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.
#121
I’ve bought tons of used gear from stores & people on this forum. I’ve had no problems exchanging things that weren’t “as described.”

I’m into boutique gear and a late adopter at that so often times when I decide I want something it’s been discontinued so Used is the only way! I know some hate GC but I’ve never had any problems with them.

I’ve lost out on shipping costs from buying things that had been modified and not disclosed but at this point for as much as I buy I’m ok forgoing the shipping cost if I get the purchase price back.
 
#122
MuseChaser said:
didn't answer the poll. None of the options applied.
Click to expand...
Same. I've been disappointed by both new and used gear.
So if I'm not buying in person, I only buy from places with a solid return policy.

Since I tend to like older/oddball gear, used is often my only option.
The benefit is that when you buy/sell used gear, it's not necessarily going to depreciate during your ownership.
So you can often recoup 100% of what you paid - people buying new rarely have that option.
 
#123
My response would be: "I have, but probably won't again." I've simply never had great luck with instruments I've bought used. Some have had problems, while other simply didn't work that well for me. It's just not worth the hassle.

So I'm not likely to buy anything used, unless it's from GC with its return policy, or a very highly trusted seller. For example, my nearest local shop is also an excellent repair shop, and would correct any issues with instruments they sell. I've been dealing with them for decades, and I'm friends and bandmates with the owner. I would trust that place, but their prices are high IMO, so I'm unlikely to buy from them too.
 
#124
Did not read whole thread, only looked at the #1

I bought three used basses, one guitar and one keyboard and never had an issue, but I always bought locally face to face

Recently got me a guitar combo for 65$, invested one hour to clean pots with contact spray and can't be more happy
 
#125
The voting options really cause the results to show that buying used gear is bad and that the only people who might disagree are those with a financial interest in people purchasing used gear. :rollno:

I've had some mixed experiences with used gear, though mostly positive/fine. I have not received a used instrument with a signficant problem such as stripped hardware, broken truss rod or other fault that required repair upon receiving the instrument. I did have some where I found that the number of dings/signficant scratches was more than indicated by the description of the seller. Those that I can recall purchasing used include:

Ibanez SR5006 - well described, very good condition
Elrick Gold Standard 6 - mint
Rob Allen MB2 5 - mint
Fender CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz - more banged up than description suggested, notably buckle rash
EBMM Stingray 4 - pretty accurate, good condition
Fender MIA Jazz 62RI - don't recall
Dingwall Prima 5 - well used, but description and photos were of the full disclosure variety
Yamaha RBX6 JM - don't recall

Mostly nicer instruments, several of which I regret parting with.
 
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#127
JTNuney said:
Just came here to mention how much I enjoyed this accidental yet very appropriate typo.

“Hey, Bob, did you check the neck relief on that used bass we just took in?”

“Nah, didn’t need to. It’s got a trust rod!” :roflmao:
Click to expand...
I’ve seen worse. Someone meant to type “trust me” but it came out as thrust me.
jTrolt said:
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.
Click to expand...
I can relate. A friend bought a used bass and brought it over to show me. When I tried adjusting the truss rod we realized some previous owner had stripped the truss rod nut and of course the seller didn’t disclose it. Too much relief can be a red flag.

I remember seeing an ad for a vintage bass where the seller said he kept it tuned to Eb. That stood out to me and I wondered if there was a neck/truss rod issue.
 
#130
Nolan Tremblay said:
The voting options really cause the results to show that buying used gear is bad and that the only people who might disagree are those with a financial interest in people purchasing used gear. :rollno:
Click to expand...

Okay.

To clarify:

1> This is my first time setting up a poll here, and I was clearly cranky at the time, so surprise! Subconscious leaning towards blaming the sellers shows up when viewed outside of my frustration. Clearly, I'll have to be more professional about things going forward.

2> Already exposed the rest of the story a page or two back. I was wrong. Still embarrassed about the whole deal.

3> Check the poll stats in post above. I lost my griping rights there, considering 88% of respondents are completely satisfied and running almost trouble free and are reasonably confident when purchasing used. Again, I am wrong.

Conclusion:
Looks like I am in the minority as a buyer who's had a few hiccups purchasing used as of late. Since I am in an isolated area with diverse tastes and ambitions in the instruments and gear I buy, I almost never have the opportunity to get hands on until it's traveled several days to get to me.
Contrary to some responses here, I'm not doing so to hang a boutique instrument around my neck in the hopes of looking cool, implying I'm a pretty lame player if I cannot settle for the plain vanilla gear available locally. (what a sh@@t response, no?)

So, I'd say, if read to the end, it is clear, one should be able to go forth with a reasonable amount of confidence in buying used gear.
Actually glad to hear that, and this was not meant to tear down the sellers. I thought including the line " I'm a seller, and find the OP's reaction to be overblown" was a reasonable nod towards balancing responses. Clearly its inclusion helped nothing, and possibly made it worse?

Clearly, I suck at both buying used gear and conducting polls.
Oh well. I tried.
Sorry for the offensive poll.
Lessons learned.
 
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#133
I couldn’t vote because my preferred answer wasn’t listed: “I have, and will continue to despite having negative experiences.”

For the most part, I’ve learned what to look for and what to ask before hand. Also, I make sure there is some form of recourse if the deal goes South, otherwise I simply move on. Pretty much all of my gear, except for one pedal (3Leaf Doom 2), was purchased used.
 
#134
jTrolt said:
Okay.

To clarify:

1> This is my first time setting up a poll here, and I was clearly cranky at the time, so surprise! Subconscious leaning towards blaming the sellers shows up when viewed outside of my frustration. Clearly, I'll have to be more professional about things going forward.

2> Already exposed the rest of the story a page or two back. I was wrong. Still embarrassed about the whole deal.

3> Check the poll stats in post above. I lost my griping rights there, considering 88% of respondents are completely satisfied and running almost trouble free and are reasonably confident when purchasing used. Again, I am wrong.

Conclusion:
Looks like I am in the minority as a buyer who's had a few hiccups purchasing used as of late. Since I am in an isolated area with diverse tastes and ambitions in the instruments and gear I buy, I almost never have the opportunity to get hands on until it's traveled several days to get to me.
Contrary to some responses here, I'm not doing so to hang a boutique instrument around my neck in the hopes of looking cool, implying I'm a pretty lame player if I cannot settle for the plain vanilla gear available locally. (what a sh@@t response, no?)

So, I'd say, if read to the end, it is clear, one should be able to go forth with a reasonable amount of confidence in buying used gear.
Actually glad to hear that, and this was not meant to tear down the sellers. I thought including the line " I'm a seller, and find the OP's reaction to be overblown" was a reasonable nod towards balancing responses. Clearly its inclusion helped nothing, and possibly made it worse?

Clearly, I suck at both buying used gear and conducting polls.
Oh well. I tried.
Sorry for the offensive poll.
Lessons learned.
Click to expand...
Hey man, my apologies. I see the eye roll/shake head emoji made my comment probably a lot stronger than I intended it to me. I get it, you had a string of back luck with used gear and I took the "I'm a seller, and find the OP's reaction to be overblown" suggesting only a seller, who has a financial interest in people viewing the purchase of used gear positively, would find your reaction overblown. My apologies for the strong wording.

The rest of my comment was simply to say that as a buyer, I haven't had any notable issues.
 
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