Used and Vintage Guitars

The Music Zoo maintains a great selection of used guitars, basses, and amplifiers. The guitars pictured here are in stock and individually photographed. Please note: pre-owned/used equipment does not include the manufacturer's warranty. Items are sold as-is. Please get in touch with us if you have any questions at all --we'll be happy to give an in-hand description. Learn more about trades and consignments.

Jump to: Pre-Owned Guitars • Pre-Owned Basses • Pre-Owned Amplifiers

1961 Gibson SG Junior Electric Guitar Cherry - Used View

It's hard to believe that the "Junior" Gibson guitars started out as being marketed as beginner instruments. Who would have known that some 50 years later, they would be some of the best playing vintage guitars you could find? Here's a SG Junior with a cherry finish, made in 1961. This model is an early version, with the Les Paul logo on the headstock. Built of a mahogany body with a slim taper mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 24-3/4" scale length, a single P-90 pickup with volume and tone controls. It has a simple set-up that begs to be cranked through an old-school tube amp.

The guitar has a wraparound bridge that gives the guitar a resonant and open feel. The original vibrato was removed at one point and is not included with the instrument. It has accumulated finish checking and dings that come naturally with an instrument that's been played and loved throughout the years, also has a very nicely aged patina. Plugged in, the guitar has a nice mid-range tone to it from the P-90, it can go from gritty cleans to full-out distortion easily, with no scrachy pots or electronics to be heard.

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1965 Gibson SG Junior Electric Guitar Cherry - Used View

There's just something about a vintage SG or Les Paul Junior that gets us every time. Like a fine wine, these guitars just seem to get better and better with age. The guitar has accumulated finish checking and dings that come naturally with an instrument that's been played and loved throughout the years. It's built of a solid mahogany body, mahogany neck with rosewood fretboard, 24-3/4" scale length, a single P-90 dogear pickup with master volume and tone controls, and a wraparound bridge. The neck shape is an excellent feeling '60s slim taper. Plugged in, the guitar has a nice mid-range tone to it from the P-90, it can go from gritty cleans to full-out distortion easily.

The frets have been worn down a bit and have a low profile, it makes the guitar a breeze to play, but a refret will be in order eventually. Overall a great playing and sounding instrument with a ton of vintage mojo.

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1968 Gibson J-50 Acoustic Guitar Natural - Used View

Here's a vintage Gibson acoustic guitar with the three key ingredients to a cool guitar; looks, playability, and a ton of mojo. This J-50 was built in 1968, when Gibson altered the body of the J-50 from its round-shouldered shape to become square-shouldered. This J-50 is built of a spruce top with a mahogany back, sides, and neck. Other features include a rosewood fretboard and bridge, a height-adjustable rosewood saddle, 25.5" scale length, 16" lower bout and 11.5" upper bout, 20 vintage-style frets, Gibson tuners with white buttons, 3-ply body binding, a tortoise shell pickguard, and an abalone Gibson logo on the headstock.

As an acoustic guitar that has not sat in its case over the years, the guitar has some players wear and tear all around the body. There are dings around the back of the neck, with a few scattered throughout the body. The body has pick marks and scratches throughout, though there is not much lacquer checking. The fretboard has a ding in it on the 12th fret right around the D string, though you do not feel it when you're playing, nor does it affect any notes.

Tone-wise, the guitar sounds nothing short of fantastic. The chords ring out loud and clear, with a well-pronounced bass that isn't overbearing, and very subtle highs. It is a very well-rounded instrument that can make anything from fingerpicking to heavy strumming sound good. Put a microphone up to the soundhole of this J-50 and you've got one great recording guitar.

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1969 Fender Telecaster Electric Guitar Blonde - Used View

Who doesn't love a good vintage Telecaster? We sure love getting our hands on one at the Zoo, and this one really put a smile on our faces. This is a pre-owned all-original 1969 Telecaster with a blonde finish, 1-piece maple neck, 25.5" scale length, "F" tuners, a single string tree, 3-saddle bridge, and chrome hardware that has accumulated a natural patina over the years. All the parts and electronics of this Telecaster are original. The potentiometers have been dated to 1966, which is how most late '60s Fenders are found, and the factory numbers are stamped on the neck heel in green ink.

The neck of this Tele has a full "C" feel to it. In your fretting hand, it's flat on the bottom of the neck with some broad shoulders to give it a slightly beefy feel. Plugged in, the guitar has that unmistakable Tele tone, lots of trebly spank and bite, and rolling back the tone knob on the neck pickup can give you a very creamy lead tone.

There is some cosmetic wear that the guitar has accumulated over the years, mainly from sitting in the case with all the accessories that have bumped it around a bit. However, as with any vintage piece we feel that the wear gives the guitar a better story to tell. There is a bit of fretwear to the guitar, though there are no notes that buzz extensively yet. It's a beautiful looking and fantastic playing Telecaster that would be a great addition to any vintage electric guitar collection.

