Hello Gibson SG/EBx nerds!
There's an intriguing deal near me and I thought I'd ask in here for advice. I'll paste the description (edited for brevity) and the included pictures.
PASTE: I have a 1971 Gibson EBO bass with case and Derek Trucks guitar stand from the first Tedeschi Trucks tour until trashed for lack of neck protection in Charlotte NC.
The bass has fresh frets and sanded neck. Successful truss rod tweak. All of the dots are still visible though 1 has been sanded into slightly.
I have the original damaged bridge and a new Hip Shot bridge installed with new Rotosound flat wound strings. Set for live performances. No fret buzz.
I need $1000 for both to move into a new location or I would not sell. Does come with strap.
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I didn't bother with the pictures of the stand but he seems to think it has some monetary value, which I disagree with. Bass alone, do you think this is worth a look? It's about 20 miles out of town but I have spare time and cash these days.
Thanks for any thoughts!
I'm no vintage expert (believe me!), so take the following with that in mind.
My thoughts — if it's calling to you, listen. If it's not calling you enough to take a drive, let it pass with no regrets.
Meanwhile, unless you're a Tedeschi-Trucks superfan, the guitar stand only has value as a used guitar stand (i.e., not much value). Clearly the seller thinks the stand's heritage is important, but that's his personal issue. If you need a guitar stand and you like this one, sure, take it, but otherwise, I'd just take it out of the equation. Same goes for whatever nasty used strap goes along with it. Even if it costs me more in the end to replace the stand and strap, I'd rather get ones I want and meanwhile get below the psychological $1,000 barrier for the bass. I'd tell the guy right off the bat to keep the stand and strap and offer $950 (or less if you're a hard bargainer type).
Regarding the headstock repair, due to that alone, this will never be a major investment-grade purchase. It may well hold value or even go up somewhat (or lose value, especially accounting for inflation), but it's never going to suddenly be worth a ton of money. So, basically you'd be buying it as a player and for its looks and genuine early 70s heritage. A real old bass of classic design that's been around (seemed from the ad that it was played on a Tedeschi-Trucks tour, too, though that could be read as just applying to the stand). I mean, it doesn't really matter if it was played on whatever relatively minor tour, but it could add a little to the overall coolness for you if you're into that. Doesn't really add monetary value, but just knowing part of the backstory could be part of the overall mojo feeling the old bass may or may not give you.
If you didn't know, headstock repairs are generally very effective and the repaired part is probably stronger than the rest of the bass. As a player, no need to concern yourself with that (assuming it was done well).
One thing to note is that on those early 70s basses, the pickup was moved back from the neck somewhat in an attempt to get away from the overpoweringly bassy tone of the earlier EB-0s with the pickup right up against the end of the fretboard. Could be good or bad, depending on what you're going for. Seems to me it would be good, especially for a bass with only one pickup, but then again, I've never played one so I'm hardly the guy to speak on it! I believe off the top of my head that the value of the 60s ones with the pickup against the fretboard is higher, but that's basically true of all guitar/bass equipment in general (a 60s Fender amp is going to be worth more than a 70s, especially if there's some visible difference such as in the case of blackface amps vs. early silverface amps — even when the internals and sound are exactly the same!).
So, to wrap it up, if it intrigues you, if it were me, I'd get back to the guy and say you're interested in the bass but not the stand or strap and would he be willing to take $950 (or $900 or whatever), and if so you'd like to drive over and check it out. Then, if that's all set, take a drive and enjoy the day regardless of whether you buy the bass or not - at the least, it'll be a chance to take a drive and get to check out an interesting old bass. Then play it and if you like the neck and sound and other aspects and it's calling to you, get it. If not, no worries.
Anyway, something like that - if taking the drive would be a big pain to you, negotiate some basics before going to check it out. If the drive and checking out the bass sounds like fun in and of itself, then maybe go do it and negotiate in person if you turn out to be interested. Basically, use whatever negotiating style works best for you and suits how much you need/want this particular instrument.
My long-winded 2 cents!
