Places That Buy Instruments
Whether it's chamber music or something more outré - don't forget that Frank Zappa hailed from Maryland - that captures your musical imagination, there are plenty of places in Baltimore to buy or sell instruments, have them repaired or take lessons. Here are a few of our favorites.--Mary Medland
places that buy instruments
Dating back to the 1930s, Ted's Musicians Shop is located in Baltimore's elegant and historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood. It's also just a stone's throw from the world-renowned Peabody Institute, and while other music stores have fled to the suburbs, Ted's resolutely remains in the city. Owned by Fernando and Alvaro Roman, Ted's is pretty much a one-stop shop, which sells everything from new and used saxophones, guitars and marching drums to sheet music and musical accessories. The brothers Roman are also connoisseurs of old instruments and can tell you the value of a piece, as well as whether or not it is worth repairing. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It's pretty much agreed that Wood Bridge Music Shop is the place to head when it comes to the finest in string instruments - all of which follow the patterns of Antonio Stradivari. But along with violins, the store offers piccolo, flutes and oboes, as well as horns and drums, and pretty much everything one could possibly want when it comes to accessories. Wood Bridge travels the world for its instruments, and its hand-finished stringed instruments come with a 10-year guarantee. Anyone considering dipping a toe into musical waters will be pleased that Wood Bridge is also known for its top-quality private lessons. Hours: Monday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One can take music teachers out of the classroom, but not out of the music business. At Rosso Music Center, a number of these former educators remain determined to put the needs of students and beginners of any age first, and they are committed to developing an appreciation of music among children. Rosso's General Manager, Leroy Bamberger, notes that the store - in business since 1947 - sells, buys and repairs pretty much everything from brass and woodwinds to percussion and fretted instruments. Lessons are available for all instruments, with the exception of percussion. Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, by appointment.
Today, there are countless websites and stores that will be more than happy to help you with this, but not all of them are good. You need to know which store (or website) is reliable, and which ones will get you a good deal.
The first category are stores that you should check out. They might offer a good deal, low fees, or have a high number of users. Whatever the reason may be, these stores and websites are an excellent choice for someone looking to sell their gear.
Reverb is a website that was designed for selling music equipment, and there are hundreds of thousands of users each month. The main quality of Reverb is that the website is specifically for musicians. Unlike Craigslist, where you can sell anything, it is more focused and more likely that the potential buyer will find you.
On Reverb, it will cost you 5% of the total price of the item you are selling. The minimum is $0.50 while the maximum is $500. The last thing you should consider is the potential additional fees that are based on the payment method. If you are using PayPal, for example, you will need to pay another 2.9% plus $0.30.
Some people might be concerned about their safety (since you will need to meet with the buyer) or that they will have to deal with low ballers. A low baller is a person that will offer significantly less money than you asked for, and they will try to drop down the price like you are walking Black Friday.
OfferUp and Letgo were two companies that had the idea of competing with Craigslist. OfferUp was founded in 2011, and it soon became rather popular. The main quality of the website was that it offered mobile support, and people could buy from other people, rate them, and so on.
In 2020, OfferUp acquired its rival Letgo, and they merged into one company. There is no denying that the app works on a similar principle as Craigslist, and it is mostly designed for local sales. With this in mind, you should know that there are no additional fees if you are selling a piece of equipment locally.
However, if you opt for a shipping option, the fee is 12.9% of the total value. This does not include shipping, since that is something that the buyer will pay for. OfferUp is an excellent option for selling, as long as you are doing it in your city. If you plan on sending it somewhere across the country (or world), then Reverb might be a better option due to lower fees.
eBay is among the most popular ecommerce websites. It offers a lot of safety, accepts PayPal, and there are numerous users on it every day. This means that it is more likely for you to find a buyer for your gear since there are so many people browsing the website.
The very idea behind Guitar Center is to buy a piece of equipment from you at the lowest possible price, and then sell it on their own store for profit. Since they are acting as an intermediary, this means that the chances of you getting a real value for your guitar are rather slim.
The most common case is that you will get half a price for your gear, which is not nearly enough. Especially if you are selling something that has sentimental value. Of course, if you are in dire need of money, then this is an excellent option. Guitar Center will be more than happy to give you 50% of the price for your equipment.
Mercari is a website that is quite similar to eBay. The users can list their gear online, and other potential buyers can check it out. As with other entries, adding an item on the website is completely free, but the seller will need to pay fees if they find a buyer.
And the best thing is that the fees are the same as on eBay. So, why would you go for the option with fewer users when the price is the same. It will only take you longer to find a buyer, which means that you should go for the options in the previous category.
Music Go Round is a website focused on selling used instruments. Here, you can find anything from guitars, drums, basses, to used gear like pedals or amplifiers. The store has been around for quite a while, and they have more than thirty years of experience.
Here, you can hope to get between forty and sixty percent of the price for your instrument, since they plan on reselling it for the full price. I already mentioned that eBay has quite higher fees, and here, you will find even higher ones.
And the main problem is the price. Similar to other brick-and-mortar stores, Sam Ash is willing to buy from you only to sell it in its own store. Which means that you will get a fraction of the price. Once they estimate how much it will sell, you will get maybe fifty percent of the price, which is bad.
The reason why websites like Reverb became so popular is due to the fact that you will be selling your gear, and there will be no intermediate. The only cost you will pay is that percentage I mentioned to the website. And if this is too much for you, Craigslist and similar websites take no fee at all.
Of course, the main problem with this is that not everyone has a garage full of unused items or equipment. This idea is faulty for everyone looking to sell a single instrument or a pedal, and it will be completely pointless to try a garage sale with a single item.
For all of you interested in selling used instruments or gear, there are a couple of options you should consider. The first thing you need to ask yourself is how urgent this is. If you are in no hurry, then you can always use websites like Craigslist, Facebook Market, or OfferUp.
The second option is websites like Reverb, where you can sell your gear anywhere in the world. You will need to pay a percentage of the sale to the website, but the buyer will pay for shipping based on their location. The primary reason why Reverb is a better option compared to eBay, Mercari, and other similar sites is due to the fact that it offers lower fees.
We are a professional establishment that buys, sells and loans on top quality merchandise, while always putting customer needs first. If you are coming to Pawn1st shops to sell or get a loan on musical instruments, you have chosen the best possible option since we consistently pay out more money than anyone in the area. We have experts on staff who have undergone extensive training in the valuation of musical instruments such as pre-owned guitars.
If you want to pawn, buy or sell a musical instrument, or want to buy music equipment in the Phoenix, AZ area, you have found the best resource with Pawn1st! We don't just compete with musical instrument stores, our prices leave other dealers out of market! We are staffed by a highly trained group of people who are experts in examining pre-owned musical instruments and assigning proper sale or loan value to each one of them which is brought into our pawn shops.
If you are planning a visit to one of our Pawn1st stores to pawn or sell your pre-owned musical instruments, you need not worry because it is a very simple process. Simply bring the instrument in with you, and we will be happy to examine it and make you an offer. In most cases, it takes only a few minutes for our experts to evaluate your pieces and make you an offer. Don't forget to bring any cases or accessories in with you, sometimes it turns out these accessories are more valuable than the instrument itself. For example, if you have a guitar case, clarinet case, cello case, or any special tuning equipment for the instrument we will generally be glad to make you an offer on that as well. We are also happy to provide loans for or purchase items like guitar amplifiers.
If you're looking to purchase a musical instrument in the Phoenix, AZ area, Pawn1st shops are the best option! We have an extensive inventory since we are buying high quality musical instruments and music equipment every day. 041b061a72
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