Impulse buy: Guitars [Resolved]

i n c u b u s

So I just need a bit of advice or encouragement, here is my situation: I was browsing my local craigslist and noticed an ad for a Fender Telecaster for only $175. I thought that was pretty low and assumed it's condition was terrible or its just a Squier but I decided to email the seller anyway. It turns out that he actually works in my office! He showed me some photos of it and its actually in pretty awesome condition. (Looks pretty much like this) I can't tell if its American made or not but 175 for any Fender in decent condition is a steal right? I'm a bit tight on funds but I have a potential buyer for my Fender Stratacoustic and it's my 21st birthday on Sunday so I may have an increase in cash very soon although I'm not in dire need of a new guitar at the moment. In fact this would probably be my back up guitar but I'm afraid if I pass this up I'll hate myself for it. What do you guys think?

Update: So I decided to buy it and went to confirm this with the seller. I told him that I'd bring the cash tomorrow so I could take it home from work tomorrow. He then told me that he picked it up from a professional guitar store when stationed in Korea. Does fender even make guitars in Korea besides Squiers? It def says "Fender" on the headstock but are there fakes over there? Maybe it was made in Japan because of it's proximity? Thoughts?

Reckless

Ask for pictures and the code on the headstock. With that, you can look up its origin.

mooshoepork

I'd say go for it if it's legit. 175 is a fair steal, even if it's a mexican made strat.

I just bought a 1300 dollar guitar on a whim so there :P

go for it

i n c u b u s

UPDATE: I just went over and talked to the guy, the previous time he wasn't at his desk but the pictures where there. It's def legit and he's still selling it for 175 along with a couple others that would also be a great buy (Epi LP sunburst custom and a 12 string acoustic). Apparently his collection is just getting too large and he's got two kids on the way so some of them have to go (In fact he mentioned his family got him a Gibson LP custom back in the 80's!). He said he'd reserve it for me and bring it in tomorrow for a test run. Also he did mention that he's had this for a little while now so theres a chance this could have some age to it, possible vintage!

i n c u b u s

Also it looks like he put up some pictures on his ad so here is the listing for reference: http://dothan.craigslist.org/msg/1210083798.html

Reckless

Looks nice to me. Go for it.

Raziel

Dude, my very first guitar was a Hondo II, and I paid about $400 for it. This is a really nice price.

flatlinegraphics

can't really see the headstock, and without a serial...

as long as its not a squire, go for it. if its a mexican, and you dislike it, you can always turn it around and resell for what you paid. or, break it up for parts and sell them on ebay. mexican fenders are worth more in parts than as a whole (believe it or not).

i n c u b u s

I saw the pictures on the listing in person and it def is a legit Fender. The way I see it I can't really lose if I buy it. If I like it I got it for a steal and if I don't I can probably sell it for equal or more than I got it for. A quick search on ebay shows that the price isn't matched for similar models.

losabio

Don't read too much into why people are selling stuff on cl or eBay. Sometimes guys just need the money, or want to buy something else. If you find a good deal, go for it.

[edit]: I just looked at that guitar, and it looks like a pretty sweet hookup. Hell, the case is probably worth 100 by itself.

MushroomStick

I'm not saying that this is whats going on here, but people are telling you to get the serial off the headstock because there are counterfeit guitars floating around. As nice as the guitar looks in those pics I still couldn't tell you one way or another if it was a counterfeit.

i n c u b u s

Ok guys so I went and saw the guitar just now, in all honesty I'm almost positive it's fake. There are a few features that just don't add up:
-The head stock is a little further back than my other telecaster at home.
-It doesnt say where it was made but it does have a serial number on the silver panel where the neck meets the body on the back...odd.
-the neck has a sort of pale color on the frets and the back is slighty darker piece of wood. It also doesn't feel exactly like my other tele although the one I have at home has a rosewood neck and not maple.

Although he is letting me take it home for a couple weeks while he's away to give a test run. Also he does have an Epiphone LP custom he's selling for 175 w/ hard case as well so I might end up getting that instead of its real. Is that a good deal as well?

flatlinegraphics

with the case? yeah.

if you do test drive it, post the serial, or run it through one of the checkers online. i mean, at the end if it plays well and sounds good, it may still be worth it. just maybe not as much.

and i wouldn't put too much into it feeling different. fender has some serious QA problems, esp along the low line stuff. different guitars of the same vintage feel very different.

for the epi, yeah, maybe. with a hard case, sure. but try that one out too.

Sheep

There are bootlegs of Fenders. This doesn't strike me as a bootleg.

I've come across bootlegs of freaking Epiphones before.

cooljammer00

Now to buy amps and accessories.

i n c u b u s

Oh no I'm set in both those departments, I just bought a new 100w amp with a few pedals not too long ago.

kharvelan

cooljammer00 wrote: »

Now to buy amps and accessories.

marshall stack - JCM 800 or JCM 2000 DSL / TSL - 50 watters

only need 1 pedal to start with: Ibanez TS808 tubescreamer reissue

trust me, you get a stack, you won't go back

:-)

cooljammer00

I don't know a thing about electrics. I've still got a shitty starter acoustic.

i n c u b u s

So final update guys, I decided to just walk away empty handed. The Telecaster is fake and even if the Epiphone is real I really don't like it. I'd rather pay for something that I know I'm going to like rather than settling because it was cheap. On the bright side I ordered one of these bad boys for about the same price!

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>LINK.

Thanks for all the help guys!