Music Go Round: Used Gear

[J. Dan]

Guys, sorry, I probably should have just put this in one thread to begin with. I started 2 threads because I'm looking for an Acoustic Electric AND basically a MIM Strat HSS. I started separate threads:

 

Strat

 

Acoustic

 

Great advice on BOTH of those threads. Lots of insights and experience. Exactly what I was looking for. The reason for the new thread is that we have a new used instrument place that I understand to be a chain, but it's new to St. Louis - Music Go Round. I only had 20 min free time while my daughter was in Dance and my son was in SNAP. So I just looked around.

 

I understand the concerns of knock-off Fenders, but I'm not looking for resale value. In my mind, if I find one that looks, feels, and sounds the way I want and is a good price, the I don't really care if it is fake with a fender sticker. I just want to play it. So that said, of the MANY squires, and ONE American Strat, and Several MIM SSS strats.....there was ONE MIM HSS strat, exactly what I'm looking for. I didn't have time to plug it in - I'll follow up with that. Unplugged, neck seemed good, intonation was good. I didn't even have a pic and strings were light so I was finger picking unplugged. But as far as I could tell it played well. I would have to come back and plug into an amp with a pic to make a decision. No case. $399.

 

Next acoustic. They had a good variety. I drilled down to a Breedlove with a sort of raw woodgrain finish and a Takamine with a glossy finish. Both were cutaways. They sounded different but not sure which was necessarily "better". Strictly acoustic - need to go back and plug them in. Both were setup well. I checked for intonation and played up and down the scale on every string looking for any buzz or intonation issues -both passed.

 

So the Breedlove had a warm tone that I really liked but curious if it would cut in an acoustic jam. The Takamine was brighter and louder but not sure I prefer that tone - depends. So that makes me totally question what I want out of this. If I was sitting in a group of musicians playing acoustic, I would for sure want the Takamine. If I was recording, I would want the Breedlove with it's rich dark tone.

 

I haven't plugged in either one, so I still need to do that which could change everything.

 

SO back to my questions for all of you: They had very different finishes. I play bass more than guitar and my acoustic electric bass has the typical glossy finish like the Takamine. I played that thing live, outside, summer humidity....A FUCKING LOT.....and strings aside, the body always cleaned up nicely. The Breedlove is kind of an open grain wood if that makes sense. Absolutely no gloss. In fact the body is heavier, which sort of explains the darker tone...I'm concerned about longevity of the finish, cleaning, etc. Not if I ONLY use it at home, probably not a concern. But what if I decide to play out with it in the future?

 

Thoughts?

 

(both were set up and played great)

[whitefang]

Sounds pretty good. There's a few music stores 'round here that also deal in used gear, but not exclusively. And one takes trade-ins too.

 

Sure beats scouring thru any of those "wnat ad" type papers you find at some store and restaraunt vestibules. I'D probably enjoy just browsing around in a store like that. Might even wind up buying something.

Whitefang

[Winston Psmith]

@J. Dan - The old saying, "An ounce of prevention . . ." applies here. Regular cleaning is key to maintaining the top of that Breedlove. Looking at their website, they say they use a polyurethane-based sealant, like pretty much everyone else, then sand it down to a semi-gloss look, like you describe. I'd say you're good to go.

 

BTW, I generally hear good things about Music-Go-Round, particularly concerning their prices on Used Gear. Well worth checking out more than once, as things come & go.

[Larryz]

There have been a few used music equipment startups, but they don't last too long in small towns. I hear GC is getting into the market and this would draw me in for a look see once a year or so. Hope you get those guitars plugged in J. Dan. What were the prices on the Takamine and the Breedlove acoustics? $399 sounds good on the MIM Strat. You can always pickup a case on MF for about $60 bucks. On the acoustics, I would pick the one that feels the best if you can't decide on which one sounds "better"...I would lean toward the Breedlove but would have to put both in my hands before deciding. Maybe the plugged in test will make the decision for you!

