Thrift shop hero
A look into whether second hand music paraphernalia and instruments are worth a second chance.
Foreigner’s Juke Box Hero got his beat-up six string from a second hand store. Musical instraments can be costly and when you’re trying to break into the music industry, it can be hard to afford. In Sheer went to three Long Island thrift stores in search of music paraphernalia and instruments to determine whether the Juke Box Hero had the right idea.
Island Thrift — Centereach
An image of Frank Sinatra costs $24.99 at Island Thrift. A new framed photograph of Frank Sinatra can range from $60 to $200. The same framed picture can be found on eBay for $35 with a $12.75 shipping cost.
Island Thrift in Centereach carries a multitude of records. Records within cases cost about $5.99 and records without cases are $2.99. New vinyl records can range from $10 to $30. On eBay, new records cost about $20, but some people sell lots of 40-50 used records for about $30. The only downside to buying big lots is that you don’t know which records you are getting.
The Eastar drum costs $38.99 at Island Thrift. This drum is part of a set, but was found as a lone piece at the thrift store. Overall, the five piece drum set costs about $250 new, and also comes with an adjustable throne, cymbal, a pedal and drumsticks. On eBay, the full Eastar drum set ranges from $89.99 to $341.99.
A guitar found hanging on a back wall with a few strings missing costs $18.99. Children’s acoustic guitars range from about $40 to $100 in cost, and typically come as a set with a case, extra strings, picks and a tuning device. On eBay, the cost of a children’s acoustic guitar ranges from $26 to $60.
The drum on the top costs $6.99 and the bottom and middle drums each cost $18.99. Together the drum set costs $44.97. A new childrens three piece drum set can cost about $100, but comes with more pieces such as drumsticks, a stool, a throne, cymbal and pedal. On eBay, the First Act three-piece drum set costs $105 with a $91.45 shipping cost.
The Technobeat Electronic Keyboard costs $18.99 at Island Thrift. The item has been discontinued, but new electronic keyboards range from $20 to $50. On eBay, a used electronic keyboard costs about $20 to $50.
The Centereach location of Island Thrift has two aisles of records for sale for $5.99 each.
This digital piano model costs $98.99 and cannot be found online. Other digital pianos like this can range from about $110 to $1,000 depending on the brand and quality. On eBay, a new digital piano costs about $300 to $750.
Island Thrift in Centereach had multiple instruments and music paraphernalia such as drums, keyboards, guitars and records. Some sets or items were missing pieces, but may be easily fixed or can be bought to use for parts.
The stickers placed on products for sale are color coded and every day Island Thrift selects a few colors to get a 50% off discount. Depending on the day and the color of the sticker, some of the items shown may be on sale.
During the visit, the Centereach location played the songs “Cake by the Ocean,” by DNCE, “Deja Vu,” by Olivia Rodrigo, and songs by Lizzo over the speakers.
Island Thrift — Medford
The cassette tapes cost $2.99 each. You may think that listening to music on cassette tapes is over, but vintage is in. Urban Outfitters is selling new cassette tapes with music from current popular artists ranging from $13.98 to $16.98. Even Taylor Swift sells a cassette tape of her album “Midnights” in her offical store for $17.99.
Like the Centereach location, records in cases are sold at $5.99. However, this location has a smaller selection.
This 1970’s Magnus electric chord organ costs $38.99. It is believed to be the 350 model and is sold on websites such as eBay ranging between $50 to $100, many of which include shipping costs.
The wooden record player (left) costs $28.99 and can be found on Ebay for $106.25.
The grey record player (right) is a Victrola brand record player and is called “The Navigator.” At Island Thrift it costs $128.99. It is sold out in this color on the Victrola website, but two other colors can be purchased for $129.99, on sale from $200.
The Medford location of Island Thrift had records around the same price as the Centerearch location. It also had cassette tapes, an organ, a soft keyboard piano and two record players, which is a great addition seeing as they have so many records for sale.
Like the Centereach location, Island Thrift in Medford also has a color coded system where you can get 50% off of the cost of an item depending on what color is chosen for the sale on a particular day. It is unclear whether certain days have an assigned color or whether colors are chosen at random.
During the visit, the song “World’s Smallest Violin,” by AJR was played over the loud speaker.
Savers — Patchogue
Records in cases at Savers cost $3.99. That is about a $2 difference between Savers and Island Thrift, depending on whether Island Thrift is offering 50% off on the sticker’s color the day of your visit.
CDs cost $1.99 at Savers, whereas new CDs cost between $7 to $15 from locations such as Amazon, Target and Walmart.
A black electric guitar with Fender markings lies behind a counter due to its high cost. It costs $299.99 at Savers in Patchogue. A new Fender electric guitar can range from about $300 to $2,600 depending on the model. On eBay, a used Fender electric guitar ranges from $180 to $1,000.
Savers had a Magnus Model 300 electric chord organ on sale for $179.99. Bonhams, an auction company, values this model at $300 to $500.
Savers in Patchogue had a few high ticket items including the Fender electric guitar and the Magnus electric chord organ. These items were located behind a booth where you can see the items, but an employee would have to hand it to you to view personally.
Overall, it is hard to tell whether Foreigner’s Jukebox Hero had a point in going to a second hand store to find the instrument of his dreams. Perhaps things changed since the 1980’s or maybe we should continue to be on the lookout seeing as thrift stores constantly have new items. The biggest score, and closest thing to the “beat-up six string,” is the Fender electric guitar found at Savers. Fender is known as an amazing and highly respected guitar brand. Additionally, if you are starting out in the industry, there are other guitar brands that are cheaper when new, especially when they are on sale.
Compared to eBay, buying music paraphernalia at a thrift shop is the better deal, especially since there are no shipping costs. The only downside is if you have a specific item in mind, the thrift shop may not carry it immediately. However, if you’re able to find an item new and on sale, that is definitely the better deal. For instance, the new Victrola record player is on sale for the same price at Island Thrift.
When you are going to a thrift shop with an item you want in mind, you can definitely get lucky, but sometimes it will take time to find what you are looking for. You just have to be patient, and in the mean time, sort through available records and CDs to support other artists.
