Wookie’s Column : Why I love pawn shops…

There is something about pawn shops. In fact, some people recorded whole albums about them. As a man, I think it's the smell. Seriously. Next time you walk past a pawn shop, walk in and take a big huge sniff. It's the smell of a potential bargain, a possible rip off. pawn shop hunting is the modern day civilised hunting expedition.
Meet the soon to be newest member of my growing family

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This is a PRS SE SingleCut Soapbar Model.

It's an SE, so it's a Korean model. I had a look online and it lists for about 700 pounds, so it's still a bargain.

Basically, I was looking for a cheap guitar case at the pawn brokers cause i'm one case short these days, and as I was leaving i saw it in the window. I came home, asked the better half if I can get guitar number seven and she said ok, because she knows how much i want a PRS, and [suck up mode] because she is the most lovely person in the word [/suck up mode].

I went back up to the pawn broker, and asked for a play. It was awful. Absolutley unplayable. He said he had it in there for a while and that it had been reduced because for some reason he can't sell it. All the problem was is that the bass side of the bridge was WAAAYYY to low. I pulled out a ten cent coin, four turns of the bridge bolt, BINGO, perfect playability.

Yeah, the tone control will likely need replacing, but big whoop. It sounds beautiful, even with the dead strings on it. I even got him to throw in a case for $0. bargain and a half.

How much I hear you all ask.

$499 Australian Dollars. Go do the math! i can't wait to finish paying this off in the next few weeks and going wild. It just seems to be that every guitar I want is falling right in front of me. I few months ago, I was really wanting a S-S-S strat. Then I get a phone call from someone I had not seen in two years offering me her partners guitar that he does not play. It was a S-S-S strat. $100 later and it was mine. Now I get the PRS I've been wanting for years.

But this wouldn't be a Wookie's Column if i didn't give you some advice. So here are my rules for pawn shop guitaring

1. Never impulse buy

You see something you like, don't just grab it and run (unless you think you can get away without getting caught ). Play the guitar for a while. Put it down and come back in the next few days. See if it still feels the same and has the same appeal as that initial reaction.

2. Play with the knobs

The ones on the guitar you dirty fiends. Turn all the nobs, waggle the lead, flick all the switches. Make sure they all work, and if not, have a rough idea if you can fix it yourself or how much it may cost you. You don't want to spend $100 on a guitar and then have to do $300 worth of work on it.

3. Try some different amps

This is very important. The person running the pawn shop will always plug you into a small Fender combo and crank the reverb. I honestly think that those small combos were designed by Fender exclusively for the pawn shop industry because they make every guitar sound great. So try the guitar with that crappy 15W no name amp as well. It will give you a much better idea on the tru sound quality.

4. Don't pay for the case

From my experience, the person who pawns off any decent guitar will have had it in a case, and the case will likely be out the back of the shop. Ask about the case, ask if it is included in the price, and if not ask why not. 75% you'll get the case for free, 20% heavily disounted, and the remain 5% involves you walking out of the store. They want the sale just a bad as you want to buy the guitar so let them chase you.

Well, I've got a few weeks until I get my new pawn shop beauty. I'll make sure to let you know how she settles in. Till next time...

Wookie.