Conference napalm::guitar

    A friend of mine picked up a 1970 Fender Strat (natural finish) in near
    perfect condition for $300. Some guy needed a down payment for a Harley
    or something like that. I've been looking for one since the first time
    I played it and haven't found any deals close to that.
    
    						Steve
    ps. does anyone know of any Strats like it for sale? I NEED one!

       Generally, I think if you can pick up and instrument or whatever
    for at *least* 50% off of list; you're getting in the excellent
    range for buying. (for new items)
       Then again, my friend picked up a Tama wood shell Kick Drum for
    $20 bucks at a yard sale - Near mint condition!
    
    /J

    My best buys were:
    
    A) Buckleys' Road Flare Red Ibanez RG550 - $250
    B) Rack mount compressor AND a 32 socket patch bay - $90
    C) Alans 8 space anvil rack, which I haven't paid him for yet - $75 ;)
    D) Charvel Model 2 - $150 (I think??)
    
    jc

    Worst deals:
    
    -Kitty Hawk M3
    -Kitty Hawk Quattro
    -Les Paul Deluxe, Great axe, but I paid too much...But I love it.

    
    Hmmm, some of mine...
    
    '61 Les Paul Special          $90
    '60's Gibson L4                -0-
    '70's Goldtop + '70's Twin    $500
    '60's Melody Maker            $125
    
    Kevin 
    
    
    
    
    
    

    
    
       My 63 Telecaster.....$130
          
    
    
    
    
    RichC
    

    new Kitty Hawk M1 - $200
    new Ibanez RG550  - $400
    used Fender Mustang - free
    used VOX amp        - free
    
    Mike

    Marshall 4x12 slant cab w/25wt celestions...$150.00
    
    Those were the days...
    B.

    1980 Mesa Boogie Mark IIB - $700 or so (this was when most guitarists
    hadn't heard of them and the rest had ONLY "heard of" them but never
    seen one).  The guy that took the order suggested, only half-jokingly,
    that this could have been the first one in NH, but frankly I doubt that
    
    I was about to give up the guitar at that point and needed something
    to stimulate my waning interest.
    
    Since then???  Well, now there are so many guitarists, and so MANY fun
    things for keyboardists to do nowadays  that I don't play nearly as
    much guitar as I used to.  My chops have definitely suffered.

    My best buys...
    
    '85 - Ibanez LP copy $50 (it needed some work, but played good)
        - Hiwatt 100wt tube 1x12 combo w/EV12L $200
    '89 - Korg DDD-5 drum machine (new) & Cort Steinberger clone bass (in
          good condition for my old Aria Pro "Knight Warrior" guitar and
          $100.
        - Hamer Scarab $75 (later got $220 for it in a trade, from a store
          not known for great trades even)
    '90 - Kitty Hawk M3 (new) $200  (I don't care what Coop says, it sounds 
          good to me.  It's almost a year old now, I've used it 2-5 times a
          week since I got it and and the most work I've ever done on it
          was reseating the tubes, the night it arrived)
        - Strat style parts guitar with Warmoth birdseye maple neck and EMG
          pickups (and a new gig bag), above Hamer Scarab and $75.
    
    Those are the best I can remember right off hand.  Most of my other
    equipment has been fair but not amazing deals, I don't recall any real
    financial fiascos.
    
    Greg

    
    An old, but great looking PV 4-12 cab for $35.00 w/cover.
    A 1969 Fender P-Bass for $155.00 w/case
    A 1969 Fender Stratocaster for $210.00 w/case
    A 1970 Les Paul Custom for $335.00 w/case.
    
    I missed out on a 1964 P-Bass for $135.00 w/case! I was upset with
    this one.  :^(
    
    All the guitars were stock and in very good to excellent condition.
    
    			As Buck said...  those were the days!
    
    				Rock on,
    					Fred

      No doubt-
        Josh's KH "package deal" : One Testarossa preamp, One MIDI patch
      bayette II, and a Kitty Hawk M5 45 watt combo. The whole sha-bang
      for $600!
        Picking up my first Testarossa for $300, and a couple of Patch
      Bayettes for $100 apiece rank right up there. And my M1 combo
      for $350, exotic wood cab for $75. 
    
