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$2,000. Investment bass?

G

GeezerDeacon69

Feb 7, 2010
126
9
Bainbridge Island, WA
#1
Let us say one has, oh $2,000. What would be a good "investment bass"? One that would hold its value very well and have a good resale value?

Obviously a Ric has crossed my mind, but where I live, trying one out is simply not going to happen. I love the sound of a Ric, but I have never played one.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
 
#3
A Ric or perhaps something vintage. I was trying to think of others like perhaps a Lull, Lakland, or Sadowsky, but they all usually go for more than $2k, unless you can find one at a decent used price.

Perhaps buy a used Ric via the USED portion of Guitar Center's website, and have it shipped directly to your house...if you don't like it, just return it to GC for a refund.
 
#9
And don't use the term "investment".
I have found that 70's jazz basses have not been hit quite as hard in the vintage market which had been in the decline.
Nice clean original ones still get 2K +.
 
#10
If you want a bass and don't want to lose money, any good, non-trendy used bass that you buy at a good price will probably do it.

If you have $2K that you want to invest, don't buy a bass. There are a whole lot of other investments that have a more likely and higher return.
 
#11
kesslari said:
If you want a bass and don't want to lose money, any good, non-trendy used bass that you buy at a good price will probably do it.

If you have $2K that you want to invest, don't buy a bass. There are a whole lot of other investments that have a more likely and higher return.
Click to expand...

unless you happen to get something ridiculously cheap and you know you can sell it for more..

$2k really is not enough for it to be an investment. you'd need a good condition all original fender for it to go up in value.
 
#12
I am not sure there is such a thing.
If you can get it at half of it's "Market Value" then it would be an investment I guess.
But if you pay full price for it the chances of getting what you paid for it are minimal.
 
#14
GeezerDeacon69 said:
Let us say one has, oh $2,000. What would be a good "investment bass"? One that would hold its value very well and have a good resale value?

Obviously a Ric has crossed my mind, but where I live, trying one out is simply not going to happen. I love the sound of a Ric, but I have never played one.

Any ideas would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

And "investment" bass is something quite a bit different from a "playing" bass.

My idea of an "investment bass" would be something like a Ritter. Of course, those are just a tad out of your price range, but you might find some used in the range though not quite the most desirable investment.

I think the rules of art investing pretty much apply here. In any collecting it's very hard to second guess future value. Fads come and go and the hottest item today might not bring squat tomorrow.

So like all art investing, look for things that YOU love and will enjoy owning even if it sits in a glass case in your living room. Buying used will give you a start on true market value but you have to be aware of condition issues. I bought my Alembic because I was in love. And luckily it seems to have been a good investment too. Things whose history you appreciate can be good investments too. Basically if you find some things with interesting history BEFORE they REALLY become scarce, they can be good investments too. Examples might be Boomie's Radio Shack violin bass or some of the old Soviet basses which truly sound like crap, but HISTORY out the wazzoo!.

I don't think anyone can tell you what to buy and guarantee it will hold value. So buy what you love. And if others love it too, it will be a good investment. If not, hey YOU had a blast with it!
 
#16
Depends on the bass. For example, an Alembic Epic 4 string sells new for $5,800 but you have been able to get them used for under $1,500 for several years. By comparison, a mid 1970's Fender was selling for $1,200 to $1,500 about 5 years ago and I have recently seen them for as much as $2,800. Average has been around $1,800 to $2,000.
 
#19
Study the used market, and you have to look for the models that actually maintain value and go up most every year.

Vintage 4001 Rics if you can buy low you'll do good, they go up. The only newer ones holding their sale price or even increasing a little are the rare V63/C64. Even the CS topped out many years ago and never increased from there.

Early Steinberger, yes.

Early Musicmans, yes.

For around 2k, if you can find early 70's Fenders that are lightweight and original, you'll do good, they're steadily increasing.

Some vintage Gibsons are pulling strong: RD Artists jumped, and Rippers are creeping up.

BC Rich vintage Eagles, jumped even during the recession. I wanted one, but out of what I'm willing to bite now.

Wal Pro model. Cant go wrong with one of those. The Customs are way out there, but the Pro's can get you that sound too.

Of course you'll have to pad that 2k with a couple hundered bucks to get into some of these mentioned above.
 

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