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Should i buy this bass? (Closed)

madevil21

madevil21

Mar 20, 2014
14
4
#1
Hello everyone! I just found this Ibanez prestige for sale.
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It is from the 1997 catalog.
1997_EU_catalog_p36-37.jpg

So my questions are: 1) As the years go by, do the pickups need to be replaced? I did not play the bass yet but it looks in "ok" condition. 2) Shouldn't the neck be stripped? (With lines...) 3) What should i look for when i get a bass, of that age, on my hands for test? 4) What is a good price for a bass like that? He is selling it for 600 euros.

PS. Sorry for my bad english.
 
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#6
madevil21 said:
So my questions are: 1) As the years go by, do the pickups need to be replaced? I did not play the bass yet but it looks in "ok" condition. 2) Shouldn't the neck be stripped? (With lines...) 3) What should i look for when i get a bass, of that age, on my hands for test? 4) What is a good price for a bass like that? He is selling it for 600 euros.
Click to expand...

1: Pickups don't wear out. They either work or they don't.
2: Why would it be? The one in the catalog isn't.
3: The same things you look for on any bass of any age. Bring a strap, an amp and a truss rod wrench. Look for obvious damage and repairs, weight, balance, make sure all the knobs and pickups work, turn the truss rod to make sure it's working, things like that.

If you want a 4 string it's probably fine.
 
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#11
if it's not stringed properly for some time,doesn't it mean there's danger of the fretboard bending or something?

other than that,it doesn't look like there's any visible damage...I'd make sure all the knobs and bobs work,if it's active make sure the electronics are good and not any spilt battery fluids everywhere and I'd also make sure it can be tuned properly.

600 sounds a bit too much for a 20 year old bass that may or may have not been well kept.
plus you'd obviously need new strings which is like an extra 40-50 euro and propably a guy to get it set up if you don't know how to yourself.

I'd only buy it if it felt absolutely AMAZING to play if I were you
 
#15
And the D string tuner is one that should have been mounted on the other side of the headstock. Looks like the owner put on a 4-in-line set.
That would make me avoid it. What would have had to happen to necessitate 4 tuners being replaced?
 
#19
A bolt neck mid-level Soundgear could easily be bought for less, brand new, and I'd dare say for 600 Euros there are far better examples available, if you have time to watch and shop carefully. Most Soundgears I think are under-valued (except for this train wreck. . . .) on the used market from my experience, so I'd hold out for a better one and I wouldn't be surprised it was priced less than this. I do have a soft spot for the earlier MIJ examples, but I wouldn't pay a big premium just for that.

For myself, the missing truss rod cover, a missing string, the poorly replaced tuning keys would make me very suspicious. There indeed may be nothing wrong except for a ham-handed owner, or maybe there's a story from what I'm seeing that I don't want to inherit. . . . . These are pretty commonly-available basses, so I'd pass this one.
 
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