As long as Chumly doesn't work there you should be ok...
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Anybody bought from a pawn shop?
- Thread starter GodPlayedBass
- Start date
I used to cruise the pawn shops in Portland when I was doing woodwind repair. Picked up some horns to flip. Got some at thrift stores, too. Never bought a bass that way though. Hit or miss, IME, you've got to be persistent and patient, but you can find deals. Especially if you know how to overhaul saxophones and clarinets.
Been a long time. I once bought a Lotus P. It had terrible frets but otherwise was ok. I had it professionally defretted and I had a guy I knew sandblast the thick poly off the body. I oil rubbed it and slapped an EMG pickup in it and it became a favorite for years. Paid $75, spent around $250 on defret and the pickup. Years later sold it for around $700. How’d I do?
Not a bass, but a synth keyboard: an Alesis Micron, for half the new price and in commensurate physical condition. Also, that was 10 years ago and it's still going strong. FWIW, I found it via the internet, Craigslist to be exact. 10 years ago, that was less of a bad idea.
At any rate, pawn shops are a mix of caveat emptor and read the return policy, but it's also tough to beat the guys whose career is flipping every piece of equipment for $7 more.
As for this one, depends what it is, what condition it's in, and what they're asking. Answers might be in the thread but it's 2am and I shan't read it all now....
At any rate, pawn shops are a mix of caveat emptor and read the return policy, but it's also tough to beat the guys whose career is flipping every piece of equipment for $7 more.
As for this one, depends what it is, what condition it's in, and what they're asking. Answers might be in the thread but it's 2am and I shan't read it all now....
Speed, that's why. About 8-9 years ago, I had an unexpected financial situation and an overdrawn bank account. I was able to quickly turn a bass into cash (not much less than I would have gotten if I tried to sell it), and I was able to do it in one afternoon. Any other approach would have taken more time and resulted in stacking bank fees.
Not something I'd want to make a habit of doing, though.
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I bought an Aria and BC Rich NJ bass (P-bass) from Pawnshop. Had NO issue with either one. ALWAYS watch out for the neck problems. ESPECIALLY ski ramp.
I've looked at hundreds of basses in pawn shops but I don't recall ever buying one there. I used to have a studio upstairs of a pawn shop (pawnshop owned the building) and they gave a great deal on the rent for many years. I once pawned my Rickenbacker with them, but reclaimed it a couple weeks later. Last year I was in a local pawnshop ( forget what I actually had came in to look for there!) and left with a Yamaha REX-50 that cost me a whole 20 Bux!
(It's kind of a secret weapon for certain lo-fi recording effects...)
(It's kind of a secret weapon for certain lo-fi recording effects...)
I haven’t bought a bass from a pawn shop, but I recently purchased my Ampeg 810 from one. Easy cash transaction and a $100 discount. Had a 10 day warranty as well in case anything was broken beyond what I was able to inspect. No complaints here!
11 years ago I bought back a bass I sold to a Pawnshop two years earlier.
They wanted a grand for it.
Haggled them down to $750.00
They wanted a grand for it.
Haggled them down to $750.00
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I purchased a Dean Edge 09 four string bass at a pawn shop for $85. Immediately took it to a luthier to set it up with chromes and it turned out to be one of the most comfortable bass guitars I have ever played. the sound was excellent and I never once had to adjust the truss rod. Definitely a good deal.
99.9% of the gear I see in pawnshops is way overpriced. I think most of these amazing deals we read about are more BS than reality.
The Pawn Shops down here are an absolute joke. They normally ask for more than what I can find the same item at GC for and refuse to haggle in price. I have found some killer deals on pedals that they didn't know what they had.
Ages ago (70s) I did a few times. Worked out very well for me. Don't know about today however. The Internet has leveled the playing field and I doubt you'd ever get the relative bargains you once could. Lots more information is now available. Pawn shop owners don't survive long not knowing what the going prices are. But that doesn't stop the clueless shopper from thinking otherwise.
As it stands, I think the days of the really good pawn shop find are pretty much over. You have too many dealers and flippers out there shopping pawnshops online for anything good to go for fire sale prices anymore.
As it stands, I think the days of the really good pawn shop find are pretty much over. You have too many dealers and flippers out there shopping pawnshops online for anything good to go for fire sale prices anymore.
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Wild. I actually have a lotus p bass I bought on market place. The neck plays like a dream. Thought of modifying it
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Round me NJ/NY I have only seen cheap instruments for sale in pawn shops recently, there is one near my dentist I go to when I see the dentist but so far nothing good
I have.
A couple of basses, a cab or two and some other bits. Generally you're dealing with folks who know little or nothing about basses, so inspect your instrument carefully but it's no worse than buying on craigslist. You can generally dicker and deal, often they have prices that periodically lower after a certain time in the shop and some places even have a modest return policy. I still have my 79 T-40 that I bought in a pawn shop nearly 20 years ago.
A couple of basses, a cab or two and some other bits. Generally you're dealing with folks who know little or nothing about basses, so inspect your instrument carefully but it's no worse than buying on craigslist. You can generally dicker and deal, often they have prices that periodically lower after a certain time in the shop and some places even have a modest return policy. I still have my 79 T-40 that I bought in a pawn shop nearly 20 years ago.
Yes. Was it a bargain? Well, it’s been a usable piece of gear that I’ve been using for the last 8 years that I got for a good price. In the same store there was a lot of crap however. My advice is to not be swayed by the brand for a cheap price, just make sure it’s a good piece of gear.
