`s fair share of dings and dents, no case, homemade PG. I posted that the guy had it priced at $650 and absolutely would not come down on it. Even got pissy with me when I observed that it had been in his shop for two years that I knew of. Fast - forward to today: I go in a pawn shop about 6 miles away, and...there is the same bass

I have a feeling the shops swapped it. Only now... it`s marked $899. I made an offer ($450), and the shop owner got offended: told me he could get $800 for it all day long. This bass has almost become some kind of white whale to me. And that I don`t even LIKE it that much is the funny part - I just can`t stand ppl to be arrogant a*holes when they are so wrong. I wasn`t even prepared to give that much for it; I just wanted to see if he`d bite. Is it me - am I just totally missing something about it`s value lol ? Oh well.

Anything similar to share ?

rtslinger · #2 06-23-2011, 03:24 PM

GC has a used one 1986 asking 599.99

$599.99
Guitar Center
USED 1986 FENDER MIJ P BASS CANDY APPLE
In Store Used USED 1986 FENDER MIJ P BASS CANDY APPLE RED W/DUNCAN

So maybe the first place wasn't that far off

pnut166 · #3 06-23-2011, 03:29 PM

Maybe they`re fetching more these days. I know two years ago it was waaaay overpriced.

rtslinger · #4 06-23-2011, 03:34 PM

Yeah I think they know there are more of us bottom feeders out there now and they are taking advantage of the situation.

s_mcsleazy · #5 06-23-2011, 03:38 PM

theres 2 REALLY bad music shops where i live.

one of them i went into wanting to try a envelope pedal. so said "scuse me mate, you mind if i try out that ehx envolope pedal for bass" 30 mins later he hands me the pedal and a guitar. so i said to him "i wanted to try the pedal with bass. not guitar" to wich his reply was "dont get pissy with me kid, there the same thing"

the other. wanted to try out a £70 squier jazz bass they had in the window. said to them "mate, can i try out the squier jazz you got in the window" he hands me a £150 precision bass they had on the shop floor (it wasnt a fender or a squier. it was a new korean copy they had to get rid of) so i said "erm i really wanted to try the jazz bass in the window" to wich his reply was "well this is better" not to seem rude i played it for couple mins. he came back 3 mins after handing me the bass saying "well i just rang that bass up along with a behringer pedal so that will be £195 so if we can complete the transaction"

scuse me?

"if you give me the £195 you can walk out here with your dream bass and a behringer pedal"
mate im sorry but i wanted to try the £70 jazz bass in the window and £70 is all i have to spend on a bass today
"then get the f*** out my f***ing store you pennyless little prick"

AntAir267 · #6 06-23-2011, 03:48 PM

My local shops have decent to upper prices on a bunch of foreign P-bass and Ibanez copies so I rarely buy anything there. When I do though, they are always super nice and willing to haggle, so I have no idea why you guys are being treated so horribly.

ptrick63 · #7 06-23-2011, 03:48 PM

I've found most pawnshops to be highly overpriced, and generally rude if you try to bargain. However, I did find my USA Walnut Peavey Cirrus with hardshell case at a pawn shop for $540...

...so they are not all bad. There's just a lot of chaff to go through to get to the wheat.

pnut166 · #8 06-23-2011, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

"then get the f*** out my f***ing store you pennyless little prick"

Geez ! I thought I was treated bad...

pnut166 · #9 06-23-2011, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AntAir267

My local shops have decent to upper prices on a bunch of foreign P-bass and Ibanez copies so I rarely buy anything there. When I do though, they are always super nice and willing to haggle, so I have no idea why you guys are being treated so horribly.

I always had great, great luck when I lived a few towns over. But the shops here in this town are

On a lighter note,another shop I stopped at today didn`t have any basses. The guy seemed almost apologetic, and as I was walking out, he said "Hey, wait" He went in back and came out with an Ibanez. He said he himself played, and it was his personal bass. While I wasn`t interested, he did offer a very fair price. THEY will get business from me in the future.

Rockman · #10 06-23-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

theres 2 REALLY bad music shops where i live.

one of them i went into wanting to try a envelope pedal. so said "scuse me mate, you mind if i try out that ehx envolope pedal for bass" 30 mins later he hands me the pedal and a guitar. so i said to him "i wanted to try the pedal with bass. not guitar" to wich his reply was "dont get pissy with me kid, there the same thing"

the other. wanted to try out a £70 squier jazz bass they had in the window. said to them "mate, can i try out the squier jazz you got in the window" he hands me a £150 precision bass they had on the shop floor (it wasnt a fender or a squier. it was a new korean copy they had to get rid of) so i said "erm i really wanted to try the jazz bass in the window" to wich his reply was "well this is better" not to seem rude i played it for couple mins. he came back 3 mins after handing me the bass saying "well i just rang that bass up along with a behringer pedal so that will be £195 so if we can complete the transaction"

scuse me?

