[torndownunit]

The only piece of gear I own from amps all the way down to pedals that could be considered new is my Lil' Dawg Champster (Tweed clone) which was built for me. Everything else has been purchased used. I see no benefits to buying new.

 

[torndownunit]

I buy NEW for the warranty,etc. I've traded lots too. Used is OK too but you often get scratchy pots or nasty nicks in the neck,etc. ymmv. :rockon2:

I have a 1968 Princeton Reverb I bought about a year ago. It required $60 to tune it up and it has had zero problems since. My buddy has had to have his Blues Jr. replaced 3 times in that period.

Personally I'd rather have something that was either built right in the first place. Or something that has had some decent upgrades done to it so I don't have to pay for them myself .

 

[torndownunit]

...me.

whenever possible, i will ALWAYS buy used.

however, the advantage of buying new can be summed up in one word: financing.

for those of us unable to come up with large cash outlays, that word is magical.

-dh

Exactly. Back when I was gigging more, financing and warranties were a little more important. Mainly with amps in my case.

Over the years I managed to collect a lot of gear though. A lot of it through garage saling. Some of it is 'keeper' stuff and some of it is stuff that I know I could likely trade/sell down the road. That's what happens when you buy the right stuff in the first place. I rarely ever have to drop a large some of cash on gear because I just do trades or sell some of the gear that I have decided I don't want. Basically gear is a hobby for me as well.

With some careful used buying, you can always come out on top. The investments are worth it. Back in highschool (early 90's for me) I spent $500, which was a HUGE sum of money for me, on a 1981 Dean E'Lite Deluxe. It turned out to be a rare model and it's now worth close to $2000 USD.