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1974 Gibson ES-175 Electric Guitar Sunburst - Used View

Here's a vintage Gibson with lots of classic hollowbody tone, and a great vibe to it as well. This is a pre-owned 1974 ES-175 with a sunburst finish. This ES-175 is built of a laminated maple body with a mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 20 frets, 24-3/4" scale length, multi-ply top body binding with single-ply back binding, two humbuckers with individual volume and tone controls, a trapeze tailpiece with a rosewood bridge, Gibson tulip tuners, and nickel hardware.

The guitar has accumulated finish checking around the body over the years with some light dings here and there. There is a small amount of separation around the neck joint that does not appear to be spreading. The frets have a low profile to them, which along with the flatwounds the guitar is currently strung with make for an excellent feel, great for those quick jazzy runs up the neck.

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1983 Charvel Star Shazam Lightning Bolt Electric Guitar - Used View

This is a vintage Charvel that's as wild and fun as it gets: a pre-owned '83 Star with a Shazam lightning bolt paint job across the top. Features on this Star are an alder body, a bolt-on construction flame maple neck with a slab maple fretboard, hockey stick-style headstock, 22 frets, a single humbucker with a master volume control, a brass non-locking tremolo bridge, original brass strap buttons, and Gotoh tuners.

The overall wear of the guitar has collected an awesome patina over the years, with minimal fretwear at that. The guitar has surface swirling around the body, with some cracks and scratches in the paint. There is no backplate included with the guitar. Our favorite aspect of the wear is right underneath the high-e string in where the finish has been worn to the primer. That lets us know that this guitar is a player.The maple neck has been worn in beautifully, and oil finish is smooth as silk. The single humbucker pumps out a lean and mean tone, with lots of easy pinch harmonics jumping right out when the gain is turned up on your amp. It's an excellent ripper of a guitar, and a great addition to any vintage Charvel collection.

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1983 Fender Japanese Stratocaster Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde - Used View

Here's a fantastic '80s Fender Stratocaster, built in Japan. This Strat features a vintage blonde finish over an alder body, "C" shaped maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 25.5" scale length, 7.25" fretboard radius, 21 frets, three single-coil pickups with a 3-way pickup switch, 3-ply pickguard, vintage-style tuners, and chrome hardware.

The guitar was built during a transitional period of Fender Japan, and it has no serial number, only a neckplate stamped with "Fender". The pot codes on the instrument have dated it to 1983. The guitar has a small amount of fretwear, none of which gives off any dead notes, and only light marks around the body. There are no dings, or gashes to be seen. It's a wonderful player with a vintage feel thanks to the radius, and we're loving the deep brown color in the piece of rosewood used for the fretboard.

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1983 Fender Stratocaster Standard Electric Guitar Vintage Blonde - Used View

Here's a cool '80s Stratocaster that has accumulated a nice patina of mojo over the years: an '83 American-made Stratocaster Standard with a vintage blonde finish. The guitar features a "C" shaped maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 21 medium jumbo frets, 25.5" scale length, 9.5" fretboard radius, three single-coil Stratocaster pickups with master volume and a single tone control, 5-way pickup switch, a single-ply pickguard, and chrome tuners.

This guitar was made during a time when Fender was revamping the line of Stratocasters, and it was decided to place the input jack on the pickguard of the guitar. The previous owner of the instrument installed an aftermarket tone switch on the guitar, which adds a bit of brightness to the sound of the pickups. There are some dings around the body, mainly underneath the bridge, and a light amount of fretwear which does not give off any dead notes. Overall it is a great looking Stratocaster with a comfortable feel and traditional Strat quack and chime.

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1984 Jackson Randy Rhoads Electric Guitar Black with Pinstripes - Used View

Easily, this is one of the coolest, most bad-ass old-school Rhoads guitars we've gotten through the doors of the Zoo: a pre-owned 1984 Jackson Randy Rhoads with a black finish topped off with cream pinstriping. This '84 Rhoads features an ebony fretboard with cream binding, 24 frets, sharkfin inlays, a 25.5" scale length, two exposed-coil Seymour Duncan humbuckers, individual volume controls for each pickup with a master tone, a gold Kahler double-locking tremolo, and black Gotoh tuners.

The guitar has not sat in its case throughout the years, and once you pick it up, you immediately know why. The neck is a Metal-players dream with a slim profile that is classic Jackson, and the Duncan pickups can go from a bluesy crunch to a razor sharp lead with tons of attack. The instrument is covered in marks of wear, there are dings to the edges of the body with scratches throughout, and a bit of fretwear that does not yet affect the playability. This Rhoads is missing the truss rod cover, and newer strap buttons have been installed. We feel the wear and tear just drives the point home that this is a true player, with looks unlike any other vintage Rhoads we've ever seen.

