September 05, 2007

Curious George: Musician's Deals Sites? I'm looking for a "deals" site strictly for music gear. Something like FatWallet or TechDeals but for guitars, bongos, . . those . . little shaky things . . y'know music stuff. Anyone know of any?

Never buy a guitar over the Internet, as such but I just need strings and maybe a super deal on an Omnichord or some such.

posted by petebest 17 years ago
  • I'll show you my maracas for a pound.
  • Maybe not. After all, Rock Stars Die Young
  • That's what I thought - No. Stupid Interwebz! Be more music!
  • petebest, have you looked on Craigslist? I found a ton of gear for sale in my town. Of course, there are plenty of shattered dreams in Nashvegas ... also, the #1 Google result for "music gear online" was Musician's Friend. But they didn't have any omnichords. Sorry.
  • Yeah, I've tried Craigslist but despite some fantastic stories from friends, I don't seem to find the dealX0rz there. I think music instrument retail is an extraordinarily strange business in general, and probably hasn't gotten webitized yet. I just need more cowbell.
  • Other suggestion would be good old Usenet, the .forsale groups that might be set up in your local area. ...also mebbe kijiji.com
  • Kitfisto, I'll see your maracas and raise you one skin flute!
  • "Well, I don't know much about bands but I do know you can't make a living selling big trombones. No sir." Never buy a new instrument. They lose at least 1/3 their value on the first sale. Craigslist takes perseverance and patience but if you know what you're looking for (and live conveniently near a city) that's the place to go. Three months ago it was time to learn bass guitar. One week of picking out exactly which bass and amp I wanted, three weeks of watching craigslist, and I had a mint-condition guitar and nearly-mint amp for 1/3 retail. Every ebay instrument purchase I know of has been a disaster of one sort or another. Exercise extreme caution. If the instrument you're looking for has enough players, there's going to be a couple of "let's all chat about our instruments" websites. These places often have reliable classified sections with fair pricing. If you're looking for something acoustic and obscure, Lark in the Morning is a treasure: http://larkinthemorning.com And you can find Omnichords on MusiciansFriend, it's just that they're now called QChords.
  • Yes kittenhead, but can you play the pink oboe?
  • Cool that http://larkinthemorning.com site is neat, thanks Kev7! Y'know, I've been needing a didgeridoo and didn't even know it . . . And yet there's still a niche out there that should be being filled - it's not about finding a good price on the instrument you're looking for per se, it's about "Hey such-and-such a site is selling 7-stringed Koolgaphongers for $29!" or something. Or, like, "20% off all Tinkelwicker mallets this weekend" kinda thing. I would totally nab a Koolgaphonger for $29. Wouldn't even have to be electric lime colored, either.
  • Yes kittenhead, but can you play the pink oboe? I used to play the hairy sax but later switched to the tromboner because I also found the tuba steak to be an unpalatable choice. If it doesn't work out I'll settle for just being a strumpet player.
  • Strumpet?! Strumpet that's your cue!!
  • One of Lark in the MOrning's midprice dulcimers has been on my saving-up-for list for years.
  • Right on cue!
  • Cor blimey!