Seeking wisdom

[DavC]

sadly , nothing that is mass produced will really appreciate faster than the cost of living .. !??! such things usually depreciate quickly , then they're a better value . !

something more limited , hand-made and slightly expensive , then bought Used .. !! like a Custom Shop Fender (?) should gain some value if absolutely minty and never played ...

i've tried this with a few old guitars ... from the 50's/60's ... they're like muscle cars going way up and down in price ... depends on how rare , along with when you get into or out off 'the market' ..

i have some musical items from my father , grandfather and great grandfather ... they have some dollar value to them , but mostly they're just very cool because of " who " owned them .. !!!!

 

[1954bassman]

I want to leave something for my kid to have as a valuable collector's item in case he ever wants to play, or might need the money 30 or 40 years down the road.

If you are serious then look at what 80 year old Martin guitars are bringing right now. Then go buy a 40 year old Fender, Gibson, Martin, Music Man, put in the case for 40 more years and then give it to your son.

 

[Tanner5382]

Those are all pretty radical ends of the spectrum away from each other, so it's hard to recommend one over the other. None of them will really be collectible. In 30 or 40 years, most vintage high dollar instruments today probably won't be worth very much either.

 

[DigitalMan]

Honestly, put $1000 into any bass and $500 into an investment fund. Predicting appreciation on a bass currently being mass produced is just guessing.

 

[ajkula66]

Food for thought...

In October of '84 I bought a '73 Jazz Bass for 170 quid (~$250 at the time), all original with the case and even ashtrays in place. Not dead mint but in very, very good shape.

In March of '88 I bought a '72 Gibson Black Beauty LP Custom Re-issue (officially known as Limited Edition) for 500 quid (~$800 at the time), near dead mint in the original case.

Check what either of them is worth nowadays. And these were just the two examples off the top of my head.

My take:

Buy a brand name...Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, Music Man...not an ESP, which may very well be an excellent bass in its own right but is unlikely to hold its value as well.

Don't buy a brand new piece, but spend a bit more and get an older - not necessarily vintage since it's out of your price range - instrument that has been well-kept.

My pick from your list would be a Thunderbird, closely followed by a Rickenbacker.

Your money, your call.

My $0.02 only...

 

[inanimate_carb]

I'd just get a recent American Standard P and not expect a big payday later on as an investment piece. It would and could be a nice family heirloom. I've seen that happen with old Fenders more than once.

A Precision simply sounds like what most people expect a bass to sound like and works in practically any situation.

 

[jamro217]

I'd stick with tried and true models from popular manufacturers, like Fender (Jazz or Precision) or Rickenbacker (4003). Not only will these basses undoubtedly be in demand, but you won't run the risk of ending up with some unwanted model (Fender Lead I, for example). The same holds true for manufacturers. You could have bought a Fender, a Ric, a B. C. Rich or a Hamer in the '80's. Which ones would you rather have today? If you really want to get the most for your money take ajkula66's advice and buy an authentic closet classic (not a reissue) of one of these models. The older the vintage, the higher the price in most cases (generally speaking). Hope this helps.

 

[StringNavigator]

I'm trying to decide on buying a new bass...considering a Rick...No way I could afford a new one...Any thoughts would be appreciated...I want to leave something for my kid to have as a valuable collector's item... in case he...might need the money 30 or 40 years down the road.

When I hear the word "USED", I think of the word "ABUSED".

I like the wisdom on Daves World of Fun Stuff... this one describes working on a Ric.



Some parents only make a financial investment for their children with a paid up house and property. But, if your father leaves you a Rickenbaker Bass instead...! Why, you can always spend the rest of your life repairing it and remembering him with fond words when they leave it for their children. Also, in 2050, there may be many people asking what a bass is... and why did their father leave then a piece of painted wood tied with steel wires...

Another Ric... in the shop... a Real Investment Consideration...
Listen to Dave's quote from Leo Fender about quality...

 

[rodv66]

When I hear the word "USED", I think of the word "ABUSED".

I like the wisdom on Daves World of Fun Stuff... this one describes working on a Ric. Listen to Dave's quote from Leo Fender about quality...



Some parents only make a financial investment for their children with a paid up house and property. But, if your father leaves you a Rickenbaker Bass instead...! Why, you can always spend the rest of your life repairing it and remembering him with fond words when you leave it for your children.

You are correct, better way to put it would be to get something with low depreciation rates.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Best based upon your OP would be an early-mid 70s Fender - less "niche" and most likely to hold value. Used in general - just like cars. But instruments are lousy investments. Get a budget, and then start trying basses.

 

[rodv66]

Best based upon your OP would be an early-mid 70s Fender - less "niche" and most likely to hold value. Used in general - just like cars. But instruments are lousy investments. Get a budget, and then start trying basses.

Have not played a Rick in 30 years, not easy to find in my local stores to go play.

 

[Blaargh]

If you have the Epiphone don't bother with the Gibson. I have the Gibson and I've played an Epiphone, they're really incredibly similar, the Epiphone actually felt it was built better.

if you're interested in resale value then the Rick might be the best option, those things are always going up in price. A more niche Fender might actually be better than the standard, some runs are more desirable than others. That said, I don't think the Steve Harris one with the big West Ham logo will be one of those, maybe the old blue one? I think the key is finding a model that's highly thought of now, and the more limited run, the better. I hear the Reggie Hamilton Jazz basses are great- people are always looking for P/J Jazzes as well.

