Price watch (26)

I have personally handled the S671 - if you like things ergonomic with great playability & tone, this is the one to get but at that price...

... considering it's listed for much less when new - a firm NO. Even if you include a hard case in there, it won't bring up prices to $1.7K. No matter how well taken care an instrument is, once the owner decides to part with it, it's a pre-owned unit, rightfully, it should not be as much as a new instrument, yes? Of course, limited edition / collector's item would be subjected to a different price consideration. 

And the good deal for the day goes to this Prestige RG1450. Looks well-maintained & that price - it's about $1.3K when new at the store. Do take note that no bag / case was included from the factory despite being a Prestige offering. 

Once again, I'm not the price police, just sharing stuff here so that you get your money's worth.

Red DX

This made its way to my residence last Sunday as well. It's in pristine condition despite being listed as used. It's too clean to be true. Only two tell-tale signs of actual ownership; a very low action out of the box (yes, it came with the box as well) & a scratched pickguard which is visible here but it's still covered by a sheet of plastic film so nothing to be concerned with there. Another unnecessary purchase but this one's worth the consideration; my best after-market experience so far (after all these years). 

Gold?

There was that time when someone asked me if I have ever bought a used guitar. At that point in time, every guitar I own was new. I was averse to buying pre-loved instruments namely because of how people have no TLC for their instruments. Once these deteriorate beyond their liking, they would offload it to someone else who doesn't mind inhering dirt, grime & rust. However, this particular Ibanez S470 was in pristine condition. The owner gave up trying to cope with a dual action whammy bridge namely dealing with tuning frustrations. Folks, make it a point to mentally shift into adversity acceptance if you wish to embrace such bridge units. This is especially so if you have been the hard tail/ tune-o-matic  lover prior to this migration. Back to the story - tone major downside to this guitar was that the whammy arm tightening bushing was missing. So this was perhaps my first ever guitar bought used. It was indeed hardly used & was originally black.

There was also a cosmetic issue seen here - discolouration due to a possible reaction to rubber parts/ adhesive. This was no major setback for me as it does nothing to playability. I ended the deal with a winning feeling, especially so when I paid peanuts for it. 

The un-blackening (5)

My Ibanez S470 isn't a new guitar, it's used. In fact, I am its 3rd owner. I'm particular when it comes to guitar purchase I do not believe in buying used items because, chances are, the instruments would fall short of my standards & forking out money for them would mean eternal unhappiness. 

However, I am not an elitist in this light & would therefore consider owning a good instrument even if it means buying a used product; I view the guitar in its entirety & wouldn't let the issue of subsequent ownership cloud my judgment.

This S470 in question belongs to a friend who had been playing a Fender Strat all the while. There was this sudden itch to own a guitar of a different pedigree for the sake of variety. This is s 50-50 plunge because things may not work out as intended for a simple reason- we are humans & we have this quirky embrace for the familiar. Anyway, the friend would want another 22-fret guitar which moves away from the Strat profile & the S470 here would be a perfect addition. However, due to personal preferences, the S470 became an outcome of a hasty, compulsive purchase & it was chucked aside virtually days after its purchase. It was in quite a sorry condition, some parts were corroded & the whammy bar was stuck in its shaft. This was compounded by the fact that one of the action adjustment bolt had its tip broken so access to this was impossible.

I agreed to purchase this guitar only because I see a potential in bringing it back to life (plus it was offered for less than $200...), if the chances were remote, I wouldn't have bothered so here it is now, after countless parts replacements & a total body re-finish, an instrument which could match something fresh out of the box. I'm happy with it. 

Moral of the story- just because it's another 22-fret guitar, it doesn't equal a Strat replacement.