2 annoying experiences in one day

[rmp]

Originally Posted by T268

Music and a lot of prayer got me through my son’s passing 5 years ago. Just have a good outlet. Hoping or calmer waters for you on the horizon.

I'm sorry for your loss, I can't imagine what this does to a person. my brother in-law lost his son due to a freak accident in 2011. It took him a long time to get back to where he is today.

[Methos1979]

I'm with the OP on the Recording King. While a store owner has a right to make money, selling that guitar for more than it costs new is funny. It's a late-model Recording King, not a vintage Martin. Comparing it to that or a house is quite frankly missing the point.

You were wise to attempt to point out the guitar was way overpriced and even more wise to move on when they didn't come down far enough. They are hoping to capitalize on another's ignorance which granted is their right to do. I picked up one of these models two or three years ago for $150 - new. Granted, it was a Stupid Deal of the Day that someone hear on AGF alerted us to.

As for GC, we have one locally now and while I've never bought a guitar from them (or anything too high end) I do go in and buy a lot of small things and the store is always manned by young, friendly and helpful individuals. It's a small GC so the selection of acoustics is small due to their very small acoustic room. They wall of electrics is huge though.

[Mr. Jelly]

I totally agree with the OP. Today's world is crazy stupid. They say there's no inflation yet prices have gone way up. Unemployment is low which means you're being waited on by a lowest common denominator warm body. With attitude I might add.

[musicman1951]

I agree that the store is asking too much. I don't know what they have invested in the guitar, but they typically do very well on trade-ins.

The question for me would be the cutting off your nose to spite your face question. You say the guitar really spoke to you and there was one on eBay for $37 less. Assuming that the shipping approximates the tax and that the eBay guitar would also speak to you, which is more likely:

You'll eventually kick yourself for passing up the guitar for $37, or

You'll remain happy you didn't pay $37 more than you think it should cost?

I don't know where I would fall in all of that, but it seems that's what is involved in finding your choice for happiness.

All the best in your decision.

[zombywoof]

You cannot conflate the higher than what they cost when new price tags on vintage Martiins or Gibsons with that found on "newish" used guitars. While I do not know about the specific Recording King model you looked at, a guitar which enjoys a heck of a reputation among players combined with it no longer being available or having different specs than what the model previously had can combine to make it pricier. A few months ago I found a 2001 Gibson WM00 for sale locally. Before I went to look at it I checked to see what stores were asking for them. First off, it was not easy even finding one for sale or had been for sale. Gibson only offered the model for a few years and then, for whatever reason, in fairly small numbers. And the price tags either mirrored what hey had sold for new or were several hundred dollars higher.

With regard to GC, I have only ever been in one once. But that was to look at a specific used guitar. Yeah, they kind of ignored me after I told them what I was there to look at (it was not very expensive) and it took what seemed an eternity for the sales guy to check with the manager to ask if my offer was acceptable. Ad no way were they going to throw in even a chipboard case. But I have also dealt with some independent brick and mortar stores where if they sense you have no money in your pocket also tend to brush you off.

[hermithollow]

" I really liked the guitar, and while $295 isn’t that much money for a guitar that you really like, I just can’t reconcile basically paying new guitar money for a used piece. The plight of the cheapskate I suppose."

Yeah, that's the problem. Does the average new one sound as good as that one? The bell curve on "low end" guitars tends to be more exaggerated than it does with better guitars. Occasionally you will find a great sounding cheap guitar worth far more than it's asking price. Some $100 guitars sound like a $1000 guitar, and some $1000 guitars sound like a $100 guitar.
If you really like it you then maybe you should buy it.

[RP]

Originally Posted by hermithollow

" I really liked the guitar, and while $295 isn’t that much money for a guitar that you really like, I just can’t reconcile basically paying new guitar money for a used piece. The plight of the cheapskate I suppose."

Yeah, that's the problem. Does the average new one sound as good as that one? The bell curve on "low end" guitars tends to be more exaggerated than it does with better guitars. Occasionally you will find a great sounding cheap guitar worth far more than it's asking price. Some $100 guitars sound like a $1000 guitar, and some $1000 guitars sound like a $100 guitar.
If you really like it you then maybe you should buy it.

If the OP is the kind of person who keeps his guitars for a while, I'd suggest that long after the memory of the dollars & cents are forgotten, he'll either have a guitar that he likes or doesn't like...

I wanted to purchase a certain one-off Fender electric guitar amp that was made and sold by only one dealer. However, I have never been able to get deals (meaning 15% discounts) from them. I settled for a small discount, bit the bullet, and purchased the amp. I no longer remember what the amp cost, one of the benefits of aging, but still own the perfect amp for me. Money isn't everything....

[619TF]

Originally Posted by RP

If the OP is the kind of person who keeps his guitars for a while, I'd suggest that long after the memory of the dollars & cents are forgotten, he'll either have a guitar that he likes or doesn't like...

