It's already been said, but German Warwicks and USA Peaveys are the first two that come to my mind.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What are great basses with a really low resale value?
- Thread starter Tupac
- Start date
I think any parts bass will be worth less than the parts by themselves... But I still build them anyway!
USA Peavey..... Millenium and Axcellerator are the ones that always floor me when they're both under $500
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Any new instrument has bad resale value until it's over 25 years old...ok, not ANY, but most
Part of me is glad for this...I can get Peavey T-40's for next to nothing and they're AWESOME basses...works out for me as a buyer.
Gibsons actually do pretty well...never lost money on one yet. I sold my '76 Grabber after 10 years of owning it for, I think $750...paid $275 for it in a pawnshop
Part of me is glad for this...I can get Peavey T-40's for next to nothing and they're AWESOME basses...works out for me as a buyer.
Gibsons actually do pretty well...never lost money on one yet. I sold my '76 Grabber after 10 years of owning it for, I think $750...paid $275 for it in a pawnshop
Find a Tajfun ..really rare bases, made somewhere betwen 1970 and 1980 ..new was about 4000eur and now I saw someone selling it for 200 
It could be just me but I've found that ANY bass that I am trying to sell is pretty much worthless AND any bass I am trying to buy is suddenly rare and quite valuable and won't last very long if I don't buy it NOW! AND furthermore once having bought the rare and valuable bass, it is now suddenly worthless!
thought that was GAS.......
Not quite over. MY Fretless G&L cost me $600 at GC. But prices are creeping up as the Tributes hip people to G&L. One thing to look for is used G&L L-2x00 series basses where knobs and switches are loose. This is a common problem and if you know which end of a screwdriver is the handle it's about a 5 minute job to fix, yet it scares many music stores and prices can drop dramatically.
G&L ASAT.....fantastic bass, plays well, looks great, extremely well made, all day tone.......$1,200 new.....tried to sell several times when cash was low....couldn't move it at $600.00!
Any new instrument has bad resale value until it's over 25 years old...ok, not ANY, but most
Part of me is glad for this...I can get Peavey T-40's for next to nothing and they're AWESOME basses...works out for me as a buyer.
Gibsons actually do pretty well...never lost money on one yet. I sold my '76 Grabber after 10 years of owning it for, I think $750...paid $275 for it in a pawnshop
Apparently this guy does not know this. Peavey T40 for $749 on Ebay Classic Vintage PEAVEY T-40 Double Cutaway Electric Bass Guitar JMJ BECK | eBay
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Hah! Well, It's pretty clean and IMO T-40's are well worth that price, but he'll never get it. Heck I saw an AWESOME white/rosewood T-40 recently on ebay with a buy it now of $450 with no takers
As an eBay Associate, TalkBass may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
dukeorock said:Hah! Well, It's pretty clean and IMO T-40's are well worth that price, but he'll never get it. Heck I saw an AWESOME white/rosewood T-40 recently on ebay with a buy it now of $450 with no takers
Yep. The whole deal on these basses is that they're stupid cheap. Raise the price and there are a lot other choices.
I'm always happy to play my 1980 Washburn Chicago Force or Guild SB202, but neither is worth very much on the market. Which is great for the smart buyer as both have great tone and get much love on stage. Likewise any of the "1 bass, 2 or 3 brands" type Japanese basses from the 70s play great and sell very low, like Univox or Aria.
If you can avoid scratching that emotional itch for a 40 year old Fender P bass, you can instead buy a bunch of similarly aged "other brand" basses which will play and sound great!
If you can avoid scratching that emotional itch for a 40 year old Fender P bass, you can instead buy a bunch of similarly aged "other brand" basses which will play and sound great!
Sometimes you have no choice. I had to sell my '78 P-bass that I loved a few years back, or I might have been evicted from my apartment. A '78 Fender wasn't gonna do me any good if I was living on the street.
All this tells me that it is sensible to cultivate a healthy ambivalence about one's choices in instruments. Just play it, appreciate it, and be done with it.
Honestly, what I'm hearing is that there are countless numbers of magnificently made, high-retailing, and great-sounding instruments that don't draw flies on the used market.
How is it possible that the resale value of something can have so little to do with how intrinsically good it is?
Honestly, what I'm hearing is that there are countless numbers of magnificently made, high-retailing, and great-sounding instruments that don't draw flies on the used market.
How is it possible that the resale value of something can have so little to do with how intrinsically good it is?