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1986 Jackson San Dimas Bloodsplatter Electric Guitar - Used View

Here's a very interesting vintage Jackson from the 80's that's sure to start up a conversation any time you take it out of its case. This is a pre-owned 1986 Jackson San Dimas with a bloodsplatter skull graphic finish. This San Dimas has an incredible feeling oil-finished maple neck with 22 frets, 25.5" scale length, a USA Kahler tremolo with a locking nut, a J50 humbucker in the neck with a J80 in the bridge, and black hardware.

The wiring of this guitar is very unique and provides a wide variety of tones. When the 3-way switch is in the neck position, the full bridge humbucker is activated. When the switch is in the middle, the full bridge is combined with the outer coil of the neck pickup, and when the switch is in the bridge position, the outer coil of the neck is the only pickup. This wiring allows you to get a traditional hot lead sound, a thicker rhythm tone than a sole single-coil pickup, and then the traditional single-coil sound, respectively.

As a guitar of its age that has been played, it has some scratches throughout the body with a few small dings here and there. There is some wear to the frets, with not much buzzing there is still lots of life left in them. What's nice about the guitar being played over the years is that now you have a neck that feels nothing short of awesome, with rounded edges that fit right into the palm of your hand. Another conversation starter is the Charvel backplate of the guitar, engraved with the serial number and P.O. box to the San Dimas shop that Charvel and Jackson both shared during this time. How cool is that?

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1986 Paul Reed Smith Custom 24 Electric Guitar Cherry Burst - Used View

This is a gorgeous Custom 24 from the very early days of Paul Reed Smith. The guitar was made in 1986, only a year after the company was founded. Features include a nitrocellulose lacquer cherry burst finish on an exceptional flamed maple top, mahogany body, a mahogany set-neck construction with a rosewood fretboard and PRS bird inlays, locking tuners, two PRS humbuckers, a master volume control with a 5-way rotary pickup switch, and a PRS "Sweet Spot" switch, which adds a slight "nasal" character to your tone. It sounds comparable to a wah pedal in the halfway position.

The neck on this Custom 24 has a narrow and profile around the first few frets, and becomes chunkier as you go up the neck. It feels great, and makes the guitar excellent for both rhythm and solo playing.

The guitar looks like it's been very well taken care of over the years. There are no deep scratches or dings to the body or top, just some surface scratches which don't break the finish, and some minor fretwear, neither of which affect the playability of this wonderful piece of PRS history.

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1994 Fender Custom Shop '54 Stratocaster Aztec Gold - Used View

This is a pre-owned Fender Custom Shop '54 Stratocaster made in 1994 with a finish you won't find all that often; Aztec Gold. The guitar is built of an ash body with a flame maple neck, maple fretboard, 25.5" scale length, 7.25" fretboard radius, 21 frets, Custom Shop '50s single-coil pickups, 5-way pickup switch, a single-ply white pickguard, aged plastic knobs and pickup covers, vintage-style tuners, and nickel hardware.

The guitar has accumulated some players wear over the years, which we feel give the guitar some added-in mojo. There is some finish checking on the tummy cut of the body, and some surface marks around the body. However, no deep scratches or dings are to be seen. The Custom Shop '50s pickups pump out a fat '50s tone with lots of clarity and low-end in the neck position, and we're loving the look of the flame figuring in the maple neck.

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1995 Ibanez PS-10 LTD Paul Stanley Signature Electric Guitar Black Pearl Metal Flake - Used View

Paul Stanley has never been a man known for subtlety, so there's no question of why the Starchild went for the Ibanez Iceman when designing a signature axe. The Iceman is one of the coolest body designs out there, with an assymetrical cutaway that allows for an easy reach up to the very last frets. This pre-owned PS-10 was made in Japan in 1995, and features a black pearl finish on a mahogany body, a set-construction mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard, abalone parallelogram inlays with abalone body binding, Ibanez V7 and V8 humbuckers with individual volume controls and a master tone, a Gibraltar bridge, Gotoh tuners, and gold hardware.

This PS-10 has some areas of players wear to the body, with dings around the top of the body and back of the neck, neither of which break the finish or affect the feel of the guitar. The most notable wear is on the bottom of the horn near the lower strap pin, where there are chips in the finish down to the wood. Play wear aside, this is a fantastic guitar with a huge tone. The V7 and V8 humbuckers really rip, and we're digging the two-volume setup so that you can keep your bridge pickup on 10 and roll back the volume on the neck pickup to switch right into a light grit.

