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Buy Used Stuff

Do you buy used gear?

  • Exclusively. Only used stuff in my setup.

    Votes: 36 12.5%
  • Whenever possible.

    Votes: 167 58.2%
  • Every now and then when it's an offer I can't refuse.

    Votes: 78 27.2%
  • Never. I need that new gear smell...

    Votes: 6 2.1%

  • Total voters
    287
New gear is fine for small stuff, things that are hard to find used or that one piece that just CALLS to you at a store...

But I just don't folks buying any Fender product new on-line - they are ALL available used for a huge discount... And I hardly get buying it at a store either.

Used is *always* the way to go. If you have to buy new, then you have too much money and should send ME some!
 
New gear is fine for small stuff, things that are hard to find used or that one piece that just CALLS to you at a store...

But I just don't folks buying any Fender product new on-line - they are ALL available used for a huge discount... And I hardly get buying it at a store either.

Used is *always* the way to go. If you have to buy new, then you have too much money and should send ME some!

Aye, if it's store exclusive etc. I'd also like to be in on this money sending business. :D
 
i had that same cab once, its a great cab.

almost a mile from the guitar center near me is a music go round store. once i found that store i almost never ever go to guitar center anymore. music go round always has something i want or need and in working order and for a great price.

no reason to buy new IMO, even more so because of the music go round next to the guitar center haha
 
Hmmm... Not to the many thousands of hard working manufacturer's employees, distributors, importers, delivery persons, retail store employees, etc. folks who feed their families, pay their bills, and stay off of the government teat by earning their livelihood in the new musical instrument industry.
Go to NAMM, look at all the people and keep in mind that they just represent the tip of the iceberg; then try to extrapolate that huge gathering of manufacturers, retailers, distributors, etc. into how many total paychecks the industry represents. Isn’t unemployment high enough already? Why would someone want to compound that problem by condemning their source of revenue as “silly” and insinuating that the end users that support it are morons?

How about the money new gear manufacturers that buy the advertising on this and other sites that provide a forum that can be used without shelling out so much as a penny to berate those “silly” individuals who are stupid enough to support their companies by actually purchasing their products?

Besides, if you actually think about it, only buying used is a self defeating philosophy; if everyone did, no more new gear would be sold to become used gear, and the used gear market would skyrocket so high that current new gear prices would seem dirt cheap by comparison. ;)

I guess all those "silly people" should buck up and buy all new gear so that the more insightful and savvy "used only" buyers can continue to have someone to ridicule for being stupid enough to buy it, and provide a steady supply of regurgitated gear for the “enlightened ones” to wisely buy on the cheap!

It sort of reflects society I suppose…

While I would never refer to anyone as being "silly" for buying gear, nor ridicule them for it, I can't disagree with a word of your post...


- georgestrings
 
Buying new gear is somewhat like buying a new car in that the depreciation begins immediately once it is out of the store and you lose at least 1/3 value. Used gear can usually in good shape be bought at that 1/3 -1/2 off and if repairs are ever needed can be done easily and inexpensively (other than for the odd lemon that can happen when you buy new anyhow)
 
I always buy used gear unless what I want is not readily available used.
My Ibanez SR505 is the first bass I have bought new. Only because at the time I couldn't find a used one anywhere.
Of course a couple months after I bought it a used one turned up on CL with a hard case for about $250 less than I paid! I bought it too and then kept the case and resold the bass and still made money!:D
 
Also, when buying used you can get upgrades, if you're lucky: I traded a Yamaha 5 string and some cash to Guitar Center for a used Stingray 4 which had Basslines pickups installed as well as a Hipshot D-tuner. I love that bass more than a couple of the pets I've had....
 
So while edbass seemed a little angry he brings up a good point. If 71% of you prefer used gear, who - other than myself - has been buying new gear?

I bought my 08 MIA Jazz, new, when they first came out. I wanted to support the local mompop shop, which is still around and doing well! :) No regrets and no plans on selling it.

I've bought basses and heads new but they didn't stay. Returned or sold them, so others got great deals on my barely used gear! :)

Bought my head new, twice! I sold the first one, did the GAS dance for a while trying a few heads, both new and used. Sold\returned those. Bought the same head I had before, new, cos I couldn't wait for one to show up used.

