Bass Bargains You've Found

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

Just spotted a beautiful Fender Prescision Bass at one of this cash converter type shops in Brighton.

I fell in love with it but it didn't have a price on it. I was hoping they didn't really know what they had on their hands and would mark it up for £200 or something.

Sadly when i asked it was £700!

Got me thinking. Has anyone picked up something that was woefully under valued?

[OldGit]

Not me, sadly, but a mate sent me a picture of a Smith 6 string bass hanging in the window of his local Cash Converter. He asked me what it was and what it was worth.
I filled him in and at 8.30 the next morning he was third in the queue behnd the very happy young man who bought it - for £130, with a Smith case ....

[jonno1981]

A Smith for £130!!!!!!!! It would probably still have been cheap with another 0 at the end!

I got a Modulus Flea mint from Reading Crack Converters for £350! Still wish I kept it too

[lemmywinks]

Makes you wonder just what the Crack Converters stores actually pay for these basses if they're still making a profit, makes me shudder just thinking about it!

I'm going to stop reading this thread now as i can feel the first wave of jealousy coming on...

[geoffbyrne]

Two of my best instruments came out of Cash Converters:

1979 Ibanez Studio ST-105 for £140:





and my Westone Thunder III Issue 2 Fretless for £180:





G.

[BigRedX]

I got both my Overwaters at stupidly low prices, but the first was the best.

Back in the early 90s before general internet access and eBay when music shops still had second hand instruments, I saw this Overwater in the Nottingham branch of what was then Carlsbro Sound Centre. I spent a good hour or so playing it and was most impressed. When I asked the price it was £550 which was pretty good even back then, but more than I was really prepared to pay. I told them I'd think about it and left. However by the time I'd got home, realised that I'd be a fool not the buy it as it pretty much ticked all the boxes for me as a bass. However at the time I was working stupid amounts of overtime and I wasn't able to get back to the shop during opening hours for another 4 weeks. I fully expected the bass to be sold, however it was still there and reduced to £350! I paid there and then and walked out with it - my first really good bass at a bargain price!

[john_the_bass]

Yes, twice, but I'm not telling

[Kev]

i bought a Status energy with LEDs in the neck for £200. Didn't like it too much though so sold it on here for the same price.

Iv never seen a bargain at cash converters. All the ones i have ever been trawl through ebay and google before buying any instrument off anyone so they work out its value.

[Bigwan]

Bought my Wal Custom for just over £500. I thought that was a bargain... especially considering the prices shot through the roof the following year.

Got a perfectly useable westfield P-bass for £20 not that long ago.

On a related topic I was asked last week about a bass for a beginner. I thought Yamaha would be a good bet for a starter - the guy cruised ebay and bought an RBX374 for a ton, which I thought was great value.

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' post='593025' date='Sep 8 2009, 04:36 PM']Two of my best instruments came out of Cash Converters:

1979 Ibanez Studio ST-105 for £140:





and my Westone Thunder III Issue 2 Fretless for £180:





G.[/quote]

Loving the fretless...reminds me of an Aria Pro SB-1000, now I wouldn't mind finding one lf those for £130!

Edited September 8, 2009 by Bass_In_Yer_Face

[retroman]

Precision type bass, which I think is an old Ibanez, that I picked up in a junk shop for a tenner That was 10 years ago, and I still have it, and use it to this day.....In fact, today, I have just stripped it to bits, and refinished the body, as it had picked up a few dings and scratches

Anyone paid less than that for a bass??

[OutToPlayJazz]

Best one I saw was last year when a pro pianist I work with in theatres turned up with what he thought was an Empire catalogue store bass that he'd picked up at Crack Converters for £80. It turned out to be a $2500 Fodera Empire NYC!

Sadly whenever I go to CC's, there's only ever cheapo new Chinese stuff knocking around. None of these amazing bargains people keep finding ever seem to be there. But then again, it is usually the Grimsby branch I drop into...

Rich.

Edited September 8, 2009 by OutToPlayJazz

[Bass_In_Yer_Face]

[quote name='retroman' post='593039' date='Sep 8 2009, 04:49 PM']Precision type bass, which I think is an old Ibanez, that I picked up in a junk shop for a tenner That was 10 years ago, and I still have it, and use it to this day.....In fact, today, I have just stripped it to bits, and refinished the body, as it had picked up a few dings and scratches

Anyone paid less than that for a bass??[/quote]

I remember reading on a fourm about a guy who found one of these at the dump!



