Codog said: I AGREE EVERYTHING IS OVERPRICED, TRY TO BUY A DAMN VINTAGE MUSTANG, AND ITS GONNA SET YOU BACK AT LEAST 1500. PEOPLE HAVE TO BE REASONABLE MUSTANG ARE GREAT GUITARS BUT THEY WERE MADE AS A ENTRY LEVEL OR STUDENT MODEL, THEY SHOULD BE 1000 BUCKS MOST FOR A VINTAGE ESPECIALLY IN THIS ECONOMY
Yes, they WERE made as entry/student level guitars, but that is not what they are now. Now they are vintage musical instruments. That is what you are paying for. If vintage doesn't matter, then buy a reissue, imported copy, or build your own. But $1800 and up is the going price for a vintage Mustang Comp. in decent condition. I know mine will not go cheap.
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eBay is just fine... as long as the buyer knows what he is buying. If the seller is overpriced, no one buys. If the seller is under priced, everyone bids and its a free-for all. If the seller mis-represents or poorly describes what they are selling... Buyer Beware. But there are diamonds among the rubble.
Example:
Last year, I bought a 1995 Ovation 1751 Balladeer 12-string off of eBay. The pics showed a broken string and a chip in the top, with a gig bag. It was stated the electronics did not work. I won the bidding, got it for $163, shipped.
What I found when I looked it over after receiving it:
- neck was straight (good)
- frets had very little wear (good)
- the picture made the chip look much bigger than it was. (great)
- headstock, fretboard, saddle and neck that were extremely dried out. (very bad)
- battery compartment had a leaking battery still in it. (very bad)
- battery contacts were only slightly corroded (not as bad as it could have been)
- trim ring around the sound hole was detached (bad)
- electronics were covered in dust and did not work (bad)
I thought I had been hosed. My wife said "You spent your money on THAT?" Not good if you are married and your wife hates eBay.
But, I gave it some 5 hours worth of TLC:
~ buffed the frets
~ oiled all the unfinished woods (headstock, neck, fretboard, and saddle... multiple times)
~ repaired the chip (filled it in with cyano acrylate (superglue), sand and polish)
~ reattached the trim ring
~ tightened all the tuners
~ cleaned the battery contacts
~ blew the dust out of the preamp controls
~ complete buff and polish
~ new battery (the preamp works)
~ new strings
Now she is almost perfect and worth far more than I paid.
Afterward, the seller contacted me and asked if i was satisfied with my purchase. I told him all of the issues above. He wanted to refund some of my money. I declined because I knew I made out.
You can get a deal on eBay. But YOU have to know what you are looking for and what it is worth.
