by Gregor Arkady

Created on: March 21, 2009

Who doesn't love the feeling of picking up a vintage instrument and strumming a chord or picking out a melody, knowing that at least one other person has done the same thing before? Personally, I can't think of anything I like better than going down to the little used guitar shop in town and seeing what he's got in this week, trying to find some funky old Japanese relic or drooling over a vintage Gibson or Fender in pristine condition... then suffering a mild heart attack when I see the price.

My article will be focussing primarily on the purchasing of used electric, acoustic and bass guitars, as well as touching on amplifiers. This is simply because this is where my expertise lies. First, a little background about me: I am a 20 year old University student, and I have been playing various stringed instruments for 9 years. Of the 10 instruments I own (a modest little collection of basses, electric and acoustic guitars) I bought four new, and one of those was the first bass I ever owned (which still works fine and I still use regularly).

I would rather buy used than new, simply because I prefer the feeling of an instrument that has already been around the block a few times. For instance, the fretboard edges have usually been worn smooth of any rough edges, making the guitar much more comfortable to play. There's usually some degree of damage to the finish, which makes me feel much better about wearing a big belt buckle or a studded belt. If a finish is already scuffed up and a little battered, what does it matter if I do any more damage? Lastly, buying used is a great way to get incredible bargains on instruments, such as the 1992 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature strat I picked up for just over a thousand bucks, which sell new for significantly more.

I've also had the amazing fortune of finding real bargains, such as the Saga II Les Paul copy I bought used for $125, which quickly became my staple for humbucker songs (my other electric is a Gibson SG Classic, equipped with P-90s). An equivalent to this guitar would be an Epiphone Les Paul Classic (or whatever the name of the model is with the maple top), only I paid roughly one third of the price. Thank you Japanese knockoffs. Lastly, I was able to get a fantastic sounding Ampeg bass cabinet and a Fender bass head for $500 or so, which is about the same as the Ampeg cabinet alone would have cost new, and I also picked up a nice old 90 watt Fender guitar amp for about $300, roughly half what an equivalent amp would sell

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