      No doubt also-
        Even though I'm pleased with the M1 head and stack...
     What I paid for it is outrageous: $1100 for a M1 100 watt head!
                                         550 for a KH slant 4X12
					 525 for a KH straight 4X12
    					____________________________
    				total -$2175  (ouch!)
    
      I probably could've got it all for around $1200 if I'd waited!
    
    						-John R.

Saw a guy with 1941 Gibson semi hollow, (pickup on the pick plate) that was 
in real good shape, original case to-boot, 

the guy picked it up at a yard sale for $175.00

The seller found it in the attic, and would have sold it for $200.00
"if it only had strings"  ;)

Guitar has to be worth 2 or three grand...

    
    Original Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face, free.
    
    						Brian

    Old Ludwig snare drum bought at a yard sale for 50 cents.  I sold it a
    couple month later for $75.  
    
    Also, Slingerland snare drum bought at a police auction for $6.
    
    	Willy

    regarding .13
    
    I'm pretty sure that the first semi-hollow Gibson was the ES335 which
    was introduced in the late 50's. The 1941 Gibson you mentioned is
    most likely a hollow-body.
    
    Years ago a friend of mine had an old Gibson kicking around his house
    with no case. It was a Christmas present one year but he never learned
    to play. I bought it from him for $100.00  It turned out to be an early
    '60's ES330.  This was my main guitar until about 1977 when I traded
    it for an ES345. 
    
    Mark
    

    
    My best buy was a blonde on the corner of Hollywood Blvd. .  
                                                                  B^)
                                                           Mark.

re:16...

Yea, did I say Semi ???  You are probably right thou...

Anyway, smallish size body, no cutways two f holes (in da-usualy place)
suburst finish...

A dandy little item.. 

    Gibson ES355 (mid-60's vintage?) for which I traded a '68 Dodge Dart
    and one slant six engine (not installed).  

    
    
    Morley FUZZ/WAH/VOLUME pedal... $129 from Americam Musical Supply that
    I cancelled!!!

    Hofner Beatle bass $100
    Super Fuzz pedal $5
    Mike
    

    * 1967 Fender Jazz Bass w/case - $200
    * Galien-Krueger 800R bass amp   - $300 brand new
    * (2) Thiel Cabs w/15" Black Widows - $300 for both 
    		(the guy selling them needed to buy his wife a Christmas
    		 present and I had the cash on hand)
    * Steinberger XM2 Bass - $750 brand new 

    I forgot my BESTEST deal EVER !
    
    My $3 software upgrade for my ADA Mp1.  My wife still can't believe
    I've spent so much time playing with a $3 GTS 'fix'... Definately my 
    GREATEST bargain as of yet.
    
    And another VERY soon to be great bargain:  A KMD 4x10 stuffed with
    35wt celestions for $115.
    
    jc
    

    
    
    Two for me:
    
    * New Fender Precision Bass 	$279
    
    * Dan Eaton Thiele Cabs		$90 each

    My best buys:
    
    	1988 Takamine N-10, bought new for $289 with a hardshell case.
    	List price was > $500, without a case.
    
    	1990 Hirade Model V classical, factory second (cosmetic damage):
        $500 with case.  List price for a first is > $1000..
    
    	

    Re: -1
    
    Where did you get those Takamine deals?
    
    Mike

    Re: -1
    
 >>   Where did you get those Takamine deals?
    
    
    I'm in the metro Detroit area.
    
    I got the N-10 from Scanlan Music, Taylor MI.
    I bought the Hirade from Pyramid Guitars, Redford MI.
    
    Assuming you're from the greater Maynard area, I doubt its worth the
    drive ;^)
    
    
    Jim

    
    
    Oh yeah, I forgot one:
    
    PV Max Bass Bass Head:
    
    	400W/Channel with bass preamp built in.....	$225
    
    This was one *LOUD& Bass head. 
    
    

    I got lucky, a once-in-a-lifetime occurance. I was a 19 year old kid
    who'd only recently got my first "real" electric. At the time,
    I used to daydream about bigname Fenders, Gibsons, and Guilds. Not real
    hot for Gretsch tho. I traded that first "real" guitar, a Fender
    Mustang, for a Mosrite Ventures model with a dude who probably stole
    it. He said he had to pay his landlady or something. So I traded him my
    Fender and $20. Read on.
    
