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Do You Avoid, Or Seek Out USED BASSES?

#101
I seek out used basses and equipment all the time and if you know where to look you can rack up some great deals. Of course if it's a option I prefer to physically check out the item and play it first which you should always do. In the past I have bought some really nice used items (in stores and online) that where in great condition and best of all at a fraction of the price of them new. Generally used guitars, cabinets, and amps are broken in already and ready to go which I like too. Also I do not shun the look of road ware as long as it not completely torn apart or damaged. I actually like the look of worn and I generally do not feel as bad if I put a few nicks or scratches in the item. In all honesty I almost never buy new unless I have to. :D
 
#103
sps500 said:
I only buy used on TB. Dont trust any other sites.
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I think that would be the right thing to do too - if I were to buy a used bass or anything even.

I did the pawn-shop thing for a while, and even now I hit them all the time just for the look-see, but I really am not in the market for a used bass - although I think possibly there may be an exception - someday - maybe. Perhaps.

In a pawn is where I found the LP Special - the only used bass I've bought so far. I will say that without a TB-seller's endorsement, I'd insist on playing whatever I'd consider buying first from any other site or dealer.

So far I've only bought a few pieces of gear - p'ups, a PG and neck plate from TB sellers, and the results have been exactly as they were represented - so that's all good to me.
 
#104
dogofgod said:
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.
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Don't want this to come off the wrong way as my intent is to be helpful. IMO all the above may very well lead you to trouble. Learning to set up your own bass isn't all that hard, and it will help you to not pass off an instrument that might be way better than one a store tech sets up. There's no guarantee also that the guy setting up your bass in the store has a clue what he's doing either.

Also, someone who knows nothing about the intrument may very well have played it a lot less, and it really has no bearing on the condition of the instrument. Just because the seller knows the instrument inside out, or polished it up before selling it, doesn't mean the bass is in great shape. When I bought my Fortress One (for $400) the seller, in the description of the bass described what he "thought" the balance knob did. He wasn't sure of it's actual function. Made me wary of the purchase because it was on ebay. I questioned him and he was clueless. Bought it anyway. All the bass needed was a little cleaning up, and it's now in awesome condition.

And finally, saying "seeing how my dreams won't come true" is an attitude you might really want to consider changing. Saying such things often insures the outcome. 16 years ago I had a crap bass and could only fantasize about owning anything over $500. The next year I got an $1100 Warwick on my new girlfriend's credit card. :) I thought the skies had opened up. Paid that back over the following year, and without the use of credit 14 years later I have somewhere around 17 basses, most of them retailing at over $1000. Moral of the story is that if my attitude had been "this will never happen" I almost guarantee it wouldn't have. Same with a lot of other things in my life.
 
#105
Joe Nerve said:
The next year I got an $1100 Warwick on my new girlfriend's credit card.
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Joe Nerve said:
Moral of the story is [DEL]that if my attitude had been "this will never happen" I almost guarantee it wouldn't have. Same with a lot of other things in my life.[/DEL]
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Moral of the story is find a chick with some coin! There...fixed it.


Just goofin', man...I agree with most of your post...especially about not aiming low. Nobody who's ever dreamed of failure has succeeded.
 
#106
sps500 said:
I only buy used on TB. Dont trust any other sites.
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I have to say that I have had the worst luck buying on TB. I bought two basses on TB and both were bad transactions. Nether one was described properly. One the seller refunded me some money and the other I sent back after a lot of back & forth BS. With CL I can look at it and play it and EBay you have more recourse if the seller is not honest in the description.
 
#107
Just want to clarify that the girlfriend credit card thing was to show I still couldn't even think of getting anything in that pricerange on my own. :) I was just fortunate enough to find a girl crazy enough to trust me like that. And she's still sitting next to me, right now in fact.
 
#111
98dvl said:
No pics, no girlfriend...
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ahh... gotta give the people what they want. i've got pictures of her with the bass, but I like this one better.

100_1534.jpg
 
#112
I'll buy used ... but only if I can inspect and play. Actually, the conditions apply for new. Guitars are individuals, and no two of the same model are going to be exactly the same. I look for electrical and structural issues. Not so concerned about aethetics or setup and string preferences that I can change (I do my own setups). Real bargains are few and far between ... many think that their three year old p-bass is still worth 80% of what they paid for it new. I won't even consider a used bass for more than 60% of current street price for a new one, regardless of condition or "improvements".
 
#113
I've bought three new... I've yet to buy used... Sad I know but I plan on buying used if the bass I want is still around by Thursday. And the first two basses I bought I bought new just because I had no idea buying used was a good idea because I got some pretty wicked deals on both of them. The third was my lakland and the only reason I bought that new was because it's the only one around like it so I had no option but to buy it new. But I will be going the used route from here on out unless I find another deal like the lakland, it would have to be a pretty stunning bass for me to buy it new. Though any bass would have to be stunning for me to buy it in the first place.
 
#114
Rocky McD said:
I do not agree that musicians sell basses because there is something wrong with them. Most of the time, they sell to get something different, Or, they are broke and need money. I have bought over 100 used basses and most were in great condition or, I was aware of a small problem when I bought it and easily repaired the problem. I do not buy new, I think it is throwing money away due to the instant 30% or more depreciation.
Rocky
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That's exactly the reason I sold my '78 -bass, I needed the money. If I hadn't absolutely needed the money, I'd have that bass right now. About the only thing "wrong" with it was it had bad fret sprout, but that is an easy fix. Otherwise, it was an excellent bass that I sorely wish I hadn't had to sell.
 
#116
I always go used. I check out a bass and unless its got a completely unfixable issues (REALLY warped neck or bad pickups with odd shapes that you can't get replacements) I will typically go for it. You can buy a bass used for half price, pay to have it fixed, tweaked and set up and it will still cost you less than a new one.
 
#117
Haven't read the whole thread, so apologies if this has been said already, but the idea that someone would only sell a bass if there is something "wrong" with it is silly. Basses are not cars. They don't wear out like a car does. A well-made bass should last a lifetime, maybe longer. People sell things for all kinds of reasons (money problems, change of taste, upgrading, etc.), not just because something is "wrong" with it.

A used bass is a MUCH better buy than a new bass could ever be. I have been buying used basses for the last 3-4 years. Almost every bass I have sold has gotten me back close to, or all of, what I paid for it, resulting in little or no cost to me outside of shipping. It has let me try out a bunch of basses I would not otherwise have any experience with. This has really taught me which basses work for me and which ones don't. If I had to take a huge financial hit every time I flipped a bass, I would probably not have been able to do this. Used is the way to go IMO. Especially if your "dream bass" is discontinued.

EDIT: Also, TB is the very best community for buying/selling on the web. I have had nothing but great experiences with all the deals I have done through the classifieds. I have never been taken for a ride, or anything close to that.
 
#119
If you think you've heard of every make and brand out there, just go to your local pawn shop. I've seen bases/guitars that must be made on the moon. That said, I always take some tools with me. The pawn shops don't mind if you ask to do some adjustments - that means you are interested in buying. Adjust the strings. Play it. I think many instruments are pawned because the owners have no clue how to adjust it, or don't know it just needs some decent strings. There are probably some really nice bases in your town right now in your price range.
 

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