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Basses that Hold Value

#41
aparker82 said:
So is it fair to say as long as I stick with Fender, G & L, EBMM, Ric and boutique basses, I'm far less likely to loose a rather large amount IF I have to sell it?
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I think you're approaching it from the wrong angle. Buy a bass to play, and don't worry about resale. A bass that you love will last you a long long time and money really shouldn't play into it.

If you buy a bass with an eye towards reselling it,you probably should never play it.
 
#42
NO. All of these basses except Rickenbacker will lose value for these reasons:

1) Fender and others are large-scale mass produced basses. There is nothing to say a new one won't have just as good tone and feel. So they depreciate, usually to around 50 to 60% of new street price. The only exception is a good, real, truly vintage Fender P or J instrument that is clean.

2) Boutique basses have too small a market, and those looking for a boutique bass are usually looking for something personalized, and don't want someone else's personalization, so they also depreciate.

3) Rickenbacker has been able to strike a balance between production and demand that is unequalled. Love or hate the basses as you will, but you can do your own research: if kept in great shape they hold almost 100% of their value, and some of the more "desireable" models go for more used than they did new, like the 4002 or 4005, and especially 4001's that have checkerboard binding.
 
#43
Phalex said:
I think you're approaching it from the wrong angle. Buy a bass to play, and don't worry about resale. A bass that you love will last you a long long time and money really shouldn't play into it.

If you buy a bass with an eye towards reselling it,you probably should never play it.
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I concur, I'd rather not ever sell, but I do take care of my stuff and it made me about sick when I sold my last basses and got almost nothing for them. G & L L-2000 is looking sharp with a blue sunburst, now to track one down and hear the tone :)
 
#44
Depends on the model and more importantly WHEN you buy it ... lets look back a bit ... just a few Fender models that come to mind, because those are what I owned and am the most familiar with ... a MIA American Standard (and Series) bought mid 90's to earlier 2000's will currently bring ALL of the street price at the time they were new ... the early Hwy 1's are currently selling for MORE than their original street price ... the '51 Classic Series P's, as (well as the Sting in some cases), are selling well OVER their street prices when new, in some cases almost 50% more ...

... many of these, however, have taken advantage of list/street prices being raised to a point of needing to question their value/price ... in the case of the Hwy 1's, they are mainly drawing the prices due to lack of consumer knowledge ...

... with regards to the blanket comment above that Fender basses deprciate 50-60% of new, it is not actually accurate IMHO ... partly because of examples above, but also because of the way Fender has raised prices, and the value of used instruments has also climbed (with the exception of older MIM Standards) ... many of the current model (2008+) American Standards that sold for $1099-1199 are still drawing $8-900 ...

... but, with all said, if you turn basses frequently, or are buying without trying, and without the option of returning, buying right and resale can be very important ... and cautiously buying USED is almost always the best option for purchase ...
 
#45
Once a bass has already lost it's initial value they tend to hold it. As an example, I have bought several USA Peavey basses in the $100-$150 range. The investment was low, but there is virtually no drop in price likely in the future. At a bare minimum I expect I won't lose anything on them should I decide to sell them. The added benefit is that since I spent so little on them I don't feel the pressure to turn them over and risk losing anything.
 
#46
YuppyPunk said:
That said buy because you like it not because what it wll be worth later.
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My way of thinking, too.

Buy a bass that will serve you well as a tool for making music. Get one that feels good to you, sounds good to you, and inspires you to play.

You can't lose on that!

And buy used instruments while you're on the way to finding your personal keeper. That way the depreciation is already factored in.
 
#47
I have found over the years that the rarity of a bass helps keep its value, but in the end the internet has made it possible for anyone to get any new or used bass anywhere. If you buy a new bass, plan on it only being worth 50% even if it is in perfect condition, if you sell it directly to someone. If you try to sell it to GC or Sam Ash they will give you about 40% to 25% of what you paid for it.
Basses are commodities now, not investments.
 
#48
socialleper said:
I have found over the years that the rarity of a bass helps keep its value, but in the end the internet has made it possible for anyone to get any new or used bass anywhere. If you buy a new bass, plan on it only being worth 50% even if it is in perfect condition, if you sell it directly to someone. If you try to sell it to GC or Sam Ash they will give you about 40% to 25% of what you paid for it.
Basses are commodities now, not investments.
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I respectfully disagree.
 
#49
Rickenbacker will always hold its value since its production hasn't changed ever... nor will it ever change. If you are looking for something more traditional like a Jazz or P bass, then grab a 1975-1978 Player (Bass that has some cosmetic wear but is ALL ORIGINAL) because they right now cost about $1k-$2k and you will be guaranteed you're money back within 5-10 years so long as you don't break the bass.

Buying Used is always the best idea. Don't buy any new Gibson's as they are junk and will be worth nothing in the next 5-10 years (In 2006 Gibson started Chambering their guitars... because of this, they are now going to be worth nothing and any unchambered gibson is going to skyrocket in price within 20 years or so) New Fenders are meh... Custom Shop Fenders you will always get your money back, but they are qite expensive. Best Bet is the 1970's Fender or a Rickenbacker. Both will be right in the $1k-$2k but you are guaranteed your money back.
 
#50
I absolutely agree that if resale value is important, the best way to go is to purchase the desired make and model as a used instrument so that all or most of the initial depreciation has already been taken.
 
#51
I think the U.S built G & L are questionable. They are great basses but they seem to lose their resale value more the MIA Fenders and Musicman basses. I don't know why. They are every bit as good as the other basses and I.M.H.O.ion offer more bang for the buck. You can routinely find them for much less then the Fenders and Music Man basses.
 
#53
Just about any American made bass or Custom made bass will hold it's value well. I have several Music Man basses and they have lost very little value from what I have purchased them for. I have also seen the same though with quite a few of other American made brands. Some custom one off stuff also really holds their value too.
 
#56
no one has mentioned mike lull`s
these are great instruments but might be the best deal on the used market
seen a few V4`s go for less than 1200 on here. they don`t seem to hold value very well.
as a generalization most basses will lose half their value.
 
#57
fender AVRI basses do ok for new instruments. G&l's dont do so well. musicman doesn't do much better than an American standard fender IMO. the classic series basses do ok. if you can pick up one of the current deals on a musicman classic in the 1400-1500 range, you can probably get 1100-1200 on it used.

agree with the advice to buy used if resale is your primary concern. Craigslist, TB classifieds and the guitar center used site have some very good deals lately.
 
#58
joebar said:
no one has mentioned mike lull`s
these are great instruments but might be the best deal on the used market
seen a few V4`s go for less than 1200 on here. they don`t seem to hold value very well.
as a generalization most basses will lose half their value.
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whole heatedly agree. a use lull in the 1200-1400 range is about the best passive fender style bass value in all the land.

ps. german warwicks do TERRIBLE on the used market compared to new. it's extremely rare to see any Warwick sell quickly if priced over 1800 even if it was 4500 bucks new.

I picked up a used streamer stage II for 1500 bucks and that bass sells new for over 4000 dollars.
 
#60
Everything loses value as soon as it leaves the store. I have found that Fender, Rickenbacker and Music Man generally hold their values fairly well. For example, a new MIA Precision sells for around $1,199 and used for $800 to $950.
"Boutique" basses such as Alembic, Pedulla and others usually depreciate very quickly. A new Alembic Epic 4 string sells for over $6,000 but you can find them used for between $1,000 and $2,000.
 

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