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Fair price for a '67 Bassman


bikehorn

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I haven't posted here in ages and I also haven't played guitar in as long, but I thought this might be the place to ask. Not sure if what I'm about to post is against the rules(some forums are strict about pricing), but here goes. I have a Bassman in pretty good physical condition that I've been telling myself I'll restore since I graduated high school. Well that was 2004 and I still haven't gotten around to it, and realistically never will. Now I want to clear up some space and use the money for a business I'm starting.

 

I'm just wondering approximately what these go for so I can price realistically, since I've been out of the gear market loop a long time. I was thinking $600 Canadian. Preamp tubes are missing and it should be gone over by a professional as it hasn't been turned on in a very long time, which I plan to put in my ad, wherever/whenever I post it. Power cord has been replaced with a grounded one. Am I being reasonable, or is that too much/too little?

 

Thanks

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...Preamp tubes are missing

 

Not good...if the buyer can't fire up the amp and see that it makes sound, then they're taking a much higher risk buying the amp. The most common issue in these old tube amps is the filter capacitors, but usually it's not enough to stop the amp from working, it just has a bad hum through the speaker.

 

$600 for a bassman that can't be tested sounds way too high. That's the price for a working one in decent cosmetic condition here in the states.You'll come out ahead if you buy some preamp tubes (about $50 US for 4 preamp tubes) and can show that the amp works. If it hums, that's OK, an amp that old almost certainly needs a recap job and the cost of those are known.

 

 

 

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. . . $600 for a bassman that can't be tested sounds way too high. That's the price for a working one in decent cosmetic condition here in the states. . . .

CAN$600 is US$459. Working Bassman heads of that vintage are going for US$300 and up on eBay so that's way too much.

 

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I've owned the same head since I bought it in 1967.

 

The 67 black face and silver face overlapped as CBS took over and started using up the old parts. You can check the code on the tube chart and make sure you post that wen selling it. It will tell you for sure what year it was made.

 

The Bassman heads have doubled in price in the past 10 years. Its a matter of supply and demand. They used to be easy to find but are getting harder to find for less than $500~$600 in working order and fairly good shape. I keep an eye on them because I've owned mine for over 50 years. I bought the entire amp for $150 back in the day and you couldn't get more them maybe $150 for the head up through the 90's. Then around 200 they sold for around $300. I didn't think they'd ever come up to they're true value.

 

I think its partly because people thought it was a bass only head when in fact it was a bass or guitar head. They are selling now closer to they're true worth for a 50W fender head should. When fully tweaked up they are still one of the best sounding heads made. They have more clean headroom then the Bandmasters do. There Bandmasters loose allot of signal gain feeding the Vibrato circuit and the Bassman was built to produce better cleans. Of course it still depends on the specific circuit used. There are three main circuit types used and at least a dozen different variances with all kinds of tweaks to prevent distortion and noise.

 

Overall they are a killer sounding am which takes pedals very well.

 

I do agree with others. For the investment of tubes you can earn yourself allot more money selling it but that's your choice. The 600 Canadian is about right for an amp needing tubes and a cap job. Both are very inexpensive. The power caps only cost about $25 because they are so popular. Anyone with basic soldering skills can replace them. You can get the preamp tubes for around $8~9 each. $65 investment drives the resale up quite a bit. If you just want quick cash just sell it as is. The heads are in high demand because you can mod them fairly easily and get some great sounds out of them. I'll never sell mine, and I'll likely pass mine down to my son who plays bass and guitar.

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