Instrument purchase stories!

[Darrell Criswell]

I am sure everybody has a story on getting a "steal" on a used guitar or other musical instrument. Oftentimes people don't know what they are selling or just need/want to get rid of the instrument.

Please tell us your best story!

[Samuel Phillippe]

A guuitar partner told me I should buy a Pedal Steel Guitar because they are easy to play and would fit in our venue.
well little did I know of how much they cost..... told him I would buy one if a good deal came along.....He kept bugging me and finally I said if you know of one I'll look at it, as if i knew what I was doing.

He picked me up one afternoon and took me to and old geesers house wtih guitars everywhere. He took me up to his attic (again loaded with guitar crap) and pointed to a wooden case, said there it is......I opened the case and thoght how do I put this together and I wonder how much.

Made him an offer of $400 he said give me 5 and it's yours.... This was the beginning of my psg story and my new BMI....well to me.

Well here it is 4 months later and just started really learning how simple it is...(LOL) a whole lot of time and learning to get the thing in playable shape..... BUT THANKS to this forum and a whole bunch of guys intsructing me on the clean up, repair and tuning issues.

Yup $500 and having a ball....oh yea, spent another 500 on an amp a another couple of bills on volume pedal, preamp and reverb/delay pedal.... now if I would just try learning more on playing and stop looking at what I'm suppose to need I might save some money'

Sam

[Darrell Criswell]

I was in a thrift store a couple of months ago and saw/bought a Classic Vibe Stratocaster on the shelves for $12.95. I am almost certain they thought it was a First Act guitar. The guitar was in mint condition but without case. I have asked before about prices I thought were too low and they always tell me the price listed is the price they are selling it for.

I also bought a BMI single neck in 1980 for 500 also. It was a good deal then.

[Jim Kennedy]

20 years ago I finally decided to take the plunge. I started asking around and found an old timer who was selling a Shobud guitar. He was asking 400 dollars. For that price I assumed it was a Maverick, or just really beat up. Turned out to an be earl 80's Pro 1 3 & 2 in good playable condition. At that time 900 to 1200 dollars was the going price here on the forum. Not wanting to take advantage of an old musician tethered to an oxygen tank, I told him what his guitar was worth."Are you going to play it," he asked. I replied in the affirmative and he let me have it for 400 dollars. Still playing it. He also had a Webb amp that was a steel at 600 dollars. I didn't have the money, but one of my band mates bought it.

[Jim Fogle]

During the late 1980's I was in a warehouse store similar to Sam's or Costco and came across a Casio DG-20 midi guitar on closeout for $89.00.

The DG-20 is a midi guitar controller with four built-in drum pads. It has a five pin midi out as well as a 1/4" TS jack that outputs the audio from a a FM synthesizer that is general midi (GM) compatible.

I kept and used the controller until 2011 when I sold it for $400.

[Ian Rae]

About 30 years ago I spotted an old beat-up no-name D10 hidden away in the corner of a store that mostly dealt in brass and woodwind. I offered them the equivalent of about $300 and they took it. It had few strings and there was stuff missing underneath, but I got it breathing and my journey began.

It's only in the last ten years that I've had time to take it seriously, but it's all down to that one piece of dumb luck!

[Donny Hinson]

I've seen someone buy a guitar, and then sell it an hour later for over 3 times what he paid. Was that a "steal"? Yes, in every sense of the word.

To each his own, but I have a conscience, and it doesn't allow me to do things like that.

[Jack Hanson]

These two tall tales are all about amplifiers, not guitars.

In my first junior high school band, our bassist's uncle worked for a large insurance company. The company took possession of two amps that were involved in a touring group's fatal car wreck, and it was uncle's job to dispose of them. We went to the office to check 'em out, and I submitted winning bids of $100.00 and $75.00 respectively for a nearly new (circa 1965) Ampeg B-12XT Portaflex, and a Fender Tremolux piggyback, both of which are still going strong almost 60 years later.

Fast forward a couple decades. My ex was a minion with Republic Airlines, who a couple times each year held sales in their cafeteria of stuff passengers had forgotten on aircraft, lost and abandoned airfreight, insurance claims, etc. I walked out of one sale with a nearly new Polytone Mini-Brute II, complete with road case, for $100.00. I discovered shortly thereafter that the amp once belonged to Joe Pass. It missed his return flight from MSP to LGA, and was sent on the next available aircraft, but not before Joe had filed a claim. He told 'em "I don't want it back, just give me the money, the company will send me another amp." The Polytone is a fine pedal steel amp for smaller venues. I used it frequently for clubwork throughout the '80s and '90s, and it still gets fired up on occasion. Great little amp.

