Double Bass How much to sell a DeArmond pickup for

[Sean Riddle]

So I’ve been going through a lot of my gear recently and selling stuff I no longer use and need. One thing I came across that I have is an old DeArmond pickup that I was given a few years back by someone I did a few gigs with. I really have no use for it and doubt I will ever use it, so I want to sell it. Before I make a post on the classifieds here and elsewhere on the internet, I want to know what would be a fair asking price for it? Personally I don’t know if it even still works as I’ve never used it, so I might want to figure that out first.

 

[HateyMcAmp]

These are more a historical curiosity than a functional pickup. I'd price it as a novelty. That said, I currently see one on eBay for $115.

 

[Don Kasper]

Give the guy $25 to take it off of your hands?
IMO.
Thanks!

 

[Sean Riddle]

Give the guy $25 to take it off of your hands?
IMO.
Thanks!

I'm gonna give it a shot on good old craigslist and reverb just to see if there's some vintage nerd who will take it off my hands. I wound up taking my post in the classifieds on here down cause I don't think anybody here has a need for it. I may be totally wrong though.

 

[SAlcott]

Find a Polytone pickup, put both in a little display case, and be glad you'll never have to depend on either one.

 

[Sean Riddle]

Find a Polytone pickup, put both in a little display case, and be glad you'll never have to depend on either one.

Someone gave me this pickup after I did a gig with them a few years back, but I was too polite to turn it down and it just wound up in my drawer. All I can say is that I feel lucky to have been born into the era of the Realist.

 

[rickwolff]

Give the guy $25 to take it off of your hands?
IMO.
Thanks!

I'd give someone $25 to get in their time machine and go back to when I (tried to) use one and have them take it OFF MY BASS and off my hands.

God, that makes me feel even older than I am.

And here is a picture of me using it:

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Find a Polytone pickup, put both in a little display case, and be glad you'll never have to depend on either one.

I’m your Huckleberry. Got a Polytone right here.

 

[lurk]

The polytone actually worked and despite it's shortcomings a lot of people used it. The d'Armond on the other hand was awful. Until the polytone and the first Barcus Berry - very expensive - it was built into a bridge which a luthier had to fit to your bass - the best solution was to wrap a mic in a towel stuff it behind the tailpiece and plug it into your B15. The d'Armond that worked was their magnetic guitar pickup which you could rig at the end of the board.

 

[Roger Davis]

When the d’Armond first appeared over here I thought there’s got to be a better way, so I used a Reslo ribbon mic on a stand in front of the bass. It was surprisingly feedback free up to a reasonable volume but we all played a lot quieter back then.

 

[james condino]

That's the funny thing- D'Armond guitar pickups are very much in demand and tend to go for close to $200 with the vintage geeks, but they missed the mark on the bass...

 

[Sean Riddle]

So by some amazing fluke I sold it! A guy touring down California from Argentina, who seems to be a pretty big vintage enthusiast, saw my post for it and was super excited to find one and made a stop in Ventura to buy it off me on his way to LA. Once he's back in Argentina he's gonna slap it on a bass he has. Long story short I'm free of this pickup, got a little under my asking price, and made a vintage enthusiast from Argentinas day.

 

[Ric Vice]

The polytone actually worked and despite it's shortcomings and a lot of people used it. The d'Armond on the other hand was awful. Until the polytone and the first Barcus Berry

Well, “worked” would be a very generous description IME. If your bridge was smaller than a 3/4, then the screw tip couldn’t open far enough to embed the pickup into the wood. You had to be very careful tightening it or the white ceramic that housed pickup, cracked under pressure. It often just dropped out of position. The De Armond was terrible, so was the Barcus Berry bridge and the Barcus Berry Bar, so you’re right that within that group of terrible pickups the Polytone was better than the others.
Just my take.