From guitars to amps to pedals, “the great thing about eBay is that you can look for anything,” he says
Given the massive range of goods available for sale on its site, eBay might not be the first retailer you think of when it comes to guitar buying. But as guitarist and instructor Steve Stine demonstrates in the above video, it would be a mistake to pass it by, as the site offers up a huge range of gear – from new to used, vintage to rare – at competitive prices.
“I’ve sold so many great pieces of gear over the years that I honestly wish I hadn’t,” Stine says. “So I thought it would be fun to go on eBay and see if I can find some of these things and maybe purchase something from one of the smaller brick-and-mortar stores that are selling online.”
The first item he searches for is a Hughes & Kettner amp. “I used to own the GrandMeister and that’s something I would definitely love to get back,” he says.
After finding a few for sale, he decides to move on and see if he can grab a guitar – in particular, a ‘60s Fender Road Worn Strat that he “really loved.”
Once again, Steve is quickly presented with a variety of Road Worn models in a range of colors. But before he makes a purchase, he wants to show us something else.
“The great thing about eBay,” he says, “is that you can look for anything.”
By way of example, he types in “Klon Centaur.”
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Not an easy find, but there are several of the rare pedals to be had on eBay, including one for $7,500.
“That’s a little bit out of my price range,” Steve admits.
(Image credit: Fender)
So he returns to the Fender page. “There’s so many I would love to have here, but I think I’m going to go with this one,” Steve says, landing on a Vintera Road Worn ‘50s Stratocaster in Surf Green for $1,099.99.
Next thing you know, the guitar is at his door and we’re ready for the unboxing.
“The guitar took about six days to get here, and it looks great and feels great,” Steve says. “Let’s check it out.”
As Steve shows us, it sounds great, too.
“So needless to say, eBay is a great place to shop for guitars and gear because they have a huge selection of new and used stuff, they have modern stuff, they have vintage stuff, discontinued gear, from just about every major brand out there,” Steve says. “And of course, you can dial in your price point to make sure you don’t go too far above what you might be looking for.”
What’s more, he adds, “The other nice thing is that when you buy on eBay you’re buying direct from guitar shops and sellers around the country, which of course helps support smaller music businesses as well.”
Rich is the co-author of the best-selling Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion. He is also a recording and performing musician, and a former editor of Guitar World magazine and executive editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine. He has authored several additional books, among them Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, the companion to the documentary of the same name.
