SRV_ROCKS Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Ok, so a kid from my school recently bought a 2006 Fender P Bass Deluxe (even though he never played bass before). It's his first bass which i think is sort of ridiculous for a beginner, but thats just me. Well, He says he got it "used but in new condition" (thats his exact quote) for only $290. But the biggest problem is that he bought it from guitar center (probably the biggest rip-off store ever). My question is, does a p-bass like this depreciate in value THAT much or is he lying about the condition? ( I don't know anything about basses). He says its in great condition but i think for that price, it would be kinda crappy. Here's the musician's friend link for reference: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fen...ass-?sku=515201 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Why not? MF only lists it for $600-- In other words, it's Made In Mexico and is hardly an instrument that will appreciate or retain value. Fender name or not, it's just another assembly-line guitar that seems to be a pretty cool piece of gear for the money. I bought a used Godin LG (consignment) for about half of what it listed for new. It doesn't seem like $290 is that far off the mark. I also don't think it's a "ridiculous" piece of gear for a beginner. If a beginner has a bit of cash (say, $290) they should get the best gear they can without being ludicrous. He wouldn't be doing himself any favours by getting a $100 special. This bass seems like it could last well beyond his "beginner" phase, assuming he sticks to it. So, bottom line-- you're overestimating that bass, and it's quite possible that this kid from school is telling the truth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV_ROCKS Posted August 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Why not? MF only lists it for $600-- In other words, it's Made In Mexico and is hardly an instrument that will appreciate or retain value. Fender name or not, it's just another assembly-line guitar that seems to be a pretty cool piece of gear for the money. I bought a used Godin LG (consignment) for about half of what it listed for new. It doesn't seem like $290 is that far off the mark. I also don't think it's a "ridiculous" piece of gear for a beginner. If a beginner has a bit of cash (say, $290) they should get the best gear they can without being ludicrous. He wouldn't be doing himself any favours by getting a $100 special. This bass seems like it could last well beyond his "beginner" phase, assuming he sticks to it. So, bottom line-- you're overestimating that bass, and it's quite possible that this kid from school is telling the truth. I only thought that it would be ridiculous if he actually paid $500-$600 for it. If he paid $290 then thats good for him, i just didn't know if fender basses would depreciate value. I was misled, thats for correcting that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted August 29, 2007 Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 Yeah, MIM assembly-line guitars can certainly depreciate. Even a brand new Made-in-USA Fender Strat, used, will sell for less than it cost new. They don't start gaining value the minute you walk out the door with them, because they're not one-of-a-kind or collectible. Thousands and thousands of them (Even Made-in-USA) roll off the factory line monthly. It would be pretty tough to convince anybody that anything but a true collectible (50's, 60's... some people are starting to value 70's including the 3-bolt versions) has gained value from the date of its original purchase. A MIM jobbie even less likely (near to impossible) to do anything BUT depreciate. The only way these things gain value is when they're sought-after for some reason, naturally. Let's say for some reason, researchers identified that a... I dunno... 1992 USA P-bass had a slight variation in its manufacturing compared to other years. Then players for whatever reason started recognizing an improved tone or playability. And perhaps it came in a colour only available in 92/93 or something... (I'm just talking in cloudland here). It would start gaining a reputation and would therefore start becoming collectible and would therefore begin to appreciate. My Guild acoustic is MAYBE becoming a bit collectible because they got purchased by Fender and the manufacturing process changed from when I got my guitar. This bass ain't that. Now, I don't mean to contradict you and make you feel bad or anything, but even $500-600 isn't too much money for someone to spend on their first instrument. I think people should save their money for an extra month and get something with a bit of quality to it, as their first, whenever possible. If the extra $150-200 represents a LOT more than a month, then eventually you're just going to have to purchase within your resources, which is what this kid seems to have done. Point being, spending money on a first instrument isn't necessarily a bad thing-- It inspires you to play when you're not fighting with the gear. I might have become a skateboarder if I had realized as a kid that my "Consumer's Distributing" skateboard would never allow me to do ollies or roll along properly (it was heavy and the bearings were no good!). Years later, I tried out a "real" skateboard and went, "OH! It wasn't just me!" Of course, now I'm an old fart. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV_ROCKS Posted August 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2007 (edited) I see what your saying but i think it's just my uncanny ability to be very cautious with my money because where me and my parents grew up. Edited August 29, 2007 by SRV_ROCKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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