"if you give me the £195 you can walk out here with your dream bass and a behringer pedal"
mate im sorry but i wanted to try the £70 jazz bass in the window and £70 is all i have to spend on a bass today
"then get the f*** out my f***ing store you pennyless little prick"

Woooow, don't think I would ever buy anything from either of those stores. Thats just crazy.

powderfinger · #11 06-23-2011, 07:05 PM

I bought a 6 string electric guitar from a pawn shop once. I was a teenager, and it was some generic piece of junk. About 6 months later I took it back to the pawn shop, and the guy told me he doesnt want it, bc its in bad condition and not worth a dime. I told him it must have been bc I bought it from him about 6 months ago. He didnt appreciate my astute observation and told me to get out.

bassplayer8953 · #12 06-23-2011, 07:17 PM

I've never done anything at a pawn shop except to window shop.

The way you guys describe the owners/employees of these shops, there's no point to even discussing a purchase. Especially the purchase of an overpriced generic piece of junk.

CL or ebay sounds like a better deal if you've got $$$ to spend.

BassChuck · #13 06-23-2011, 08:01 PM

eBay and the internet has ruined Pawn shops.

JimB52 · #14 06-23-2011, 08:36 PM

A few years back I asked the local GC what they'd offer me for my clean 1977 Rickenbacker 4001 on a trade-in towards an Ampeg amp I had my eye on.
picture -

After checking it over, the manager offered me $275. I said, "you're kidding, right"? He said, "You don't understand how the business works." Sure I do, buddy. You screw me over and act arrogant while doing it, right?

**Matt Lake** · #15 06-23-2011, 09:18 PM

They are basically in the high interest, high risk loan business. The equipment is just what they got stuck with.
The prices around here are new equipment retail prices on old equipment. Surely they expect to haggle...

bathnapkin · #16 06-23-2011, 09:43 PM

If you're ever in Bowling Green Kentucky try to avoid Kentucky Music. I only know one guy I can trust there.
One of the first times I went in there I had them check out my 1966 jazz bass (did't know anything about it at the time) they said it was in bad condition and was a late 70's model. They offered me 800 dollars for it and I just packed it up and left.

I went there a few weeks ago on a whim and attempted to try out an mxr smart gate they had. The guy didn't want me to try it out with a battery and tried to convince me that it was working as it should when the thing wasn't even being powered because they were using the wrong power supply. It was true bypass so it would sound like it was plugged in normally and when I pressed the foot-switch the sound cut out and the power light didn't even come on.
He said "Oh It's supposed to do that it mutes the signal when it's off you have too use the pedal at all times"
I said that I'm not interested and left. They do other little things like this too.

poorbassist15 · #17 06-23-2011, 10:22 PM

The GC in Raleigh offered my dad $500 for his custom shop Firebird. THAT was the funniest. The same guys offered me $75 for my Schecter. I ended up trading that bass for my current amp. Here's the thing, the guy checking receipts at the door said they try to screw people out of good guitars. My dad told him that he wouldn't believe how much they offered, and after he told the guy, he said " I knew it wold be something like that. I would've offered $1700 off the bat. I've always told people not to trust these guys."

But, they're not all bad. There's a pawn shop around here that's selling an Ibanez Jet King bass around here for $99.

samurai1993 · #18 06-23-2011, 10:31 PM

A guy that tried to sell me an Squier as a Mexican Fender. My face was pretty much like "thanks but... mm whatever"

themacinator · #19 06-23-2011, 10:38 PM

I've made both good and bad purchases at pawn shops. I got my Musicman Stingray HH with the MM case for $720 at an EZPawn here in Texas. A great deal in my view.

DaLoCo · #20 06-24-2011, 02:13 AM

Wanted a drill press for my bass building expedition. Saw one at the local pawn shop and asked the owner what the price was. He gave a price that was 100 bucks more than they were at one of the big retailers, whose newspaper insert was open in front of him. I turn one page on the insert, and point to the brand new, exactly the same model drill press. Calls me a smart arse and tells me that his is a better model..."nope, same model!!!"

I avoid pawn shops mostly, as I know how badly the original owners have been done in...they offer 20% of value, and then sell for 80% of new value...Except in this case!