Anybody bought from a pawn shop?

[MisterUbu]

I bought a washburn xs-5 for 125$ last year, which was the first and only bass i've had from a pawnshop. After a series of fixable but minor issues, It turned out the neck was a dog, so I sold it at a very slight profit from the steal I got it from. Kind of soured me from 5 strings since it was my first fiver, but overall it made me realize what I liked in a bass.

 

[43ManSquamish]

The local pawn had an Ibanez SRX700 and a hard case for $600 (lame); they cut it down to $300 and I snapped it up. It's the most versatile bass I've got in the arsenal.

At the end of 2019 the same place was selling a Fender Rumble 410 and a 500 head for $250 each. At that time the price tags showed how much the price would drop on certain dates; dropping to $400 for the set was about three months away. I offered $400 and they took it. Both were about a year old.

The ground rules: don't be a jerk; if they turn you down it's not personal; remember they're trying to run a business; make a reasonable offer and be prepared to walk.

 

[MIMike]

Many times over the years. More than half of the Basses I own currently were pawn shop purchases. My 73 P-bass, my 2005 Jazz Bass 24, my 2008 CV Squier Jazz Bass and my late 60’s half sized upright. As a matter of fact, my Yamaha 3/4 sized tuba was also a pawn shop purchase. So, 5 of the 7 bass instruments I own came from a pawn shop.

 

[thetragichero]

as others have said, make sure to do your homework and not pay the price on the tag
every once in awhile they'll have a good deal on not the usual stuff, like the 85 epiphone rock bass (j bass) i got for 75 bucks because the strings were rusted and it was missing a knob

 

[Wannabass]

Got hooked on bass at a pawn shop. Wanted to learn guitar and stopped to look around. I bought a guitar that day but had to go back a couple days to get an Ibanez 690 that caught my eye. And so started the gas.. The guitar is long gone as is the pawn shop.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

YES!! several basses, amps.
1st. compare prices with guitar center. Sometimes (more than not) they are over priced. They will negotiate prices. Carefully check neck, frets, etc. Buy the 5 day return warranty. The last Peavey head it was $5.00
I bought a nice Peavey Tour 400 as a back-up head for $110.00
I passed on a Fender deluxe jazz that was in fair condition for $279.00 Still upset about that one.
I got a Squier VM that was almost perfect for $165
I did over pay for a Fender P, but it was black on black, badassII bridge, EMG PU..
So, good luck & have fun. But reference the prices

 

[One_Dude]

I buy almost exclusively from pawn shops. You have to know what you are looking at and know what a fair price is. Then negotiate from there. I have gotten excellent buys on almost everything I buy from the pawn shop. You must also be willing to walk away if the deal or the item in question falls short of your liking.

The pawn shops I deal with know that I will buy the item if the price is right; the employees there know me by my first name and will usually quote me an attractive price. You also have to be able to assess the item you are buying, and don't expect them to educate you if you don't know what you are looking at. Probably not the best place to buy if you're a rookie. And generally, you can only return the item on the day of purchase, whereas GC has a much better return policy. But once you know what you're looking at and can determine if it works as it should, you can get some great buys. Some of my best buys have been on items that needed minor repairs that I knew I could do myself.

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[Shepsdad]

Only guitar I’ve bought from a pawn shop was back in the mid 80s. I wanted a 12 string acoustic, and I heard a local shop had one. It was a Kay KD 28-12, mid 70s. The shop was asking $150 for it, but I only had $60 on me. When the old guy running the shop saw me playing the guitar, he came over and asked if I liked it. I told him I did, but due to my financial situation, I couldn’t afford it. He didn’t say much else, and walked on by to deal with another
customer. I looked at a few other guitars and was heading for the door when the old guy saw me and said “you should take that guitar home with you”. I told him I’d love to but I only had $60 with me. He didn’t hesitate and said “go grab it, I’ll take $60 for it if you want it”.
I still have that cheap old guitar, played it for years as a 6 string, and just restrung it about a year ago as a 12. It still sounds amazing.

 

[2F/2F]

I have. A Marshall JCM-900 half stack.

One cannot generalize, so there is no point. It's either a good item at the right price, or it isn't. You know more than we do about that.

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

A shop near me has a MIJ Geddy Lee for $750, or at least they did a few weeks ago. I should have taken some of the stimulus money and put it on lay-away. If it is still there next week I will.

