I'm not particularly fond of pawn shops but have heard from a few people about some pretty good guitar or amp finds that they came across. So, I decided to check out a shop not far from where I live to see if I could find anything that might appeal to me.
What a terrible experience. When I walked in there were several guitars on the wall, and a couple of amps out front, but nothing even worth taking down or pluggin in. I figured maybe the good stuff is in back and asked one of the women at the counter. She told me that they had several high quality guitars and amps in the back but I could not see them. When I asked why she told me, rudely, they only allow dealers to see what they have, and they don't sell those to the public. What a disappointment. I left wondering how many other pawn shops do business that way. I don't know that I really care to find out after the manner I was spoken to either.

Yes, it did to me too. You would think that they would rather sell those to the public than to a dealer and have to take a lower markup.

I've never seen a pawn shop do business in that way. I have been to several and they had everything out front. The problem I have seen is that they wont negociate prices, and the gear they do have is not usually anyhing more than cheap off-brand equipment. I do run into a Squire from time to time, but never anything really nice. They typically put 3 prices on the item one is current for 60 days. After 60 days the price decreases, and then it does the same after another 60 days. Usually it sells before the last decrease. I would rather buy new if I had to pay anything but the lowest price at these shops.

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I check them out from time to see if I can find a deal. Most of the time they have crap and overpriced crap at that. Still looking for the killer deal though.

RK

eBay killed the pawn shop find. I remember seeing when I was like 14 or 15, an Explorer reissue for $250, but I was broke and had no money at the time, and the money I had went to smoke.

Lat time I saw soemthing decent in a pawn shop, it was an 97 American Std going for $850

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The Pawnshops here in Belfast are terrible. Sometimes I've seen the odd Epi but they are usually wrecked with bowed necks etc. Best after that is Squire but again they havn't been looked after enough to pull the trigger on them.

In terms of amps, pedals, other equipment its all laughable and not worth even being in the same room as.

CC

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99% of pawn shop guitars and amps are overpriced crap. But, I found my '79 Peavey T-60, in perfect condition at a pawn shop for $100. They also had a beat up '79 T-40 bass also for $100. My Dad got the bass for himself. Even beat up, it could sell on ebay for over $200 and my guitar is worth at least $300. It's not the most awesome deal of the century, but it was still a nice find.

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I was looking for a Squier Strat for my girl today and went and looked through all the pawn shops.

I guess I got lucky because they were all willing to make me great deals today!

the best 2 deals of the day?

A Squier Bullet all dinged up that the salesperson was "making me a deal on" for $110

A Martin DM acoustic that the salesperson offered to cut me 20% off on, after the discount it cost $725

SWEEEEEET DEALS!

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I got a black cat bone, I got a mojo too.

In my area you can find some good equiment but they have them priced as if they were new. May sa well go to the Musis shop and buy brand new.

YZF JOE, I live in Vegas too man. I see decent stuff all the time. But I look for lower level stuff to customize, or stuff that Pawn shops just don't know how to price.

Some of my finds here were:

*Yamaha RBX774 active Bass: $165
*Fender Studio 85 amp: $50
*Fender Eighty Five amp: $70
*!996 Hamer Slammer w/ Dimarzio and Duncan pu's: $70 ( as nice as any mid level Fender Strat)
* Fender Hot Rod DeVille 4x10: $300
*B-52 412ata 4x12 cabinet: $120 (believe it or not, these are sweet speakers)

And that's just some of the stuff I kept.

I don't go into a pawn shop with the idea of looking for any high end Fenders or Gibsons. You're better off buying new in that case. They will price them as such.

Pawn shops in Vegas are awesome. But you have to keep on them often. Good deals get snagged up pretty fast. When it came to buying the Bass, I didn't know much about it. But after some research, I found out they were being sold new at the time for $700-$800. Then I went back and bought it to use as a studio recording bass.

http://xrl.us/bf3nbg

You have to catch them making mistakes.

Pawn shops rarely, if ever, take parts and pickups in account. If I see a Squier Affinity with Duncans or DiMarzio pu's. I can buy it for $50-$70, swap the pickups for stock, and sell the guitar for what I bought it for. Free Pickups. Or vice-verse, sell the pu's on ebay, free guitar, and they paid me to take it off their hands. You can get 2-3x's what you paid for the guitar depending on the pickups. I've been doing it for years. This last time around, I decided to keep 2 loaded guitars and keep them for gigging. One of them being the Hamer.







That's the culmination of two guitars bought for a total of $120. The other guitar turned into a Parts-caster.



Two of the Duncan pickups came out of this guitar. The other one was already in the Hamer. New pots and switches, and the Hamer is a smooth running machine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vztitLAnhSg

Me playing the Hamer at Wasted Space at The Hard Rock.

Incidentally, I'm playing through a Roland JC-50 that I bought at EZ-Pawn for dirt cheap too.

Damn man..I love pawn shops!!

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I know pawn shops where you have to ask to see the good stuff. My experience is that they know what they got, so the prices are always a little high -- because they know people will negotiate a lower price. Also, most of the pawn shop items are beat to crap. I remember one had a pretty cool Gibson Les Paul Custom that was in horrible condition. How much for this one? $3000. Huh? You can keep it, man.

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I hate to sound like a snob...but I won't buy from a pawn shop. I just don't trust them, plus...I like having the warranty on my gear. Plus around here they are very shady...I saw how they wanted $500 for a Squier Affinity Strat...I have one which I really love and bought new for $180...so you know the rest of the story. Plus here(Columbus GA) they screw over the Soldiers any chance they get.

Las Vegas should be good for pawn shops, Chicago is pretty good too I saw a american standard p-bass for 900. and in the same shop a mexican p-bass a little older much better sounding for 200., go figure, so I talk to the guy 'cause I see Guitars behind the glass he lets me look at a few vintage Vs, killer hybrids, gold tops, strats mex and american, tele's and I'm asking how much and he says "these are on loan and if the guys don't make a payment next month they belong to me so come back next month". Thats brutal Bro. You can buy there but hang on to your gear unless its a real emergency.

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

Well the shops talked about at the start of the post probably have a deal with a few guys and now what to look for to hold, as I have never seen anything like that in N.Y. I have mentioned a few times about a friend who drives a tow truck who had found some great axes like a Custon shop Strat, Les Paul Custom and a nice Rickenbacker. But got hooked on drugs and sold them all back.

I personally have never found anything worth while, and it has been years since I even went in one. Shredd, great thinking there my man.

I live in an Army town, so they're are a LOT of pawnshops. One of them had a decent faded SG, but there was no price tag, and that same day their was a Nashville Tele on the wall next to it for (if I remember correctly) $750. Then, as now, I don't know fair price on a Nashville Tele.

My wife and I visited another pawn shop on Saturday, and these tools were asking $350 for a used Epiphone Faded Dot Studio...which I or anyone else can get for $300 NEW! Conversely, their amp prices seemed to be where I'd expect them.

Local to me here in Fayetteville, NC we have Edwards Music, Music & Arts, and right over in Hope Mills, Sandhills Music. I've had very pleasant dealings with all three. And if I need to visit a "big box" instrument retailer, I'll visit the GC or Sam Ash.

Pawnshops are for guns!