Buying Used Basses from GuitarCenter

[Gorn]

There's a thread that highlights good deals from used.guitarcenter.com.

A lot of times if I find something I like but can't quite afford, I'll post it in the hopes that someone else will buy it so I can't.

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/guitar-center-used-site.894058/page-61

 

[bassbully]

I have bought a few and the 30 day policy makes it nice in case I need to return it.

 

[BassGuyFL]

FWIW I did one of the transactions over the phone and had it shipped to a friend's house as we were on the road at the time. No muss no fuss and it's my been my main bass for over a year now.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I've bought over 30 used basses from GC. No problems as there's that 30 day return policy if there's anything wrong with it. You can just return it to your local store regardless of which GC store in the country you bought your bass from. You will usually get the shipping charge deducted from the refund if it's because you simply don't like it. Shipping charge is around $20 or less - price depending on your distance from the store you're buying from. I've had it shipped from Portland to Michigan and it cost me $23 shipping, Ohio to Michigan was like $13.
Always call the store and have them give you a description of the condition of the bass over the phone, sometimes they can even photograph and email you additional pictures of the bass if you're concerned about something.
Regarding the ratings.... it's pretty inconsistent as a "good" condition bass may be considered "fair" at another, so you really have to get a verbal description in order to get a better idea. Ask about the overall condition, the neck, electronics etc.

Shipping to your door by the way, is pretty fast. The longest I've had to wait was 4 days, the soonest, 2.
I highly recommend buying a bass from them if you find one you like, it's really not at all risky because of that return policy and you do find quite a selection you may never see at your local GC store.

From my personal experience, I have to agree with everything Max said here.

Regardless of the star-system and the picture (or lack thereof) I always call the store and ask someone to give it a once-over. If I'm unsure or can't pay for the whole thing at once, I put a 25%-up-front layaway payment down to "secure" it. If I change my mind, or can't scrounge up the rest of the money within thirty days, I'll call and get the payment refunded.

Sometimes, little mistakes are made. One time it was in my favor. A flawless Classic Vibe Jazz had been mistakenly tagged as a Vintage Modified and had been priced accordingly. Also, it came with a tolex hard case…bonus! So if you call, make sure to ask if it comes with a bag or case.

One other thing; sometimes you get an item that could really used a set-up (and maybe a new set of strings). I don't know if it's just something done at the handful of GC's in my region, but whenever I buy a used item they offer to do a set-up for half, or $30 instead of $60.

 

[socialleper]

Be careful and inspect the instrument thoroughly. They don't test their used equipment at all. They shipped me a used GK 112 cab that was bad out of the box and I tried out a Warwick Corvette $$ that someone had gutted ALL of the electronics out of, making it a passive only bass, and they wanted $2k for it.
Personally I'd have the ship it to a store and try it there so you can walk away if the thing is a POS.

 

[grrg63]

I think I read somewhere that if you dont want to pay return shipping charges you can return it to a local store...

 

[Aqualung60]

I've bought over 30 used basses from GC. No problems as there's that 30 day return policy if there's anything wrong with it. You can just return it to your local store regardless of which GC store in the country you bought your bass from. You will usually get the shipping charge deducted from the refund if it's because you simply don't like it. Shipping charge is around $20 or less - price depending on your distance from the store you're buying from. I've had it shipped from Portland to Michigan and it cost me $23 shipping, Ohio to Michigan was like $13.
Always call the store and have them give you a description of the condition of the bass over the phone, sometimes they can even photograph and email you additional pictures of the bass if you're concerned about something.
Regarding the ratings.... it's pretty inconsistent as a "good" condition bass may be considered "fair" at another, so you really have to get a verbal description in order to get a better idea. Ask about the overall condition, the neck, electronics etc.

Shipping to your door by the way, is pretty fast. The longest I've had to wait was 4 days, the soonest, 2.
I highly recommend buying a bass from them if you find one you like, it's really not at all risky because of that return policy and you do find quite a selection you may never see at your local GC store.

+1

 

[rogerbmiller]

I was looking at the used basses on GuitarCenter's website. I noticed that they have a star system (1-5) stars, and I assume that the more stars the better the condition of the bass.

Does anyone here have experience with ordering a used guitar from GC? What were the positives and negatives of your experience? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips for things to watch out for?

I have bought numerous basses from them and the start system is meaningless. Every store is different with different employees who have different levels of knowledge and different levels of scruples, quite honestly.

