Poll: Your position regarding used gear

[jd56hawk]

Never had a problem buying used.
Never will.

 

[Wasnex]

Most of the gear I have was bought used. IMHO it works best if you assume that what you will get is not going to be as good as you think it is...and this must be factored into how much you pay. If you use this approach, overall you should come out ahead.

I have sent some items back: "not as described."

I have received refunds without returning a few items.

I have requested/received partial refunds to cover parts.

Sometimes I have just dealt with it, because the selling price was so low.

 

[singlemalt]

I have never bought a new bass. That’s over forty odd years.
They come and they go. I’ve never had a problem as a buyer or seller.

My iMacs and iPods are refurbished. Amps are used. I build cabs when the mood strikes, but I’ll load them with used drivers. Heck, I’ll buy used TI jazz flats.

Used cars. Used bikes. Used sports gear.

Ever bit of kite gear has been used. That $2000 new carbon fiber foil mast? $300 used. Rides just fine.

On the rare occasion im shopping an online retailer, I’m looking at the scratch and dent, open box and return stuff for steep discounts.

Big swap meet tomorrow morning, and I’ll be getting there early! Never know what I’ll find.

Happy to let somebody else enjoy the new thing. I’ll pick it up for less than half of retail, used, thanks very much.

 

[sawzalot]

I’ve bought used instruments almost exclusively for the last twenty years. I had one bad experience in that time and it was easily remedied. One other time I got a used bass from GC and it smelled so bad from cigarette smoke I had to return it. Other than that no issues, and in fact one of my favorite basses I bought sight unseen and it’s easily the best playing bass I own. Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

 

[WayneP]

What I don’t like about new gear is that you get soaked when you go to sell it years later – typically half what you paid for it, if not less. I prefer being on the advantage end of those deals. I got two Pedulla basses from ebay for substantially less than half what they were selling for new for at the time.

I’ve had great luck buying from TBers, 100%. ebay is safe. If you find problems the seller didn’t disclose, ebay will back you up in getting your money back.

A TBer here recently narrowly dodging a scam FB Marketplace seller. Personally I would never by anything via delivery from FB, because IMO it’s just not safe. Anything I get there, as well as Craigslist, it’s gotta be in-person and hands-on.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Official Tobias Club #133
Administrator, Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Basses
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
Pedulla Club #45

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I've had it with buying used instruments. Overpaid (pretty much new price, scarce instrument) earlier this year from a 5 star, 100% trust rated seller on the 'verb, only to receive an unbelievably scungy slab of wood with a lot more dings than the photos could indicate, and really filthy frets. But at least it was salvageable.

But this one really has me saying, I'm done:
Friend finds a bass I'm looking for in a chain store specializing in used musical instruments, a couple states away. He says plays good, looks good, sounds good. I order it on line and have it shipped. No haggle, it was priced just right for what it is.
I receive it, am pleased with the look, general appearance and okay playability, but I see the action has a bit too much relief. You can guess where this is going...
Grab included truss wrench, and sure enough, spins freely. No resistance. Called my local tech, and yep - probably at least what I paid for the instrument to pull the fretboard, etc, as it's a dual - action truss rod, and no Stu-mac repair kit is going to get it working again. Major surgery.

Call retailer. They forcefully declare "shipping damage!". I say well, the box is remarkably clean and intact. They pass me to shipping manager, who says they checked the truss rod before it went out - what do you mean, it's broken? I describe just as I did above. I stated that, IMHO, truss rods don't pop in shipping, they get broken by ill-informed players that crank willy-nilly until it pops. I disclose my findings regarding the astronomical estimate to repair. But if you want to submit a claim to the shipper, that's your call...
Silence.
Hold please.
Okay - we're sending a return authorization.
Now, I can't say enough about how decent these people were through the whole process, other than their indignation over the truss rod. They were being extremely careful about making sure I saw every little blemish, even emailing more pics to verify prior to shipping. Packaging / padding was waaaay over and above any new instrument I've purchased. I am completely sympathetic to their situation, and truly believe their intentions were good, but they have an instrument that was likely a total loss when it came in their door. Completely sucks to be them.

My conclusion is, used instruments, especially those found at the local pawn/used gear outlet have an unacceptable regularity of latent issues, especially in the neck department. When someone wrecks their instrument in this way, only hope is a quick buck at the local used dealer, 'case they damn sure are not going to take the loss for their mistake. It's not like the guy at the counter can test the trust rod of every instrument that walks in the door. It would be like taking your car in for a trade and having them drop the oil pan to inspect the engine's crank shaft before assessing a trade in value.

So, since I cannot trust my fellow musicians to be forthright in their gear dealings, I will now stay firmly committed to buying only new gear. It just cost me several hours of distraction and a sizeable loss for the retailer because someone felt it best to grab some quick cash and shove a total loss into someone else's life than to eat their own sh@@.

