The reliability of used guitar amps

[illuminatingsun]

Hi guys,

I've often been faced with the dilemma of buying used vs new, and I'm sure many other people have been too. As regards guitar amp heads, would you say it's worth it to buy used? How easy is it to fix one if something goes wrong?

I've been looking at some Engl amp heads. I hear they are really robust, but I'm still quite reluctant to let go of my money in case something bad happens to the head.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

I purchased my Krankenstein and XXX both used. And my old 5150 was a shelf model. Never had a problem of any kind with any of them. I never toured though.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

Yup, bought a lot of used tube amps in my time (Peavey, Orange, Mesa), never had a problem with any of 'em!

 

[BLUElightCory]

I'd go for the used amp. You can save hundreds of dollars, which is probably more than enough to cover any repairs that you might need to do in the future.

 

[Teddyboy]

I've bought a Jazz Chorus,a Mark IIB,a Triaxis and an Engl E570,all used... So,my opinion is that if it's worth the money or you can trust the seller,than go for it!! Plus,if you check the ads section,you'll find lots of good ads and no one has ever complained about someone else,so you can trust the guys here.

 

[kev]

I came to the conclusion very quickly that the used market is the way forward in music. Some people are obsessed with having brand new gear though for some reason. It's only going to get battered anyway, and if it doesnt then you probably havent used it enough.

 

[JeffTD]

Amps I've bought used that were A OK:

Peavey 5150
Mesa Single Rectifier
Peavey 5150
Peavey JSX
Peavey 5150II
Peavey 5150
Mesa Dual Rectifier
Peavey 5150II
Krank Revolution1
Peavey 5150


All working fine! The only one I got that was bunk was a Crate Blue Voodoo combo... fucking horrid story and horrid idea buying it in the first place.

 

[Wolfeman]

I've never bought an amp new. Usually my studio gear I buy new though.

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Not to mention the resale value only goes up if you take care of it. Honestly a 5150 is a better investment than most stocks these days.

 

[Mikaël-ange]

Never had any problem

 

[Torniojaws]

Around here, it doesn't matter if you buy a 6505 new or used - it costs the same

 

[illuminatingsun]

Around here, it doesn't matter if you buy a 6505 new or used - it costs the same

Haha, used 6505s aren't exactly cheap here in the UK either!

 

[006]

The only one I got that was bunk was a Crate Blue Voodoo combo... fucking horrid story and horrid idea buying it in the first place.

Wow, never heard about that one Jeff

I too have bought tons of amps used, I literally haven't had a single bad purchase yet. Every amp has worked perfectly fine and has arrived in the condition it was described as.

 

[abt]

Buy the amp that sounds the best to you. If that happens to be a used amp then go for it.

 

[colonel kurtz]

Not to mention the resale value only goes up if you take care of it. Honestly a 5150 is a better investment than most stocks these days.

umm....no

even though they hold their resale pretty decently, there's no way any 5150 - unless heavily modded - is worth more used than it was new, especially if you factor in inflation

 

[Flat Fifth Fury]

Treat a used amp like you would a used car: take it for a test drive before you buy and then go get it looked at by a tech to make sure that everything is fine. Have it written on the bill of sale that if your tech finds something wrong you can return the amp to the owner for full refund.

 

[sprack]

Can never have too many 5150's.

Amps I've bought used that were A OK:

Peavey 5150
Mesa Single Rectifier
Peavey 5150
Peavey JSX
Peavey 5150II
Peavey 5150
Mesa Dual Rectifier
Peavey 5150II
Krank Revolution1
Peavey 5150


All working fine! The only one I got that was bunk was a Crate Blue Voodoo combo... fucking horrid story and horrid idea buying it in the first place.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I have only bought a new amp once. Used is hands down the way to go.

I only had an issue with one used amp, but it was a 78 fender. So I sort of expected it to need a little TLC work.

 

[ParsonsMatt]

Always bought used amps, never had a problem.

 

[JeffTD]

Can never have too many 5150's.

Trust me... made the mistake of selling them way too many times - keeping number 6 fo lyfe!