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  • Thread starter Thread starter Fordman65
  • Start date Start date

Do you tend to buy guitars New or Used

  • I mainly buy New

    Votes: 27 39.1%

  • I mainly buy Used

    Votes: 42 60.9%
  • Total voters
    69
Not me, last one was in 2005 and I still kick myself in the ass for that one.
The used market is just full of great guitars and the prices on new high-end instruments is insane.
I'll say it again, I don't think ANY guitar is worth more than 3K, I don't care how well it is made.
 
Yep. Bought 4 new Historic RI LPs this year... and a Suhr Classic. All new.

Not opposed to buying used... but all the stars have to align. Price, specs, seller, et al. I'm picky... and I need to like the guitar more so than just the price. Buying, selling, trading used gear is not like it was 10 or even 5 years ago.
 
Fordman65":2mt6r4mp said:
I'm looking at a limited run, 2017 58' reissue LP with slight flame for $3,795 brand new.
Click to expand...

If you haven't seen it there's a good deal on a 2017 R9 on Reverb:

https://reverb.com/item/8212986-2017-gi ... oric-specs

It think it's listed below current market ask due to the meh top and "CME Serial #"... but if it's like any of my 2017 RIs or the others I've played... it probably sounds pretty good. ;)
 
This is a really interesting question and probably one we are all torn with. I think for me it is a trust issue with finding a good buyer. I honestly don't care if a guitar is all brand new and nice looking because I like a guitar to look like it has been played. As mentioned though, guitar prices are ridiculous. I'd love to get one of those Gibson HP Les Pauls but they are about $3500.
 
Disregarding Custom Shop guitars I spec myself, I buy new when the price is right for the right guitar. Otherwise I go used..
 
I think I have only ever bought 1 new guitar and that was earlier this year.
 
I don't. Last one I bought new I took a beating on at resale. There are tons of used guitars in mint condition out there at good prices. I prefer to let someone else take the loss at this point.
 
I’ve only bought three guitars in the last 4 years and they were all new. Not really a preference, just how the chips fell with those guitars. There are so many good used guitars out there it’s sometimes hard to justify buying new unless it’s custom spec. Dealing with the hassles and flakes can certainly be a deterrent.
 
I haven’t bought a “new” guitar in over 30 years.
I’ve never bought a “new” amp in 35 years of playing guitar.

When I started playing guitar, early 80’s, the pawn shops were full of old plexi Marshalls. I started there. I’ve always had killer rigs/tone.

I found my current Friedman local for a trade deal and my 6505+ used NOS for $650. Some guy bought it for a backup and never even opened the box.

Got my Mesa MKIV for $850. I could go on for hours about the silly deals I’ve pulled over the years. Old stock plexi’s. Multiple modded plexi’s in the late 80’s. Etc.
 
I have no problem buying used from someone I trust- otherwise, due to the challenges and bs mentioned - I actually prefer buying new now.
 
I had a bunch of stuff custom built for me,and then switched from buying guitars to amps.
 
I have only ever bought 2 guitars brand new. Both were in 1992. One was a 1991 gibson les paul standard and the other was an Ibanez RG760....every guitar since has been used
 
Mainly used, however:

I've bought a couple of NEW guitars in 2017 even...a LTD Lynch Sig and a LTD Hetfield SIg...but mainly because I had coupons or discounts for extra $100 off both times...and couple discounted NOS Charvel MIMs.

All from stores I trust and these are basically well established brands so expect the guitars to be in good shape.

Prior to that the last new guitar I bought was probably 99 or 2k when I bought my ESP Sig KH1.... now seems to fetch more on the used market than I paid new.
 
I've owned a ton of guitars over the years, new, used, cheap, expensive. To this day, my favorite memory was when I was an airman in the Air Force and didn't have a lot of money but was able to buy a brand new 1993 Gibson Les Paul Studio in ebony from a guitar store. It meant more because at the time I had to save up. I still remember that like yesterday. I got up early on a Saturday to be there when they opened and listened to Black Sabbath in my car all the way there. I loved that guitar!

Years later my wife accidentally knocked it over with a laundry basket and put a big chip in the nut. That started my never ending search for more guitars. LOL!
 
I still do both, although if I'm buying new, it's usually because I got a good discount on it.
 
I'm not opposed to buying used, and do it occasionally,...but I buy new most of the time. When buying a custom shop guitar for instance it's necessary for me. And, other new guitars I just got crazy good deals where buying new was more appealing. Sometimes, it's just not a big deal for me to buy new even though I can get a better deal used. For instance, I've got two Suhr Modern Satins that I bought new and you can generally pick them up used between $1400-$1500 fairly easy. I got my first one on a whim and figured I'd send it back but fell in love with it...so much so, I got another one. Didn't pay full price of course. Between $1700-$1800 for each respectively, which included a G&G hardshell case. I knew I'd get hurt on the resale, but wasn't concerned as I knew they'd be the ones I'd never want to get rid of, and today I still feel like they are here to stay. Got a couple of PRS S2 Satins that I bought new....they both sold for $1000-$1100 new, but got them both for about $700 each...so I figured why not new?
 
I haven't bought new for quite some time now. There are so many amazing guitars & deals out there. People generally look after premium gear as well so any cosmetic damage is usually pretty minor.
I think it's interesting that the larger guitar companies have a continuous demand to build new standard instruments. I guess there are still a lot of people out there going into shops & buying new guitars off the shelf. The finance options in shops probably help to maintain that demand.
 
I pretty much only buy used, but I do my best to play them first. I don't flip much, but every now and then I'll buy something that seems nice at first and then I change my mind after giving it more time, so its usually easy to get my money back out of it. And like someone else said, new high end guitars are so expensive these days.

I recently picked up an all-maple Taylor 616ce acoustic for $1700. It didn't have 1 single mark on it. Literally zero sign of ever being played. I looked around online and couldn't find a new one for under $3499. Just didn't make sense to buy new.
 
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