[scott murray]

in 1996 I acquired my first pedal steel, a BMI S-10 with 3x4 which included a Nashville 400 amp... all for $400

[Justin Emmert]

When I originally got the pedal steel itch, I remembered an old band mate had one that he never really learned to play. I called him up and asked if he still had it and was looking to sell. I ended up buying his mint Carter Starter for $200. 6 months or so later, I sold the Carter Starter for $800 and upgraded to a used Emmons. These days I’m on a Mullen G2 with a MSA Legend XL on order.

Recently I helped a friend list and price out her brothers estate (guitars, amps, etc.). I ended up buying a 90’s USA made Vintage ‘58 Tele Reissue for $700. It was a good deal.

[Tony Prior]

LOL- My best story. and its TRUE---

years back, like maybe 2002 or 2003. I was asked to join a group but didn't own a Tele at the time. I did have a Carter D10 and a Strat. I went to a guitar show with a good friend to specifically buy another Tele, there was maybe 2 or 3 in the entire show and I didn't really like them.

So after about 2 or 3 hours of wandering around my friend and I headed out. On the way out a guy is walking in holding a 52 RI , he walks right up to us and says, are you interested in a Tele ? Before I could answer, a dealer takes it out of his hands and starts looking it over, he did NOT make an offer. The guy wanted $800.

The dealer was just kinda thinking about it or whatever, said nothing to the owner. I asked if I could see it. HE HANDS IT TO ME. I immediately checked it out and and decided it was for me. I asked the owner if it was still for sale, he said yes, $800- I said sold The dealer said nothing, he just stood there. I handed over $800 and the guy also gives me the tweed case.

My friend told me I took the guitar from the dealer before he made an offer, I said NO, he handed me the guitar and said nothing. He gave up his position, he never made an offer. I made the offer to buy within 1 min. Too bad for the dealer, who was probably going to offer $600 anyway.

The interesting thing here is that we were on our way OUT and the guy walks right up to US holding the guitar ! Its like he knew I wanted a nice Tele. My friend and I talk about this now and then and laugh.

Here's the guitar, a 1989/ 52 RI , it became my primary guitar for almost 20 years. It became the reference for all other tele purchases I have made since then.

Over the years, fret dressings, pup changes, several saddle changes, POT changes, selector switches etc...

[Lee Baucum]

In about 1973 or so there was a classified ad (remember those?) in our local newspaper.

Martin Guitar - $50

On the way over to the location, with cash in my pocket, the guitar got older and more ornate with every mile.

As I got closer, I was pretty sure it was an old D-45.

It ended up being a little 1930 O-18 parlor guitar. A little rough, but very playable.

I still have it and it still sounds great.

~Lee

[Larry Jamieson]

In 1973 I walked into Zampi's House of Music in Vestal, NY. On the floor was a brand new MSA Semi-Classic S10, 3 pedals and 1 knee which lowered the Es. I knew nothing about steel at that point but had always thought about buying one. The price was $1,000.00. I asked the sales clerk if they could do any better.
"Here's the story," he said. "We bought that about a year ago. We had an employee who was going to learn to play it, give lessons, and help us sell a bunch of them. He left shortly after we bought it." He said he was ready to move it and offered it to me for $500. I couldn't get my wallet out fast enough...

[Brint Hannay]

In 1974 I was playing a Gibson SG and decided I wanted a Stratocaster. In those days there was a weekly booklet called the Want Ad you could pick up wherever, and I scoured the Musical Instruments section each week. I ran across a listing that said something like "Fender electric guitar $200". I called the number and the woman said they were selling the guitar for their son who was away at college. I asked for more info about the guitar and she was able to tell me it was a Stratocaster and it looked pretty old.

Back then nobody was talking about "vintage" electric guitars (except maybe George Gruhn), but everybody wanted "pre-CBS" Fenders. It turned out this guitar was at a farmhouse way out in rural Northern Virginia. When I got there I found it was indeed a '63 Strat, rosewood board, all original, with a lot of wear on the body but very little on the neck. The going price for a '60s pre-CBS Strat was $350 (!). I bonded with it immediately, and concealed my excitement. When the guy's mother asked if I wanted it, I said "Wellll, I don't know, it's pretty beat up." She said "Okay, he said we could go down to 180." I agreed to that, mock-grudgingly.
I still have it--great guitar. It was a steal then, but of course I had no idea what the cash value would come to later!!!