who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

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Despot
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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Despot » Mon Jan 04, 2016 2:23 am

Just before Christmas I bought (well ... traded) back my Collings D1A. That was the best acoustic guitar I've had ... but at the time I was head over heels in love with my J50 and going through an 'old=good' phase that I've since grown out of - I traded it for a '47 Martin 00-18.

I'd always intended to rescue back the Collings within a few weeks as I was expecting a pay check coming in from some work I'd done - but unfortunately when I was able to go buy it back I found out that it had sold a few days earlier.

Thankfully it popped up again before Christmas so I jumped on it. It's now back home and never again will I be so foolish as to let it go. And having been played in for a year it sounds even better than when I had it first time round!

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by zakmaster » Mon Jan 04, 2016 3:10 am

Noooooo! - The J 50 is gone????

I am sure your reasons are sound. I would be interested in hearing your views on why the Martin 00-18 is better than the Gibson, and why the Collings is the best of the three. What was the reason you fell out of love with the J-50?

You have had some great guitars - the Collings must be something special...

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Despot » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:15 am

I have had two J-50s - a '57 and a '52. The '57 went because the '52 is something special. :)

The Martin was a fantastic guitar - but I guess I came to realise that I needed a full size D rather than a 00. I mostly play with a flat pick, which the Collings and J50, to which they're better suited than the 00, which flattered fingerstyle playing.

Interestingly the guy who sold the 00-18 to the store where I got it ended up buying it back from them when I traded it back in to them! So I got my Collings back and he got his Martin back in the end.

The Collings is spectacular. I've had the pleasure of playing a good few in the last two years, and there's something about this one that's really special (I've played similar D1As as well - so it's not just the Adirondack spruce). I instantly regretted trading it first time round, as beautiful as the Martin is/was/is. I bought the Collings practically new (it had been purchased in New York new by an Irish musician when he went there for Christmas, then he realised that he didn't like the 'wide' nut ... the guy in question loves narrow late '60s Gibson nut width, so I guess this is why he calls the Collings 'wide'). Even at that stage it sounded great - trying to describe the sound is pretty useless I'm coming to learn (after years on here of trying to do descriptions of sound justice) ... but every person who has picked it up and played it has had the same reaction ... hit a chord and then look up with a grin.

Interestingly, both the Collings and '52 J50 are feather light guitars - both are extremely lively when played too. I would imagine that when the Collings is as lived in as the J50 it will sound even better. :)

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by dph » Mon Jan 04, 2016 10:59 am

I sold my first decent guitar on CL to fund some long forgotten purchase. About two years later, I realized mistake but had lost the buyer's contact info, so I re-posted an advert on Craigslist, found the buyer, and bought the guitar back. The guitar is branded as a Halifax, but is identical to an Ibanez 2455 which I've roughly dated to 1977.

My Halifax:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/81582808@ ... 367116795/

Ibanez version on e-bay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-2455-Arc ... true&rt=nc

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Squirrel » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:23 am

I used to own a 1986 MIJ Fender Esquire which I've been trying to find and buy back for about five years with no luck. I bought it while on holiday in America around 2010 or 2011 but ended up having to sell it a few months later. If anyone on here knows where it is then please let me know! When I sold it the body had quite a few dents and chips in the finish, the pickup was possibly an aftermarket replacement and the pickguard was a mint green one which I installed. My name may still be taped to the underside of the pickguard. Apologies for the crap quality but here's the only picture I still have of it.
Image

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Larry Mal » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:36 am

I gave a guitar away and later got it back.

I bought a Japanese made Jazzmaster about 20 years ago, and had that guitar forever and ever. It had been my only constant electric and by far my favorite guitar of all time. I took it all apart and rebuilt it completely, and that's how I am on this forum years later. I was excited to see that there were other people that liked Jazzmasters a lot! This was before I basically became an opinionated asshole on here, but at the time I needed some help about how to rebuild it and what I needed for it.

But, one day I got an AVRI Jazzmaster, and figured that I didn't need both of them, so I gave my old MIJ Jazzmaster away. Mastery bridge and all. I gave it to my buddy and wanted him to be happy with it, I figured I'd never miss it since I had the AVRI.

Well, I pretty much regretted that decision immediately. I didn't take to the AVRI at all for a while, and if you play the same guitar for 20 years you kind of get used to it. It took me a long time to dial in the AVRI's setup, and I thought that it was just missing some factor or the other that made it never be as good as the one I'd given away.

