We have an online marketplace in Switzerland thatās mostly used by people in the French speaking part (where I live) - so itās quite a local thing. I always keep an eye on the used guitars as you can occasionally get a good deal.
I was watching this Ibanez AR420 for a while as it looked like a good one and for a low price. Iāve always liked the look of this guitar even though itās definitely not for everyone (very vintage-retro looking, with gold hardware and an abalone binding). But then the price suddenly went down a lot. Weird! I contacted the seller, whose name was Ramon. He said it was in 99.9999 % perfect condition but he only wanted cash and he clearly wanted to sell it quick. I was a bit suspicious. Also the messages were a bit odd. So I was a bit apprehensive going along to his house.
Anyway, the Ramon I imagined, and the real Ramon turned out to be very different. He was a very sweet gentle guy a few years older than me, who sings in a rock band (70ās and 80ā's covers). He bought the guitar new 5 years ago as he wanted to play electric while singing some songs. But it didnāt work out and he only played it a couple of times at home. The guitar was literally, as he said, in completely new condition. I couldnāt find any hint of use and it was perfect, and also perfectly set up (although the strings must be 5 years old!). It plays beautifully.
So I paid the amount he was asking (equivalent of 200 US$), and then he tried to give me back some of the money I gave him. Itās the first time I had to insist that the seller keeps all the money I gave him or I would have felt like I robbed him. It seemed he just wanted to make space. He then wanted to give me some pedals for free. I took one which does some vocalising effects (Boss VE 20). We chatted for a long time about music (heās a big Marc Bolan / Rex fan) and afterwards he sent me some recordings of his band which were great. He is a very good singer. So all-in-all I got a nice guitar in new condition for a good price (its about 600-700 USD new) and had a very nice experience meeting him.
I know that some people give names to their guitars. I never did that, but Iām making an exception here and calling this one āThe Ramonā (dedicated to him because he was such a nice guy). Iām going to go and see his band playing live later in the year. So I made a friend as well as getting a guitar (that I donāt need 
)
The body is Okume with a Maple top and maple neck. It has a Jatoba fretboard (which I like a lot) and Super 58 pickups. To me itās a beautiful guitar and my wife approves.
Nice purchase and nice story 
