Is there nobody here who buys NEW kit?

FelineGuitars

As guitars don't get thrown away very often there is a growing number of secondhand gear of all types on the marketplace. The battle for manufacturers isn't just competing with their rival brands, but also competing with what they made in preceding years.

Whilst we make a few guitars I am glad that our business is helping to get the best out of all that used gear via set-ups, fret dressing and refrets etc as there is more of a stable future in that work.

Wazmeister

One advantage, for me, of buying new is the returns option. It helps you to see if gear works in ‘your’ rig...

Today, I have a Kemper Stage and Seymour Duncan PS incoming - both new

jonnyburgo

I bought my Silvertone reissue new because after 2 yrs of waiting for one to pop up second hand i thought fuck it theyre only £250. I dont need to say what popped up on ebay a week later...

riffpowers

I pretty much NEVER buy new kit.
The SC20H i bought recently is the 1st thing I've bought new that I can remember for ages.Years.

FastEddie

I love buying new. It gives me the chance to be the first custodian. Look after all the bits and bobs which come with the actual stuff you bought. 
I've a large box of boxes all full of the stuff from the factory. 

I also love buying SH. A great way of trying something new. 

If I'm buying for keeps then I'll always lean toward new. Unless it's something out of my current price range. The best example recently is my Martyn Booth Special for which I gave <£900 and cost around £2k new. 

If I want a specific vintage guitar then of course it's SH but I've not got there yet (yet I might add).

soma1975

I just bought an SV20H. And a greenback. And a cheapo cab. 

And I buy pedals new if nobody is selling one. 

stickyfiddle

I'm a mix of both, but recent years have seen much more new as the used market out here is quite odd (some high end stuff, loads of cheap shit, and anything mid-level is generally stupidly overpriced). Conversely I can order from the UK and not pay VAT, which is usually a bigger saving than the added cost of international shipping.

Even better is buying gear in the UK when we visit, then reclaiming VAT at the airport - my ES-330 was already on sale, then paid me 300 quid back from HMRC  

AlexC

I’ve never bought a guitar without playing it first, or an amp without plugging into it so I’d never just buy a second hand guitar or amp off the net (or new one.) For me it would be like getting a car without a test drive. 
Pedals I’ll buy ‘cold’ after listening to them on-line, however. They’re cheaper for a start. 

SeanC

octatonic said:

Jetsam1 said:

I find looking for used kit here pretty pointless. Not very much of interest and what you do find is priced way too high. I saw a PRS SE priced at the equivalent of £550 locally. Cheaper new! Old Peavey amps for example you pick up for buttons in the UK are well over £100 here. Even Budapest is shakey. High end is ok from a couple of decent shops but the free ads are full of tat or allright stuff but just expensive.

Our second hand (multiple hands really) tractor just died and I have a feeling it may have had issues prior to our ownership. And don`t get me started on the used car market in Hungary.............. Jesus,.......

You lot do have it good. I just go to Thomann!

I found the same in Singapore.
I could buy things cheaper from Thomann including shipping and import duty.

I was over working in Singapore last year, and I picked up a early 80's Japanese Greco Les Paul at a decent price.
The second hand market in Spain where I live is very pricey.

hotpickups

Only buy new if I can’t find a used one or knowing it’ll be a very rare item trying to find a used one or if the dreaded GAS gets the better of me. Usually the latter

skunkwerx

My entire collection of amps, pedals and guitars have been new except an id core blackstar amp and a chapman ml2.. which I then bought both new after testing the waters lmfao. 

Then again I don't go out, have a girlfriend or holidays

EricTheWeary

FelineGuitars said:

As guitars don't get thrown away very often there is a growing number of secondhand gear of all types on the marketplace. The battle for manufacturers isn't just competing with their rival brands, but also competing with what they made in preceding years.

Whilst we make a few guitars I am glad that our business is helping to get the best out of all that used gear via set-ups, fret dressing and refrets etc as there is more of a stable future in that work.

I remember years ago Nick Bowcott, when he worked for Marshall, saying the problem with being Marshall isn’t competing with other amp manufacturers it’s competing with every used Marshall. 

I’m not sure I buy as much gear as other people seem to. I am seriously contemplating a new guitar and looking at new because a) it’s not a particularly common instrument so might struggle to turn one up used and b) as it’s a reasonable chunk of money I’d like some consumer protection. And, I think, used prices can be scarily optimistic and lucky them if they get it but unless it’s a significant saving on new I’m not that interested. 

John_A

Litterick said:

The old kit was made by craftsmen earning union rates. Much of the new kit is made in Asian countries that have little respect for workers' rights.

May well be true for China, but Japan and South Korea both have a lot of respect for workers rights and produce some great instruments