Read Cafe Classifieds regularly

[Elliot Luber]

I don't know how much of a response is appropriate here, but I 'm always reading threads about used F9s and used Flatirons, etc., but I'm rarely seeing these things offered anywhere. I know about MandoWeb and Elderly, and the plywood for sale on e-bay, but where else do I hunt for good used Mandos? With all these folks buying Loars and DMMs and Bentrups and Collings, etc., there's got to be a lot of used instruments out there, but I'm not finding them. Thanks for any pointers you may have.

[arbarnhart]

A large number of good ones are mixed with the bad ones on eBay. Smaller music stores (nearby me is Zepp Music and I think they ship; they have more than what they list and are good folks) are a good place. Festivals?

[Steve Farling]

Have you tried putting what you are interested in buying in the "wanted" section of the classifieds? Actually, there is more than plywood for sale on e-bay! I bought a brand new Gibson F5-G for $2,600.00 on there from a dealer selling off his gibson stock! I was nervous at first but I emailed him for a phone number and sent him mine. He ended up calling me at work and after about a twenty minute conversation I decided to bid. I was the only bidder! It's a GREAT MANDOLIN!

[acousticphd]

Here's a list of non-plywood instruments I've found on eb*y.

For $1200 or less:
Givens Legacy A4
Old Wave A-oval
Old Wave A5
Ken Ratcliff A5
Flatiron Performer
Howard Morris F4
Actually, except for the Givens all were $1K or less.

For $650 or less:
teens Gibson A1
teens Gibson A

For much, much less:
Suzuki 2-pt oval hole
Gibson Cromwell style A
Gibson Recording King pancake
Spruce-topped Harmony flattops

And I 've purchased some here too. #
Yes, I have (too) many instruments, and it's not meant to boast - I've gotten rid of a couple and will probably eventually try to deal off others.

The keys on ebay are 1) Keyword and "AND" searches to narrow the list to things that interest you; #2) #Multiple questions/communications with seller, and 3) Persistence, and patience.

Elderly and other similar big web-listing stores are in the instrument resales business to make profits. #You may expect consistently good quality/service and reasonably good price (or maybe, only reasonably inflated), but never a great price. #If you can't visit a store to play an instrument anyway, it makes sense to shop in a forum(s) where you can find savings that help offset the risk - which there is some. #You're more apt to find this at auction, or classifieds where often people have bought one too many and are just trying to get most of their investment back.

Why don't you buy that '95 Old Wave F5 in the classifieds right now - for a grand less than you could hope to get an F5G?

[Brad Weiss]

Right this minute there is <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-USA-Master-Model-Performer-A-Flatiron-Mandolin_W0QQitemZ7390005295QQcategoryZ10179Q
QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">this</a> Flatiron on ebay for what looks like a reasonable deal- others may think it too much, but it's at least in the ballpark. #I'd rather see you get something on the cafe, but Buy it Now deals on ebay are often as good as any.
(NFI of course)

[Mark Walker]

You can also see more than a few at http://www.vintagemandolin.com/ #

I like looking at the pictures! #Can't afford most of them! But there are some deal on there occasionally - depending on just what you're in the market for.

[f5loar]

The big 3 are Gruhns, Elderly and Mandolin Bros. Some keep their webite up to date, others don't so best to call when you see something. Other smaller dealers are great also like Charles Johnson, Harry West, Tony Williamson are 3 I can think of now but there are lots of smaller dealers that have overturns in stock in madolins.Lark Street another one. Ebay does have some pretty good stuff but usually it has already been through the ringer with others before it hits ebay. Old stock they can't seem to get rid of or stuff that didn't sell when listed on the cafe or comando. Best place to find a Loar is under some old man's bed or in his closet.

[Chris Baird]

Intermountain Guitar and Banjo (and mandolin).

[John Rosett]

greg boyd always has a room full of great mandolins.

[Mace]

I believe you can get a good deal from dealers provided you've done your homework. Identify the makes, models and condition you desire. Research going prices and check sites on a daily basis. If an instrument in your want list becomes available, act. If you hesitate usually you will be too late and it will be sold. All major dealers have a return policy and, although I've only returned a couple over twenty years, its never been a problem. If the purchase is mail order, for the cost of a good night out(shipping to and return) or less you can test drive in your own home. Dealers have also establish a price with you in their history and that can be a baseline for later trades or consignments. You also have the advantage of getting a pro setup.

[swampstomper]

Smaller dealers in towns with active music scenes can have a good selection of used mandos (along with new) on the wall. Some are on consignment, others the dealer has purchased. A long-running store which depends on repeat customers and reputation to compete with e-bay and web will certainly be a good choice. You will obviously not pay bottom dollar but you will get good value for money. An example I know is Ithaca Guitar Works in Ithaca, NY but you can find similar in other music-crazy towns. YMMV and happy hunting.

