# Used guitars in Canada



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Granted we do not have the population as our neighbors to the south, but we seem to have a fairly good market. A lot of those vintage pieces have found their way north of the border.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I agree. I have never noticed a lack to be honest.

I have to go and see what the f8ck my cat is doing right now. Such a little b!tch.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

What comes up at this place alone is testament to the great guitars available in Canada.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I'm not after anything really vintage, but I haven't notice any lack of nice gear coming through this site.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

In the St. Catharines area there are always upwards of 500 used guitars for sale on Kijiji. Spread that out to include Toronto and area and it jumps to thousands. If you can't find something decent with those numbers you just ain't a-lookin'.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> In the St. Catharines area there are always upwards of 500 used guitars for sale on Kijiji. Spread that out to include Toronto and area and it jumps to thousands. If you can't find something decent with those numbers you just ain't a-lookin'.


now if only people had money to actually buy guitars instead of lowball offers and trades...


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## GTmaker (Apr 24, 2006)

I tend to think that its a buyers market right now.
As I havent been at this buying and selling game for very long and was wondering what you guys think
of the present market. 

G.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

It's a soft market. The boutique brands are taking a larger hit than the big name brands.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

Buyers' market for sure. If you can spare the dough there's plenty of deals to be had. Not that there still aren't some stubborn people holding out for crazy money for their gear, mind you. They list and relist and relist again, with the same price. You'd think they'd catch on sometime, but no.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

GTmaker said:


> I tend to think that its a buyers market right now.
> As I havent been at this buying and selling game for very long and was wondering what you guys think
> of the present market.
> 
> G.


100% right imo. Deals to be had for sure. 

Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

adcandour said:


> 100% right imo. Deals to be had for sure.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900W8 using Tapatalk


I have a little bit of flexibility in price but I'm not giving anything away. I dont know why people think they're going to get a $450 item for $300.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

The only down point on the used market right now, it's the lack of presence from the underdogs. In fact, it's the same thing for the new market.

Where are G&L, Hamer, Heritage? That's not luthier stuff and they carried by big distributor but they are almost invisible. Same thing with less common models from the big compagnies, no jaguar, mustang or jazzmaster from Fender or Flying V, Firebird or Explorer from Gibson.

Unless nobody want to sell them 'cause they are too good, I'm not seeing them often.

On the other hand, I know it's different in the rest of Canada. Toronto seems to have some big gear market... 
Or I am not looking at the good place!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I think we have jazzmaster/mustangs/jaguars at Walter's in London, and I think I've seen a firebird or two at L&M. I haven't been to Bellones so I don't know what they're carrying but probably a lot of LP standards, some midrange and low end Jackson and LTD's and some import G&L's.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Budda said:


> I have a little bit of flexibility in price but I'm not giving anything away. I dont know why people think they're going to get a $450 item for $300.


You mean negotiate a used price of $450 down to $300, or $450 retail down to $300.

I'm finding that high end guitars are continually getting price dropped to really low prices (relatively).

Even in our emporium - that awesome SG is asked at $1000 shipped. I'd offer $900 (which I actually may soon). They retail at what? $1699 plus taxes?

$1100 for this guitar isn't a ridiculous asking price - especially in this condition .

When I was looking for the es-339 they retailed at $2800 plus tax at the arts music store (too much imo), but people.paid it.

Two were on CL for $1550. That's pretty damn good. 

I dunno. That just seems to be the vibe I'm getting.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

I love partscasters and wish there where a lot more here but thats o.k. as I cant be buying all of them....or can I ?


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

Budda said:


> now if only people had money to actually buy guitars instead of lowball offers and trades...


Bingo. Not much moving, less players as time moves on.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Lots for sale in Halifax (Nova Scotia in general) pretty much all of the time.

One of the cool (and likely somewhat rare) ones that I have acquired is this 1981 Vantage VS-445:


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Budda said:


> I have a little bit of flexibility in price but I'm not giving anything away. I dont know why people think they're going to get a $450 item for $300.


I guess it depends on whether or not its still really a $450. item anymore.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Diablo said:


> I guess it depends on whether or not its still really a $450. item anymore.


http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ibanez-sr800-4-string-electric-bass

This is the latest version (mine is an SR900, now discontinued) - $849.

Ebay BIN of $485 http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Ibanez-SR900-Electric-Bass-Guitar-/72395984

I feel asking $400 is a reasonable price. Almost had it sold to someone then they decided they were after a different model .