But I thought that Raphael was happy with it, so that was that. Then one day I was telling him how I'd finally gotten an MIJ Mustang that I bought off him all put together. I put on new hardware, and shielded that, and put in some new pickups to replace the horrible Fender Lace Sensors that it had when I got it. I finally had it all completed and sounding good.

He then asked me if he could borrow it, and I said sure, and then he told me that he always thought of that guitar as like an extension of himself, and he loved that guitar like no other. I didn't know that. I thought it was just another guitar that he used, although he never owns many. I know that he needed money when he sold it to me, and he I guess really wanted me to have it so he could maybe get it back one day.

Then he suggested that we trade the Jazzmaster for the Mustang. I hopped on that. I got back my Jazzmaster that has been with me my whole life, and what would be the last guitar I'd ever part with. I basically learned how to play on that guitar, I'd owned some things before but never had anything that really inspired me or made me feel like a unique guitarist in any way.

So I got my old Jazzmaster back. And it'll stay with me this time until I die.

Although now I really do love the AVRI finally and think it's the best playing guitar I've ever had.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by sunburster » Wed Jan 06, 2016 3:46 pm

Great story, Larry! Glad to hear you got that one back.

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by rbrcbr » Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:27 am

Larry Mal wrote:I gave a guitar away and later got it back.

I bought a Japanese made Jazzmaster about 20 years ago, and had that guitar forever and ever. It had been my only constant electric and by far my favorite guitar of all time. I took it all apart and rebuilt it completely, and that's how I am on this forum years later. I was excited to see that there were other people that liked Jazzmasters a lot! This was before I basically became an opinionated asshole on here, but at the time I needed some help about how to rebuild it and what I needed for it.

But, one day I got an AVRI Jazzmaster, and figured that I didn't need both of them, so I gave my old MIJ Jazzmaster away. Mastery bridge and all. I gave it to my buddy and wanted him to be happy with it, I figured I'd never miss it since I had the AVRI.

Well, I pretty much regretted that decision immediately. I didn't take to the AVRI at all for a while, and if you play the same guitar for 20 years you kind of get used to it. It took me a long time to dial in the AVRI's setup, and I thought that it was just missing some factor or the other that made it never be as good as the one I'd given away.

But I thought that Raphael was happy with it, so that was that. Then one day I was telling him how I'd finally gotten an MIJ Mustang that I bought off him all put together. I put on new hardware, and shielded that, and put in some new pickups to replace the horrible Fender Lace Sensors that it had when I got it. I finally had it all completed and sounding good.

He then asked me if he could borrow it, and I said sure, and then he told me that he always thought of that guitar as like an extension of himself, and he loved that guitar like no other. I didn't know that. I thought it was just another guitar that he used, although he never owns many. I know that he needed money when he sold it to me, and he I guess really wanted me to have it so he could maybe get it back one day.

Then he suggested that we trade the Jazzmaster for the Mustang. I hopped on that. I got back my Jazzmaster that has been with me my whole life, and what would be the last guitar I'd ever part with. I basically learned how to play on that guitar, I'd owned some things before but never had anything that really inspired me or made me feel like a unique guitarist in any way.

So I got my old Jazzmaster back. And it'll stay with me this time until I die.

Although now I really do love the AVRI finally and think it's the best playing guitar I've ever had.
Always nice to hear a happy ending like this.

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by rbrcbr » Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:42 am

I had bought a 1990 MIJ '62 RI Telecaster in Lake Placid Blue off of eBay. I've always wanted a Lake Placid Blue double bound tele, and when it popped up on eBay, I went and bought it on the spot with my credit card. It was beat to hell and back, the finish was turning green in some spots, it had so much mojo. Had Duncan Antiquities in it and everything. Turns out "Order made" was stamped in the neck pocket and on the mapleneck('62 reissue), which I read was essentially Japan's custom shop. It was amazing. The neck was super comfortable, but what the seller failed to mention was the absolute need for a complete refret; the sides of the neck were thrashed from whoever refretted it before and the frets were not level at all. It played pretty poorly and was going to cost me another $300 to get it refretted, so I sent it back because I didn't need the credit card debt more than I needed a cool guitar which needed a refret.

Now, I continue to search eBay for this same guitar, but to no avail. I should have kept it, because it was completely worth more than what I paid. If only I could have afforded the refret.

Honestly, I'll probably end up turning my current tele, which I owned when I bought the MIJ, into a similar guitar. It has a maple neck that I prefer to the MIJ's, and I have Fralin Blues Special pickups in it that sound amazing. I'll probably get MJT to make me a LPB Double Bound and throw a bigsby on it for fun.

