The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    I bought this Tele for $100 a few years ago. It was a kid’s relic project, until he got tired of it and needed some money for college. It was supposedly a MIM originally but had a Warmouth neck, vintage tuners and SD pickups. I eventually replaced the body with a lighter GFS Paulownia body and added a new pearloid pickguard and the GFS whammy bar. So it’s pretty much a FrankenTele.

    It plays sweet and would be a good candidate for a desert island guitar, assuming that that island has electricity and a decent tube amp.

    What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-6888e091-ae4c-4aeb-b4f1-af300fc5322d-jpg

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Skip Ellis
    Not in the last 5 years but in the early 80s I bought a '59 burst Les Paul for $275 - sold it the next day for $800.
    Do you still want to be kicked in the a** about that?

  4. #28

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    There will be always tons of great deals, just no money to go on with it. xD

  5. #29

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    you’ve seen me land some great gear in the last four years. Some of you have really scored some amazing deals, Damn.

    For me though this is the Best Buy I’ve made, George Benson’s personal one off prototype RED GB-5. Meeting him the next night was the cherry on top of the sundae.

    What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-8e06bff1-0f34-4b7a-90b4-d5c5f082850d-jpgWhat's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-90d6d9a3-5ba0-4f1e-96d9-8964d1a4fa57-jpg

  6. #30

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    These projects started as $800 and $1800 guitars off Reverb.
    What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-l7-l50-jpg

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by BigMikeinNJ


    you’ve seen me land some great gear in the last four years. Some of you have really scored some amazing deals, Damn.

    For me though this is the Best Buy I’ve made, George Benson’s personal one off prototype RED GB-5. Meeting him the next night was the cherry on top of the sundae.

    What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-8e06bff1-0f34-4b7a-90b4-d5c5f082850d-jpgWhat's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-90d6d9a3-5ba0-4f1e-96d9-8964d1a4fa57-jpg
    Wow, that’s great—I am JEALOUS!!

    Not to steal your thunder, but I stayed at a friend’s parents’ house in Englewood Cliffs in the late 90’s for a weekend. They had just bought and renovated the house, which was previously owned by Tony Bennett and then his ex-wife. On the other side of the fence in the back yard was George Benson’s place.

    I spent most of the weekend (when not in NYC) waiting by the pool to see if George would come out. I even practiced what I would say to him—“George, I’m one of your biggest fans!” Alas he was a no-show the entire visit.

    What did YOU say to him, by the way?

  8. #32

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    Why do the CME deals from 2017 not count? Just sayin . . . that was a thing.

    Meanwhile my recent best buy is a Verne Q Powell Boston flute headjoint but I won't share the price

    At this point my guitar buying is limited to strings every so often.

  9. #33

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    It’s the legendary deals we’ve all encountered that keep us hooked. My God, some of your stories are amazin.

    Doctor Jeff: you try not to gush and fawn. I told him excitedly I won your red guitar !!! We both laughed over how amazing I thought it was. He was remarkably gracious and considerate, even spending time asking my neighbor about her kids and what they wanted to be.
    truly a class act.

    Big

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Longways to Go
    Why do the CME deals from 2017 not count? Just sayin . . . that was a thing.

    Meanwhile my recent best buy is a Verne Q Powell Boston flute headjoint but I won't share the price

    At this point my guitar buying is limited to strings every so often.
    They dont count because so many here took advantage of them and there is no "story" to them. They ARE/WERE great deals, but imho were common not very interesting.

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by Greentone
    Holy smoke. A $100 pre-war blond L5. That's as good as it gets.
    Of course that was the early 80's well before internet communication and the proliferation of information about guitars.

  12. #36

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    Got this cool Cort Source for 150.
    Attached Images Attached Images What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-20200229_133807-jpg 

  13. #37

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    In January ... I scored a new Eastman AR371CE Blonde for $700 - well below the two or three others out there at the same time selling for $900-$1000. This is my second 371, sold my first (a 2015 sunburst customized with a Lindy Fralin P92) to a good friend. This one is a 2019 and has an ebony fretboard. A Charlie Christian pick-up (built in humbucker format) is on the way from The Creamery in the UK.

    Just like that first 371 I owned, this one has a big acoustic voice. I haven't put it down since I got it. It looks, sounds, and feels great. The set-up was spot-on, right out of the box.

  14. #38

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    Best for me in the last 5 years was a 1978 Yamaha SG2000 for $400. Thing is sooo heavy and well made.
    Attached Images Attached Images What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-7bd56184-491f-4012-bfb5-ada4f4ed8acd-jpg 

  15. #39

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    I contacted a guy on C/L selling a Fender Reverb unit for $175.00. Thinking it was a great deal on a reissue only to find out it was an original 1964 in white tolex. I gave him two 100.00 bills. He said he didn't have change and I told him that was OK. I still have it and it works great!
    Thanks John

  16. #40

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    Here are my best deals ever:
    - 1930’s Kel Kroydon (Gibson) flat top for $50 at a pawn shop
    - Vivitone (Lloyd Loar’s company after he left Gibson) guitar for $2.00 at a garage sale
    - National Trem-O-Tone amp, found in the garbage
    Keith

  17. #41

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    I met met a guy in California many years ago who bought a very early D’Angelico Excel at a garage sale. It was in poor condition at the time but he had it restored and it was beautiful. He wouldn’t tell me how much he paid.

