Boutique Cabinet Resale

[JutMitch]

Recently I’ve been noticing a trend of what I consider to be premium cabinets hanging around for sale for quite some time with no takers.

I’ve personally had more issues unloading Mesa, Audiokinesis and barefaced gear than I ever thought possible and I still have and accugroove and greenboy cab that been on Marketplace for quite some time.

Is this a trend locally or has anyone been having issues on TB?

I really hate selling and shipping items without someone coming to my house and testing it and making sure they 100% like it but I’m left with little choice anymore.

I am also looking into a pristine accugroove tri 115 that has been on marketplace and reverb for several months for $400 obo. This cab has peaked my interest but I don’t want to buy a paperweight that can’t be unloaded if I’m not feeling it. I just can’t believe no one has picked this cab up for say $300-350 which I think is a steal.

That leads me into my second part of the question which is has some of these brands lost so much of their mystique that there really isn’t a market for them anymore? I do enjoy my accugroove cabinets but honestly the complete lack of perceived resale has me baffled.

 

[Slevage]

If the price isn’t 1/2 or less than 1/2 of what a new one costs, I don’t even consider it.

 

[JonathanPDX]

I've had issues moving my Bergantino cabinets, they just sit in the corner gathering dust.

As to why, it's pretty simple: my rent today is twice what it cost when I bought those cabinets new. Groceries are at least 50% more expensive than they were the last time I took that rig out on a gig. So, it's understandable that less people have money to buy fancy toys or flip boutique gear.

 

[ardgedee]

Recently I’ve been noticing a trend of what I consider to be premium cabinets hanging around for sale for quite some time with no takers.

Most bass players aren't on bass player forums, they aren't going to learn which boutique brands are worth the money and which aren't. So the demand isn't there. Mesa, Barefaced, etc. are premium but they're still relatively mass-market compared to Greenboy.

In general small boutique and custom products of any kind have terrible resale value, and it has nothing to do with their quality.

 

[wjcstp]

Music gear in general is moving slowly lately, there have been several threads about it in the last year. I have a good combo amp that's been posted for 6 months with no bites here and only a couple of half-hearted questions on the local craigslist.

For cabs especially, shipping is a big issue. I've seen several cabs in the classifieds here in the last few months that i might have bought, but the listings were multiple states away. Even if the listing offers shipping (and not all do) i'd much rather be able to test and pick up in person.

 

[JutMitch]

I've had issues moving my Bergantino cabinets, they just sit in the corner gathering dust.

As to why, it's pretty simple: my rent today is twice what it cost when I bought those cabinets new. Groceries are at least 50% more expensive than they were the last time I took that rig out on a gig. So, it's understandable that less people have money to buy fancy toys or flip boutique gear

I've had issues moving my Bergantino cabinets, they just sit in the corner gathering dust.

As to why, it's pretty simple: my rent today is twice what it cost when I bought those cabinets new. Groceries are at least 50% more expensive than they were the last time I took that rig out on a gig. So, it's understandable that less people have money to buy fancy toys or flip

Most bass players aren't on bass player forums, they aren't going to learn which boutique brands are worth the money and which aren't. So the demand isn't there. Mesa, Barefaced, etc. are premium but they're still relatively mass-market compared to Greenboy.

In general small boutique and custom products of any kind have terrible resale value, and it has nothing to do with their quality.

Absolutely, I know the visibility is much smaller on those companies but I used to seek out these cabinets from all sources. It always seemed like TB has been excellent for selling but I would have thought others would at least be checking out Reverb. A $1200 cabinet in pristine condition that can’t catch even $300 seems a little off. For the most part if I’ve been able to sell on marketplace but it understandably takes some time. I just wasn’t sure if some of these names have fallen out of favor so hard that there is little to no interest in them.

 

[JutMitch]

I've had issues moving my Bergantino cabinets, they just sit in the corner gathering dust.

As to why, it's pretty simple: my rent today is twice what it cost when I bought those cabinets new. Groceries are at least 50% more expensive than they were the last time I took that rig out on a gig. So, it's understandable that less people have money to buy fancy toys or flip boutique gear.

I do understand how things have gone up but I’m seeing boutique gear at bottom of the barrel pricing. I’m wondering now how big of a hit these companies are taking on moving new equipment. If a $1200 cabinet for $300 used can’t be moved, how are these companies staying in business. I do feel for them right now.