I wanted to purchase a certain one-off Fender electric guitar amp that was made and sold by only one dealer. However, I have never been able to get deals (meaning 15% discounts) from them. I settled for a small discount, bit the bullet, and purchased the amp. I no longer remember what the amp cost, one of the benefits of aging, but still own the perfect amp for me. Money isn't everything....

"Money isn't everything" is the OPPOSITE of "cheapskate" logic. As someone with VERY little funds I can understand where the OP is coming from. It took me years to save up for my first "real" guitar (value over $1k) and I looked and looked until I found one for the money I had (UNDER $1k!). Even though it was beat up I liked the way it sounded and played. That said, I still have it, play it all the time and I'll NEVER, ever forget how much I paid for that thing.

That said, 2011 is now 9 years ago. There's been inflation during that period, the store was holding onto that guitar, unsold and thus basically losing them money for a long time. Sure, that might be incentive for you (or a bigger store) to just take the hit now and move along but for a small store that could mean a whole lot.

Keep things in perspective my friend. Money isn't everything but with money you can get anything you want. Without it you're not getting a whole lot in this world. It's all in where you're coming from. If you have money then yes, it's not a big deal at all.

[Goodallboy]

Far too many guitar buyers seek the "deal", the "flip prospects", and other fairy dust they've read about from other guitar buyers, and they all share the same lack of focus on what should be the quest, a great sounding guitar. One that inspires you to play it, not brag about how cheaply you acquired it or what beautiful tone wood it's constructed with.

Certainly the OP's self imposed title of cheapskate further reduces his chances of success. Since he made no mention of how great the guitar sounded, I'm led to believe that wasn't the focus of the buying trip.

In light of that, he was right to walk away, he needs a great "deal", one he can easily "flip".

[PorkPieGuy]

Originally Posted by T268

Hi all. I hope you’re well. Just a bit of a rant.

I went to my local shop who has a pretty good selection of acoustics. They had a Recording King from 2011 that really spoke to me. However, new in 2011 it was $289. They were asking $395 for it. I sent them a link to a review mentioning the street price and said with all due respect I think the pricing was off. It was in good shape, but definitely not new. They said the best they’d do on the price was $295 with tax included(which works out to $277 before tax). It’s really irritating because I really liked the guitar, and while $295 isn’t that much money for a guitar that you really like, I just can’t reconcile basically paying new guitar money for a used piece. The plight of the cheapskate I suppose.

If that's their used price, then someone at the store either over-paid someone for it or lost out in a bad trade. They may be trying to recoup their losses. I know this doesn't make it any better, but I don't think that greed is always at play. In any case, I know that it's still frustrating.

[RP]

Originally Posted by 619TF

"Money isn't everything" is the OPPOSITE of "cheapskate" logic. As someone with VERY little funds I can understand where the OP is coming from. It took me years to save up for my first "real" guitar (value over $1k) and I looked and looked until I found one for the money I had (UNDER $1k!). Even though it was beat up I liked the way it sounded and played. That said, I still have it, play it all the time and I'll NEVER, ever forget how much I paid for that thing...

The OP never said that he couldn't afford the guitar at the discounted price. He implied/stated that as a cheapskate, he resented the notion of paying a new guitar price for a used guitar. There's a difference....

[3notes]

Originally Posted by Howard Emerson

If you owned a house and it burned down in a fire, and the insurance company said you only paid 100K for it 10 years, so that's what we're going to pay you now, despite the current rebuilding cost being 200K, would you be mad?

What something cost originally has nothing to do with anything. Replacement cost is the point.

If the shop owner turned around and used AGF logic on you by saying "Hey, it's already broken in and it speaks to you, and you don't have to worry about 'first scratches', etc!", what would you say then?

Small shops have a right to make a reasonable profit so that they can stay in business.

Regards,
Howard Emerson

Um, he's talking about a guitar. And houses normally increase in value and guitars normally decrease in value. You know the old apples and.....

[davidbeinct]

Originally Posted by warfrat73

Your example's silly, because guitars don't inherently lose use value through wear and obsolescence.

They mostly do, especially before they gain value like a 1945 Gibson. It’s not necessarily wear and certainly not obsolescence, but simply the market forces that make new preferred to recently used.

[skyblue314]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

You cannot conflate the higher than what they cost when new price tags on vintage Martiins or Gibsons with that found on "newish" used guitars. While I do not know about the specific Recording King model you looked at, a guitar which enjoys a heck of a reputation among players combined with it no longer being available or having different specs than what the model previously had can combine to make it pricier.

^^THIS! Believe it or not, recent Recording King guitars have an almost cult-like following among players seeking the best bang for the buck, and the fact that they've discontinued most of their more beloved models has helped to bring the prices up. Doesn't always have to say "Martin" or "Taylor" on the headstock to bring a premium nowadays...as long as the guitar has been set up properly and kept in near mint condition, it's fair game.

[bil40272]

Councils as to which RK are we receding to?

I'm assuming that the guitar was used and not old stock,,,,,very old stock.
If it is used, he should be able to price it suede ever be wants to.