I call the store and have a salesman do an in hand description. If they are thorough and articulate that is usually a good sign. Some are neither but they are very honest, so you should have a very carefully scripted and thorough list of questions. You would be surprised how you can quickly get a sense of who is BSing you and who is not. If the guy on the other end doesn't sound like he is trying really hard to answer your questions, odds are he doesn't care or he just wants to move dud gear.

And believe me when I say that I have had things described to me as perfect which came and were absolutely horrendous. I replied to a post with a picture of a Jazz V they recently sold me and described as perfect safe for a few light finish scratches. It was absolutely horrendous- caked in residual tobacco smoke, tobacco stains, deep scratches and heavy rust and pitting.

Caveat emptor.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I think that where you live close to a Guitar Center, it is a no brainer. Go to the store and try it out. If you have to order it, have it shipped to the store. That way if there is a problem, you can have it fixed and set up before you take it home.

 

[iriegnome]

I have bought several basses and amps from GC.. I have issues almost every time. I have a personal sales consultant at GC headquarters in CA that I have to call every time I go to purchase anything from them. It sucks ass, but if I want the gear then I do it. I had a couple of issues with basses not being what was described and they offered a discount on top of the price I got it for, so I ended up keeping the basses. As with anything from anywhere, used is used and therefore subjective and people do not always know what they are selling.

 

[orange joe]

I have bought many basses,amps and cabs from guitar center and have returned a few with no trouble.They even refunded the shipping every time then sold the product in that store.So in theory,If you were not worried about karma you could return an item then go buy it back and GC eats the shipping.I would never do this mainly because of the aforementioned negative ju-ju effecting my spotless track record of finding unreal deals on gear.I just got two great deals on there.1st is an Avatar 2x10 with custom Kappa Pro 10a's.1000 watts at 4 ohms for like $150 + shipping from cali to new york.Then i found a Carvin LB70,all maple with an ebony fretboard for $400 minus an old 4x10 i traded to help ease the pain.I should be picking them up from AJ at my local guitar center on monday.The condition ranking system is pointless though so we'll see what kind of "great" condition my Carvin is in when it gets here

 

[wintremute]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm new to this forum, and I have to say that everyone here seems to be really friendly and ready to help with advice.

So what I've learned is...

• If I don't like it, or there are issues, I can return it to a local GC and not worry about paying to ship it back.
• Ignore their star-ratings. Just call the store and try to get an honest description of the bass.
• When I call, see if they'll give a discount for a set-up.
• Guitar Center is a great place to buy a used instrument because of their customer service and return policy

edit to add...

• Gorn Captain is the boss! His thread pointing out great deals at GC is awesome.

 

[Rich Terry]

I was in GC yesterday buying a practice bass amp and this kid was listening to me play. His buddy came up to him and said that the manager was only going to give him 25.00 for his guitar. I asked what kind.

Fender Squire Strat. so I said I'll give you 30 and he took it. decent little guitar. GC had no problem with that.

My point is stop by on a Saturday and hang out and buy what comes in the door for next to nothing.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I was looking at the used basses on GuitarCenter's website. I noticed that they have a star system (1-5) stars, and I assume that the more stars the better the condition of the bass.

Does anyone here have experience with ordering a used guitar from GC? What were the positives and negatives of your experience? Would you recommend it? Do you have any tips for things to watch out for?

I bought a used bass via guitarcenter.com- my experience was sorta good and bad. It was a really good price on a bass I really wanted, so I actually called the store and the guy on the phone actually took it down and had it in his hands as I spoke to him. He told me in was nearly mint, which it was. Didn't come with a case, so he sold me a Road Runner soft case (rectangular shaped) for a good price. I had him ship it, I put it on my GC card (which I paid off quick). I was happy.

So the bass finally arrives, and I'm all psyched. I open the case, and it looks great. So I pick it up, and the strings fully loosened (I hate this), so I tune it up to standard pitch. As I'm playing it, I notice 2 problems: the action is unplayably low, and the pickups are way WAY too close to the strings. Also, someone had previously installed an aftermarket set of strap buttons and the holes for them were way too deep- it was impossible to use a strap with it.

Thank goodness I didn't need to use it right away. Once I addressed all said issues (did it all myself, didn't need a luthier), the bass was great and I still have it and use it when needed.

Next time I buy a bass from GC's website I'm gonna make sure it's set up and ready to play!