End rant.

What's your experience?

Well buying new helps the manufacturing economy

 

[jerry]

I've been buying gear for a long time both new and used, never been a problem and have gotten great deals along the way.

 

[Rumblefisher]

Order from G&L and you can enjoy this particular disappointment whilst still buying new, best of both worlds

I literally laughed out loud at this. I'm still laughing in fact as I type this out. I'm considering a G&L LB-100 at the moment too. Good show ole boy. Good show.

 

[AK Bass Guy]

I only buy used locally if I can put my hands on it. Shipping takes to long and costs too much to get to me in Alaska for me to deal with buying used online. Even buying new and having it shipped can be a gamble whether I get the thing in one piece. Add to that winter weather can be brutal on instruments up here so that’s another concern. So buying used and having it shipped from out of state is not something I do anymore.

 

[Luther]

I buy a mix of used and new. Never had a problem, but I exercise due diligence. Patience and knowing exactly what your looking for usually pays off. Steer clear of situations that don't offer buyer protection. My general rule of thumb is I won't pay more than 50-60% of retail for used equipment.

 

[N4860]

I understand it sucks that you had 2 bad experiences, but that's a very small sample to make such a judgement. I have had 1 not great experience buying used gear but waaay more great experiences. It's up to you as the buyer to ask the right questions and buy from someone that is either trustworthy or from somewhere with a good return policy.

 

[JohnnyChatter]

I’ve had mostly good experiences with used gear but I really inspect my stuff before I buy. I’m usually cool with chips and dents but the truss rod always needs to be tested. I did buy a bass with a bad neck once but I had a feeling and it was only 100 bucks.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I’m hard pressed to buy new gear, if it’s old enough to be used that is. I’d rather buy used, sometimes the cool new thing is too cool to wait for though. I’d also rather buy something that has already depreciated. I also know myself better than to think that I’m going to hold onto something forever.

 

[bassicmike]

I have never, and would never, but a bass I have not held in my hands.

But you do you.

 

[VeryTallBassist]

I've bought 4 or 5 brand new basses throughout the last 35 years. I currently own 12 basses and every one of them was bought used. I like the bang for the buck I get out of used instruments. I do most of my own work on them though, so take that for what it's worth. Never had a deal breaker problem.

 

[JonathanPDX]

Sounds like the issue is you are buying stuff you have not tested out or examined and are setting your expectations really high despite it being a semi-blind purchase. Yes, people misrepresenting their stuff sucks and is scummy, but it's part of the deal if you are set on wheeling and dealing with strangers in foreign lands and trusting nothing but some cell phone pics to tell you about the instrument.

If you're making large purchases of boutique instruments then it's worth the investment to either go visit them before opening your wallet or at least having someone you trust give it a full inspection. But if you're buying cheap off-the-shelf instruments that have already been used and abused, and trying to save a few bucks rather than hunting down local copies you can play first, that's really a matter of your expectations more than a problem with the nature of purchasing used gear.

 

[bassballs27]

I’ve been through a ton of used instruments and gear. Many will know me as an avid seller of some of the rare and sought after brands.

I’ve experienced everything from some of the most amazing instruments that I probably shouldn’t have sold to some real problem basses. A lot of it comes down to experience but albeit it’s hard to catch everything, in every scenario.

I had a very expensive instrument for 18 months that I loved until I realized that I couldn’t set it up properly. It had an unanchored truss rod, worse, the previous owner knew about and never divulged it.

Life brings chaos and how you react to it is really identifies how you manage life. You have to live with some form of adversity or you’ll never grow.

Probably my biggest take away is, for all the buying, selling, and trading one may do to get what they want…if you can attain new by saving up, do it! I could have easily bought a few brand new basses for what I’ve spent on shipping. However, I did get a crap ton of experience!

 

[retslock]

The poll is not specific enough. Used is fine. Used that I haven't played is not. I broke my golden rule - don't buy an instrument I haven't played - only once and it was a mistake. That bass is now in pieces and has become spare parts. I own seven basses including that one failure. Only two were acquired new - one as a sponsorship arrangement and the other I bought. I'm not looking for another bass but if I was I wouldn't hesitate to buy used but only after holding it in my hands.
The poll didn't accommodate my position - I'll buy used but not if I haven't played it - so I didn't vote.

 

[Stewie]

I bought a 100 lolwatt Acoustic head new in 1976 and an Ampeg RB210 last year. Everything else I've had was used, except for SM58s. I like shiny new microphones.

 

[MCS4]

I think I've only bought one used instrument, and a built one parts bass from a used body plus electronics, and both were good experiences.

I've bought a lot of used gear of other types though (amps, cabs, and most particularly pedals), and have had a very small number of sub-optimal results compared to a much higher number of successes. I wouldn't hesitate to buy used again,