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Do You Avoid, Or Seek Out USED BASSES?

#83
GOD DAMN! Sorry listening to Pharaoh's Dance. :eek:

I find used basses to be the better deal. Members here have mentioned the whole "hey let someone else pay full price and you snag it up after the depreciation period". It's a good concept. All my favorite guitars and basses I snagged used, usually a third or more off the suggested retail price.

When I first started playing I put my first bass and big amp on layaway, since I was 16 and working for chump change (weekends at a bar). Then I found pawn shops and used music stores... and it was game over.

Side question; would you consider floor models used?
 
#85
Ric Fish said:
Side question; would you consider floor models used?
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No, I don't consider floor models as used at all unless of course there's a tag that says used on it. People picking it up to test it out doesn't really count
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Been to GC lately?

I think after a few 13-year-olds have done the nasty with some of those instruments, they qualify as "used" in my book.
 
#87
electracoyote said:
Been to GC lately?

I think after a few 13-year-olds have done the nasty with some of those instruments, they qualify as "used" in my book.
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That's what I was thinking! Usually you can haggle on floor models, or they already have a discount. Rather then one player using it, you have god knows, maybe 100+ people touching it for x amount of time. Not to mention how many times it's been dropped or abused behind sales peoples backs.
 
#88
I'm all about used basses and used gear in general. So far in my bass playing "career" I have owned 10 basses. Only 4 have been new. Of those 4, I sold/traded 2 of them for other used gear. And I'm heavily debating selling the other 2 I got new so I can justify another used one.
 
#92
plangentmusic said:
More often than not, people sell something because there's something wrong with it.
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Didn't read all the responses, so don't know if this was addressed yet, but I think the above is so not true. There are countless reasons people sell basses, and I actually think it's rare that someone is selling one becuase there's something wrong with it. People sell basses because:

They get bored of them
They need the money
It's too heavy
It's too light
It's not the sound they hoped for
They don't like the neck
They found other basses they like more
They quit playing bass
They're upgrading
They're downgrading
They got a great deal on and want to make a few bucks
Their friends convince them they should be playing something else

I could go on and on.

I just look for great deals. New or used doesn't matter. Just hit a couple here with a new ATK for $130 and a new Highway one Jazz for $441. Also once picked up a brand new Warwick Streamer Pro M for $499 at a Guitar Center. Used I've also gotten a bunch of excellent deals. A Warwick Fortress One for $400. An American Peavey Millenium for $300. A bunch of others.

I guess I'll add that IME I've also had more new basses with issues than used ones. Could list the details but there's no point. Whether it's new or used really doesn't make a difference to me. A deal is a deal and I always do my best to buy my basses at prices I know I can make a profit on if I decide to resell. I think that's actually pretty much become an absolute for me. Won't buy anything I'm not absolutely certain I can't resell easily for at the very least what I paid.
 
#94
I dont want to buy a bass that hasn't been set-up in the store, ready to go. seeing as how my dreams wont come true, I suppose buying used is the only sure fire way of knowing what you are going to get without the hefty price tag.

BTW, when you make a trip to visit someone who posted something on CL, you can tell the people who take great care of their basses and the people that know nothing about their instruments. Dont buy from the latter.
 
#96
dogofgod said:
BTW, when you make a trip to visit someone who posted something on CL, you can tell the people who take great care of their basses and the people that know nothing about their instruments. Dont buy from the latter.
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+1

I like to buy used ... most of the time I have dealt with people who took care of their instrument/gear ... you can chitchat with them about music, the bass, amp, cab, effects you use, ...
 
#97
I like instruments that speak to me or have a story. Sometimes I've found that in new instruments, like my Taylor acoustic or my Fender Telecaster. More often I find that connection in used instruments, especially my Gibson IV bass and my Gibson Les Paul Studio. That's the driving force behind my decision to buy either one: the connection at the point of sale.
 
#98
I have had the best luck w/ used instruments, bass and acoustic 6-strings. Sure you have to look carefully at a used instrument. If you buy one, make sure you can take it back during a set try-out period. During that period have a luthier take a look at it.

For one thing, the wood has opened more on a used instrument. Maybe not so much a factor on a solid body but for a hollow or semi-hollow body this is a factor.

In the current economy, sad to say, many musicians are selling instruments not because there is something wrong with the ax or they want to, it is because they have to. And many dealers are really dealing and accepting offers they normally would not have. So now is a good time to go for a used instrument if it is one you really want.
 

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