    I met another guy at a guitar show who had a D’Angelico New Yorker that he claimed to have found in a dumpster. Not sure if it was true, but he seemed credible. I played the guitar and it was fantastic.

    Keith

  18. #42

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    My best deal has been all the free, shared knowledge on this forum.

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Have to go back 8 years for mine, but I got my Heritage 575 for $1200.

    You don't see that price on them too often anymore.
    I got one for 1200. Amazing deal. Then sold it for 1400. Dumb dumb dumb

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by rictroll
    My best deal has been all the free, shared knowledge on this forum.
    Which increases GAS, which leads to more purchases...

    So my point is I’m not sure how much of a “bargain” it is in the financial sense, but I agree it is an intellectual bargain...

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Longways to Go
    Why do the CME deals from 2017 not count? Just sayin . . . that was a thing.

    >>SNIP<<
    Well, they do count but... In my viewpoint, the CME deals in many cases were more about the opportunity to buy something the player would never buy, that they weren't looking for and was too good to pass up (Also right after the CME deals a flood of them were for sale by entrepreneurs) than a player looking for something they REALLY wanted and stumbled on a dream at an "I must be dreaming" price without a CME deal to push them over the edge.

    On the CME blowout I bought a figured 335 and LP-ES that I already had one of each just because... and I did not count those as my best deal even though they were. I don't think I was alone.

  22. #46

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    It is probably a bit over five years, but it is one of several instances that confirms God wants me to play guitar.

    I had purchased a Frontman 212R with a five year warranty. After the GC coupon it was $200 which was a deal in itself. It was about 4.7 years old when the thing went south. Fender offered me my choice of either a Mustang III V2 or the just introduced Champion 100. Opted for Champion 100 which died after three days. Fender promised to ship a replacement Champion and I was to return the C100 in the replacement’s carton.

    Through some clerical error Fender shipped a Mustang IV V2. I played through the thing and really liked it. I called Fender the next day and offered to pay the difference between the C100 and MIVV2.

    “You like the Mustang?”

    ”Yes.”

    ”Just keep it and return the Champion. No extra charge.”

    Got a brand new Mustang IV V2 for $200.

  23. #47

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    most everything I have was a pretty good deal because I'm not really able to throw money away, so I've been known to roll the dice and make it work. I'm also sort of running the island of misfit toys over here, which sometimes helps. When you're after left of center stuff, there are often more deals to be had.

    And then there is the occasional purchase that seemed ok at the time, but has since proven to be a hell of a bargain for one reason or another.

    I've largely been out of the market the last few years so no real jaw droppers of late. Some of my all timers:

    My elitist Sheraton for $700 ish? There was a weird eBay/Bing promo going so I got $200 off. They had just been discontinued and were going for $1800, if memory serves. Been my number 1 since the day it arrived.

    My ac15hw for $7-8ish? Came with an alnico speaker and some nos tubes. Again, my number 1 since the day it arrived. They were sold out and unavailable for the better part of a year after that.

    My 70s Aria lawsuit jazz bass for $220? Threw some lollars in it and it's been the guy from that day forward.

    My 68 guild 12 string om for $400 ish. Found it on music go round for $500 and contacted the guy. He said he wasn't getting any bites so he's putting it on eBay. I said fine. A week later, I got it off eBay for a hundred dollars less. Moron.

    My 67 Ludwig 5 piece drum set with period correct zildjian new beat high hats and hardware for $200, from the original owner. Not sure I'll ever top this. My friend worked with the guy or something. Having been like 21, that was about as much as I could spend on any drum set. Sparkle orange! Well, they call it gold, but it's somewhere in between.

  24. #48

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    Well, it's a deal for which I'm saving money at the moment.
    One really cool and respective builder in my country wants 1150$ for custom made guitar.

  25. #49

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    My Heritage 575

    A friend from my college days had it for sale. He had gone through a divorce and his self-prescriberd therapy was to buy a bunch of music gear, some of which he really didn't need. He decided to sell the 575. I got it for $900 after reminding him that it was worth quite a bit more. (I would have been happy to have paid more, because I had just gone through a divorce.) His response: "I just want someone to have it who will do it justice." Now I have to keep practicing, so I may be capable of doing that, some day. Full disclosure - this was more like 7 years ago.

    What's the best guitar deal you've ever gotten?-img_0842-jpg
    Last edited by ScottM; 03-01-2020 at 01:30 PM.

  26. #50

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    I found a full Marshall Super Bass stack (amp + two 4x12" cabs) from 1970 in the basement of a school nearby and the headmaster sold off that "junk" for a pittance really - I netted about € 8000 when I sold the stack to a collector in the US. He offered that, I did not advertise it for that amount....
    Other than that windfall my best DEAL was and still is my Warmoth Tele that I built back in 1993. Still the nicest Tele I ever played and it has paid for itself a hundred times over during all these years. I couldn't put a price tag on that axe ever ....