 

[Shaun Russell]

I'm in Texas and just bought a bass from a GC in Florida. I asked them if they could text a picture of the actual bass and he sent like 5-6 pictures. I called and spoke to him so I knew pretty much what I was getting. They have a rating system of Excellent,Great,Good,Fair,Poor.. When I was looking I was only looking at the Excellence and Good guitars because I didn't want to get lemon. Not that I couldn't have got a lemon, but I am happy with the guitar at the price I got it for.

 

[Maxdusty]

Thank you all for your comments. I'm new to this forum, and I have to say that everyone here seems to be really friendly and ready to help with advice.

So what I've learned is...

• If I don't like it, or there are issues, I can return it to a local GC and not worry about paying to ship it back.
• Ignore their star-ratings. Just call the store and try to get an honest description of the bass.
• When I call, see if they'll give a discount for a set-up.
• Guitar Center is a great place to buy a used instrument because of their customer service and return policy

edit to add...

• Gorn Captain is the boss! His thread pointing out great deals at GC is awesome.

Almost.... the setup discount you would ask for (if it needed one) would be at the store you pick it up from and only when you pick it up and see that it needs one, that is if you have it delivered to your local store instead of to your house.
Also just want to add this other bit of info..using the GC used site is perfect for bouts of GAS that a lot of us invariable catch when we're on here. You can make a "risky" buy on a bass you've never tried before, simply because of the return policy. Where I live, I don't see a lot of variety in basses that see the light of day in other parts of the country, so pretty much if I want something a little bit out of the ordinary, I read reviews, ask questions on TB and buy it blindly as there's no place nearby to try one. The GC used site is perfect for this kind of situation. Also, keep in mind that the list is updated daily, so new items pop up everyday - an item you don't currently see may show up the next day so check it first thing in the morning and your chances of snagging a great deal is increased dramatically. I've snagged a couple of Sterling Sub Rays in absolutely like-new condition for $139 and $159 instead of the normal $199 they seem to go for used.
Oh yes, that reminds me...much as with the rating, the pricing is all over the place and varies from store to store. It's not a uniform pricing scheme, sometimes the pricing difference is pretty drastic! So you will see two identical basses in equal condition priced pretty differently. Use the search feature on the used website to the right and filter the brand of the bass. Then sort by clicking on the "price" header line to sort the list in price order.

Welcome to TB and you'll find the swellest bunch of bassists with a great deal of knowledge collectively, they have helped me immensely with any questions I had. Remember that there are perks with being a Supporting Member (really very inexpensive) such as being able to post about valuations of specific basses, trade opinions etc and posting to the classifieds. Check the member info for more on this if you're interested. Again, welcome!

 

[Maxdusty]

I'm in Texas and just bought a bass from a GC in Florida. I asked them if they could text a picture of the actual bass and he sent like 5-6 pictures. I called and spoke to him so I knew pretty much what I was getting. They have a rating system of Excellent,Great,Good,Fair,Poor.. When I was looking I was only looking at the Excellence and Good guitars because I didn't want to get lemon. Not that I couldn't have got a lemon, but I am happy with the guitar at the price I got it for.

I've gotten a few basses listed as "Fair" and in truth they were excellent, almost new condition with plastic still on the pickguard. I spent the better part of half an hour trying to find the "flaws" on the basses that would have justified the Fair rating and couldn't find any, and I'm very particular about scratches So yes, the rating system is really out the window for me.

 

[Adhesive_X]

i've purchased 3 used basses from GC, all online. 2 were perfect, one with the plastic on the back.

if you call the store the sales will will usually take extra pics for you in my experience.... they want the commission.

there's really no risk. you can return to your local store within 30 days and you are just out the shipping. If the price is good it's worth a $20 roll of the dice.

I returned 2 of the 3 no questions asked.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

My first and only bass from GC used is my 1997 Ibanez SR800...it was packed well and listed as fair condition.

It had new strings installed, action was very good but the screws on the bridge/saddles were filled with rust and grime...it took hours to get it cleaned up but plays/sounds perfectly now only needing a few shots of deoxit on the pots.

There is considerable belt rash on the back but looks almost minty from the front for a 1997 bass.

Oh yeah, it was very fairly priced too!

 

[gfen]

I notice 2 problems: the action is unplayably low, and the pickups are way WAY too close to the strings.

I purchased one used bass from a remote GC, and thought this too. I assumed that 99% of the stuff that goes through there is guitars, and their guitar technician had no idea what he was doing and set it up accordingly.