PSA, a Monaco Superpro at a GC near me UPDATE

[polara 3,945]

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Hamer/Monaco-Superpro-Solid-Body-Electric-Guitar.gc

Looks very nice, and $1530 seems fair. I can drive out there if anyone wants an in-hand evaluation.

Edited September 5, 2019 by polara

[MCChris 7,687]

Ah, the requisite dogshit GC photos. Gotta love 'em.

[0054 2,335]

1 hour ago, MCChris said:

Ah, the requisite dogshit GC photos. Gotta love 'em.

But it's more than one shot!! Improvement in quantity!!

[scottcald 2,356]

6 hours ago, MCChris said:

Ah, the requisite dogshit GC photos. Gotta love 'em.

I've heard every GC is outfitted with a 2.5 Megapixel camera or 2001 flip phone with which to take photos.  I suppose you want them in focus too?  😆

[dhuber 362]

It looks nice, but yes it's a crap shoot buying from them.

[atomicwash 1,365]

6 hours ago, MCChris said:

Ah, the requisite dogshit GC photos. Gotta love 'em.

They are consistent, but they just don’t get it. None of’m.

[killerteddybear 4,028]

The product Overview had me reaching for my wallet...

[polara 3,945]

I’m probl’y gonna look it’ll at it. I’ve never played a Monaco of any variety. 

[Dutchman 1,133]

9 hours ago, dhuber said:

It looks nice, but yes it's a crap shoot buying from them.

Agreed!! One person’s excellent is another person’s good. I’ve gotten some great guitars on the cheap from them. My Korina P90 Artist sat in a store long enough they accepted my $900.00 offer. The strap button was stripped out. That was it!! And it was loaded with Lollar 50’s wind P90’s!! The best part of buying from them is the time you get to return the guitar. Don’t like after a couple weeks... bring it back... no questions.

[stonge 925]

4 minutes ago, Dutchman said:

Agreed!! One person’s excellent is another person’s good. I’ve gotten some great guitars on the cheap from them. My Korina P90 Artist sat in a store long enough they accepted my $900.00 offer. The strap button was stripped out. That was it!! And it was loaded with Lollar 50’s wind P90’s!! The best part of buying from them is the time you get to return the guitar. Don’t like after a couple weeks... bring it back... no questions.

the really nice thing is that you can return items to your local GC - I ordered a Fender Twin Reverb Custom 15 that showed up with a replaced speaker and dead tremolo circuit.  That thing was delivered at 530 and was returned to the local GC and my credit card refunded within 90 minutes. 

[kizanski 11,973]

If I didn't already have the world's greatest SuperPro, I would be all over that.

[polara 3,945]

Checked it out. This GC is a bit shabby compared to the big Atlanta one. There’s a teenager in a GC shirt texting. I get his attention and ask about the used Hamer Monaco on the website because it’s not in the used section. He walks over and says he doesn’t see it. I agree it’s not visible, but could he check if it was sold. He looks it up on their computer and says he’ll look around. 

Ten minutes pass and he says he found it in a hallway but maybe it’s sold, so ask the other guy. Bearded, 30ish. He finishes talking to someone and I ask him if the Hamer Monaco is sold. He stares at me and says “I don’t know what that is.”

I stare back. “It’s a guitar. You list it for sale but this guy seems to have found it but doesn’t know if it’s been sold.” 

The kid explains it’s in the hall, the beard says to bring it out and if it’s still listed in inventory it’s for sale. 

Kid brings it out. No case. A little dirty. Light weight. It’s listed as “Excellent” but it has several dings in the top, a good bit of buckle worming on the back, the bridge pickup has been knocked at about a 30 degree angle in the surrounding plastic and won’t push back down. There’s a lot of wear around both (non original) strap buttons, and it’s through the  finish and into the wood on the lower button, like someone used a really abrasive cable. Neck is straight though, it’s light, frets have light wear. 

Plays okay on dead strings, and I don’t bother plugging in, as it’s not worth $1500 and that pickup is wack. I ask if has a case and the beard says no. I point out that it’s listed as having a case. He looks in their system and says yes but he doesn’t think that’s right. 

These guys. Hilarious. 

I ask him to please check. Twenty minutes later he comes back triumphantly, waving a gig bag that offers all the protection of plastic wrap, and starts trying to stuff the Hamer inside. It doesn’t fit. 

“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “Not interested.”

if anyone feels like offering $1100, go for it! 

Edited September 5, 2019 by polara

[bigolsparky 704]

Sounds familiar.  My boycotting GC now seems more justifiable.  

