nuff said.

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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal

Some practical advice for purchasing guitars on Craigslist.

Guitars. I love guitars and think everyone should own and play one. But before you buy one, I'd like to offer you some practical information.
Many manufacturers have 3 levels in their product line. Domestic, Import and Budget. Example; The Fender American series is it's top of the line pro series. Imports would be guitars from Mexico Japan and Korea bearing the Fender brand. Budgets would be the Squire line. This means the very best Squire has less resale value than the most basic Mexican Fender. The grim reality is that import Fenders lose about 50% of their value the minute you pay for them. Sounds harsh, but if your Mexican Strat was 400 dollars and you try to sell it for $300, many buyers are willing to pay the extra hundred dollars to have a new, in box guitar. Budget guitars lose about 60% of their value. And this is only the higher end Squires. Affinity Series Squires are almost not resalable. The New-in-box price is so low, very few people would be willing to settle for a used instrument.

Buyers, do not be fooled! Squires do not bear the Fender logo for a reason. If a guitar is listed as a Fender, it should say Fender on the Headstock. Insist on a clear picture of the headstock. Many sellers try to deceive buyers by using the Fender name to describe a Squire. Steer clear of these sellers.

Another brand frequently lied about is Takamine. A domestic Takamine is a fine, pro level guitar made in Japan. It is instantly recognizable by It's slim head stock. Fatter head stocks indicate a G Series import. They should sell for much less. A Jasmine is the least expensive of the line, and again, the new-in-box price is so low, these should be VERY cheap.

So, here are a few hierarchies to remember.

• Fender Custom Shop > Fender American > Fender Import > Squire > Affinity Squire
• Takamine > Takamine G Series > Jasmine
• Adamas > Ovation Custom > Ovation > Ovation Celebrity > Applause
• Gibson > Epiphone
• Hamer USA > Hamer XT > Slammer
• ESP > LTD
• Warwick > Rockbass
  

And one more thing. If the guitar is strat copy made in China, in my opinion, these are pretty much the same guitar, whether they say Squire, Slammer, Dean, Peavey, Epiphone, Jay Turser, Arbor, Piece Of Crap or any of a hundreds of names. Don't pay a lot for a used Chinese strat, as these can usually be had new for less than 100 dollars.

And this whole post assumes the guitar is in like new condition. Demand discounts for scratches, dings, discolorations and missing accessories. If the strat doesn't have a whammy bar (it came with one) a replacement is about 10 bucks, plus your time and travel. Demand a discount. Same with pick guards on Gibson style instruments.

I also suggest Cash only transactions and meeting in a public place. I bought a small battery powered amp for testing guitars in the Starbucks parking lot.

Hope this helps. I'll add to this post as things occur to me.
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And that's enough for now.

Brian Norwood

Platypi Online: The Platypus Portal