Buying and Selling: Update

Sorry for the long time between posts...

I've had three guitars posted on Kijiji for a few weeks.  I'm not necessarily keen on selling all of them, but I always keep a few irons in the fire, as you never know what is going to come up.  Sometimes a great trade offer, sometimes you find that person who absolutely must have what you're selling ($$$), and sometimes you get to deal with a bunch of ass-hats.

Thankfully, I was spared the ass-hat parade this week.

Patience Pays Off?


After dealing with the aforementioned parade in weeks past, I was just about ready to give up on selling the Squier Standard Stratocaster for now.  I've had some EMGs and a wireless connection kit sitting in my toolbox waiting to get used, and the All-Black-Strat seemed to be the right candidate for the temporary sound lift.
This, but with EMGs.  RAWK.
Patience paid off though, and I've got a buyer at asking price.  He emailed last night and tried to haggle on price, but having made my mind on installing the EMGs, I was in no mood to budge.  Despite this, he said "sold" and is picking it up tonight.  I'm not going to publish what my net on the deal was (a lady never tells), but let's say I'm more than satisfied.

Goodbye not so old friend?


I had also listed the '85 Contemporary Stratocaster, just to see what was out there.  The offers have been almost universally laughable, but ignoring emails takes very little effort.  In any case, I'm in no rush to sell or trade it seeing as it was in part the inspiration for writing about my dealings...


Except there's an offer.  I had a guy email the other night offer one of three guitars.  Only one caught my attention - A Gibson SG Classic.  The Classic means it has P90s instead of 'buckers.

This is what I'm hoping he's offering:


This is what I think he's offering:


See the difference?  It will take a keen eye given I'm using stock pics, but the second one is an SG Classic FADED.  No gloss.  No thanks.

Other than questions about finish, the potential trader did note that the bridge P90 was replaced with a Dimarzio Super Distortion. Uh-oh.  P90s and humbuckers are not the same size, so at best the pick guard was modified to accommodate the bigger pickup, at worst the body had to be routed under there.  Or so I thought...

I asked the trader for specifics - he said he "wasn't a techie" and that he didn't think anything had been altered, save for two 500K pots to "handle the power of the humbucker."

Digression:  Not an entirely accurate characterization of why a humbucker needs a potentiometer with a higher RESISTANCE rating, but at least illustrates how most guitarists think - POWER!!!!

I'm not bothered about the pot change, but the humbucker switch has me feeling a "NO" coming on.  Last night though, he emails to explain that the Super Distortion is the P90 sized replacement from Dimarzio, and he'll include the original P90 and pots as well.

Overall, I'm still not sure about the trade, even if everything is on the up and up. The Strat is rare, and while rarity does not equal value, there is something about owning one of Fender's little anomalies, much like the love a parent must feel for a ginger child - a love of the unique. 

Still, you just might trade it for a normal kid given the chance, right?



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