    Shortly thereafter, I came to hate that guitar. Here I
    was desperatly trying for that Clapton "woman" tone on first a fender
    and now a Mosrite, thru a Kustom. No doubt you can all quess how close I
    came. Didn't sound very much like my other hero Hendrix, or George
    Harrison for that matter.  
    
    I used to hang around the local Music store all the time and when the
    owner asked me if I wanted a part time job, I jumped at it.  Since
    I was going to school, and the job was supposed to last only for a few 
    months while he broke in a new manager, rather than take minimum pay I
    proposed to him to let me trade my Mosrite for a brand spanking new
    Guild Starfire V that had just arrived. I'd work partime for the trade 
    for a month without pay. He agreed and that nite, I was mauling my new Guild
    - I was stroking my thing like you read about in magazines. Wow, just
    looking at this curvaceous suntanned (sunburst) beauty lying there on
    my bed as it beckoned with an unspoken "yes, come fondle me. Come feel
    my knobs. Come see how responsive I am.  Pluck me any way you want. 
    Come come!"
    
    Two days later the music store burned down to the ground. I never did
    pay for that Guild. I still have it too although stains have long since been
    worn off. Never did sound much like Clapton though. 
    
    "sakman" 
    
     

    re -.1 
    
    This baby had some f holes let me tell you!
    
    "sakman"

re: .28

>    PV Max Bass Bass Head:
>    This was one *LOUD* Bass head. 

That was one HEAVY bass head!!!!  8^)

As many of the noters keep reminding me, my best buy has got be the 1970 
Les Paul Deluxe I picked up for $300, including the original case. Had it
set up once, and its been perfect ever since. This baby screams, talks, 
cries, and does everything else you'd want from a guitar. 

And I guess the KH Quattro preamp for $300 could qualify in this category. 
I'm certainly happy with it, have used it just about every day since I got
it, and haven't had a problem yet! (Knocking on wood here.....)

alan

    
    
    This is maybe a little off of the topic, but....
    
    I was talking to a fellow noter the other day and they indicated
    that they said that a %40 discount is a usual discount when buying
    new guitars. Now, I'd be inclined to agree with this if your talking
    about a high ticket item, like maybe a Rickebacker or one of those
    Fender signature series guitars. What I can't believe is that %40
    is the norm for "regularly" priced instruments. 
    
    	Were speaking specifcally of Fender guitars, which seem to
    run about %25 discount. Two examples:
    
    	Fender Amer. Std. Telecaster: List $739, Retail: $689, Disc: ~%25
    	Fender Std. Telecaster: List: $439, Retail: $325, Disc: ~%25
    
    So the question is: 
    
    	What is the "Standard" guitar discount that you get or have
    seen? 
    
    	What's the best discount you've ever gotten on a new guitar? 
    
    

        Firstly, the  'list'  price is total fiction!  Ignore it - it's
        simply there to con you into believing that you're getting such
        a deal.
        
        List price for a loaded Mumblefritz 123: $1000
        
        Our S*P*E*C*I*A*L price       ONLY     : $750
        
        Offer $500 cash and  you'll  be in the ballpark.  If they won't
        deal around $550 - $600,  then  walk and try elsewhere.  If you
        have to go to $600 look  for some free extras, case / strings /
        whatever.
        
        Let's say you buy the Mumblefritz for  $750 and then take it to
        another  branch  of the same chain next day.    The  guitar  is
        unplayed, never been out the case.  You want  a straight sale -
        they'll offer around $200.
        
        

    
    To answer the question I paid $415 for an '89 Am Std Strat but I
    bought 2 at the time.  No way I would pay more than $450 for one.
    I don't have a clue on the Tele.  I bought mine at Clark Music in
    Atlanta (404) 876-0011, FWIW.  This is America, negotiate.  If they 
    laugh at your first offer, then you've succeeded in finding the 
    bottom.  Don't ya hate it when you make your first bid, and they say
    "Sold!".  That ruins my day...

