[thechat] Guitars

[Luther, Ron]

Roger Austin noted:

>>These days, go to a pawn shop to see what they have. You can get some
>>really nice equipment since many people are pawning instruments. 


Hi Roger,

Good Point! ... But I would point out that it also puts more 'caveat emptor' onus on the buyer.

I've seen some nice used guitars in pawn shops as well as in normal music stores.  I've also seen a few pawn shops, locally, that have knowledgeable setup and repair staff!  However, that seems to be quite the rare exception.

I've been in pawn shops up north where the folks knew absolutely nothing about guitars.  Where half the guitars in the shop were missing at least one string (and the rest were 'dead').  Where necks were warped to the point where I was scared whether the truss rod had enough play left to bring them back to 'true'.  Guitars that had obviously been stored in unheated back rooms.  Just sad stuff.

So yeah, you can get a good deal in a pawn shop ... but you really have to be careful, you have to know what to look for, and you have to be on your toes. You also have to know what the value of *that* guitar should be - because just being in a pawn shop doesn't automagically make it a good deal or a lower price than what a 'new' store would charge.

Now if Jack could drag some 'gearhead' guitar buddies go with him through a few pawn shops (like *that* would take much arm twisting!) ... then that might be worth a Saturday.  It would be big fun hanging out anyway.

Good Luck,
RonL.