I have no problem buying new to support local shops or if I absolutely cannot wait for one to show up used. However, when buying new, I do my due diligence and research\demo the item as much as I can, then wait for a sale or other financial advantage... win the lottery, $100 scratch off card, find $50 on the ground, run across an unattended UPS truck (kidding), etc..... ;)
 
I have a mixture of new and used gear. Two basses bought used, two bought new and an amp bought used.

I've had eight or nine basses. Three were new. All four amps have been used.

I buy the best gear I can get at the price I can afford. Think I am done buying and/or selling now. Like the gear I have (finally) and need to spend more time practicing, rather than searching the classifieds.

Of course, I've said that before.
 
Sadly, that sounds like the new American mantra. What is too much money?

I think "too much money" is what some have and others want, and the actual dollar amount and how these “some” earned it is irrelevant. It’s generally requested as a "gift" (“send it to me”, “I’ll take your extra money”, etc.), because IMO heaven knows that for the most part “gimme” types are reluctant get off their duffs and get it. Not always, of course; also IMO some are folks just greedy, not lazy.

The new American mantra? I don't know how "new" it is. U.S. politicos have been taking hard earned money from the "haves" and gifting the less ambitious "have not’s" in attempts to curry favor. (read: "votes") for generations.

Just don't call it "Socialist"; that term doesn't go over well with the U.S. majority... yet. ;)

P.S. I'm not angry at all. I just don't have a lot of tolerance of obtuse reasoning; like doggedly promoting a self defeating philosophy such as “no one should buy new gear or cars”, and after reading post after post after post adamantly espousing this philosophy, I felt compelled to post a counterpoint rational.
By the way, probably half of my current gear was bought used; 4 out of 10 basses, and more than half of my rigs had been "pre-loved".
 
There obviously has to be a balance, but the industry (and this could apply to many other industries as well - cars, electronics, clothing, etc) is shooting itself in the foot by moving production overseas, mass producing, and compromising quality to cut costs. The sad truth, in many cases, is that amps and basses built in the 70's and 80's are far superior to many of the same amps and basses being built today. Open up an SVT from the late 70's and compare it to a current one made in Vietnam. Many of these amps built 30 years ago will probably be around longer than ones built today. Obviously there are some really nice amps being made today from higher end manufacturers, so I'm not really talking about those. It should be interesting to see how many of the cheap transistor amps that came out in the 90's and 2000's will be around in 30 years from now.

There are still many things worth buying new, and you're totally right about how everything would grind to a halt if everyone stopped buying new stuff. But at what point (or have we hit that point already?) will there be more amps than players out there? If they keep churning them out, and not really offering much of an improvement over the previous models, and the old ones never seem to die, than when will enough be enough? Maybe this is why we've seen the prices of new Fenders double over the past decade and new SVTs selling for $2500 (here in Canada that's what just the head sells for).

The solution? More people need to smash their gear on stage... - joking
 
I think "too much money" is what some have and others want, and the actual dollar amount and how these “some” earned it is irrelevant. It’s generally requested as a "gift" (“send it to me”, “I’ll take your extra money”, etc.), because IMO heaven knows that for the most part “gimme” types are reluctant get off their duffs and get it. Not always, of course; also IMO some are folks just greedy, not lazy.

The new American mantra? I don't know how "new" it is. U.S. politicos have been taking hard earned money from the "haves" and gifting the less ambitious "have not’s" in attempts to curry favor. (read: "votes") for generations.

Just don't call it "Socialist"; that term doesn't go over well with the U.S. majority... yet. ;)

P.S. I'm not angry at all. I just don't have a lot of tolerance of obtuse reasoning; like doggedly promoting a self defeating philosophy such as “no one should buy new gear or cars”, and after reading post after post after post adamantly espousing this philosophy, I felt compelled to post a counterpoint rational.
By the way, probably half of my current gear was bought used; 4 out of 10 basses, and more than half of my rigs had been "pre-loved".

Ed - I think you and I are brothers from another mother. Amen to every word...