Members d_dave_c Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 I just stopeed in at a Pawn Shop and found a deal on a Kramer Striker - $85 with a hard case. One humbucker (looks like the Carvins w/ 12 pole pins), one volume, Floyd, hockey stick headstock and a hardshell case. The only problem is the non-locking nut was cracked and the low E string was hanging off - easy enough to fix for $85. Oh yeah, and it didn't have the floyd wrenches. So anyway, I thought I'd get rid of some of the stuff in my sig and maybe just swap outright for the thing, but then the guy tells me that they give 15 to 20% of the value of the item, even on trades. In all my dealings with Pawn Shops they give you at least 50% of value, especially on trades. He looked at me like I was insane. There are two pawn shops by my house that give me 50% or more, depending on what I'm trading and what I'm taking. I was in a suburb I don't usually get out to, so I thought I'd stop in and see what the Pawn Shops out there had to offer. For those of you who haggle in pawn shops, what do you usually get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members batotman Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 Oh pawn shops around here....how bout a beat to {censored} (nearly destroyed) Squier Standard Tele for $160? They won't haggle hardly {censored} either. I hate living in smallville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JoeBoy Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 If you search, you can sometimes find a good deal. Key word search. Most pawn shop equipment is either trashed, stolen, or overpriced. No matter what city you look in. I just don't like going into a place that preys on Human Misery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Insane Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 I seen a squire with ONE MISSING PICKUP for $200. I asked the guy behind the counter why so much, his reply: "cause' it's a Fender" :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretmonster Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by JoeBoy If you search, you can sometimes find a good deal. Key word search. Most pawn shop equipment is either trashed, stolen, or overpriced. No matter what city you look in. I just don't like going into a place that preys on Human Misery. You right about that, it is a bad vibe. Though I wasn't too proud to take advantage of it for awhile. But then that was before Ebay; those dummies that didn't know what a pickup was, got smart in a hurry. No deals anymore, just garbage gear that won't sell on Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PeaceLovinHippy Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 I beat you all! There's a pawn shop in Canoga Park (right across the street from Sam Ash) that sells Carlo Robelli's for like $300+ Not only that (and here's the kicker) i went in there last year and saw a squier affinity series strat with a autograph, curiousity took the better of me (i couldnt make out what it said) and i asked the guy workign there who signed it. His answer? Jimi Hendrix. I almost 0WN3D him. Almost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kevin_FL Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by JoeBoy If you search, you can sometimes find a good deal. Key word search. Most pawn shop equipment is either trashed, stolen, or overpriced. No matter what city you look in. I just don't like going into a place that preys on Human Misery. You said it! They prey on druggies that need $$$ for drugs. I hate those {censored}ing places. Im sure some Pawn Shop Owner will get on here now (Its happened before) & tell us he's a pillar of the community, DONT BELIEVE IT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Save The Pine Weasel Posted April 29, 2005 Members Share Posted April 29, 2005 The pawn shops around here are either full of junk, or think their crap is all vintage lawsuit crap. There's a Korean Squier Telecaster for the low, low price of $300. I don't like haggling in the first place, and with something that's so overpriced like that, I don't even bother. They did have an okay Peavey T-60 I ended up getting for $165 out the door, which was a pretty decent deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by batotman Oh pawn shops around here....how bout a beat to {censored} (nearly destroyed) Squier Standard Tele for $160? They won't haggle hardly {censored} either. I hate living in smallville. you live in Gotham City, Batman...Clark Kent lives in Smallville... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chairborne Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 I'm happy to exploit the underclass by buying their gear cheap at the pawn shop. If I can find a good deal. One shop in this town ain't bad, I have scored a Peavey bass there, Marshall practice amp, Peavey Wolf Special, Mexi Tele, Ibanez Roadstar, Samick P-bass, Ibanez Challenger/Strat hybrid, USA Strat and a few other things, all at pretty good deals. MOST pawn shops suck though, full new retail plus 20 percent for a guitar that looks like it fell off the truck onto the highway and stayed there for a couple of hours. Even my favorite shop right now has some pile o' junk with the headstock snapped off and a {censored}ty glue job repair for like $100. Get serious! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prages Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 We've got one decent pawn shop in my area. They usually have junk, but occasionally they'll get something in worth owning. A buddy of mine just picked up a silverface Fender Bassman 100 head and cab. He paid $400 for both. I think it was marked $800 for both. From the same place, I just picked up a Peavey Classic 30 for $200. It was marked $369. This place doesn't normally have things that are obviously stolen. Everything in there has intact serial numbers. There are a few around here, though, where just about everything in the store has the serial # scratched off. I've never bought anything from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rudboy Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 IMO the days of great pawnshop finds are long gone. The main focus of pawnshops is loaning money at huge interest and backing the loan with whatever it is you are pawning. The amount of the loan is so far below what they can get for the collateral that they can't really lose. Then if the borrower defaults they try to sell the item off at WAY over what it is worth. And if they get an item that is real nice/desireable/unique or otherwise valuable they can just go check to see what it would go for on ebay and they sell it for that. It's the same thing with flea markets, tag sales, estate sales etc, etc, etc. Everyone is too astute anymore and rarley is it possible to find crazy bargains or rare finds. At least that has been my experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chairborne Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Oh yeah I got a Classic 30 at the same shop for a HUNNERT BUCKS baby. And it is "pre-relic'd." I doubt if most of this stuff is really stolen. The shop works with the cops all the time on stolen property issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Prages Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by Chairborne Oh yeah I got a Classic 30 at the same shop for a HUNNERT BUCKS baby. And it is "pre-relic'd." Well, mine wasn't pre-relic'd, but it doesn't look like it's brand new either....the tweed is bit dingy on it is all. It still has the original tubes in it. I got a Classic 50 212 last year at a different shop for $350 and it looked like it was right off the assembly line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Clyde42 Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 If you can get 50% from them, you have a great pawnbroker, or they are fibbing to you. Most pawn shops mark up 3-5 times what they give on an item. Sticker prices at the chain-type pawn shops seems to have gotten more realistic around here, as they use ebay to check prices, and sell gear. Ive found some decent to great deals as tagged(not always stuff I would want but priced right), but there are still many crazy prices. Even with ebay, an uneducated pawnbroker cant always get it right due to the many variances in say, Fender product. I seem to find the best deals on stomp boxes cuz they treat vintage MXR like new ones, or discontinued Boss pedals from back in the day as garden variety. Scored a script logo Distortion plus for $19, and a Boss FT2 for $10(it had a broken battery lead-talked him down from a whopping $30)! I think its ALWAYS worth a look at least. If you are in the know, you just need to take advantage of their ignorance when you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zenbu Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 The concept of what a pawn shop is supposed to be is lost here. There was only one for a long time but now a second... kinda... pawn shop has opened. It`s more like a Wal-Mart of second hand stuff, it`s two floors of mostly crap but they have some instruments. I got a Duncan Seth Lover p`up for $60.oo. The first pawn shop has sold me several guitars and I have found some nice ones there... the FJ walnut tele, the rosewood tele, both my 1983 and `85 FJs among others. They generally sell guitars for 50% of the MSRP, sometimes less depending of the condition of things. I doubt they sell stolen goods... hey it`s Japan... but who really knows. They have tons of new items MIK.They have that Edwards Les Paul that I`m losong sleep over... already have one but the one they have is semi-gloss and I`m thinking of relicing it and...if I can... doing the Jimmy Page mod on it. I go there 2/3 times a week and thats why I`ve found so many good guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by Chairborne Oh yeah I got a Classic 30 at the same shop for a HUNNERT BUCKS baby. And it is "pre-relic'd." I doubt if most of this stuff is really stolen. The shop works with the cops all the time on stolen property issues. Oh yeah, and the cops are always shining examples of immunity to corruption ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sufidancer Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Well, I buy {censored} in pawn shops all the time. I sleep ok at night.Pawn shops are a win win situation.