 

[Chickenwheels]

At a pawn shop, no.
At a furniture store, yes!

Years ago, Wife and I were looking for a new couch.
Went to a local store that sold new and used furniture.
In the back of the store sat a dust covered John Gray custom, active, 4 string bass and case and a Fender Bassman 100 and a 215 Bassman cab.
Bought it all CHEAP!
Flipped the amp and cab the next day and doubled my money.
Gigged the bass a couple of months and sold it also and doubled my money again!
Kinda wish I'd of kept the bass now.....

Completely OT, but I also bought a bass from an unusual location...a second hand bookstore around the corner from my house. I spotted a Hiscox case in amongst a pile of stuff. Open it up, and here’s a 1978 MusicMan StingRay!

 

[roller]

I bought a 70s Fender P years ago. The pawn shop had it advertised on Craigslist. Everything worked out well... easy peasy.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Been eyeing a 5 string bass thats been sitting in this pawnshop near me for about 3 months. Anybody ever bought from a pawn shop before? Post experiences below please.

Yeah. You find some great deals in pawnshops. I pop in to a couple round here once in a while. Bought a couple cabs, sold a few things, but I like just browsing more than anything. Never know what you'll find when you're looking at things other people brought in.

 

[mexicanyella]

I bought dinged-up white Squier Affinity P-bass at a St. Charles, MO pawnshop for $50, about 10-12 years ago. It was marked $89 and must have been there awhile, because they dropped down to $50
Pretty easily.

Anyway, I got into it, gave it a setup or two along the way, and a set of flats. Sounds and feels good to me, and stays in tune. I’ve since picked up two other basses to tinker with, but that Squier is still the one I reach for.

In my guitar-oriented past I got a lot of miles out of a DOD FX-82 bass compressor and FX-10 Bi-Fet Preamp that I think I paid $20
each for from a pawnshop in Pontiac, IL. Still have them, and they still work.

 

[Ric5]

yes ... Pawn Shop >>> Ebay >>> Me

 

[Ric5]

Geddy got this bass from a pawn shop

 

[Dr. Cheese]

If you know what you are for and you know how to access a bass, buying from a pawnshop is like buying from any place else. The two best deals I have ever found were an American Peavey Cirrus for $400 and a Pedulla Pentabuzz for $1,066.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Geddy got this bass from a pawn shop

View attachment 4226376

For $200 at that!

 

[Obese Chess]

Pawn shop business model around here is MSRP + 30%, so no.

I love pawn shops and have scored some really good deals over the years but pawn shops aren't what they used to be.

Several times.
Hard to get a steal these day with the internet, but I've seen some very good stuff.
(Classy one near me, and quite a few seedy ones.)

As these folks have implied, the internet has turned many people into "no lowballers, I know what I have" type guys. And most of the local ones are loaded with crap as the savvy musicians will sell their wares to any of our local musical instrument stores. That said, I still look from time to time.

 

[Bassamatic]

I good number of years ago I managed a pawnshop for a few years. It was an amazing business that makes a ton of $$ for the pawnbroker.
First of all, please note that in general, pawnbrokers do NOT want to end up with the goods and have to sell them to get their money back. They make way too much in interest to do this.
Second - we based all our loans on the STREET VALUE of the item, not what it cost new. We had to look at what we could sell it for if we got stuck with it. We would never loan more than ONE HALF of the street value for an item unless it was really special or a regular repeat customer (our gold min).
Pawn shops now have the internet - they can easily look up what an instrument is selling for, in general. The retail price is usually some fantasy price hoping a sucker comes in and a point to negotiate from.

When negotiating, remember they likely paid 1/2 the street value of the item plus the lost interest which could be another 20%. THAT should be the price you aim for with your cash in your hand out on the counter and be prepared to walk away (like buying a car). The pawnbroker wants to put your cash back in circulation making more interest for him.

I will also say that the area of the shop really makes a difference. You find amazing nice stuff in lower class areas (sometimes) but the neighborhood can't pay the higher prices and you will get a better deal.

Be sure to test it fully, including the truss rod, etc. Practice your dickering. The Homer Simpson yard sale method could be applied as - "Well, it has only ONE pickup" or "Geez - I don't know - there is no preamp in this bass" or " too bad it doesn't have the original bridge", etc.