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

As soon as I win big on the 6/49 there will be a few less guitars for sale in this forum. You guys have some sweet instruments for sale, makes me wonder what you are keeping for yourselves.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

Ti-Ron said:


> Where are G&L, Hamer, Heritage? That's not luthier stuff and they carried by big distributor but they are almost invisible. Same thing with less common models from the big compagnies, no jaguar, mustang or jazzmaster from Fender or Flying V, Firebird or Explorer from Gibson.


In the prairies one of the big stores that sold a lot of G&Ls was bought out by L&M so there aren't as many G&Ls showing up used. If L&M is the only store then the 2nd hand market will be dominated by the brands they carry. That's probably happening in other parts of the country too.


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Budda said:


> http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ibanez-sr800-4-string-electric-bass
> 
> This is the latest version (mine is an SR900, now discontinued) - $849.
> 
> ...


That is a good deal - the kind I'm talking about. less than 50% retail.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

kat_ said:


> In the prairies one of the big stores that sold a lot of G&Ls was bought out by L&M so there aren't as many G&Ls showing up used. If L&M is the only store then the 2nd hand market will be dominated by the brands they carry. That's probably happening in other parts of the country too.


Interessing, didn't know that!
Thanks for the info!


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## waynev (Jan 18, 2014)

Been cruising the pawn shops, something new for me.
Seems like the pawn shops have not got the message that its a buyers market and are lost in their approach.
$100 Jay Tursers priced at $300.
Well worn Fenders and Gibsons priced at 95% of new price.
I made one of them an offer at a price you'd see the same model of Les Paul at on kijiji and they didn't even counter my offer...
... looked at me like I had three heads.


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

I have never seen a deal at a pawn shop. Just over priced junk.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Pawn shops think they are savvy guitar merchants by looking up the highest asking prices on CL and thinking that's a fair price for them to sell at. They are generally ignorant of real current market values and fickle trends.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

Prior to the internet I think you stood a better chance of getting a great score from a pawnshop. Nowadays it's a wasteland of overpriced instruments. You'd think the owners would have figured it out by now, but no.


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

Maxer said:


> You'd think the owners would have figured it out by now, but no.


They wouldn't be doing it if it didn't work for them. There are still people who don't check kijiji and just assume pawn shops will have good deals so they go there for their first guitars. I see it with new students at least a couple of times a year.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

Sure thing... there's always suckers out there. But if they were more aggressive in their pricing they'd move more musical gear. 

And pawnshops are no longer the way to go to get used gear. We've been in the age of Craigslist for nearly a decade now. That means a whole generation is coming up which thinks it's normal to buy gear via searches on the net and researching what that used gear tends to go for. To be able to compete, an old school solution like a pawnshop has to up their game. IMO.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

The pawnshops that I've been to usually want top dollar for their guitars and those guitars are usually in need of some sort of repair. On top of that I get weary looking at all the Ibanez/Gibson/Fender/Epiphone etc. Tradetang fakes I see in their stores.

As for the used market here, it's been a bit dry recently. It's never been as great as what I see when I click Ontario in Kijiji, but it has it's moments.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Morkolo said:


> As for the used market here, it's been a bit dry recently. It's never been as great as what I see when I click Ontario in Kijiji, but it has it's moments.


Well, there is a bit of a population difference.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

Steadfastly said:


> Well, there is a bit of a population difference.


And here I thought Newfie's just held onto their gear more than the mainlanders.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Morkolo said:


> The pawnshops that I've been to usually want top dollar for their guitars and those guitars are usually in need of some sort of repair. On top of that I get weary looking at all the Ibanez/Gibson/Fender/Epiphone etc. Tradetang fakes I see in their stores.


Agreed, just the used version of Long & McQuade, only at less of a bargain.


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## boyscout (Feb 14, 2009)

Steadfastly said:


> In the St. Catharines area there are always upwards of 500 used guitars for sale on Kijiji. Spread that out to include Toronto and area and it jumps to thousands. If you can't find something decent with those numbers you just ain't a-lookin'.


I've been watching the Toronto (includes GTA) Kijiji for nearly two years. In all that time it hasn't dipped much below 4,000 guitars for sale! It typically hovers a few hundred above that level.

Four of those are currently for sale by me, at what I believe to be fair prices. No serious replies at all.

