Discontinued basses. Worth more or less?

[Piggy8692]

Hey everybody! I've got an old Ibanez EDA900 Ergodyne bass. To my knowledge they have discontinued this model. Does that make this bass more or less valuable now? In the long run?

Either it will eventually be less valuable as time goes on, because they probably discontinued it for a reason. Or it might become a coveted item.

I'm not necessarily talking about my exact bass, but in general. I don't think mine was ever considered top-of-the-line in the first place.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[mikezimmerman]

There isn't any one-size-fits-all answer to this. Some discontinued basses will be worth less in the long run, and some will be worth more, depending on how many people decide they want one.

The EDA900 always seemed like a decent bass to me, but lots of folks have soured on the Luthite bodies over the years. I don't really expect that one to become a collector's item--none of the Ergodynes that were discontinued before that really have--but I could be wrong.

 

[jlepre]

Yes

 

[garp]

Another Ergodyne owner here (EDB). I’ve yet to see one sell for anywhere near what I paid for mine new in ‘98. But who knows. I doubt anyone who bought one of the original Ibanez Musician basses in the early ‘80s knew that it would become a collectible one day.

 

[Munjibunga]

It depends somewhat on the original desirability of the bass. Fender Roscoe Becks have gone up, for example.

 

[Batmensch]

I was sorta wondering this about my '10 Squier VM Precision, the trans. amber/maple version. (not that I'm expecting much, BTW) . Out for what, maybe two years, from all reports (including mine) a really good bass, now OOP as of a couple of months ago, there can't have been a whole ton of them made.

 

[smcd]

As mentioned earlier, it depends on the bass. Just being discontinued means nothing.

None of the Ergodyne basses are worth any real money. The EDA basses can be had for $200 or less. On the other hand, the Affirma bass - which the EDA Ergodynes are styled after, are highly collectible (despite not being a great sounding bass). The Roadstar/Roadster basses are discontinued and were very good instruments, but they can be bought all day for well under $300. Early Musician basses are bringing $800 and up, but the later Musicians are a $300 bass.

 

[hrodbert696]

Supply and demand, as simple as that. If lots of people want one and you can't get it new, it's worth more. If it was discontinued because nobody wanted it in the first place, it's worth less. Sometimes an old style that no one wanted at the time comes back into fashion, like if some celebrity plays one and it gets in the spotlight.

 

[bootsox]

Depends. Sometimes it will get a vintage value but generally it's just a used bass

 

[Immigrant]

Yep. It depends on the bass.

I recently purchased a Fender Reverse Jaguar and I know it will only be in production for a short period because it's so polarizing and reception has been lukewarm at best. I'm sure it won't command much on the used market after discontinuation either.

 

[AphekGreg]

Another Ergodyne owner here (EDB). I’ve yet to see one sell for anywhere near what I paid for mine new in ‘98. But who knows. I doubt anyone who bought one of the original Ibanez Musician basses in the early ‘80s knew that it would become a collectible one day.

As I was reading the first post, I was thinking about Ibanez Musician basses, but thinking the opposite. I bought one used, in '83 and they were about the same price as a '70s Fender, although generally considered much better. The (in my opinion) generally lesser quality Fenders, have gone up way more than the Musician. I'm genuinely surprised they don't sell for much more than they do.

 

[smcd]

As I was reading the first post, I was thinking about Ibanez Musician basses, but thinking the opposite. I bought one used, in '83 and they were about the same price as a '70s Fender, although generally considered much better. The (in my opinion) generally lesser quality Fenders, have gone up way more than the Musician. I'm genuinely surprised they don't sell for much more than they do.

IMO, the first 2 renditions of the Musician bass are FAR superior to anything Fender put out at that time and for 15 years afterward. The big factor, obviously, is the logo on the headstock. "Fender" is cool, "Ibanez".... not so much. Fender evokes Led Zeppelin while Ibanez evokes Steve Vai.

 

[CORBS]

The EDA is the rarest of the ergodyne basses and usually gets between 300$ and 500$ depending on color and condition. Luthite is not repairable so if it ever cracks or breaks the bass is trashed

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I was sorta wondering this about my '10 Squier VM Precision, the trans. amber/maple version. (not that I'm expecting much, BTW) . Out for what, maybe two years, from all reports (including mine) a really good bass, now OOP as of a couple of months ago, there can't have been a whole ton of them made.

Yeah... your Squier will one day be worth $12,000

Only premium guitars/basses become sought after with a premium price one day, rare does not equal valuable.

I really do not see vintage Ibanez basses ever becoming so collectable they fetch the ridiculous prices of some instruments, at best they might sell for what they would cost new today. Somewhat like a mint 70s Fender is, not overly rare and valuable but certainly worth money.

 

[smcd]

The EDA is the rarest of the ergodyne basses and usually gets between 300$ and 500$ depending on color and condition. Luthite is not repairable so if it ever cracks or breaks the bass is trashed

I've never seen an EDA bring anything close to $500. This and this is more in line with where an EDA is priced. And those are 5-strings. 4 string models bring less.

 

[Lee H]

I was really surprised at a traben Kore 4 string on ebay. The Kore model was Traben's first neck through. (that is Kore, spelled with a K...not to be confused with their later model Core, spelled with a C). The Kore was discontinued very early on, with only a limited number made.
The bass was pretty worn. Opening bid was $100, and but it now was $400... It was purchased sometime during the first night it was on there... and it was even one of the final ones, with the higher serial number


all three of these are discontinued trabens. the center one is a neck through Kore 5...supposedly it was the one used for demo pics on their website, but that is not something I can verify. The story I heard was that there were 4 red ones used for different pics...if it is true, cool. If not, I really don't care. it is heavy, but visually stunning on stage

 

[wraub]

My old MIJ Squier basses may be worth $12,000 someday, but I'll just play them for now.

wraub

 

[AphekGreg]

My old MIJ Squier basses may be worth $12,000 someday, but I'll just play them for now.

wraub

Instruments becoming collectable, can be the curse of great music. They get priced out of reach for the working musician.

It's said that the string sections of the top orchestras don't sound as good as they used to, as the players can't afford Stradivarius' and other similarly great instruments any more. Rather than being played, they're sitting in bank volts owned by collectors, not players.

With the value of old basses, there is supply and demand, but equally who plays them? If someone like Pino Palladino had pickup an Ibanez Musician, instead of an early '60s Precision, you can guaranty that the value of them would go through the roof.

 

[masturbasser]

Your EDA could be rare one day simply because luthite seems to be rather brittle. I've heard stories of drops or blows that at most would be cosmetic damage to a wooden bass causing cracks running through the entire body of a luthite bass.

My own EDA905 odyssey about 10 years ago:

Bought a brand spanking new red EDA905 from MF. B string monorail piezo did not work at all and the E string monorail had a very noticeable rattle in it. Sent it into Ibanez for warranty repairs. Got it back in two pieces. The tension of the strings had broken the whole neck joint off.

I just don't know about luthite. If it ever comes back into popularity I may try another, but only if it's reasonably priced.

 

[JimB52]

I have bought a few discontinued basses at blow-out sales that were worth a bit more a year later (10-25%), but not approaching the original retail price. I sold some, but am holding onto the Roscoe Beck IV.