 

[J Wilson]

These are trying economic times, and unless you're a working professional, the biggest part of the MI business is discretionary spending. With the way necessities are going out of sight, discretionary spending (save for those with money to where it doesn't matter) is simply going to tighten up. Plus shipping on heavier items is expensive as well, so this is not surprising at all, and prices are going to begin to slide in the face of these times.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

I think the demand for cabinets must be falling over the last few years. More and more people are going amp-less, or just use an amp and cab for stage monitoring and don't need multiple cabinets. I haven't taken my amp or cabs out of my practice room for a long time.

 

[CascadeBass]

I've had issues moving my Bergantino cabinets, they just sit in the corner gathering dust.

Whatcha got?

 

[Peteyboy]

Recently I’ve been noticing a trend of what I consider to be premium cabinets hanging around for sale for quite some time with no takers.

I’ve personally had more issues unloading Mesa, Audiokinesis and barefaced gear than I ever thought possible and I still have and accugroove and greenboy cab that been on Marketplace for quite some time.

Is this a trend locally or has anyone been having issues on TB?

I really hate selling and shipping items without someone coming to my house and testing it and making sure they 100% like it but I’m left with little choice anymore.

I am also looking into a pristine accugroove tri 115 that has been on marketplace and reverb for several months for $400 obo. This cab has peaked my interest but I don’t want to buy a paperweight that can’t be unloaded if I’m not feeling it. I just can’t believe no one has picked this cab up for say $300-350 which I think is a steal.

That leads me into my second part of the question which is has some of these brands lost so much of their mystique that there really isn’t a market for them anymore? I do enjoy my accugroove cabinets but honestly the complete lack of perceived resale has me baffled.

Forgive me if I'm missing something: You can't believe no one wants the boutique cabinets, and then you list reasons why you aren't taking a chance on the tri 115?

 

[beans-on-toast]

One problem with cabinets in general is that you don’t know how they have been abused. If the boutique cabinet is no longer supported by the builder this can be a problem. If custom speakers were used, replacing them can be very difficult. Exact recone kits will not be available. If off the shelf speakers were used by the builder, repairs are a lot easier. So it depends on the product.

 

[JutMitch]

I think the demand for cabinets must be falling over the last few years. More and more people are going amp-less, or just use an amp and cab for stage monitoring and don't need multiple cabinets. I haven't taken my amp or cabs out of my practice room for a long time.

Oh yes, never thought of that but absolutely true.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

And then there's the "I wonder why they are selling it? Sounds bad? Some issue with it?" Probably some combination of all the reasons listed above, including a steady decline in the number of places to gig. I just read about U2 going entirely amp-less for their Vegas Sphere residency, and they can afford virtually any amp in the world. Sign of things to come, I suspect.

 

[Adjectives]

I'd say overall economic factors have really softened the used gear market. I've had no problem selling cheaper stuff ($100-300) but any higher ticket items just don't seem to be moving anywhere.

I like checking a number of used gear sites(including TB) and things are all hanging around much longer than I've ever seen. It's getting rough out there!

 

[MegaSwing]

The downside of ‘boutique’ is invariably in the resale value. One must always remember that, regardless of how exquisite it may be, the market for it is small compared to that for regular production stuff. This is true of all super-rarified products of every type.

 

[JutMitch]

Forgive me if I'm missing something: You can't believe no one wants the boutique cabinets, and then you list reasons why you aren't taking a chance on the tri 115?

Not sure I was listing reasons why I wasn’t taking a chance on the Tri115 besides being stuck with an unsellable cabinet. I am merely asking opinions on the boutique cabinet market and is it trending downward for all boutique cabs or is some certain brands becoming unsellable. As someone that likes to try gear, use it and then unload it this information is helpful. I have some assumptions but just looking for other opinions.

 

[HolmeBass]

I looked in the classifieds for your cabinet sales; I could not find them.

 

[Peteyboy]

Not sure I was listing reasons why I wasn’t taking a chance on the Tri115 besides being stuck with an unsellable cabinet. I am merely asking opinions on the boutique cabinet market and is it trending downward for all boutique cabs or is some certain brands becoming unsellable. As someone that likes to try gear, use it and then unload it this information is helpful. I have some assumptions but just looking for other opinions.

It's possible that the sole reason you mention then is also everyone else's sole reason.

 

[JutMitch]

The downside of ‘boutique’ is invariably in the resale value. One must always remember that, regardless of how exquisite it may be, the market for it is small compared to that for regular production stuff. This is true of all super-rarified products of every type.

True, honestly I’m not sure I’ve ever met a bass player that recognized audiokinesis, barefaced,Schroeder,Greenboy or Accugroove (or whatever I used for that specific show). At least that I’ve met in person at a show or a sound tech. I usually know I’m going to take a hit when selling but just looking at some of these items sitting for great prices makes me a little nervous about getting anything else.