just out of curiosity, is there a bass equivalent of the kelley blue book? or are we TBers basically it?
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Bass blue book?
- Thread starter birdxofxprey
- Start date
I'm sure there is a definitive referece book somewhere but a quick & dirty way to check bass values is to go to EBay and check out the completed auctions of a given model.
You'll have to do some further investigation of the individual basses in those auctions but this method will give you a general overview of what the market will bear and what people are paying.
You'll have to do some further investigation of the individual basses in those auctions but this method will give you a general overview of what the market will bear and what people are paying.
Check this out....you can look a specific guitar up on line for $3.99 or you can buy the book (kind of expensive) if you do not need it on a regular basis:
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This company has books for a lot of different items (i.e. computers , electronics, etc).....he gets his data from dealers and brokers....it also gives three different values (retail, trade-good and trade- average)....have not really analyzed the instrument pricing but their computer guide seems to be reasonable (I use it in my business all the time)...I beleive there is a different volume for "collectible guitars"....also, I ran into a guide at Borders not long ago, but do not know the name of it....was $30 or so and came out annually - maybe another TBer can fill in my mind blank here.....
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This company has books for a lot of different items (i.e. computers , electronics, etc).....he gets his data from dealers and brokers....it also gives three different values (retail, trade-good and trade- average)....have not really analyzed the instrument pricing but their computer guide seems to be reasonable (I use it in my business all the time)...I beleive there is a different volume for "collectible guitars"....also, I ran into a guide at Borders not long ago, but do not know the name of it....was $30 or so and came out annually - maybe another TBer can fill in my mind blank here.....
Engine207
Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
Holy thread revival, batman! Thank you "search" button!!!
I have found two such guides:
I was ready to pull the trigger on a nice looking MIM Fender Jazz Bass V. The dude wanted $350 (+shipping) for it, but I checked in BlueBook of Electric Guitars, by Zachary R. Fjestad and S. P. Fjestad, where it booked out at $275 to $325. Then I looked at the 2009 Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide by Alan Greenwood, where it booked at $175 to $300. So I figured $270 would be about the average of them all, and represented a fair compromise.
I'm a big "deal-chaser" and figgered that paying more than the average would be like buying a used car for more than it's blue-book or buying a home for more than the appraisal. Given the economic times in which we live, and the "necessity" of bass guitars for the average Joe, it wasn't really a lowball offer. So I asked him, "other than your feeling, where does the $350 number come from?" To which he replied, " We research everyday what items sell for on ebay, craigslist and what the new prices are. They fluctuates daily on gear. As far as pricing, $350 with a case is a pretty fair price considering they are $599.99 with out a hard shell case brand new."
Since the bass in question is a 2000, there were no "comps" to pull from eBay or Craigslist". I was prepared to go $300, but decided to pass and see if he had any greater sense of urgency after a few weeks of dust gathering and overhead accumulation...
So what's the deal? Are these pricing guides the standard or are they trash?
Engine207
Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
I think that's the "Greenwood Guide", as it's called. Would you guess that is a legit resource as far as determining a fair price, especially in the absence of current eBay/CL comps? This guy was justifying his price of $350 by comparing his 2000 to what I would pay for a new one ($599) and "the Fender price increases" and all that...
