Prices in the olden days

[Steve Browning]

I remember getting £210 pay one month, in 1977. It was my usual amount plus a tax rebate. It enabled me to go to Andertons and spend the £209 that enabled me to buy my first Precision. Sunburst and rosewood and no case. 

 

It meant I had to walk about 8 miles to and from work for a month, but it was worth it!

[Chezz55]

8 hours ago, itu said:

Off topic, but what's wrong with pink cars?

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAB_1

 

They're pink ! ! , and I don't like pink.

[ezbass]

9 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Your spot on ez , 

Given that Ibanez were not the highly respected company they are now, back then, those are not cheap.

[casapete]

6 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Given that Ibanez were not the highly respected company they are now, back then, those are not cheap.

Agreed, especially given that some of the models around this time still had bolt on necks.

[Reggaebass]

23 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Given that Ibanez were not the highly respected company they are now, back then, those are not cheap.

I was quite surprised how expensive the Gibsons were, the ripper was over £400 , I’ll show a pic later 

[ezbass]

27 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I was quite surprised how expensive the Gibsons were, the ripper was over £400 , I’ll show a pic later 

Sort of fits the pattern of today’s price differential, Gibsons more than Fenders (for standard US models).

[Machines]

10 hours ago, TimR said:

I wonder if this is part of why these old Fenders are worth so much now. People who now have quite large funds chasing their childhood dreams amd buying instruments they've never been able to afford before, regardless of quality or sound. 

 

I think this is the vintage market in a nutshell. Instruments that are 35-40 years old seem to experience an increase in value/demand as people reach financial maturity/retirement to buy the instruments they wanted aged ~15-20. 

 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, Reggaebass said:

I was quite surprised how expensive the Gibsons were, the ripper was over £400 , I’ll show a pic later 

 

One of the main features of Fenders is that they were designed to be able to be made (and sold) cheaper than Gibsons and Rickenbackers.

[casapete]

1 hour ago, Machines said:

 

I think this is the vintage market in a nutshell. Instruments that are 35-40 years old seem to experience an increase in value/demand as people reach financial maturity/retirement to buy the instruments they wanted aged ~15-20. 

 

It’s the same with a lot of things, and more often than not ‘men’s stuff’!!
Cameras, watches, cars, motorbikes, clothes, sports equipment, early tech items etc etc.

Musical gear has long been a victim of people chasing their youth and hiking prices.

 

[Mediocre Polymath]

1 hour ago, Machines said:

 

I think this is the vintage market in a nutshell. Instruments that are 35-40 years old seem to experience an increase in value/demand as people reach financial maturity/retirement to buy the instruments they wanted aged ~15-20. 

 

This is definitely true. There's also a funny effect that I've observed, which is that the same gear that's highly sought-after when it's about 40 years old was really cheap when it was about 20 years old (see the prices for once top-of-the-line Ashdown ABM-series amps on this here forum for a good example).

 

It seems to me that when people get to around 40, mortgages and not gigging cause them to offload the gear they bought in their youth, and then nostalgia induces them to buy it back when they're in their 50s.

 

I wish I'd bought an Ibanez musician back in the early-to-mid 2000s when they were about 20 years old and going for £300-400.

[Machines]

11 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

I wish I'd bought an Ibanez musician back in the early-to-mid 2000s when they were about 20 years old and going for £300-400.

 

I did exactly that with an MC900, but it was £250. 

[Mediocre Polymath]

12 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

I did exactly that with an MC900, but it was £250. 

Damn. I was a broke student at the time, sadly, and unfortunately responsible with my money.

[Machines]

11 minutes ago, Mediocre Polymath said:

Damn. I was a broke student at the time, sadly, and unfortunately responsible with my money.

 

It was a 1979 in not great condition. I had an offer from someone on Bassworld (Basschat's predecessor) to swap for a 1995 Stingray, which was at the time about £750. Obviously I didn't protest.

Edited May 17, 2024 by Machines

[TimR]

Unfortunately I got rid of my 80s spandex trousers. They'd be worth a fortune now.

[Bagman]

On 17/05/2024 at 09:09, ezbass said:

All around the £2.3k mark in today’s money I think.

 

I’m intrigued by what looks like a 4/6, Ibanez, twin neck on the next page.

There is a 4/6 made 1978 in Christchurch New Zealand 

both necks are fretless