It's a buyer's market for sure, very soft these days, but it's something else too. The catalogue is so huge because many guitars are listed again and again and again. Perhaps the odd seller needing rent money might take 25% of retail for a high-quality used guitar in great condition - which fuels lottery hopes for other "buyers" - but most sellers won't. As a result, a seller fends off lottery-hopeful "buyers" with lowball offers for a few days, then waits while the listing rapidly fades into silent obscurity tens of pages from the top of the list before listing again for a few more days of time-wasting correspondence with lottery "buyers".

I guess the point I'm making is that Kijiji's catalogue in a sense doesn't represent the guitars for sale today (although of course it does!) but it represents a majority of the guitars for sale in the past six months or year. It's a very inefficient market these days.


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

You guy's shouldn't complain - try shopping for a lefty guitar! Brick and mortar - forget that option unless you want a low end used or new model. Most of mine have come from ebay and luckily I have never had a bad deal yet, but then I have to deal with shipping and not being able to try it out first. If a good deal pops up, then bidders come out of the woodwork and then I have to decide how much I am willing to part with!


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

rockinbluesfan said:


> You guy's shouldn't complain - try shopping for a lefty guitar!


Yeah, I hear ya. A former bandmate of mine is a lefty. Whenever I get to griping about not being able to find certain guitars, he gives me the ole raised eyebrow. I know that I no longer have a sympathetic audience!~


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

Ebay is terrible for buying now since alot of US sellers are using The Global Shipping Program, its something i will never use after reading all the complaints about how there items are being opened and not getting re-packed proper and getting damaged, and why would i want to pay taxes and duty on everything you buy, even low cost items under 20.00..


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## kat_ (Jan 11, 2007)

Maxer said:


> Sure thing... there's always suckers out there. But if they were more aggressive in their pricing they'd move more musical gear.
> 
> And pawnshops are no longer the way to go to get used gear. We've been in the age of Craigslist for nearly a decade now. That means a whole generation is coming up which thinks it's normal to buy gear via searches on the net and researching what that used gear tends to go for. To be able to compete, an old school solution like a pawnshop has to up their game. IMO.


I've been thinking about this for a couple of days. I honestly think pawn shops are being hurt more by payday loan stores than by kijiji. With how easy it is now for people to get unsecured credit how bad would someone's credit score actually have to be before resorting to a pawn shop for a loan? The retail side was never their main business anyway.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

You make a good point about payday loan stores but I still think it's a mixture of both reasons. Now it's insanely easy to do a bit of online research and come up with a reasonably fair market value for any given used instrument - especially guitars and basses, which are out there in the bazillions. So it makes - at least potentially - your average pawn shop customer a lot savvier when it comes to sizing up prices for used gear hanging up in the shop.

Funny though - pawnshop owners and managers still seem to be acting as if the internet never came along. And back in the day, say in the early 80s when I was frequenting pawnshops, the ones on Church Street did a lot of business in used guitars. It's how I scored my very first electric, which I have to this day. I wouldn't have been able to afford it brand new at the time, and now it's invaluable to me. I guess my point is, while a significant part of their business was in effect temporary loans, a lot of it was also people opting to use them to sell gear they no longer wanted.

Anyway, the few pawshops I've poked my head into over the last few years seem to have pretty sub-standard gear - lots of OK and not so OK clone guitars made by lesser brands, and they're _still _asking crazy money for that stuff. I think they're just not with the times.


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## rockinbluesfan (Mar 3, 2008)

Rick31797 said:


> Ebay is terrible for buying now since alot of US sellers are using The Global Shipping Program, its something i will never use after reading all the complaints about how there items are being opened and not getting re-packed proper and getting damaged, and why would i want to pay taxes and duty on everything you buy, even low cost items under 20.00..


I'm only an hour from the border, so I use bluewatershipping in Port Huron - use his address to ship to, hand him $5 and bring it across myself. Do a little shopping, eat and fill the car up and head home. I declare the guitar at the border, pay the taxes and all is good.


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

> I'm only an hour from the border, so I use bluewatershipping in Port Huron - use his address to ship to, hand him $5 and bring it across myself. Do a little shopping, eat and fill the car up and head home. I declare the guitar at the border, pay the taxes and all is good.


i should do the same i am only 45 mins from the border, but need to get a passport first..


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

I am thinking that the pawnshops would try to move the high end gear on the net.


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