[atomicwash 1,365]

1 hour ago, polara said:

Checked it out. This GC is a bit shabby compared to the big Atlanta one. There’s a teenager in a GC shirt texting...

Sounds like Saturday Night Live (when you go get a snack hoping the next skit will improve).

[polara 3,945]

UPDATE

I posted the above to the Guitar Center Corporate Mothership contact page, and politely told them this was an opportunity to help the staff deliver a better customer experience, and also to revisit their grade of "excellent" in condition.

Four hours later I got a call from the store manager, apologizing for the experience I had. He said that the guitar had been listed as excellent with case, and shipped to a customer, who was pissed off at the condition and returned it to his local store. It was then shipped back to this store, but somehow not in the case. He agreed that the guitar had issues, and asked me what would make things right.

I said that if he could come back with a price with case that he thought was fair given the condition, or with an allowance for a Mono Vertigo bag, I'd be happy to listen. He said he'd try to get the OSHC from the store that shipped it, and get back to me.

Sometimes it plays to... not so much complain, but to tell management that you had a bad experience, and why it was bad. We'll see...

Edited September 5, 2019 by polara

[bigolsparky 704]

1 hour ago, polara said:

Sometimes it plays to... not so much complain, but to tell management that you had a bad experience, and why it was bad. We'll see...

I tried that with my Guitar Center, but when that didn't work, I resorted to being an ass.

[RobB 4,380]

10 hours ago, polara said:

Sometimes it plays to... not so much complain, but to tell management that you had a bad experience, and why it was bad. We'll see...

Grrrrrrrrrrr..!! WTF is it with GC's used inventory and OHSCs??? I'm going through a similar yank-around with my local GC on a beautiful, Gretsch PowerJet purchased a coupla weeks ago. More on this rant after I actually get replacement case (from one of their NEW inventory guitars on display! Idiots..) on Sunday

Edited September 6, 2019 by RobB

[polara 3,945]

LATEST UPDATE

They guy said this poor guitar has been passed around three or four stores and no one can find the case. But he'll sell it for $1150, and they paid $1200 for it.

I'll go get it tonight and find a used Mono eventually. Fun weekend project to polish it up, get it in shape.

[killerteddybear 4,028]

Offer him $900.

[polara 3,945]

 I figure GC coming from $1799 to $1150 is a moral victory. The neck was great, the bit around the strap button I can lightly sand and then shoot a few coats of clear lacquer, with wet sanding between. I've fixed worse, and it's kind of fun. I have a set of appropriate Dunlop strap buttons and I do all my own setups and repairs anyway. A local guy has agreed to sell me a new Mono Vertigo bag for $150, so I'm out $1300 plus $15 for lacquer and a few hours pleasant labor for a nice Hamer built in what I think was the absolute golden era. And I really prefer Monos to any hard case.

[Toadroller 2,702]

Good for you!  Projects are fun.

[Travis 1,736]

5 hours ago, polara said:

 I figure GC coming from $1799 to $1150 is a moral victory. The neck was great, the bit around the strap button I can lightly sand and then shoot a few coats of clear lacquer, with wet sanding between. I've fixed worse, and it's kind of fun. I have a set of appropriate Dunlop strap buttons and I do all my own setups and repairs anyway. A local guy has agreed to sell me a new Mono Vertigo bag for $150, so I'm out $1300 plus $15 for lacquer and a few hours pleasant labor for a nice Hamer built in what I think was the absolute golden era. And I really prefer Monos to any hard case.

Put up some pics of the repair process “from the workbench”...

[scottcald 2,356]

46 minutes ago, Travis said:

Put up some pics of the repair process “from the workbench”...

Yeah, that kind of stuff doesn't get old. 

[jbrooke 13]

The two used guitars I have purchased from GC were without a case.  One listed a case and they shipped with a bag POS. I was told by a guy in a Local guitar center, that I've known for many years and after much distress from me, quote : "they make us throw them away". I gather that some managers want to sell an accessory item with every used instrument, simple. Very best on the Superpro purchase, I LOVE mine. Oh, it was the one that came with the gig bag, I liked the guitar so much that I could not return it because of that deficiency. 

[Dutchman 1,133]

Just an FYI. I’m not sure if this is the same at every GC. I have my name on a list at the Sioux Falls GC(the smallest store in the chain) 

If a USA Hamer comes in, or any other Vintage guitar for that matter, the manager calls me to check it out. I know he does this with several others also. There’s a lot of guitars that never hit the floor but are bought within hours of GC taking them in. Jo B has this connection with GC big wigs, that’s how I heard about it. 

Edit to add... he does this for old tube amps for me also. Gotten some real closet queens doing this!!

Edited September 7, 2019 by Dutchman