Used Guitars, Keyboards, Amps & Music Gear: Beginners who’re not yet serious about music but want to test the waters, and experienced musicians looking for value buy will appreciate these discounted music gear that are lightly used but still in great shape. The advantage to you is that these are available at much reduced prices, compared to a new purchase.
Here are some useful tips that will help you stay within your budget when buying used gear.
- Be clear about what you want, and what you need
You may want everything for your studio, but do you really need it? Its going to cost money, and chances are that you aren’t probably making any money right now.So be clear how the music gear is gong to help you.
And do set a budget and stick to it while buying.
- Look at the Specs
Once you’re clear about what you want to buy, spend some time figuring out hat sort of specs you’re looking at. Read reviews to see if their are pros and cons of the product you’re looking for.Hot tip: Check the amount of wear and tear the gear has gone through. Most users just leave the batteries in the gear and not use the gear for a long time, so check for corrosion issues.
Big brands like Yamaha, Moog and Fender usually respond to queries regarding used gear, so feel free to write to them.
- Buy from a reputed place
Unless you’re buying from a friend or a known contact, you need to find out more about the seller.On places like E-bay and other gear marketplaces (like Reverb), you can read more about the seller, to know whether the seller is legit. Craigslist is also a good place to buy, although they don’t have much information about the supplier’s historical sales.
Hot Tip: If you’re responding to an advertisement, make sure the ad has a picture of the ACTUAL instrument (the way it looks right now). You should be careful if no picture is provided or if the picture is just picked from the internet.
Buy used/open box music gear from various reputed online stores
- Feel free to ask lots of questions
Once you have zeroed in on the seller, its time to ask questions, and a lot of them.You may ask how the gear was used, for what purpose, how much it was used, where was it used, any known issues, where was it stored, how was it maintained, and so on. Ask if it has been repaired in the past.
- Plug it in and see for yourself
Finally, turn the gear on and play it for some time.Do all the keys, buttons, knobs work fine? Does it sound as expected? Take your time; you need to be convinced, and be prepared to walk away if you’re not satisfied.
If the seller comes up with excuses like “I am afraid I don’t have speakers right now, so I am unable to turn it on, but they do sound good”, you can come another time when he is in a position to arrange for the speakers.
- Negotiate on the price but be fair
Once you’re happy with the gear and have ensured that everything works, you can discuss (negotiate) the price with the seller.If the music gear was in a poorer condition than you thought (but sounds well), feel free to offer a lower price. Haggle based on the on the condition of the gear.
Remember, most sellers sell their gear because they need the money (at the earliest) to buy a new one or need the money for something else. I certain cases, the seller may not be in a hurry to dispose off the gear (such as an old acoustic piano).
So use this information to your favor, when bargaining.
Buy used music gear from various reputed online stores
- Keep in touch
Not every seller may want to stay in touch after the gear is sold, but ask if you could stay in touch, just in case there’s some trouble with the gear after turning it on.Some sellers wouldn’t mind, but don’t expect everyone to answer your queries after the sale is made.
Another convenient way to look for good-quality used music gear, that will ensure you get a good deal and also saves you lots of hassles, is to buy them online.
Here at KeytarHQ, we have lots of great deals on special blowout items, such as used guitars, keyboards & digital pianos, amps, and recording equipment. Some of these are lightly used music gear, in such great shape that you wouldn’t be able to tell that those are used music instruments, if we didn’t tell you.
Other words that are generally used for such products are ‘Warehouse Resealed. Other used items in stock still work great, but have small cosmetic blemishes on them (all minor). These are Blemished items and they’re our best deals.
Some musical instruments & accessories in this categories are those products that manufacturers may have used in a trade show or demo. These extremely-close-to-new items are ‘Factory Resealed’, barely used music gear that you can start using right away.
Finally, there’s another category, where items that are unused but have a cosmetic blemish are known as ‘B-Stock’. If you’re a savvy shopper looking for the maximum bang for your buck, this is the place to begin our search.
Every blowout item sounds as good as a new one and comes with the same components as the new. These items are thoroughly inspected for quality-compliance, prior to selling them.
Buy Used Music Gear
- Shop Used Gear at Guitar Center!
- Open box items on Musiciansfriend.com
- Used Music Gear on zZounds
- Sam Ash Music
- Open box items on Newegg.com
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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