    Oh, c'mon, music dealers have to eat, too.  I like to see at least 20%
    off list, 40% is gravy, over 50% only seems possible if it's a closeout
    or they want to move an expensive piece of inventory.  It's the cutthroat
    "I'm gonna pay what I wanna pay" attitude that has stores going chapter
    11.  I'll pay a little extra if I'm going to get some service.  If I'm
    going to be treated like gutter slime (like at the big Boston dealer
    whom many folks seem to have good experiences with, but not me) then
    I'll buy when the price is right, and only then.
    
    Best deals?  All of them were closeouts, where the discounts were well
    over 50%.   
    
    But a great deal was buying my fretless bass.  I had a G&L on order
    through Mr. C's in Marlboro, MA at about $450.  I had already waited
    since November for it and it was late March and the factory still
    hadn't shipped (how long does it take to make a fretless neck and bolt
    it onto a body, anyway?) when Jim, the owner, told me that B.C. Rich
    had a fretless Eagle bass in the warehouse from a custom order that
    had been cancelled after the bass had been built.  I figure, how can I
    afford a $1400 bass?  Jim sold it to me for $900 plus $50 for the case. 
    His reasoning was I had already waited so long for a fretless and
    besides he figured I would appreciate the bass rather than look at it
    as the fashion of the week.  Discount?  35%, but remember this was a
    special order so Jim had no quantity discount on his side, nor was it a
    piece that had hung on his wall for three years tying up cash.
    
    No matter what anyone says about Jim and his store (and some of the
    stories are true, I'll admit) I owe him one for that bass.
    
    							Brian
    

    
    	Well, FWIW, I received the same quote ($415 each) from 2 different
    	stores (the same day) and I didn't even work at it.  Discounts don't 
    	mean shit to me.  Supply and demand is what counts.  A store looks 
    	at it's bottom line, not it's profit margin on each unit.  BTW, I 
    	also got a Dean Markley strap AND a tube stand with the deal, and 
    	they are are still in business.  They know I'll be back to buy more
    	crap and so will my buddies.  

    As far as discounts go, Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI sells Martin
    guitars at 40% off list.  I don't know what "normal" is for the
    industry.  I paid $810 for a D-6032E in August that listed for $1350. 
    Both prices were on the tag, and I couldn't see asking them to lower it
    any at that point.  They bill themselves as the world's largest volume
    Martin dealer (mostly mail order, obviously).
    
    I happened to be in there Saturday just looking to see what it would be
    to get into an electric axe.  I looked at a bunch of used Les Pauls in
    the $600 range, and some Charvettes around $260.  There was a used (as
    in beat up finish-wise but mechanically sound) Japanese LP knock-off
    called an Electra Custom II, ser #2256 that was a big $85.  I'll be
    damned if I can find anything wrong with the unit and it sounded and
    played great in the store and at home.  So now I'm "plugged in", for
    $85 and the spousal unit isn't even PO'd at the price	:7)
    \Gary

40% off on new Martins is the standard "big discount" in the industry.  

Jim

    
    My best by deals were either 
    
    	1) the 3$ ADA upgrade
    
    		or 
     
    	2) a Mint condition Hiwatt slant faced 4x12 loaded with Fane 
    	   speakers for 175$. This baby looks and sounds brand spankin' 
    	   new.
    
    Brian

    
    
    		   Oh how could I forget this one.......
    
    
    I got a pair of "StarForce" U.S. made  Loud speaker PA cabs for 70$
    brand new at the STEREO Liquidation Sale. They were suppose to be 
    255$ a piece (show price not list). Due to a mixup they brought me the
    wrong thing at the door and instead of getting my 70$ empty cabs I got
    510$ worth of brand new loud speakers.  They're beautiful speakers with
    recessed handles, grey OZITE covering, reinforced corners,  15" drivers
    and horns.  They sound fantastic and I couldn't be happier.
    
          Anyone know how much these go for in the REAL world ?  
    
    
    	Brian

    
    A wine red ES-335, $369  (used, excellent condition)
    
    Phil

        Roland Digital Delay - $140
        Guild S300-D         - $200
        Sunn Bass Head and   - (traded for two old Altec/Lansing amps
        homebuilt speaker       that didn't work)
        
        Matt