Other than that you might want to look at getting Gibson Ripper/Grabber, maybe a Dan Armstrong if you can find a good one. Those are already starting to creep up in price, but you can get a decent one for a reasonable price now.

Essentially a more niche item from an established brand, but not something so outlandish that would turn a lot of people off (those Fender Pawn Shop Jags with the reverse bodies, for one).

 

[Shaunpski]

I have 5 kids and 3X as many guitars and basses. At one point I considered appreciation in the purchase equation, but quit that a long time ago. My suggestion is to acquire something you'll want to play and then enjoy it. It will mean more to them that way than $. I have a low dollar heirloom ring that used to be my grandfather's. Remembering him wearing it is the most meaningful part of owning it now. Just my $.02.

 

[Nev375]

I would avoid the Thunderbird because of balance and ergonomics. Those things like to neck dive.
Rickenbackers do tend to maintain value and if you get one of the limited editions while they are new they go up in value.
Fenders are by far the most road worthy and easy to modify and maintain.

So what's most important to you?

 

[BlueAliceOasis]

Just get an American Standard P bass and throw an SPB-4 in with Roto 77 flats if you want Steve Harris tone. The American Standard P is the standard for bass guitars, and it will hold value.

The old blue Steve Harris bass was a kick-ass P bass, end of story. The new one is kind of "meh" IMO.

Seconding this, the old blue model was great.

 

[JRA]

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

i'm not knocking your objective of investing in an instrument, but: buying an instrument for that reason is different than buying an instrument to play. if you want your kid(s) to think about playing, buying an instrument that plays well (regardless of resale) makes the most sense, IMO.

my 'wisdom' --- playing it vs. investment might be mutually exclusive processes. (unless you got real lucky: luck = wisdom is not necessary! IMO)

 

[Joe Nerve]

After owning everything from a Big Al to a T-Bird and a few custom made basses, and well over a dozen Ps and Js - I bought myself a Ric, and it's become my number one. But that's only the first reason I think you should buy a Ric .

Figured that I will need around 1200-1300 for a used Rick. I know they are love/hate basses. I only tried one once myself.

The above is a more important reason.

You are a talkbass member. I'll assume you therefor know more about basses, their prices, and their value than 80% of the bass players out there (contrary to popular TB belief, it's a very small percentage of bass players that are active TB members). And even being a part of this great community, and being informed - you believe you can't afford a new Rickenbacker, and are willing to pay $1200-1300 for a used one.

A brand new 2016 Rickenbacker 4003 can be easily had for the price you're willing to pay for a used one. Other models you can get for even less.

The vast majority of people buying Rics are willing to pay much more for a used one, than they can get a new one for. The day I bought mine brand new, someone on Talkbass was selling the same exact bass used - for $100 more than I paid new. And I'm pretty sure he sold it.

My train of thought was derailed by a phone call ... and I'm having a rough time finishing up now here. Anyhow... If you want info on how to get a Ric at that price, I've outlined it a bunch of times before here. I can find it later, or PM you if you're interested. Others here have gotten them even cheaper than me (I paid somewhere around 1300 for mine), so maybe they can help, too.

Anyhow, last thoughts on this - if you check Rickenbacker reviews here, it seems the past 2 years have been EXCELLENT years for Rics. Just about everyone picking a new one up is in love. 20 - 30 years from now I think that's going to count for something. And regarding the bass itself, it is an absolute tone monster, capable of much more than I ever thought it was. You can get the classic Chris Squire tones out of it (tones I never even use on mine), and pretty much any tones you can get with a P or J bass. I've used my Ric in a Zep tribute, and it worked awesomely. A year ago I'd have thought someone insane to bring a Ric to a Zep gig.

Anyhow, that's my take on it. I say Ric.

 

[G On Bass]

If resale and financial appreciation is your main factor: Buy as old a vintage Fender as you can afford, then put it in the closet. It's unlikely that a new Fender is going to be worth 5 figures in 40 years. Age doesn't necessarily equal value as is shown by all those cool-looking basses from the 1960's on Craiglist for $80.

It seems that one can get a 40 year old Ric on Ebay for a few hundred over what a new one is. That's maybe $10/year....

On the other hand, buy a great, playable bass (or one of those cool 60's knockoffs) for a few hundred, make the sentimental value priceless to your son, then take the left over money and invest it or ladder some CD's or something for 20 years and see what is worth more.

 

[TuneIn]

If I were to get another fender, it would be an American Elite Precision Bass. I really dig the active preamp and p/j set up. Its a little more that the Harris sig bass but way more versatile and no where near the specific look of a t-bird...

 

[bassstrangler]

I built my own Steve Harris bass. I really wanted one but, the blue sparkle was not really me and the MIM one has that WHU emblem which I have no desire for. So, I bought an Arctic White MIM replacement body $170, Steve Harris Pickups $90, Fender vintage tuning heads $60 and a MIM Maple replacement neck $200. I had the bridge already and a solid black pickguard. I use rounds as I hate flats.

About two months after I built it I was able to score a like-new MIJ Steve Harris signature neck for a decent price in the TB classifieds. Nice thing was I was able to switch the neck out and put it on a MIM Jaguar body I had.

It's a great bass and with either neck I was happy, but the MIJ neck is really the way to go.