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Batiatus » Fri Jan 08, 2016 1:55 pm

I recently bought back my old '66 Musicmaster II that I sold many years ago.

Image




Also sold a '90 Ric 330/6 to the same guy that I would love to have back, but he sold it to a shop who auctioned it off on ebay.

Image
First you look so strong, then you fade away...

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by Kinx » Tue Dec 12, 2017 7:13 am

Some years ago I bought Eko Cobra Co 02 on an accident, basically an auction I forgot about - the price was ridiculously low, because guitat was poorly described. I didn't expect anything out of that guitar, but that thing KILLED ! It sounded as good as my PRS Custom 24 (my main guitar back then), only more vicious. It was finished in fugly brown colour and had some electronic quirks, but that got sorted away quickly. Pickups were super hot dimarzio clones.
Here's old video of me playing it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te7Kss3-8ts

However, I was jobless at the time and I really struggled wth money - so I decided to flip it for some profit to pay for necessary bills.
I tried to buy it back for more money from the current owner, but with no luck - he is sure to keep it and I don't blame him - that guitar plays really, really great. Unfortunately it is so rare, that I have been searching for one throughout europe for last three years and I couldn't find any in decent shape :( I suppose that not many of those were made, since this was basically final chapter in the history of Eko instruments made in Italy.

There is one upside to that story - since I used part of the money I got for it to flip some more obscure guitars, I traded my way up to the lefty '95 American Standard strat, which has been my stage workhorse for last three years and I wouldn't part with it for anything (well, except for that Eko maybe :D ).
Check out my band, The Atavists ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG-HZtrljMg

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by thecolorwaves » Wed Dec 13, 2017 11:23 am

My first ever musical instrument was a sunburst Columbus Jazz Bass copy that I busted my balls to get the money for. It's absolutely trashed, including a botched LPB refinish I attempted with a spray-can directly onto the original finish (amazingly it didn't take). It'd be pretty much worthless to most people, but I'd love to see it again. I foolishly gave it away to an ex, and I'll probably never see it again(and would need to recruit a go-between if it ever turned up).

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by adamrobertt » Wed Dec 13, 2017 7:40 pm

I haven't regretted many sales or trades, and I've done a LOT of them over the years. The only one I really regret is earlier this year trading my MJT Jazzmaster to HNB for a vintage Kalamazoo guitar. The Kalamazoo was cool, and I thought it'd be cool to own a vintage guitar, but I ultimately didn't like it. Ended up selling it and getting an American Professional Jaguar, which I liked a lot, but ended up having to sell due to money problems. Now I don't have a guitar. :'(

No hard feelings against HNB of course, he's a great dude and the trade was fair... just poor decision making on my part.

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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by takeittothemall » Wed Dec 13, 2017 10:39 pm

I’m a little embarrassed to say I’ve done it twice.

One was an amazing olympic white Danocaster Jazzmaster with a bunch of vintage parts that I had to sell when money got tight. I bought it back as soon as I could, kept it for about five years and eventually sold it to fund the purchase of a vintage Jazzmaster.

The other was an MJT sunburst custom (double bound) telecaster. I sold it at the same time I sold the Danocaster and hunted it down like seven years later when I realized how few nitro-finished vintage-style double bound telecasters there are out there. It had been sold twice, both times via The Gear Page. I made a post saying I wanted to buy it back and within a week it was mine again.

In both cases, the sellers were super cool, though I wouldn’t say I got a bargain in either instance, as I was asking to buy a guitar that wasn’t currently up for sale.
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Re: who has tried to buy back a guitar they sold?

Post by simonhpieman » Thu Dec 14, 2017 4:48 am

Great thread, simultaneously enjoying and lamenting everyone's stories of love and loss and reunion!

I've probably had for more guitars that I should have bought and didn't but I do miss 3 Epiphones:

An EJ-200 acoustic in natural. Tried 6 of them in the shop and that was a beaut. Loads of recordings done with it. Traded up for my old Jazzmaster. Sigh.

A Dot Studio in beautiful arctic white. Played it out loads. Traded up to a Custom Shop ES-330. Only cost me £200 originally. Would buy it back for that right now.

Black Firebird. Neckdived awfully and had an enormous neck but I loved the sound and the look. I still know the guy I sold this to so getting it back could be a goer. Will probably see him over Christmas, too...!

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