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Is This a Good Buy?

R

Rainsford

Oct 15, 2005
4
0
#1
Hi all. I am a totally new to bass guitars, and am considering puchasing one. I already own a Cort Acoustic (mr f ns) with Dean Markley (VintageBronze) stings, and am in the process of restoring a '74 fender (still all stock parts :) )

I was wondering if it is worth $400 Canadian to purchase a gently used Fender squire and Kustom amp. The Kustom is either a challenger or a charger. It is on wheels, has one speaker, and says 200 watts on the back. I've been told that both are good, the amp is loud, and everything is excellent condition. I will be checking it out before I buy, of course.

Sorry for the vague description, I've been googling all night and haven't found any more info on the amp.

Is it worth $400 for these two? Is the kustom (be it challenger or charger -- sorry i dont know yet) still a descent amp, although its from the 70's? How long can I expect it to last?

Thanks in advance
 
#2
Rainsford said:
Hi all. I am a totally new to bass guitars, and am considering puchasing one. I already own a Cort Acoustic (mr f ns) with Dean Markley (VintageBronze) stings, and am in the process of restoring a '74 fender (still all stock parts :) )

I was wondering if it is worth $400 Canadian to purchase a gently used Fender squire and Kustom amp. The Kustom is either a challenger or a charger. It is on wheels, has one speaker, and says 200 watts on the back. I've been told that both are good, the amp is loud, and everything is excellent condition. I will be checking it out before I buy, of course.

Sorry for the vague description, I've been googling all night and haven't found any more info on the amp.

Is it worth $400 for these two? Is the kustom (be it challenger or charger -- sorry i dont know yet) still a descent amp, although its from the 70's? How long can I expect it to last?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...


If the Squier is recent vintage then no. It is maybe worth $100CDN. If it is an older Japanese Squier, then this would be a steal. As for the Kustom, they are generally a decent amp, however I can't really tell you much about that particular model. It may be worth the asking price but I can't be sure.

Dan
 
#3
Ok. So if the guitar is just the norm, then most of the money is for the amp. Which may or may not be worth it. As soon as I find out more, I'l be sure to post, when I go to check it out I'l take my camera, get some shots of the guitar and the amp to more accurately describe it ... I was kinda hoping that the amp would be a good buy for the money.

I was kinda thinking that if the amp is good that I'd use it for my acoustic too. Will this work? I heard somewhere that acoustics work best with bass or acoustic amps.

Would I be better off getting the used package with the more powerful amp or a new package, for cheaper? I've been playing guitar for about a year now, have been teaching myself, been working mainly on fingerstyle, chording and powerchords. So I already know most of the bass notes. But then I also hate weak bass guitar :) the bass should be distinct, not some 10w joke :)

Sorry for all the questions. I tend to research things, especially guitars meticously before buying.
 
#5
'I would save cash up and buy a Godin Freeway 4 or MIM fender P or J and a Yorkville XM200 amplifier.'

Sound advice. The above models of basses and amp are easily available used and will provide you with a decent sound. If you get fed up, they sell easily as well.
 
#6
purfektstranger said:
'I would save cash up and buy a Godin Freeway 4 or MIM fender P or J and a Yorkville XM200 amplifier.'

Sound advice. The above models of basses and amp are easily available used and will provide you with a decent sound. If you get fed up, they sell easily as well.
Click to expand...

+1 to both replies.
 
#9
UPDATE:

The bass is about 5 years old and has been played a grand total of 15 times. The plastic that protects the pickgaurd was just taken off last time it was played.

The amp is a 200W Kustom Charger, about 30 years old and in excellent condition.

Does this help give a better idea of whether or not this is worth $400CDN?
 
#10
Rainsford said:
UPDATE:

The bass is about 5 years old and has been played a grand total of 15 times. The plastic that protects the pickgaurd was just taken off last time it was played.

The amp is a 200W Kustom Charger, about 30 years old and in excellent condition.

Does this help give a better idea of whether or not this is worth $400CDN?
Click to expand...
I'd say, go for it. If you like the feel/tone, go for it.
 

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