What never comes up for sale?

[lbpark]

Lately, non-Thumb Warwicks from the 90's. I used to regularly see SSI, SSII, Dolphins, etc. Not much of anything like that anymore.

 

[HolmeBass]

People who have a lot of disposable income.

You mean bank executives, radiologists, and hedge fund managers. Engineers are not paid all that much in the grand scheme of things.

 

[SuperTheBass]

Original Suhr era 5 string j basses

 

[SuperTheBass]

You mean bank executives, radiologists, and hedge fund managers. Engineers are not paid all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Engineer here. Can confirm I could never afford a $8k bass.

 

[HolmeBass]

Engineer here. Can confirm I could never afford a $8k bass.

I am engineer as well - I could afford ONE bass like that, but not swapping them in and out on the regular.

I bought a custom Roscoe last year, $6.4k, and my finances and cash flow are only now, a full year later, returning to normal.

 

[pbass2]

You mean bank executives, radiologists, and hedge fund managers. Engineers are not paid all that much in the grand scheme of things.

Was gonna say, if you mean recording engineers then that's not them these days!
But I will say my dentist has way more high end guitars - boutique and vintage - than any pro working musician I personally know. They're all set up like crap and he plays them through a janky less-than-entry-level amp.

 

[ardgedee]

Also there are probably a lot of engineers on here who swap $8000 basses out like you swap wallpapers on your phone.

Maybe a partner at a structural engineering firm, or something like that. There aren't many of those anywhere, they're highly specialized jobs and extremely challenging in the "if you get this wrong, hundreds of people might die" sort of way.

If you mean computer programmer, nope. The opportunities to get high-paying jobs writing code and retiring early evoporated away a long time ago. There are some specialty positions -- if you're really really good at specific kinds of esoteric math, you can make more than most at certain game studios, financial corporations and computer hardware companies -- but, again, not a lot of many people hold these jobs and they don't pay as well as you think. You're also going to be too busy to actually play your nice bass.

 

[J Wilson]

When it comes to used 80's pieces, finding ORIGINAL, un-modified examples of this or that.

When I was looking for 80's Yamaha BB's, it was a shame how many had aftermarket pickups chiseled into them. Every old Fender or Ric had a BadAss bridge or those off-white DiMarzio pickups or big brass bridges and parts.

I often think guys compromise older axes because for some reason they just MUST modify an old axe, often when they didn't need anything other than a smarter owner.

 

[mikeswals]

What never comes up for sale?

Whatever it is I'm searching for at that time.

I'll see dozens before I got in a position to buy, and I'll see dozens after I've given up and bought something else.

 

[MrAB4003]

Rickenbacker 4004s and fretless 4001s/4003s. I can count the number of these models I have ever seen in person on one finger!

Believe it or not, I have seen more 4002s and 4005s come up for sale!

I had a black one with white binding and unlined ebony board. I sold it to fund my first Shuttle. No regrets actually. It was a nice bass but a little neck divey. I prefer my 4003FL.....also kind of rare.

Here's the full story about the only 4001FL I have ever seen:

It was three years ago and I saw a 1976 4001FL in mapleglo hanging in the bass area of my local GC. I asked them to unlock it so I can play it. It was the best fretless bass I have ever played (so far)! I couldn't put this bass down! I really wanted to buy it, but they wanted $3,300. So I talked to the manager and told him that I had a 1972 Fender Jazz Bass that I would like to trade for the 4001FL. He said come in tomorrow with your bass and we'll have a look at it.

The next day, I went back to the store with my bass. They took it apart, took pictures of it, asked me some questions, and appraised it for me. They told me that it had a poorly done clear coat (which was done by a previous owner - I have no experience with refinishing basses) and basically that it was a player's grade instrument. They appraised it at $1,400 - typical lowball GC offer! In my mind, that meant it was worth at least double that. They would have taken my bass plus an extra $1,900 if I wanted to buy the fretless 4001. I did not have $1,900 to give them, so I had to walk away. A week or so later, the 4001FL was gone.

A month later, I was able to trade my 1972 Jazz Bass straight up for one of my current Rickenbacker 4003s. I got really lucky with this trade because my then-new 4003 is also a very rare bass. It's in a Satin Autumnglo finish and fewer than 50 were made in 2022 and 2023. The previous owner of my bass wanted a vintage Jazz Bass for its tone and mojo and he didn't care about the condition. He reached out to me on Reverb and I accepted. It was an offer that I couldn't refuse. Satin Autumnglo 4003s like mine rarely come up for sale because there are very few of them. There's one in the TB Classifieds and another on the Sweetwater Gear Exchange. That's all. Mine is not for sale if anyone is wondering!

The moral of the story is that when one door closes, another one opens. Walk through the open door if you can.

 

[Kmrumedy]

2 year search no luck:

1966 Fender Lollipop Tuners (would settle for even repos Fender brand - not hipshot)

5 year search no luck:

Fodera Elite with 16.5mm string spacing and ramp

 

[dlmarquez]

As a fretless player, I can definitively state that fretless Rickenbacker and fretless Hofner basses, and Gibson EB1 factory fretlless basses are are rare as hens teeth!

 

[MrAB4003]

As a fretless player, I can definitively state that fretless Rickenbacker and fretless Hofner basses, and Gibson EB1 factory fretlless basses are are rare as hens teeth!

I have a feeling that my experience will be a once in a lifetime experience.

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

Lately, non-Thumb Warwicks from the 90's. I used to regularly see SSI, SSII, Dolphins, etc. Not much of anything like that anymore.

Yeah i've noticed the same thing. People are hanging on to those

 

[brianrost]

Engineers are not paid all that much in the grand scheme of things.

But I was paid well enough to spend money on more gear than I needed

 

[trothwell]

I don't see Tyler basses very often

I remain puzzled too why, even upon contacting their office, they will still custom-make guitars, but not basses. Why is that? Oh well.

 

[ajkula66]

Gibson EB1 factory fretlless basses are are rare as hens teeth!

Probably because exactly zero were officially produced...

On topic...Dan Armstrong London Bass, unmodified, regardless of scale length. Yes, I know that there's one on Reverb, but at that price it is likely to sit there for quite a while longer...

 

[wheresmyric]

USA Fender Geddy Lee Jazz Bass in Transparent Crimson. Haven't seen one in a while, including mine sitting under the bed. Maybe I should take it out and gaze upon its beauty.

 

[HolmeBass]

But I was paid well enough to spend money on more gear than I needed

True, but swapping out $8k basses every year?

 

[mikeswals]

2 year search no luck:

1966 Fender Lollipop Tuners (would settle for even repos Fender brand - not hipshot)

5 year search no luck:

There is a set on Reverb, but the price is a little eye watering. However the seller is in Germany where they're harder to find.