I recently acquired this Paranormal Squier from GC as a used piece. $329. W/tax and shipping I paid about $368.
I upgraded the entire bass, pickups, bridge, tuners, pickguard, I even put some faux abalone dots on it, just as an add on for the look. I initially asked for $499. Not a bite. It eventually sold for the same $369 I paid for it. I lost all my costs for the changes I made. In the last moment after I agreed to the buyers offer on reverb, I got another offer for $429…I had to turn it down as the bass was already sold.
Point is……The P-Bass in question has a paint job on it that costs hundreds to do. It’s a full on custom, 1/2 gloss, 1/2 candy metallic finish. That was expensive. We can joke about the knobs, but it’s obviously a sellers attempt to recoup a fairly substantial investment into a lower cost bass.
I flip basses as a hobby. (I also give them away to kids that want to try becoming bass players, not expensive ones…Squiers, Ray4’s and the like) But if I spot a bass thats grossly underpriced on FB marketplace or elsewhere, I will snatch it up, repair it, sometimes upgrade it, or do something unique to it, like the above Squier ( Custom pickguard added to a rare white color model) and flip it.
My thinking is, this seller likely wants between 5-$600 for this P-Bass, and is hoping someone will make what they think is a lowball offer, and he’ll move it. You must admit, the work is quite good, and whoever gets it will have a pretty damn nice bass. Price not withstanding.