(for the pawn broker.) If someone is desparate enough to pawn a prized possesion then it is obvious they will not have the money to get it out... if they had the money they would not be having to pawn it. That being said when I was poor I had made use of pawn shops for money. And lost my stuff. So I figure it is full circle. Hey, like the circle of life.. yeah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members batotman Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by vintage clubber you live in Gotham City, Batman...Clark Kent lives in Smallville... Figures you'd be the one to catch that reference..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjpistols Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Yeah Sufi - I guess you still have real pawnshops in Killeen, huh? Austin is lousy with corporate Pawns. 15 or more Cash America, and mostly EZ Pawn and Action Pawn other than that. Maybe 2-3 independent shops. The corporates have "rules" for haggling. They can't knock a penny off for however many weeks or months, then just a certain percentage, blah blah. I hear all about the glory days of Austin pawns, I bet JoeBoy and some of the other guys who were here before the high tech boom/bust could tell some. The chances of finding something cool are probably better here than most places, but good deals are hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sandfly Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 When I was in the army I used to go to the pawn shops all the time by the base . Young G.I.'s are not usually good with money . They get paid on the first of the month and after the first weekend the money is gone . So they go to the pawn shops to get more beer money . Or donate blood and plasma . I could actually find some nice stuff at those pawn shops . Where I'm living now out in the suburbs a couple blocks outside of Detroit the only thing I find at the pawn shop is overpriced {censored} . But for some reason I always stop and see what they have if I'm passing by though . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chairborne Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by jerry_picker Oh yeah, and the cops are always shining examples of immunity to corruption ... Wow some guy here thinks the cops are more crooked than *I* do . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members opranks612 Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 All our pawnshops around here are retarded. They only thing used they sell is CDs and DVDs. They sell new swords, and new instruments, just cheapo Johnson brand ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zeke72 Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 I too am a pawnshop junkie and I always find it easier to deal with them if you befriend'em and it helps to have someone on the inside too. In my dealings with them I have been able to aquire a Jackson Soloist Standard w/EMG's for $149.00 just in need of a deep cleaning, a Charvel Model 6 and a Ibanez RG 565 for $455.00, 2 MIJ Fender Squier Strats, 1 for $80.00 and 1 for $150.00, a MIM Fender 60's Reissue for $175.00, a Ibanez S470 for $149.00 and a Ibanez RG520Q w/ EMG's for $250.00. And I am working on a double neck Spirit Steinberger for $275.00. But my best thus far is a California Series Fender Fat Tele for $200.00. And I have given a few to the pawnshop gods, a give and take kinda thing. For me the key is be cool and keep going back, sometimes I win and sometimes I don't, but they are the pushers for my addiction and I love'em. But once again thats just me. Some pics of my toys, yes my bed is not made!!! http://photobucket.com/albums/v483/zeke72/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brian Krashpad Posted April 30, 2005 Members Share Posted April 30, 2005 Originally posted by JoeBoy If you search, you can sometimes find a good deal. Key word search. Most pawn shop equipment is either trashed, stolen, or overpriced. No matter what city you look in. I just don't like going into a place that preys on Human Misery. Hmm, I understand your point but if you go through life trying to do a calculus of human misery though you'll find it everywhere anyhow. Were Joe and Bill really happy with their lot in life working the line at the Nashville plant the day that Gibby was worked on? Much less Jose and Raul or Kim or Chen who built those imports? Pawns do often have stuff as a result of bad things happening. Sometimes theft, sometimes people selling off stuff to feed drug or gambling habits, or people forced to sell stuff because of calamitous illnesses and such. But they also have stuff that people just felt like getting rid off. Why assume the worst with respect to any particular item? I go in pawns every now and then, maybe once or twice a month. I've gotten some decent deals: MIM Strat $150, Peavey T-60 w/OHSC $200, miswired and beat-up Laney 4x12 cab $75. I'm not gonna beat myself up wondering about the circumstances of how they might've found their way to me. BK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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