Hey TB,
I had some spare time and decided to check out the pawn shop in my area. I stopped going a while back because I was making too many GAS-powered bass purchases.
Having been familiar with the amps this store has (they never sell!) I pulled a bass down and plugged into a Fender Rumble 15 that I had sort of come to know. It has been at this store for close to a year, with no takers.
I plugged in a Rockbass I had seen up on the shelves and two Lyon P bass clones. The amp sounded awful, but I knew better.
Now, I had seen a price tag on the Fender amp. Many times before, it was listed at $59.99. Not bad, I guess. But now, it had a new price - $1.11! When I saw a nearby sign, it read that anything marked $1.11 was damaged, missing parts or otherwise not in optimal condition.
Taking this into mind, I drove the block and a half back home and grabbed my trusty L-2000 and came back. Using my own cable, I played some super fast slappa-doodle-doo lines (more like Mingus walking bass, really) and proceeded to check the amplifier.
Not only was it in great working order, it had a clean appearance. No scratches, bumps or nasty gunk. Even the plastic film covering the Fender logo was intact.
I brought the amp up to the saleswoman and asked her about the $1.11. She told me it was the store's "make-an-offer" price and the amp could be sold for $10, $5 or even $3. I pulled out $1.11 in change and told her that's what I was prepared to pay. Sure, she says, and a minute later I'm out the door.
This amp could easily have gotten $20, at least. The store probably made the mistake of testing the amp with their malfunctioning basses and decided the amp was no good.
Score!
I had some spare time and decided to check out the pawn shop in my area. I stopped going a while back because I was making too many GAS-powered bass purchases.
Having been familiar with the amps this store has (they never sell!) I pulled a bass down and plugged into a Fender Rumble 15 that I had sort of come to know. It has been at this store for close to a year, with no takers.
I plugged in a Rockbass I had seen up on the shelves and two Lyon P bass clones. The amp sounded awful, but I knew better.
Now, I had seen a price tag on the Fender amp. Many times before, it was listed at $59.99. Not bad, I guess. But now, it had a new price - $1.11! When I saw a nearby sign, it read that anything marked $1.11 was damaged, missing parts or otherwise not in optimal condition.
Taking this into mind, I drove the block and a half back home and grabbed my trusty L-2000 and came back. Using my own cable, I played some super fast slappa-doodle-doo lines (more like Mingus walking bass, really) and proceeded to check the amplifier.
Not only was it in great working order, it had a clean appearance. No scratches, bumps or nasty gunk. Even the plastic film covering the Fender logo was intact.
I brought the amp up to the saleswoman and asked her about the $1.11. She told me it was the store's "make-an-offer" price and the amp could be sold for $10, $5 or even $3. I pulled out $1.11 in change and told her that's what I was prepared to pay. Sure, she says, and a minute later I'm out the door.
This amp could easily have gotten $20, at least. The store probably made the mistake of testing the amp with their malfunctioning basses and decided the amp was no good.
Score!
