Amplifiers as investments?

[pinkzep52]

I purchased a Laney AOR 100 Pro-Tube Lead head (1988 I think? It has the push-pull knobs) and an Avatar 4x12 cabinet off Craigslist about a year ago. Both are in working order and sound fantastic (supposedly Avatar in particular is quite high end). The Laney, cosmetically, is a little beat up; it's missing the nameplate, mixed knobs, scratches etc. The Avatar is mint. The thing is, I don't need such a loud, big setup anymore and I won't for a very long time. So its just sitting in my parents house (I'm currently a college student).

 

I am thinking of trying to sell it this summer. However, I am afraid of coming to a loss, this happened once with a car I sold. If I hang onto this rig, will it increase in value overtime in the way vintage gear typically does? Please consider the condition the gear is in as well as well as what demand they have (popular in the stoner/doom genre).

 

Thanks :thumbs:

P.S. did HC get rid of the thumbs up smilely?

[Stonedtone]

 

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pinkzep52 wrote:

 

I purchased a Laney AOR 100 Pro-Tube Lead head (1988 I think? It has the push-pull knobs) and an Avatar 4x12 cabinet off Craigslist about a year ago. Both are in working order and sound fantastic (supposedly Avatar in particular is quite high end). The Laney, cosmetically, is a little beat up; it's missing the nameplate, mixed knobs, scratches etc. The Avatar is mint. The thing is, I don't need such a loud, big setup anymore and I won't for a very long time. So its just sitting in my parents house (I'm currently a college student).

 

I am thinking of trying to sell it this summer. However, I am afraid of coming to a loss, this happened once with a car I sold. If I hang onto this rig, will it increase in value overtime in the way vintage gear typically does? Please consider the condition the gear is in as well as well as what demand they have (popular in the stoner/doom genre).

 

 

 

Thanks :thumbs:

 

P.S. did HC get rid of the thumbs up smilely?

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I have a Laney AOR combo, 30ish I think watts with NOS RCA 6V6's. I can't sell the thing for $300 here. Great amp. I don't get it

[akapuli]

 

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pinkzep52 wrote:

 

However, I am afraid of coming to a loss...

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According to my experience (buy and sell for years on eBay and IRL too) these are the second-hand tube amps that will hold their values (yet ~60-70% of their original price):

Marshall

Fender

Mesa/Boogie

[Steve2112]

Unless you have extra cash, and buying custom made amps...I wouldn't worry about "amps as investments". For us normal people, they are tools of the trade. We buy them to make them do what we want, if they don't do it, bye-bye.

That's not to say some medium or low priced amp won't gain collector value over time. But I wouldn't bank my retirement on anything specific.

I'll give you a personal example. I had an Electra Omega, a very nice Les Paul copy, in about 1985-6. I think I paid about 350-ish...maybe 400 for it? A nice gentleman at a local store traded me for a 1964 Fender Twin Reverb. Fairly good deal huh? So now...a Twin in it's condition might be worth..let's say 1000 dollars. Increased in value, right? 2 fold or better.

Well were talking about 30 years later! If I put 30 dollars a year in the bank, I'd have the same value. Not even counting inflation in the mix. Not a huge money maker or retirement account.

However...it has been an AWESOME amp for me. PRICELESS as a tool! Been having some trouble with it of late...but it belongs in the museum now, not in the dives. It meant more to me as my playing amp than gaining value...a historic amp even, not just some random amp I got lucky on.

I'm no pro collector, so maybe I'm missing something, just my 2 cents.

 

 

PS- HC did change avatars, unfortunately. FYI: Thumbs used to be   . Type that we'll know what you mean.

[sillypuddy]

From my experience you should buy an amp for enjoyment not as an investment. Yet some amps are better investments than others. Don't know much about Laney amps and their resale value. I had a few vintage Fender amps (from the 50's and 60's) I used for many years and sold them when I no longer needed them, I made a few bucks on them.  About 15 years later their worth twice what I got for them. So there is a market but it's kind of fickle.  I think in the long run you're better off putting money in an IRA or other investment and getting tax breaks. But how fun is that?  Now I'm using a Reissue Deluxe Reverb, which I doubt will ever be a classic, but I sure like it. I think someday I'll sell it (years from now) and get my money out of it, maybe break even. 

[TIMKEYS]

 

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sillypuddy wrote:

 

 

From my experience you should buy an amp for enjoyment not as an investment. Yet some amps are better investments than others. Don't know much about Laney amps and their resale value. I had a few vintage Fender amps (from the 50's and 60's) I used for many years and sold them when I no longer needed them, I made a few bucks on them.  About 15 years later their worth twice what I got for them. So there is a market but it's kind of fickle.  I think in the long run you're better off putting money in an IRA or other investment and getting tax breaks. But how fun is that?  Now I'm using a Reissue Deluxe Reverb, which I doubt will ever be a classic, but I sure like it. I think someday I'll sell it (years from now) and get my money out of it, maybe break even. 

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exactly     when I was getting ready to move to texas i unloaded a couple amps.   an old TNT100 bass amp solid state ,, and a little blue face fender bass  practice tube amp.   That brought 300 bucks.    I had nothing since i recovered all of my total investment on that deal when i sold the short neck fender bass that came with that deal.    The TNT was the non black widow amp ,, got 75 bucks ,,, glad to see it go.   I didnt have squat in that either .