I've noticed there haven't been as many Lull's in the classifieds as there used to be. Do you guys thinks it's because there haven't been as many new Lull's purchased, or because more people are holding on to their Lull's? I think the price increases over the last few years have played a big part in that.
I bought my first Lull in 2011. It was a V4, and I ordered it as a custom build. I had it built with a quarter-sawn neck, which was a $200 upcharge, and also with a G&G hardshell case, which was more expensive than a gig bag. Even with those extra costs, the total cost of the bass was only around $2,100 or $2,200. That bass would be around $3,000 brand new now.
I've owned a total of seven Lull basses in my life. For the most part, I've owned two at a time, and would sell one in order to fund another. They're my favorite basses in the world, and I'd rather play a Lull than anything else. All of the Lull's I've owned, I've gotten at a great price because they were either used or new-old-stock. My only two basses right now are both Lull P4's. I got both at an incredible price (about a year or two apart) because they were both new-old-stock when I got them. One, I've had for about 3 years now, and the other I've had for about a year and a half.
I'd like to eventually get a 34" M5V, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to... After the price increases of the past few years, a brand new build has exceeded my price range, and I don't see a lot of used Lull's in the classifieds like I used to. I got such a good deal on my two P4's, and they're so much more expensive brand new now, it makes me want to hang on to mine that much more. Not to mention, I'm a P bass fan, and these are the best P basses I've ever played.
So what do you guys think? Have the price increases over the past few years affected your ability to buy a new Lull? Any theories on why there aren't a lot of used ones popping up anymore? I'm certainly happy to have lucked up on my two P4's, both at a great NOS price.