A Hagstrom Kent PB24-BG....technically that's less than £10

Edited September 8, 2009 by Bass_In_Yer_Face

[Cat Burrito]

I've just snapped up an Epiphone Les Paul bass on EBay for £80 that was only listed 35mins previously and looks immaculate in the detailed photos. I should probably reserve judgement until it arrives but in principle it's a bit of a steal.

[BassAgent]

I found my Blade at a small music store for €400, roughly £350.

[peteb]

Got a mint Warwick Streamer Stage 1 off ebay for the princely sum of £435 (now my main work horse bass) and back in the 80s I got a USA Fender P that was playable but needed a bit of attention for £135 from a shop after a bit of bartering (I got my guitarist to come into the shop to negotiate for me cos I didn't want the bloke in the shop to know how much I wanted it - still got the bass and still mates with the guy who I bought it off)!

[kingofthestuntmen]

£120.00 from Magnum Sound in Wishaw a few years ago. Was originally on for £160.00 but when I plugged it up and it buzzed & crackled like a chip pan the guy instantly dropped the price.


Also originally from MS, my brother snagged this for £200.00 in 1989. The full story is elsewhere on the forum, but deffo a bargain.


Stagg BC-alike that I got from a car boot sale for a fiver. Couldn't do anything with it, so gave it to a music tech lecturer friend to do up as a studio beater for his students.


Another car boot sale find; went to someone on here for a fantastically generous donation to my nominated charity. Often wondered what became of her... Can't remember what I originally paid, but it was certainly single figures.

[bartelby]

The Warwick Corvette Proline I got fro £150 recently and many years back an Aria SB Elite for £80

[Mokl]

Picked up a Goodfellow (Lowden era) 5 string for £160 with and SKB flight case at Crack Converters. It cleaned up a treat and was a lovely bass...



Also picked up an early 70`s Acoustic 136 combo for £50.

More than anything I have picked up a couple of bargain bicycles from CC, but I must admit you have to wonder about their origin.

[Golchen]

Years ago the local Cash Converters had a Washburn N4 geetar for £300. More than I had spare at the time.


Also, I went in one and they had a Taylor acoustic in a case for £500. It looked a beauty, but foolishly I nipped home to check the value. I shot back but it was gone It was a £1700 model .... Oh well, I'm damn sure it must have been nicked anyway.

[Owen]

Also originally from MS, my brother snagged this for £200.00 in 1989. The full story is elsewhere on the forum, but deffo a bargain.


I cannot find the story. Tell me more!

[OldGit]

[quote name='Kev' post='593035' date='Sep 8 2009, 04:45 PM']i bought a Status energy with LEDs in the neck for £200. Didn't like it too much though so sold it on here for the same price.

Iv never seen a bargain at cash converters. All the ones i have ever been trawl through ebay and google before buying any instrument off anyone so they work out its value.[/quote]

My mate asked them and they said they had no idea what a Smith was and so coulldn't find it on the web or thought it was a weird Gordon Smith.
I suspect they paid £50 fo it from some theiving b'stard for his habit.

[4000]

My '72 Ric with all the collectable features was bought in a sale in '93 for £490, reduced from £680. It had been in the shop a year. I've seen similar basses go in the past few years for easily £2.5k+.

[lemmywinks]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='593123' date='Sep 8 2009, 06:03 PM']I've just snapped up an Epiphone Les Paul bass on EBay for £80 that was only listed 35mins previously and looks immaculate in the detailed photos. I should probably reserve judgement until it arrives but in principle it's a bit of a steal.[/quote]


I was looking at that one, looked really nice in the tobacco burst. Think the postage was around a tenner too so that's a lot of bass for the money

[Mr. Foxen]

Pretty much only buy basses if they are something of a bargain. Best so far was a P copy for £17, someone had obviously put a bunch of money into upgrading it, it had a anodised plate, heavy bridge and EMGs in it. Stripped it a rebuilt it into my bass of Doom.