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Best and Worst Pawn Stories

#21
It's not a pawn shop, but they salesman can definitely be talked down, I went in with my dad for my first lefty bass, when we saw the price my dad was like "can we knock that down a bit since it's used?" and the guy replies "sure... howa bout 20?"
My dads like "20 dollars off? Well alright" and the guys like "No, howa bout $220"

Awesome. Best part about it was that its an amazing sounding Squier, I got really really lucky with this one, very happy!
 
#23
musically related. 1994 american standard lefty strat with original fender case by skb. was reduced to 450 from 600 over a year before (said so on the tag). Went up to the owner and asked what price he could do. he said he has 350 in it and is tired of looking at it. I bought it for 350. He threw in some original fender straplocks, a set of picks, and a few sets of strings.

Not bad for how good of shape its in. Sounds great too.

Other than that I've had great success at swap meets for some odd and ends.... Random bits of Chevy Vega parts (remember those?), some 348 tri-power parts, and random vintage Holley Performance stuff, you know the good stuff.:cool:
 
#24
254 stringer said:
After my last band broke up I ended up with the pa gear didn't want it so I sold it off except a couple of cabs I took them to a pawn shop where we agreed on $300 the dude gives me a hundred dollar bill and then says he needs to get more cash he walks off I put the bill in my pocket when he comes back he gives me three hundred dollar bills I walk out with a little smile on my face
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I bet they would have let a period or two go cheap.
 
#26
I purchaced this rough 80's E series for $120 bucks with the intent of refinishing it..check out the buckle/belt rash on the back.
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This is what it looks like today..I did save the orig MIJ waterslide on the headstock under the new finish, just incase I ever need to restore it..I have a hard time passing a pawn shop.you never know.;)

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Cheers.
 
#30
I've picked up a couple of '80's Peaveys for good prices. One Fury and one Foundation.

Refinished the Fury, but the '83 Foundation just looked too good with a few minor battle scars so I left it alone.

Averaged out to about $100 each and worth a lot more just for the sheer playability.
 
#32
In 1986, my guitar player (who was a pawnshop hound) showed me a Jazz Bass he had just bought for like $325. It turns out it was a Fullerton reissue '60 Jazz in near mint condition with the tweed case. Try as I might, he wouldn't sell it to me. About a year later, he was in a bind, and offered it to me for $275!

I played that bass for about seven years, but in "94, after my second divorce, I was in a bind and the same guy said he had a buyer for it at $375. Well.....you know the rest! :crying:

Ironically, last week a friend gave me a video of my band from 1988. That bass had the most amazing tone of any I have ever owned!

In days of yore, pawnshops were a great source for instruments at great prices, but it seems today that most will ask new retail price in some cases, and are reluctant to deal on 'em.
 
#34
I bought my first bass in 1993 at a similar sort of shop in Christchurch. It's a "Firefox" that someone scratched off the "irefox" to leave a Fenderish F:ninja: Sounds great but the neck is a bit twisted so it's impossible to set up with anything less than superhigh action. I really should get a new neck for it.

Next to it on the wall was an ancient P that would be worth a small fortune today. From memory it was about 600 NZ bucks.
 
#37
Bassmickeyd said:
........ I miss the dark, grimmy old cigarette soaked places where they wanted to deal and see you walking out the door with something in your hand and not just take your picture.
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My first good amp and first pawnshop buy was a 1969 Fender Bassman 10. Bought it in 1982 for $400, which was probably just an ok deal at the time. It was a good solid amp that lasted me several years.

The pawn shop I bought it from was a classic right out of the old school: Dingy, dark, victorian era building that smelled of stale cigar smoke and gun oil. It was run by a cranky old guy and his equally cranky late middle aged son.
 
#39
In 2006 I found a Mesa 400+ in a Mesa shock case, plus a Mesa 1516BE road ready cab all in near-new condition and priced at $1200 at a pawn shop. When the store owner turned it on for me it immediately blew its fuse, he tried several more new fuses but it blew each one.

I offered him $500 cash out the door, as-is/no warranty and he took it. After I got it home I found one of the power tubes had simply rattled 1/2 way out of its socket. I pushed the tube back in and its never blew another fuse in 5 years of use now. I ended up selling the cab for $500 so I figure I got the amp for free.
 

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