[kudzugypsy]

a great place to also check is:

www.gbase.com

this is a database of instrument dealers in the country that post their stuff in one central location. most of the stuff is electric oriented but you can click on advanced search and find what you are looking for.

[Jim M.]

Places I regularly surf, whether I'm looking or not, and that haven't been mentioned yet:

gryphonstrings.com
buffalobrosguitars.com
vintageinstruments.com
vintage-instruments.com
picknparlor.com
greatdividemusic.com
cottenmusic.com
massstreetmusic.com
12fret.com
acousticmusic.org
bernunzio.com
wexerguitars.com

Probably others I'm forgetting. Not that any one place has a huge inventory of used, but all of these places usually have a few good used instruments, depending on what you're looking for.

[Spruce]

I'd stick the maximum amount of money you want to spend--in cash--in your wallet or shoes and head for the nearest bluegrass festival...

For instance, I'd head for Wintergrass this coming weekend and jam your brains out. #In the process, many a mandolin will cross your path, and many of them will be for sale...

And it's always a plus to be able to whip out the cash and do the deed right then and there...

[Elliot Luber]

These are great resources. Thanks! I had been searching ebay for Used Mandolin, and only getting plywood porkers or kitchen utensils. What terms are you using to search? That Flatiron looks great by the way!

[otterly2k]

It's worth taking your time reading through some things on ebay in order to see what's really there. F'rinstance, a mando that's listed as "like new" won't show up if you search "used".

I tend to search just for mandolin, and then choose for the listings to be displayed "price: highest first". Then I browse the first few pages, or until I'm having trouble finding anything of interest.

[tiltman]

Also, from the mando cafe home page - hit on links - hit on dealers. Voila! links to a lot of folks listed above.
Kirk

[Elliot Luber]

I just opened a line of credit on PayPal so I'll be ready to strike when the iron is hot (and hopefully a Flatiron or such is not). I'm just waiting for the right opportunity, and was slightly delayed in my tax return filing. I find GoogleSearching dealers shows me all the great bargain's I have just missed. I think you have to contact dealers directly to get a jump on the real bargains that come in. I'm willing to pay slightly more for a dealer I know will set it up right, etc.

[Mattg]

Let me put in another plug for the M Cafe. I purchased a very new used Eastman 615 right here on the Cafe Classified and am very satisfied with my instrument, the price and the overall transaction. It was a tiny bit scary because I didn't know the seller but he turned out to be great to work with. Be patient too, the right opportunity may present itself.

[acousticphd]

I had been searching ebay for Used Mandolin, and only getting plywood porkers or kitchen utensils. What terms are you using to search?

Search from the narrowest instrument category you can, not the whole home page. #From the "Buy" page, select Musical Instruments&#92;String&#92;Mandolin. #Then bookmark that page. #From Mandolin, try search words like "Gibson" or other makes, "Solid spruce", "Handmade", "Vintage", and so on. #You can also limit any category to a price ranges, or sort the list by price, to skip all the $99 Gypsy Kings and the like.

[acousticphd]

I had been searching ebay for Used Mandolin, and only getting plywood porkers or kitchen utensils. What terms are you using to search?

Search from the narrowest instrument category you can, not the whole home page. #From the "Buy" page, select Musical Instruments&#92;String&#92;Mandolin. #Then bookmark that page. #From Mandolin, try search words like "Gibson" or other makes, "Solid spruce", "Handmade", "Vintage", and so on. #You can also limit any category to a price ranges, or sort the list by price, to skip all the $99 Gypsy Kings and the like.

[stevem]

Here's my tasty ebay search recipe. It weeds out all the mando's I'm personally not interested in, but it's still open ended enough to include ones I might not have though of. Cuts it down to 2 or 3 pages. If you log in, you can save the search in your prefs and then not have to type it in each time. Here's what gets typed in the search box:

(mandolin, mandola, mando) -kelly -washburn -johnson -tacoma -alvarez -morgan -kentucky -bean -applause -epiphone -fender -dean -godin -crafter -turser -ibanez -martini -austin -vega -morrell -bedford

It will search for all instances of the info in parenthesis, and will exclude anything with a minus in front of it. I also set a minimum price of $100 and then list by highest price first.

[fatt-dad]

search all of ebay for "mandolin" and then sort by highest price first. Scroll down to your price point and check out the selections. Also check out the lower priced options and see if there are any that are just emerging. Oh yeah, and do the other searches too, just another approach. . . .

fatt I-quit-buying-mandolins dad

[ronlane3]

fatt-dad, I'm glad that I'm not the only one that does that. #I sort by highest prices first just to get through all the junk.

[mr51]

I don't know if there is one close to where you live, but a used musicial instrument store called Music-Go-Round is a good place to look. I know they have several locations nationwide. I was in our local store yesterday and saw some killer deals. Their prices usually run at about 55% of the normal selling price. Our local store had several mandolins in stock, but I didn't really pay attention to them; trying to stop MAS before it starts.