I recently had a student ask me about buying used gear in SWEDEN. HELP!!!! I have no idea.

In the states, buying gear is easy. You go to the local music store and buy used gear. If you don't like what they have, you go to GUITAR CENTER and buy it there. IF you don't like what they have you go on EBAY. If you don't like that you go on CRAIGSLIST. Bam, DONE!!

Evidently not the cause in Europe? What is it like over there? ARe there no music stores? No Guitar Center? No mom and pop guitar shops? No small custom guitar shops? I've not travelled to Europe so I need some help from you folks on the ground

Thanks!!

Todd

We have the website blocket.se and tradera.se - the later is now e-bay owned.

In general it is hard to find any equipment that is not mainstream here, in a typical guitar store you can find a couple of Gibson , Fender and perhaps 1-2 'pointy' brands.

I'd love to have a store where I could try Suhr and more exotic guitar brands for example, in peace and quiet.

I haven't visited a guitar store here for many years though, but I doubt the situation is different now.

Yes for Turkey too

Ebay is an option but there are many ebay-like websites too that can also offer instalment with credit card.

I actually bought recently from online guitar forums (always preferred to buy from local sellers, solves many potential problems).

Only the 1 man type small stores here carry used gear but thats the most expensive option, very rare biggers stores do that too but they usually prefer higher-end gear-guitars to sell as its more profitable.

America is extremely lucky when it comes to guitar gear, The UK is pretty good, there are stores like GuitarGuitar that have some of the really nice high end stuff.

Ireland is pretty fricken horrible, in Galway we have 1 shop that has Epiphone, maybe a couple of Gibson lower range guitars, and mid level fender. We would have to travel 3 hours to Dublin to get to a half decent music shop and even then they aren't brilliant and extremely expensive.

We tend to go online to Thomann out of necessity or order online from a uk store, some hop on a plane to the uk, or even include guitar buying in a holiday to the states and try and get through customs without paying duty and tax.

The 2nd hand market isn't great here either.

Music stores have used gear as everywhere else... No superbig stores like GC or Thomann though.
Besides that and the sites mentioned above, you have a few sites where people can advertise selling music related gear:
www.vend.se
www.diskant.se
www.diskantforum.se

Egad!!! is it really that way over ther? It's very different. I somehow figured guitars would be everywhere? After all, Sweden is HUGE in METAL and such.

There is one store, not in sweden though, called GUITAR CANDY (in BELGIUM) that has SUHR And other exotic brands of guitars/amps just waiting to played!

http://www.guitarcandy.be/

Is it practical to travel to Belgium from Sweden?

17 hrs by carand ferry. 16000 Km, passing through Germany

Yes if I were to travel, I'd probably go to Germany to the (presumably) humongous Thomann store.

However the need is not that big, thanks to digital technique the only thing I miss - is testing some guitars. However I have plek'd my strat and LTD so playability is good (and sound is not that bad either).

Even though GAS:ing can be tempting, I am happy to focus more on the music making part of things.

I hear ya With the web, it is possible to get a pretty good idea on what gear may work well for ya. Youtube etc. And with many vendors offering free returns, you can always send stuff back if it's not right. Over here, it's easier to play before buying but some places it's just not as practical. So choosing the right vendor becomes important.

Didn't know that 'Guitar candy ' store and it's just 15 km from my door...thx gotta check it out

Lot's of guitar/gear stores overhere ...we even have lefty guitarshops with lefty's only.

That's handy!! Yeah man, GUITAR CANDY is the BOMB!!! Wads of custom/exotic/hard to to find gear and a coffee bar where you can have a cup and chat about guitars with the owner.

It's a small shop but PACKED with cool gear and they do cool events frequently. They have some DIEZEL amps that I would love to try.

Here is OLA playing one of the diezel amps @ Guitar Candy.