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Accidental bonuses with gear purchases

pklima

pklima

Commercial User
May 2, 2003
8,461
7,056
Kraków, Polska
Disclosures
Karoryfer Samples
#1
The overpaid band thread reminded me of a story from the early 90s... my brother bought some handmade fake Fender Jazz with a three-layer pickguard which was one layer of black plastic with a white line carefully hand-painted around the edge. Needed a case for it. So, we went and bought one, thought it was kinda heavy, got home and discovered a brand new crappy Polish bass in it... perhaps a late Defil or something like that. Took it back to the store, where the guy was happy to see us but wanted to keep this quiet so his boss doesn't realize anything.

So, what accidental throw-ins were included with gear you bought? Cat turd, gold chain or something inbetween? Perhaps distilling equipment in the bottom of an upright piano?

Also feels like this thread should exist already, but I tried a few searches and didn't find one...
 
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#2
pklima said:
The overpaid band thread reminded me of a story from the early 90s... my brother bought some handmade fake Fender Jazz with a three-layer pickguard which was one layer of black plastic with a white line carefully hand-painted around the edge. Needed a case for it. So, we went and bought one, thought it was kinda heavy, got home and discovered a brand new crappy Polish bass in it... perhaps a late Defil or something like that. Took it back to the store, where the guy was happy to see us but wanted to keep this quiet so his boss doesn't realize anything.

So, what accidental throw-ins were included with gear you bought? Cat turd, gold chain or something inbetween? Perhaps distilling equipment in the bottom of an upright piano?

Also feels like this thread should exist already, but I tried a few searches and didn't find one...
Click to expand...
You bought a case that seemed kinda heavy and never opened it up before handing over cash?
 
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#3
This was 30+ years ago, but from what I remember... Looked at it open before buying it, probably asked a question like "is a Jazz Bass gonna fit in there", the guy put the bass hanging on the wall in to show, closed it at some point either before or after handing the cash over, and then I thought "huh, hard cases are heavier than I thought".
 
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#4
Many years ago, bought a Fender M80 bass combo, complete with the rat fur (or whatever it is) covering. Covering the rat fur was a layer of CAT hair. I mean, COVERING it. The thing sounded pretty good for what I needed it for, a practice room amp.. I complained to the sales guy about it and he knocked off 25 or 30 bux over and above a pretty sweet deal. Got it home and in about a half hour with some gaff tape had cleaned it up nicely. The thing is still in service and works/sounds well. A little elbow grease works wonders!

:bassist::bassist:
 
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#5
Whenever I buy from Sweetwater, there is candy in the box that I didn’t pay for.

I bought a Sire H7V not too long ago and it showed up at guitar center in a case. I told the guy that I didn’t remember it having a case, he just said, well it does. I kept it because I let him know that the case might not be included, but If he’s too lazy to check the order, that’s on him.
 
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#6
Roughfully 25/30 years back wife and I was out furniture shopping.
Went into a local, small town store.
Waaay back in the back of the store was a room crammed full of used furniture.
Back against the wall behind a old sofa was a Fender Bassman 215 compact cabinet with a Bassman 100 tube head with head and cab covers.
Salesman said it was traded in on some new furniture, that their not a music store, we'll make you a great deal just to get it out of the way.....$200.00.
I counter offered $150.00.
We settled for $175.00 cash.
Went to the store's cash register and handed him $175.00.
As I was carrying the amp and cab out of the store the store owner (?), told the salesman, "Don't forget to give him the guitar that came with the amp."
Salesman went back to the backroom and brought out a hard shell case, it held a John Gray custom 4 string bass, active electronics, in Walnut finish, Rosewood board, mint condition!
Salesman carried it out to the ole mini van for me, down the road we went.....
 
