I need to have my vehicle repaired. It automatically turns into every pawn shop that I pass. However, this malfunction has led to some good gear buys over the years.
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Recent pawn shop finds
- Thread starter Skullheadrac
- Start date
I've not had any luck finding instruments any more but I have bought several cabs for good prices. An old MESA RR115 (Still have that in my bands practice space, killer!) a MESA Powerhouse 410, Hartke HyDrive 410 and I think the last thing is a 1980 MusicMan HD150 head (still have this too). These were all under 300 bucks.
Not a bass, but a few years ago I went in looking for bass deal and found a Gibson les Paul for 1k. It looked beautiful with intricate fretboard inlay patterns, played and felt very well. I'd never seen a les paul with 3 pickups so i assumed someone had modded it. Guitar is secondary for me, just learning enough to supplement my bass playing, Im good enough on guitar to muddle through a few songs and play around the campfire. My son is a great guitar player so I went on with the purchase. He loved it so much I gifted it to him when he finished his basic training. He called me a few months later and told me what I actually bought was a les paul artisan from 82 and was worth at least 6x what I paid for it. I guess they had no idea what they had and neither did I.
I'm not sure how far back qualifies as "recent" but about three years ago I found this '83 Ibanez Roadstar II bass at a pawnshop for $400.00 (with the original brown case). It has become my favorite fretted bass, over and above everything else in my collection. I find it to be superb in every way.
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I used to find great deals at the pawn shop I frequented... then they discovered the internet and prices were never as good again. 
(Best find was an MIJ Ibanez SR800 for $99 in 2015)
(Best find was an MIJ Ibanez SR800 for $99 in 2015)
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the first and last time I found a bass at a pawn shop it was a red 5 string Korean washburn with the slanted J pickups from the 90s. It turned out to have too many issues both with the electronics and with the neck (to the point where it needed a new truss rod--maxed out). I was happy I at least got it for $125 when I told them the pickup selector wasn't working (which was just needing of a contact cleaner.
Then of course is the story of trying to sell it.... genuinely thinking it was an USA made bass (washburn DOES have an american flag on their tuning machines eh?). Sold it for about $20 more than I paid for it, to somebody wanting it as a beater bass.
Then of course is the story of trying to sell it.... genuinely thinking it was an USA made bass (washburn DOES have an american flag on their tuning machines eh?). Sold it for about $20 more than I paid for it, to somebody wanting it as a beater bass.
I see a TON of Asian made instruments at my local pawn shops. I figure the majority were purchased by people who previously wanted to learn how to play, but gave up trying and eventually pawned their equipment.
Anymore I’ve stopped hoping to find a whopper of a deal on an instrument and have started looking for upgrades (pickups and preamps). Pawn shop owners don’t often take the time to examine the hardware or they simply aren’t knowledgeable enough to know when an instrument has been upgraded. The other day I came across a Samick Jazz Bass that had Bartolini pickups and a John East preamp. I snagged the bass for $150.
Anymore I’ve stopped hoping to find a whopper of a deal on an instrument and have started looking for upgrades (pickups and preamps). Pawn shop owners don’t often take the time to examine the hardware or they simply aren’t knowledgeable enough to know when an instrument has been upgraded. The other day I came across a Samick Jazz Bass that had Bartolini pickups and a John East preamp. I snagged the bass for $150.
You know the top one is a Squier with a Fender decal, right? $180 is still a great deal for it either way.
Cool. Glad you know. I like them, too. No reason to put a Fender decal on it. They have a great reputation as is.
That's the last pawn shop I was in years ago. They had a tuba with "University of Maryland" stenciled on the side of the case. I wonder where that came from?
Yep. Some pawn shops are still dumb. I got a Steinberger for $150 because they thought it was broken. It didn't have a headstock.
This was a good deal, not a screamin' deal.
G&L JB Tribute, mint condition, $400 with hard case, strap and tuner included.
But there's more to the story - the neck installed at the factory was wrong. I found out it wouldn't intonate, and on a couple of forums I found mention of some JB Tributes that had the wrong necks installed at the factory. I contacted G&L and they sent me a new neck at no charge. They didn't ask for the old neck back, so i sold it to a TB member who needed the short scale neck.
G&L JB Tribute, mint condition, $400 with hard case, strap and tuner included.
But there's more to the story - the neck installed at the factory was wrong. I found out it wouldn't intonate, and on a couple of forums I found mention of some JB Tributes that had the wrong necks installed at the factory. I contacted G&L and they sent me a new neck at no charge. They didn't ask for the old neck back, so i sold it to a TB member who needed the short scale neck.
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Abou 10 years ago a local shop here had a large road case with "FOGHAT" stenciled on the side. Pretty weird to see it in a town of 9,000 people about 3 hours from either St Louis or Memphis
Stopped by the pawn shop today for the first time in probably 15 years.... yikes. They had a good selection of used low to mid-tier basses, all priced at or above retail. Interesting business model.
Only one pawnshop around here, and never see much for guitar or bass options. And the few basses I've seen there over the years appear to have had a former life as a garden shovel at one time.
Now if you're looking for tools, they have a lot of those.
Now if you're looking for tools, they have a lot of those.
There's a couple tricks to Pawn Shopping...
1. The big names are always priced higher. Buy mid-level and save a bundle! They're usually priced more reasonably!
2. Be known as a buyer and not a pawner/seller. If I can't find anything worthwhile on my visit, I'll buy a DVD or a knicknack & tell a bad military joke just to leave a Buyer Memory. It pays off.
3. There's an art to haggling which is just as much salesmanship as con artist...Also helps if you've spent serious time as a Carni worker...basically you use reverse Sales tactics on them. Most salespeople are at least shown a video of how to sell stuff...what questions a buyer will ask, etc. So you ask those questions, but in an "on the fence" manner, so to make the deal, they'll look up the item's particulars, figure out a decent profit margin, and toss you an offer. You can probably haggle more, or if it's decent, just go for it. There's always Future Biz, so I don't shred anyone too badly.
4. Patience. I play the long game. It's led to great things! Like a Peavey J-84! And some absolutely amazing deals over the years! I buy most of my instruments and tools and bows at pawn shops. There's a list of Peavey gear that's always on my mind...list of Hoyt/Pearson bows...tools I need...and since I travel all over the US, I shop everywhere! Except New Jersey, because it's a 3-rd world country...yuk.
1. The big names are always priced higher. Buy mid-level and save a bundle! They're usually priced more reasonably!
2. Be known as a buyer and not a pawner/seller. If I can't find anything worthwhile on my visit, I'll buy a DVD or a knicknack & tell a bad military joke just to leave a Buyer Memory. It pays off.
3. There's an art to haggling which is just as much salesmanship as con artist...Also helps if you've spent serious time as a Carni worker...basically you use reverse Sales tactics on them. Most salespeople are at least shown a video of how to sell stuff...what questions a buyer will ask, etc. So you ask those questions, but in an "on the fence" manner, so to make the deal, they'll look up the item's particulars, figure out a decent profit margin, and toss you an offer. You can probably haggle more, or if it's decent, just go for it. There's always Future Biz, so I don't shred anyone too badly.
4. Patience. I play the long game. It's led to great things! Like a Peavey J-84! And some absolutely amazing deals over the years! I buy most of my instruments and tools and bows at pawn shops. There's a list of Peavey gear that's always on my mind...list of Hoyt/Pearson bows...tools I need...and since I travel all over the US, I shop everywhere! Except New Jersey, because it's a 3-rd world country...yuk.
