Poll: Your position regarding used gear

What is your position regarding buying used gear?

  • Never have, never will

  • I have, but never will again

  • I have, but never had a problem

  • I am a seller, and find the OP's reaction to be overblown

  • Pawn shops and used gear stores? You should know better

Results are only viewable after voting.
#41
Reverb and ebay and that are sort of a double edged sword. In an ideal world people would be trading in gear to the local music shop, supporting local businesses. That way you could pop into the store, be surprised by something cool, and try before you buy. These days it's rare to find great used finds in person like that, so taking the risk of shipping used gear is seems like the best option lots of the time.

Reverb and Facebook marketplace both come with their own issues. If you buy on facebook, you'd better know how to give an instrument a full diagnostic exam on the spot with somebody staring at you and tapping their foot.
 
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#43
jTrolt said:
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?
Click to expand...
jTrolt said:
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?
Click to expand...
I think there’s a multiple choice selection missing; I have bought used before with mixed results and know what to expect.
 
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#44
If I can get it new, I’ll do my best to get it new from the manufacturer if it’s currently being produced, but there are specific instruments that I’ve purchased used because I had no choice, or it was vintage. Every experience has been different, and all have been acceptable outcomes. I grabbed a 24 year old Sunburst Godin A4 Fretless for $550 on EvilBay and there was a buzz at “fret” 5 string 1, and he sent me $100 for a leveling. I grabbed a RockBass Alien “B-Stock” for $350 and all it needed was the nut moved over and a new piezo (which I didn’t need because I don’t plug it in). Matching Dean Edge 6 string fretted and fretless had to be bought used.

I guess my answer is “situationally dependent” 😂
 
#46
I'll buy used basses if I want as generally, anything that could be wrong is not that expensive to fix, save for serious neck/fingerboard/truss rod issues, which I know how to avoid.

Never bought used amps; even odds that a little something can easily turn into more money than I paid for it keeps me from doing it. Especially tube amps: I'm lucky in that here in Nashville we have several sources for any and all serious work on SVT's and the like, but the idea of that work, what it costs, and who knows how many tubes to replace would keep me up nights, Nope.

And aside from GenzBenz who made remarkable plans for ongoing service availability on a long-discontinued product line, old faves like SWR or original Trace Eliott and more are a problem in that the bespoke components they used are no longer available, or available as counterfeits. No thanks.

I had a modest collection of old fixed-lens rangefinder 35mm cameras (Yashica 35GTN, Konica Auto S2, Canonets, and the like) and learned to buy two: A mint working example, and a clean donor camera for parts. I think I'd be in that spot with a lot of old amps.
 
#47
The stuff I like (except for the squiers ) can’t be found new.

When I buy an instrument , I don’t ask about the action , I specifically ask “is the truss rod working and is the truss rod nut in good condition “? If you ask these questions , you may never need to return a bass for truss rod issues.
 
#49
I've bought more used than new. I currently have 4 basses the one I bought new is the most disappointing. I just got a used bass set up by my local shop because I couldn't get it right so that increased the price but it's still less than new. I got a couple lemons over the years but more often with new stuff. So far my experience with TB classifieds has been the best, eBay the worst with a number of DOA bits of gear. It truly sucks to have to pay shipping on a return. I've done a fair number of trades as well. I'd love to be able to try out more gear that I see online without buying but there's so much I don't have the opportunity to see in person and even if I find it in a shop it can take days to really get acquainted with an instrument or the shop is not a suitable environment for that process.
I didn't vote because there was no suitable option.
 
#50
smeet said:
I pretty much only buy used. I’ve bought basses I didn’t care for, so I moved them on. The upside is I have a small stable of amazing instruments from Nordstrand, Sadowsky, Marleaux, Mayones, and Lull, that I could NEVER have afforded new.
Click to expand...
This: some brands absolutely. Dingwall, Godin, Ken Smith, Warwick… so many great basses at a discount on the 2ndary market…
 
#53
All my gear has always been used except my basses which I built. Actually, my 6 string Franken fretless in my sig was built from 100% used parts. Always bought low and sold high. Even when I traded, I always traded up. So, I'm a used gear fan.
 
#55
In my possession currently, six basses:

Ibanez SR1346B - bought new, currently needs a bit of filing on two frets
Kiesel Aries 6-string fretless - bought used, had to sand the low B string's saddle to get it intonated, plays great now. Built around 2018 I think
Lākland Skyline 44-02 Deluxe - bought used. Needed only a cleanup and basic adjustments. Built in 2004. Incredible instrument!!
Fender 50s Classic Precision - bought new. Has needed literally nothing beyond basic adjustments. Built in I think 2016. Killer instrument!
Fender Offset Mustang P/J - bought new. Needed neck shim until I upgraded the bridge, needed new string nut. Built in 2020 or 2021. Beautiful and solid instrument
Fender Precision - Bought used lol. Needed compression refretting, needed wiring fix or replacement, needed truss rod nut replacement. Built in 1960 (!!!)

And I've had a few others that were either new or used, and the roughly 50/50 experience of easy playing vs having real issues was the case for them as well. For me, if I can try them out and return in case of initially-unseen major fault, I'll happily go used. My '04 Lākland, which I got in maybe 2022 from Music Go Round, is my 100% favorite for playing live, and is strong in consideration for studio recording.
 
#56
jTrolt said:
What's your experience?
Click to expand...
I’ve bought 5 used basses (plus two new basses) online, sight unseen, and never had an issue. All of them were as advertised, no damage, and truss rods worked fine. I could setup all of their neck relief and string height to my likings. I’ve also had good luck buying dozens of used pedals, a few used amp heads, and a handful of cabs. All used, and all working great.
 
#59
jTrolt said:
What's your experience?
Click to expand...
my experience = none of your poll choices! ;)

all of my axes are are mods/parts-basses, currently, so there's that, but even my past experiences (that include some used instruments) weren't tragedies...it was a different time: shipping used gear all over the country/world wasn't a thing, i.e., i got to see and play anything i was buying used.
 
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