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1995 Jackson DK1 Dinky Electric Guitar Lightning Sky - Used View

Here's an eye-catching pre-owned Jackson Dinky with a paint job that sums up both the tone and playability of the instrument quite well. A 1995 Jackson DK1 Dinky with a lightning graphic finish built with an alder body, bolt-on maple neck with an ebony fretboard, sharkfin inlays and cream fretboard binding, 25.5" scale length, 24 frets, a Floyd Rose tremolo with a locking nut, two single-coil Jackson pickups in the neck and middle with a blade humbucker in the bridge, and black hardware.

The guitar has been played throughout its life, and there are some dings and scratches throughout the body, with minimal amounts of fretwear. There are no dent spots on the fretboard, and the plus side to being played is that the neck now has a worn-in feel to it that is excellent for quick slides up the fretboard. We also dig the HSS setup of the pickups, allowing the guitar to have both shimmering clean tones right into a searing lead.

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1998 B.C. Rich Firebird Archtop Electric Guitar Goldtop - Used View

Here's a rare B.C. Rich guitar that you're not going to find every day. This is a pre-owned B.C. Rich with a "Firebird" reverse-style body built in 1998, in the Hesperia, California shop. This guitar features an arched maple top on a mahogany neck-through body with mahogany wings, cream top body binding, a slab rosewood fretboard with 24 medium jumbo frets, 24-3/4" scale length, abalone dot inlays, a Seymour Duncan Jazz neck humbucker and a Custom SH-5 bridge humbucker with individual volume and tone controls, 3-way toggle switch, a tune-o-matic bridge with stopbar tailpiece, Grover Rotomatic tuners, and gold hardware.

The guitar is in excellent condition, with only some very light surface marks on the body to be seen. No deep scratches, dents or dings to ruin the playability or cosmetics of the instrument. It's a killer sounding guitar that really doesn't look like any other B.C. Rich out there.

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1998 Ibanez John Petrucci Signature Model 90th Anniversary Signed Electric Guitar - Used View

Released in 1998 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Hoshino Gakki Company, Ibanez released the extremely limited JPM90HAM John Petrucci model. With it's eye-catching transparent graphic finish over a beautiful flame maple top, the guitar has been something we've seen in pictures for years and were very excited to get our hands on. This pre-owned JPM is built with a basswood body, a 1-piece maple neck with a bound ebony fretboard, 24 frets, a DiMarzio Air Norton neck pickup with a Steve's Special in the bridge, 3-way toggle switch, master volume and tone controls, a Lo Pro Edge tremolo system, Ibanez Gotoh tuners, and black hardware. To top everything off, the back of the headstock is autographed by the man himself, John Petrucci.

As the guitar is a killer player, it has not sat in its case over the years. It's accumulated some dings around the body mainly around the edges, nothing that would ruin the looks of the graphic nor the playability of the guitar. The guitar does not include the tremolo arm, however it does include the certificate of authenticity, and a non-original Ibanez RG hardshell case that protects the guitar perfectly.

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2001 Taylor 714CE Limited Edition Cocobolo Acoustic Electric Guitar - Used View

Here's a pre-owned Taylor that helped to remind us why cocobolo is one of our favorite woods; it's always just flat-out gorgeous, not to mention a wonderful tonewood. The guitar itself is a 2001 Taylor Limited Edition 714ce. The 714ce is built of a western red cedar top on cocobolo back and sides, a mahogany neck with an ebony fretboard, ebony bridge, Hawaiian koa rosette, Indian rosewood headstock overlay, gold Grover tuners, and Fishman Prefix Stereo Blender electronics.

The guitar has accumulated some light players wear to be seen in fretwear under the B-string, though there are no dead spots or buzzing to be heard. There are some surface marks on the back of the body, with a few very small dings around the top. There is one latch broken on the case, however it does not prevent the instrument from being protected 100%. The wear to the instrument is all cosmetic, and does not affect the tone of the instrument, which sounds beautiful with lots of bass and a clear treble, neither one outpowering the other. It's a well-balanced guitar loaded with quality electronics and the looks to match.

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2003 Gibson Custom Shop Firebird III Electric Guitar Trans Cherry - Used View

This is a really cool pre-owned FIrebird III that we were glad to get our hands on. With a mix of a few different Firebird features in one guitar, we thought this instrument had a great vibe about it. Features include a transparent cherry finish on a 9-ply mahogany/walnut neck-through-body construction, solid mahogany wings, a rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays, 24-3/4" scale length, 22 frets, a nice and chunky rounded neck profile, two soapbar P-90 pickups, a vibrola tailpiece with an ABR-1 bridge, and banjo-style tuners.

The P-90s are an excellent change-up from the usual mini-humbucker configuration you would usually find in a Firebird. They offer the same mid-range bump that lets you cut through the mix, but P-90s have a bit more round and organic tone to them that we really love. The guitar has a few surface scratches and blemishes around the body, however none of which go down to the wood. The neck profile has that classic Firebird "chunk" to it, and the shorter vibrola arm stays well out of your way while strumming around.

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