The Pawn Shop...

#21
Tom Bomb said:
U-BOX has paid dividends for this little black duck. Something like this'll only set you back US $600 odd - It's graded at (A), so it'll be virtually unblemished - straight out of the fujigen factory, with an OHC. Hold me back ! :hyper: I really love these basses :thumbsup:

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Wow, other than the name on the headstock, that's a Fujigen Neo-Classic 3TS and nothing but. Yummy!!! :smug:
 
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#22
In my area 10 years ago was great for used in Music Shops or Pawn Shops but now everyone sells privately on Craigslist, or ebay. Why sell something to a shop for $200 so they can sell it for $600 when you can put it on Craigslist and sell it for $600. Now the used Music Shops have very little and they price market value, no more G&L's for $200-300 like I use to see. (Sorry @twinjet they use to be that price and you missed it. :crying: )
Last Saturday I went to seven Music Shops in my area to look around and they have very little used inventory and what they had was low level old gear, not three or four year old amps and cabs like they use to have.
Check Craigslist and holy cow they have a lot of nice gear. Though not supper cheap.
 
#23
Bigpig said:
Wow, other than the name on the headstock, that's a Fujigen Neo-Classic 3TS and nothing but. Yummy!!! :smug:
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Ain't that sumthin'? And that's some very nice old growth hard maple from the Great Lakes too - icing on the cake :)

Love how the Japanese translates. Takes a bit of getting used to :)
SH-BJ4 is used available from history!

Hard maple neck alder body, rosewood fingerboard specification.
Basic and the traditional jazz-based specification, it is the one that represents the basic jazz bass sound that does not choose to play genre. Adopted Circle fretting system of domestic FujiGen manufacturing unique. Polished until every corner, it is a high-cost performance model!

But dull with the status quo metal parts you can see,
Others are especially conspicuous scratch no beautiful goods.

Condition on the performance is also good!

The rest of the truss rod: half or more
The rest of the fret: around 90%

Weight: 4kg
Serial number: A111193
Warranty: 6 months
Accessories: genuine hard case
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This little Heritage Wood logo, or something similar on the older ones, is the green light :woot:

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#24
I've a long history scouring pawn shops for high end guitars and basses, high end fishing gear and specific guns. Yes, eBay et al changed much of that however I've created good relationships with pawn brokers all over to the point that they call me to put a number ($$$) on highend gear when it comes in (which is essentially a "buy bid" much like a car dealership gets from a wholesaler upon someone trading in an oddball vehicle). So, I get 1st crack at a lot of choice gear. If I tell them that "Bass A" is worth $X.XX and that I'll pay $Y.YY, if it comes out of pawn after 90 days its mine! I'm sure if my number is $1500, then they offer the customer $600-700 and pocket the rest when I wire them funds and they ship to me. I've a large collection of basses and a few highend guitars due to that (+ eBay etc).
 
#25
I grew up in Columbus and I've been to Uncle Sam's many times. Good to see it's still a local institution.

But even back in the 70's and 80's they were very savvy about the actual street value of items and bonafide deals were few and far between there and at most pawnshops. I haven't looked for a deal in a pawnshop for decades. You're more likely to find a great deal at eBay, MusicGoRound, Reverb, et. al.

However, there is a cultural belief with some pawnshop employees that if they can sell to the first customer of the day they will be blessed with good luck the rest of the day. So pop in when they first open their doors in the morning and you might be able to actually haggle and name your (reasonable) price. It's happened to me a couple of times.
 
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#26
Sadly, post internet pawnshops aren't the gold mine they once were for a savvy buyer. Blue book and internet killed all that. Best deals are if you are an insider with the owner these days, as mentioned above.
 
#27
Tom Bomb said:
Ain't that sumthin'? And that's some very nice old growth hard maple from the Great Lakes too - icing on the cake :)

Love how the Japanese translates. Takes a bit of getting used to :)

This little Heritage Wood logo, or something similar on the older ones, is the green light :woot:

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That, and the CFS marker, which is the other Fujigen tell. Very cool find!
 
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#29
Haven't you folks heard of kijiji ? It's an affiliate of eBay, and it's free. You can find all kinds of great deals on just about anything in the world. I've picked up a lot of things through it, from tape decks to guitars. You get to meet the seller, since all transactions are personal. I've met some really interesting people through it, too. Got pawnshops beat hollow, IMO.
 
#30
oldfartatplay said:
Haven't you folks heard of kijiji ? It's an affiliate of eBay, and it's free. You can find all kinds of great deals on just about anything in the world. I've picked up a lot of things through it, from tape decks to guitars. You get to meet the seller, since all transactions are personal. I've met some really interesting people through it, too. Got pawnshops beat hollow, IMO.
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Just Googled it...is there no Kijiji in the USA? Or did I just miss it?

Apparently it's huge in Canada.
 
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#32
brianmharrison said:
Nice! Never heard of them. Do you order them direct for the website?
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Yeah, you do. They did have an ebay store for a while but I never used it. I haven't done this in quite a while and I had a more cosy method, once upon a time. Sadly, the old international staff moved on - I miss those guys - but Hiroaki san, if he's still there, is an excellent chap. They have two sites but the one linked above has a special e-mail service for us folk. Right side, down the page a little - look for the blue "Product Inquiry."

The other one is for English speakers. Not so much detail there so I choose to haunt the domestic realm instead :) I haven't done this but hard core users make use of a text-only section - I can't remember where that is - where some real bargains can be found - when the stock first arrives, before the pics and the full write-up gets done. These guys must move a lot of stock :woot:
 
#33
Generally the deals you find are on basses that their value can't be determined by 5-10 minutes online.
Often I've found higher end basses priced low because there is a lower end model or imported model at a much lower price and it takes a little knowledge to determine.
 
#37
I just heard of an old music store near me. Supposed to be chock full of old instruments - doesn't even have a web site, other than a skeleton site set up four years ago and never completed. Sounds like it could be a diamond in the rough.

Will report back later this week. Maybe a journey back to the past.
 
#38
Getting a super deal depends on one party to the deal not having access to good information. Those days are largely gone.

The real savvy pawn shops (and most of them are if they're still in business) have a link with the big dealers like CMI in case a real gem shows up. A lot of area and regional used and "vintage" dealers have also set up arrangements with the pawn shops in the area that see a lot of instrument traffic. Those are the guys who usually get first dibs.

Last time I was in a pawn shop, the counterman pulled out a "want list" when a guy tried to unload a nice looking current model strat. He looked it over, checked the list, walked in back with it for about 5 minutes (probably made a phone call or checked the web) and then came back out and handed it back. Asked the guy what he wanted for it. Guy gave them a number. They told him they weren't interested. Didn't even try to dicker. End of discussion.
 
#40
Most pawn shops around here have overpriced junk, but there are still some gems to be had if you're patient. I spotted an M6 Carbine in a pawn shop in the middle of nowhere for $800 about two years ago. I went back nearly a year later and asked what the price was, and the clerk told me $400. I nearly tweaked my back reaching for my wallet at that velocity...
 
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