Why do people trade good amps into pawn shops?

[Rena Rune]

In one sense I'm not complaining as it's nice to see them.

Today, I went into the local pawn shop. Now pawn shops here are fairly shitty generally and not held in great regard, they don't pay good prices and some of the product may be a little dodgy.

I went in today and saw a JMP just sitting there on top of some unidentified 4x12. I was rushing about so I didn't pay much attention to the year or anything, it's probably a fairly recent re-issue, and it had a Master Volume.

Why would you trade that in rather than selling it? I suppose it's easier but you're not going to get much for it.

I'm so tempted to try the thing out, but I'd never get it loud enough in the shop for it to be worthwhile, nor would I at home if I decided to buy it(not that I have the cash).

I'm curious as to why someone would bother trading in a proper big tube amp instead of selling it locally.

[VanR]

1. Need money right now. Not tomorrow or next week.
2. It's stolen.
3. Both.

[mort]

Maybe they intended to get it out of hock and couldn't. Sucks for the owner

[TwoTubMan]

Originally Posted by Rena Rune

Now pawn shops here are fairly shitty generally and not held in great regard, they don't pay good prices and some of the product may be a little dodgy.

You could apply the exact same description to most music stores.

[Cornbread]

Originally Posted by mort

Maybe they intended to get it out of hock and couldn't. Sucks for the owner

my guess too
they pawned it but could make the repayment and lost it
a gamble..but when you need money you need money

[Rena Rune]

I never thought about that.

I don't know if our "Pawn" shops actually do that though... I'm not sure what they are technically. But they do seem to deal with money a lot.

[Blue Strat]

Originally Posted by VanR

1. Need money right now. Not tomorrow or next week.
2. It's stolen.
3. Both.

I've NEVER seen a good amp or guitar in a pawn shop so I believe that the whole concept is a scam.

Apart from that, I agree with the above.

[mudster]

drugs

[xjbebop]

Just made my first pawn shop purchase ever today. Got a Traveler Guitars Speedster for just over $150. It's in great shape and I feel pretty good about the deal. The gig bag's a little worse for wear, but still...

It's fun to just drop in and browse to kill a few minutes, and usually the stuff they have is pretty shabby looking and overpriced to boot...

[Billion81]

Originally Posted by Blue Strat

I've NEVER seen a good amp or guitar in a pawn shop so I believe that the whole concept is a scam.

Apart from that, I agree with the above.

Go to Wheaton or Silver Spring MD. there's killer pawn shops- There used to be shops in DC that were straight up fence operations-

I scored all kinds of good gear when the crack trade was flying high in DC and Baltimore-

There ain't no kind of good pawn shops in Sterling or Mananas. You just got to get away from the 'burbs homie and get to some urban decay and that's where you'll find the good shit.

[Nuclearfishin]

Originally Posted by Billion81

I scored all kinds of good gear when the crack trade was flying high in DC and Baltimore-

Are you saying you bought all kinds of stolen goods from these fence operations? Those types of scores don't come on the backs of crack dealers but rather the working stiffs who get their gear robbed from a bar at 3:00 a.m. after tearing down from a long gig. How is that scoring?

[diagrammatiks]

need drugs. need drugs now. drugs drugs drugs drugs drugs drugs drugs.

[Live Wire]

Here in NC, the pawn shops around the military bases are chock full of good gear, the ones in the cities, not so much.

[nullin]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug . . .

. . . although in Iowa it's all meth. Nasty stuff that is.

[sixty2strat]

Originally Posted by Billion81

Go to Wheaton or Silver Spring MD. there's killer pawn shops- There used to be shops in DC that were straight up fence operations-

I scored all kinds of good gear when the crack trade was flying high in DC and Baltimore-

There ain't no kind of good pawn shops in Sterling or Mananas. You just got to get away from the 'burbs homie and get to some urban decay and that's where you'll find the good shit.

I lived in the city and went right up to Kennsington ave( turn left at the 3rd crack whore) in the Hispanic section of North Philly and all they ever had was shit. They days of good pawn shops are gone with 500.00 bursts.