Used Music Gear Around Pittsburgh: Selling and Trading

A musician moving equipment along may want cash, credit toward another instrument or an arrangement in which a shop sells the item on their behalf. Those are different transactions. Pittsburgh-area retailers publish routes for discussing used equipment, but a general invitation to sell does not establish that every instrument will be accepted or that an online asking price is its trade value.

This guide compares operator information checked November 8, 2026 from Pittsburgh Guitars, Empire Music, Hollowood Music and Sound and Hawthorne Drum Shop. It does not appraise equipment. Start with the exact model, approximate age, condition, known changes and included case or accessories.

Pittsburgh Guitars: a sale or a trade needs identification

The shop’s buying page invites used guitars, basses, amplifiers, pedals and other listed equipment. It asks customers to bring valid identification and explains that paperwork accompanies a used-gear purchase. Those are the operator’s published intake instructions; this article does not interpret the underlying law or promise acceptance.

Explain whether the goal is a sale or credit toward another item. The shop needs to inspect the actual equipment, not merely recognize a brand. A photograph or description can start the conversation, while the final condition and included materials still matter. If you need a particular replacement instrument, confirm its availability separately from the trade enquiry.

Empire: the form asks for the details of the instrument

Empire’s trade enquiry distinguishes selling from trading and asks for the brand, model, serial number, condition, modifications and included materials. It also requests photographs and the product being considered for a trade. Prepare those details before using the form rather than entering a broad description such as an old guitar.

The page displays confirmation-style text as part of its presentation. Seeing that text is not evidence that a reader’s own enquiry has been sent or reviewed. Retain the actual confirmation from a completed submission and wait for the business’s response. A form field asking about an instrument does not establish a valuation formula or a guaranteed offer.

Hollowood and Hawthorne: name the correct business

Hollowood’s homepage invites enquiries about selling or consigning guitars, amplifiers and PA gear. Ask which arrangement is being proposed and obtain its terms before leaving equipment. A consignment invitation does not supply an unpublished commission rate, payment date or promise that the item will sell by a deadline.

Hawthorne occupies the second floor at the same Chartiers Avenue address but is a separately identified drum retailer. Its gear page directs buying and trade enquiries to the shop’s own contact. Give the drum or cymbal details and included pieces. Do not assume that a conversation downstairs creates an agreement with the upstairs business.

Compare the actual proposed outcomes

For preliminary photographs, include the overall instrument and clear views of known wear or modifications. Describe damage rather than concealing it, and ask the shop which additional identification or inspection details it needs.

Record what the shop is offering, what equipment the offer includes and whether the arrangement depends on another purchase. A cash offer and a larger credit figure answer different needs. Consider the purchase you actually intend to make, rather than treating the larger number alone as the better outcome. This guide does not recommend financing or assign a market price to an individual instrument.

If a repair is raised during assessment, ask whether it affects acceptance, the proposed value or a separate service estimate. Keep that issue distinct from an agreement to perform work. The repair guide explains intake and collection questions; the first-instrument guide addresses choosing equipment for a learner. None replaces the shop’s inspection of the actual piece offered.