Mesa Boogie Buster

klejst · #1 08-23-2011, 07:59 AM

Hey everyone just curious as to what other's may think is a fair price for a Mesa Boogie Buster 200 bass tube amp? I found a guy selling one and it appears to be in really good cosmetic condition and is in great working condition. He has it in a hard shell as well as including a flight case he made himself. Only problem is he is not local...

Alex1984 · #2 08-23-2011, 10:05 AM

The heads can go up to around $700 or so. Was it originally a head or was it removed from a combo and turned into a head?

A flight case he made himself? Wow, that's intense. Not sure how it'd hold up in flight though.

RCCollins · #3 08-23-2011, 10:10 AM

Yup. $700 is the sweet spot for one of these heads, and usually doesn't include shipping. They are TOTALLY worth it, a GREAT sounding tube amp that is more oriented for clean headroom than crunch, but still really gets dirty when you hit it with a hot signal. It's a really simple design: my understanding is that it is very similar to an early Fender Bassman/first-gen Marshall design, but with way more power. Don't underestimate the volume you can get with the Buster's 200 watts!

klejst · #4 08-24-2011, 07:10 AM

The case is more like one of those road cases...I believe they do call them flight cases too or perhaps that is a different kind. Anyways it comes with a hard case. He has the price at $1000, I'll offer him $600 and see, but then perhaps go up to $700 and stop there. Thanks for the input.

scotch · #5 08-24-2011, 07:21 AM

I have 2 Buster's. Both were the 15" combos- but I pulled one of the heads and ordered a head cabinet from Mesa (cost me over $200 for the Mesa cabinet).

...and a fun gut-shot!

Mine is in near-mint condition (the amplifier itself as well), but is due for a re-cap (there's a tiny amount of hiss when cranked up). I've been considering selling mine (since I have 2), but probably wont as I love it so much!

Even with the investment in the actual Mesa cabinetry, I wouldn't expect to get more than $700 for it. There just really isn't a lot of resale value in custom-made cases (maybe half or less what you pay).

I'd really want to see how the Buster in question was re-housed before dropping anywhere near a grand!

RCCollins · #6 08-24-2011, 07:23 AM

1000 is too much, especially for a re-house. I'd pay not more than $750 shipped for a re-housed Buster.

klejst · #7 08-24-2011, 08:57 AM

Thanks for the posts guys. He turned down my offer so I too feel it is way overpriced. I'll look for something else.