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#10
I have received a free cello bow, free pickup, free sets of strings, free gig bags, free patch cables, free electronic tuners, free straps, free strap locks, a free 5 string banjo (! I went to get the free case offered on CL... owner offered and threw in the banjo which was a rather fine instrument), free rack synths and rack compressors.... and those are just additions thrown in with purchases (mostly accidental, but a couple out of kindness or just desperation to empty their storage closets)
 
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#12
Bought a Warmoth used from GC years back for $150. It was outfitted pretty nicely, Badass bridge, Schaller tuners, EMG pickups. Pretty good deal on its own!

It came with a case.
In the case was another badass bridge (rougher cosmetic shape), as well as a set of Seymour Duncan pickups, with the built-in switches.
 
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#13
I bought a synth that came with a soft carrying case and it had a Dean Markley piezo pickup inside one of the pockets.
I bought a suspiciously cheap Ricky 4001 Fireglow from a pawnshop that for some reason they kept in the back room rather than the showroom. As they were finalizing the deal the salesman checks the accessory section of the hard case and pulls out a severed black ponytail bound together with twine.
He kept it though.
 
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#14
About 20 years ago I bought an early '70s Fender Deluxe Reverb amp from a woman who was selling her grown son's gear. He had moved across country and asked her to sell it for him.
When I got it home I heard something clunking around in the back of the amp and figured it was the foot switch but it was an MXR Distortion+, and Electro-Harmonix Small Stone and one other pedal I can't recall. I called her back to ask if she wanted them and she said "No, that's alright." I've often wondered if she was annoyed that he wasn't dealing with the sales himself and just wasn't going to put a lot of effort into it! The amp turned out to be a dud - more trouble to repair than it was worth and I ended up trading it towards a '66 in much better shape. I still have those pedals, though!

A few years before that I bought a 1920s Gibson L-3 archtop guitar and the case contained a removable high nut for playing it as a lap slide, two homemade bars (one was fashioned from a file) and a leather, fold-out pouch with multiple pockets for spare strings. The shop I bought the guitar from told me those things were in there when they acquired the guitar and said they believed they should stay with the instrument because they were part of its history. I'll drink to that! Someday I'll end up selling that guitar and the new owner will get those items.
 
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#16
After having my GK combo amp for a few years i thought to myself that the cloth grill was looking kinda dusty and maybe i should give it a rinse-off. Some putz at the factory had stuck a wad of chewed gum in the upper left corner of the baffle behind the grill. It was Wrigleys Spearmint, I could tell by the smell when I cleaned it up. Dont know if that counts as a "bonus with a gear purchase".
 
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#17
I have 2 Guitar Center stories: First, I received a nice Squier Jazzmaster Guitar that I didn't order. Called and reported it and the guy said, "What'll you give me for it?" I think I got it for around $130 or so. It was used, but it looked brand new. Real nice guitar.
Second, I received a brand new Squier Vintage Modified Jazz bass from GC and I called to say I didn't order it (nor did I pay for it) and asked how to return it. The GC employee said it had been ordered by a woman by the name of (well, I don't remember - that was 3 or 4 years ago) and she specified my name and address. I wanted to return it and he said no-it's been paid for and please keep it. I have never figured out who this person was, but she supposedly lived in the Monterey, CA area. I was kind of hoping she'd repeat that act of kindness on all the major holidays, lol !
 
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#19
I bought a 50s upright bass out of someone’s shed. As I’m taking it to the car after giving the guy the money, hey shows up with a box of stuff. Im new to upright at this point so I take it and go home. Look in the box and it’s full of vintage unused gut strings, extra vintage klusson upright tuners, and a real wood glasser bow.

all said, with what I sold the strings and other parts for I basically got that bass for free.
 
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#20
Not music related but I happen to also love aviation and aviation history. Several years ago I bought a used copy of Frank Hawks’ autobiography Speed from Amazon used online for $25 because I wanted to read it.
Opened it up to find it autographed to his parents no less…
IMG_1215.jpeg
It’s a fun read, where he marvels at a future where anyone will be able to get in a plane, just like his Travelair and jump from city to city at over…. 200 miles per hour!!! Lol
 
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