Hi all, just to start off I have a '04 MIM fender strat which plays well but recently played a MIA at the local GC and I fell in love. The only downside is the price tag. So where can I get a nice deal on a used American Strat? I definately want it to be MIA they feel so much better and sound better too. I was thinking Ebay but is it safe to buy a guitar there? Has anyone here bought a guitar from ebay?

I'd check with music shops in your area first. You'll get to play it and see how it feels and sounds first.

Next, I'd check www.craigslist.org

I've been burned too many times to trust eBay!

Good luck!

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I've made several purchases on ebay with no problem. Just do your homework and know what you're bidding on. However, I've been seeing some crazy deals on craigslist.com lately. You can usually go and check out the guitar locally before you buy it. If you have any independent guitar shops around your area, that's a great place to look also. Pawn shops are way too expensive these days because of the internet.

If you're considering buying on ebay make sure that you check the seller's customer satisfaction record for sales not their buying record.What some unscrupulous sellers will do is establish an excellent buying record and put that in their profile people wiil think that's the selling record and buy from them getting burned.Check out your local music stores aas many of them will take in slightly used guitars on trade.Whatever you think about buying post pics serial No. etc. on the forum to get advice from the resident experts.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Troll craigslist for a couple weeks and youre bound to find something. People need money more than gear right now and they are selling for CHEAP. Moreover, you can acctually see and play the guitar (if the seller allows) before you buy it, which is not possible with ebay.

An otherwise bright side to the current recession.



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Every guitar is different, unless you can put your hands on it you are throwing the dice to get a good one.

craigslist is at least local and you can mean and play the guitar first.....assuming it's not stolen.

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Marriage is like playing cards...

At first all you want are Hearts and Diamonds.

But in the end, all you really want is a Club and a Spade.

hey Bigjo i tried to pm you but it doesnt work.I dont know if im allowed to do this but i have a American Deluxe ash 08 model that is 100% brand new.I cant keep it. let me know.

Well redsoxfan, I would love to jump all over that guitar but I would keep you waiting because I don't have the money for it right now, my car needed new tires and electrical work so I was thinking about saving for a MIA strat. again I would love to but maybe you can post it here and I am sure that there will be a bunch of people here who would go for it. I'm sorry.

No worries.am i allowed to post it here?I dont want to offend anyone. If so how do I do it?
thanks

it is against the rules to post anything for sale on the forums.

I've never actually bought one of these myself but some guitar shops sell blemished guitars (stamped USED on back of the headstock) at good discounts.

I was in Sarasota on vacation recently and stopped in a small guitar shop that sells these. They had a $230 Squier Standard strat for $140. I'm certainly no expert by any stretch but I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I'm kicking myself for not buying it.

Anyway that may be a good route to find a great guitar for less.

Most factory seconds are very good playable guitars with slight and sometimes almost invisible cosmetic imperfections.One of my daughters worked at the Local Gibson factory(while it lasted)and they would often get seconds from other companies for some reason or other.One day she came home with a MIC Strat like no name brand that she bought for $50 at the plant and gave it to me for Father's Day.It had a slight blemish at the neck pocket but other than that is a surprisingly good guitar and has an unbelievabley great sound-very Strat like.There are bargains to be had everywhere if you're vigilant and careful you may pick up a great deal.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Hey Redsoxfan, I'm interested in your guitar, please shoot me an email at chung_m1@denison.edu.

i would try local guitar place first then craiglists. I bought a gibson j-45 on ebay. I asked a load of questions asking is this a real gibson, was it made in america, is there any cracks to the body, is the neck straight etc. I took it to my local guitar shop after i bought it and they confirmed it was a real american gibson. The reason i asked these questions because if the seller of the item lies when answer questions on ebay/paypal will give you your money back.

Also when on ebay look at the sellers rating. If its less then 100 (unless a large store like straosphere) then that is a negative. Just be really careful and ask alot of questions