Where did GC's used G&Ls go?

[tomanche]

Hey all,
Until the economy took a hit, I would fairly regularly check Guitar Center's Used Gear for G&L guitars. Even bought a couple, once they would lower to a realistic price. (Including a Skyhawk with the most incredible playability on the neck; now the first G&L of a happy friend. ) For the past few months, they had around 160 G&L guitars in their used inventory.

I checked today for the first time in a couple of weeks, and they have fewer than 40. Any idea what happened? Did they start cutting deals and sold 120 guitars? (In the past, their coupons didn't apply to used gear.) Did they offload much of their inventory somewhere else? DId aliens teleport up the G&Ls? ('Cause even aliens know they are among the best on the market!) Or did y'all buy some?

Thanks, and stay healthy in these uncertain times.

[Danley]

I'm somewhat hesitant to ever say out loud that Guitar Center has some *phenomenal* used gear prices in certain cases. I don't know if they realized that, and are as a result scaling back their used inventory - but I've never known them to *not* accept an item I tried to get them to buy either.

One potential reason for the lesser volume is that they are actually very bad at updating their online inventory of used items - they might just be behind. I've seen gear they bought from me show up two months later in the store's inventory - in some jurisdictions they have to wait a certain amount of time, but they're also just lazy. They also tend to shuffle their used inventory from store to store as-needed, I had a used instrument I sold here in Orange County ultimately get shipped to Texas to be part of that store's inventory.

I actually have a 'bad habit' of buying cheap gear on Craigslist etc. , if it's cheap enough I figure I can double my money by selling it to Guitar Center (and only Guitar Center.)* Even if I could get more selling it on Reverb/eBay, I hate dealing with 'human' buyers, having to ship, etc. - Which leads to my next caveat, Guitar Center barely inspects the instruments they take so it's not inconceivable that they will sell a lemon without realizing it, or being knowledgable to realize it.

But if you're willing to gamble and bank of having to do some possible setup or repair work, you can get some amazing gear for less than other venues typically sell it for. In fact- it pays to look out for guitars they're selling that they don't realize have upgraded pickups etc. , or that are mislabeled (mistaking a US G&L for import etc.) So I hope Guitar Center continues the status quo with their used gear - but I think going from store to store, the most I've ever seen is a couple used G&Ls in stock at a time.

(*Another aside - they're very inconsistent with how much they give you for your stuff. I once bought a $100 Peavey 4x12" from Guitar Center in Lawndale for my own use, but was not too fond of the tone so sold it to a Guitar Center in Orange County in the exact same condition a couple months later. They gave me over $200 for it which was about $50 more than the average selling price of the same cab on Reverb. Can't explain it, but they've often been -very- fair to me when buying my gear.)

[tomanche]

Ah, thanks. That is some interesting perspective and experience with GC. I've trawled their website of used G&Ls for years, ever since a store once had a Comanche VI show up. Most times, they would start with a fairly outrageous high price (dreaming!), and the same G&Ls would sit for months until a price drop happened. Once or twice I saw one that they didn't know its value (e.g., a maple-bodied S500 Signature: I was doing due diligence about its condition with the store; we went to close the deal and someone had put it in their online cart and it was gone; it sold later on Reverb for a hefty profit). Twice in the past two years I bought an uncommon model (Cavalier, ASAT Super) that they priced accurately/fairly.

I never bought a thing until the last two years (except my glorious Electroplex amp in 2013, and that was a fluke). Otherwise, I don't really patronize them. I've never tried selling them anything. But just today, they are advertising cash for used/vintage gear....

[cho]

Very cool you have an Electroplex! I am a BIG fan of those amps!

[tomanche]

Thanks! I absolutely adore it! Here's a thread I wrote about it then:
http://www.guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewt ... 36&t=10592

In January, a store in NoCal [edit: not a Guitar Center] cleared their old stock and sold two Electroplexes at cost (insane!). I convinced a friend to go try them out. He brought one home and he's been in heaven ever since.

[pico peachy]

I check out GC regularly for used G&L basses and also noticed the dramatic drop in inventory. I thought it had to do with certain stores closing during the current pandemic. There are three GCs here in Portland, Oregon. One of them has been closed for at least a week.

[tomanche]

Ah. That might be why. Makes sense. Thanks!