GuyR

Thanks Paul, have signed up. There's a forum for pretty much everything these days 🙂

I was unexpectedly invited in to a neighbour's house today to give an opinion on a bass guitar, which I have brought home. He has had it 30 years and it has lived in his shed for the last 10. It is in pretty good condition, the finish is a bit crazed, some of the screws are a little rusty, but the neck looks straight. When he bought it he was told it was rare - fewer than 100 made. I had never heard of a 6 string Shergold marathon bass. The serial number is 7040, stamped on a metal plate on the back of the headstock. Does anyone have any useful further information? cheers, Guy

I think the mis build aspect doesn't detract from the future value at all. The communication from fender in writing is contemporary with the receipt for the bass, so is sufficient provenance. Keep the paperwork safe !!! wicked looking bass, btw.

Zabriskie Point has several Pink Floyd numbers unavailable elsewhere, including a "come in number 51, your time is up" a more violent version of "careful with that axe, Eugene" set particularly effectively against multiple angles of a large remote house being exploded as the climax of a late 60s arthouse film. Very effective

Always ask for/ provide a receipt. Particularly for high value/ vintage. Why would you not?

I love this post. I can now total up the value of 2x 62, 64 and 65 jazz basses (new prices) and not feel the least guilty.

Your Sei looked amazing already

Great credit to you Andy. You are a proper gent.

Same story in all retail/high street. Some customers understand the value added by having a physical store, choice, service, convenience, advice, back-up etc. Some customers think a shop is a free showroom for Amazon. A friend of mine has recently closed his bike shop, open for three generations. Couldn't make it pay. One customer typified it for him. Came in, asked about locks, had the full range demonstrated to him. Said he would think about one that was £20. Came back into the shop a few days later with the same lock and asked my friend to fit it. Cost him £15 on Amazon. My friend said "no problem" that will be £5. Punter says"you must be joking. You've just lost a customer" the irony was wasted on him. Use it or lose it.

Good question. Because the shop is adding value at an equal proportion whatever the price of the bass. If, through their reputation, database and expertise, the shop gets, for instance, 20% higher than the private sale price, they deserve a proportionate cut of the value added. Also, for the shop not to lose revenue, a fixed cost per transaction - worked out as an average of the commission on each sale- would need to be at a level that sellers of cheaper basses would be disinclined to tolerate, so the shop would, in effect alienate a significant proportion of its customer base, reducing footfall and related sales. As it stands, the sellers of high-end basses are subsidising those less well-heeled, rendering the Gallery a perfect model for a socialist utopia. That's why.

I have sold a relatively low value bass on commission and bought two high value (to me!) basses through the same shop on commission. The bass I sold was around £300. I was paying 15% and the service I received was excellent. I suggested reducing the price after a month or so but the shop disagreed and told me to hang on and I would get the full price, which I did a few weeks later. The very easy option for them would have been just to agree, cut the price and make an easy sale, but they didn't. That judgement and expertise in the market is what you are paying for, along with the value-added in the confidence of the buyer in purchasing through a reputable and established trading entity, rather than of some random bloke on a forum or auction/classifieds site and all the uncertainty/risk that entails. I don't concern myself with what their process was to achieve the result. On the occasions I bought on commission basses, the first (custom colour 62 jazz) I was phoned to say they had something interesting in stock and they kept the shop open an hour late to let me try it. The second (ex-pino 79 fretless stingray) I was in to buy strings, it was pointed out to me, and I went home with it. In all cases an exemplary service was provided to buyer and seller. Same thing with auctions, buyer & seller know the terms before they trade. The company is a market-maker, attracting a buying public wanting to buy and with the means and confidence to buy. That, along with convenience, is what you are paying for.

It's a more expressive instrument, played well.

If it plays well, any cheaper would have been cheeky

Nice problem to have. Original 66 looks v nice, particularly if you can afford and can get a good deal, there are worse places to park a few quid. The other options all look tempting, though.

I'm a regular customer and work locally to the shop. I can't recommend them highly enough. I have bought, sold, had setups, refrets, more major surgery, and always been very satisfied with the service, quality and price. They are top guys to deal with.

Lovely bass & amp also!!

Nice bench

Handbags ready!!!😀

City of tiny lights with Frank Zappa would be fun.

A few years ago in the course of my work, I went into the loft of Ronnie Lane's former flat in Kentish Town. Amongst the clutter was an old nondescript semi acoustic type bass. I remember it had a dealers sticker from somewhere in east London and no bridge. There was also an old Zemaitis case which I asked the owner - who was his partner up to his death - if I could look inside. Sadly the bass was long gone, taken by a relative, if I remember correctly. An interesting afternoon at work.

Jvs are good, but not worth £900. They were a budget instrument - in the context of their time of manufacture, they were excellent, showing up the poor quality of some contemporary USA fender product. The Jazz basses were also the first reissues with a dot neck. I think a tokai from the same era is as good. I have 2 jv jazzes. One I bought at a year old in 1983 and another I bought new in 1984. I have a mid 80s tokai jazz also. At £5-600 a jv is a good buy imo.

If you're going to do it, I think in the corner is the most considerate place.

There is a young man who really might be better off with a short scale......