[Danzilla]

I've had good luck with Music-Go-Round. They tend to take good care of the gear that comes in (restringing & setting up guitars), and are willing to negotiate some. I've bout one guitar, a couple of pedals and some pickups from one here in MD.

 

From my experience, I would have thought the two acoustics would have sounded the opposite. I've found Breedloves to play nicely, but be brighter, thinner sounding. Of course, you could temper that tone some on either of the guitars with string choice.

 

Happy hunting, and look forward to pics of your final purchase(s).

[J. Dan]

What were the prices on the Takamine and the Breedlove acoustics?

$299

[Larryz]

Cool! Good prices...let us know which one(s) you [pick] out!

[Winston Psmith]

What were the prices on the Takamine and the Breedlove acoustics?

$299

 

It seems that both those models are discontinued, but the Tak originally went for right around $500, the Breedlove for around $650. I'm seeing that model, used, for more around $450-500, in some listings. $299 is a very nice price, if the Guitar is good shape.

 

FWIW, the Breedlove has a Cedar top, which might account for the difference in tone. Cedar is, IME, a slightly warmer but darker tone than a Spruce top. I'd love to try some Jobim on that Breedlove, personally. If it has a case, for $299, and you don't see any glaring issues, I'd go for it.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Another vote for the Breedlove.

[J. Dan]

Yeah, the Breedlove was noticeably heavier as well, I'm sure due to the difference in materials. I looked at a lot of guitars. If I recall correctly, the Tak had a hard case and the Breedlove had a soft one.

[skipclone 1]

I have limited experience with Breedlove but the ones I`ve tried have been good or better. Takamine can be more hit or miss but, if you find a good one grab it-it will be a bargain.

One thing about getting a case-don`t assume the lowest price if you want to travel with your guitar. If you`re hedging your bets and not spending so much that you want a suit of armor, if you`re not going to a different climate, or packing it with a bunch of other gear, okay. If those things are a concern, add 100% and up to the cost of a good case.

[J. Dan]

So I finally made it back to plug in the guitars I had checked out.

 

First the Acoustic. Unfortunately, the Breedlove had been sold, which was the one I was leaning towards. The Takamime was still there and I scanned the rest to see if anything new had shown up that would compete. I was mildly interested in a Yamaha, but like the Tak Better. The helpful staff gave me a battery and cable and plugged me into an amp. It sounded nice plugged in and the 3-band EQ allowed me to pretty much nail any tone I would want. $299 includes the hard case, sold.

 

Next onto the Strat - same MIM HSS strat was still there. After plugging in, and verifying by looking at the tag, the PUP's had been upgraded. I don't recall the manufacturer (Not Seymour Duncan, EMG, or DiMarzio), but they sounded nice. Ran them through their paces. Neck PUP sounded as I'd expect for a strat, humbucker was a bit hotter and brighter, not sure about the middle SC without doing an A/B, but overall, went through all 5 positions and played with both tone controls on each setting and was happy with the range of tones.

 

At $399 it didn't include a case, but since I was buying both, they let me pick a case at no charge. I picked a padded fender case shown in the pic below. Played them both again as soon as I got home through my own gear, and no buyer's remorse.

 

http://www.ohbrotherstl.com/Pics/Guitars.jpg

[Dannyalcatraz]

[Larryz]

Congrats J. Dan! A couple of nice looking axes! I know they'll bring some good action your way!

[whitefang]

I'll have to see if that co. has a website that lists their locations. Might be one nearby my way.

 

And it's a good concept. PLAY IT AGAIN Sports does brisk business selling used sports gear, and there's also a used toy store that does well. My sister, a relatively new Grandmother with an indulgent nature goes there often to buy toys for her grandson. And any out there with kids knows how much money THOSE can run into. And she tells me it's usually crowded in there.

Whitefang

[jimmac]

There is one in Ann Arbor in sight of I-94. Get off at the Saline AnnArbor road exit (just past State Street exit coming from your direction). It is in the mall on the south west corner across the street from a big Meijer store. I been there several times. Everything tuned and set up and polished. A fair number of used amps and PA systems. I bought a couple stands some strings and a book I think but no guitars yet. Jim