Gear Quests!

[Dharmajester]

One of my favourite purchases was my 2550 Marshall head.
I was in Nelson for New years eve around 2003, popped into Cash Converters and they had a Marshall 2550 head and JCM800 4x12 for $1000, offered them $900 for the head and cab, then had to figure out how to fit it in the boot of my 1986 Honda Accord with me and my 2 other mates and get back to chch. It was a tight fit but ultimately worth the hassle!

Cashies scores in the early 00's, before the TM boom were rather epic.

My best to date was an Ibanez lawsuit Thinline Tele and a Peavey Classic 30 combo for $800 from CC in Panmure around then.

I remember the days of picking up a stack for under 1k - remember getting a JCM900 50w & Crate 4x12 from a Trade & Exchange listing for $800 around '04.

I’m still holding out hope for all this talk about big tube amps being obsolete and worthless shortly! Current prices don’t seem to match the online predictions chatter though!

A side effect of the modern attenuator maybe.

[calling card]

The last amp I got built by Ryan, JMP50 like in a Marshall Haze 40 combo. I'd put down the starter lump of cash already and when it was done got the final bill to pay. However I'd developed a tooth ache and on visit to dentist was told tooth could be saved by root canal work. Which was approx the amount owning on amp. I got that tooth pulled.

[Molly]

I don't have anything exciting to add but used to think nothing of chucking a sickie to do a 600k round-trip to secure the next whim purchase. Always frustrated me that other blokes couldn't be arsed to drive the 90k from Christchurch to Methven. Half-arsed baaastards.

[GrantB]

So many stories. I have had serious fun pulling together these huge deals with many instruments involved, some cash maybe. Everyone walks away a winner…love that vibe.

[StrummersOfThunder]

I've just had one fall over. Jan '65 Jazzmaster. and for a great price. Had the seller in Utah convinced to ship to Montana, to a client of mine who lives 2 months of the year in lower SI NZ. He's a guitar guy and has worked in timber CNC's supplying gear and setting up factories for Taylor and Gibson. Personal friend of Bob Taylor's. So he was happy to carry it over the border for me. After a few months negotiating seller backed out. He was a good guy, just overly cautious about shipping even to Montana from Utah. Dream guitar gooooooooooone...

Oh man....

[Aquila Rossa]

Best gear quest I had was when I was 16 in 1986 and had been working construction for a few months. Trying a few dozen acoustic guitars. Yep, the story about the 1955 Gibson Southern Jumbo I have mentioned a few times -- and how I stupidly traded it in for a bunch of near worthless electric guitar stuff. I tried acoustic guitars in every music shop in town and even went down to the one in Greenlane. I was not keen on any of them
I spotted the old Gibson one hanging in the window of a guitar repair shop that used to be on Ponsonby Rd. Within a few minutes of playing it I was sold and paid $1100. It was so much easier to play the chords I was learning than all the other guitars I tried. Maybe it was the shorter Gibson scale, but I did not know about that stuff back them. The action was more like an electric guitar than an acoustic. It also sounded great. I've liked Gibson guitars ever since. They fit my hands best.

P.S. I just spent a bunch of money turning a black and white Mexi Strat into a Gilmour-a-like Strat. Black pick guard and the 7 way wiring, but with Malmsteen pups off an old YJM guitar that I re-potted with wax using a rice cooker. Once I got it set up and working I just kept reaching for my Les Paul. I ended up taking the Strat to my nephew and telling him he can borrow it. I like Strats best when others play them. So many of my favourite players used them, but I just can not get on with them. Set in my ways perhaps.

BTW. The current gear quest is supposed to be to put aside some money and wait in ambush for a nice old 1960b 4x12 to get listed - and then pounce on it. They do not get listed often. The last one was looking like a bidding war, so I opted out. I just want it so the lad can find out what it's like to have that 4x12 thump literally hitting you in the chest. That and I just want one for the sake of it. I tend to forget though and buy other stuff when I have money, e.g., just upgrading my interface when I did not really need to (got an Audient iD24 to replace a first gen id14 -- not worth doing at all really, but I had convinced myself it was -- consumeritis and a FWP really).

[NippleWrestler]

I picked up a 1988 Marshall 1960 for $400 a couple of months ago. Pickup only (obviously) and in Tauranga (I'm in Auckland) so a 7 hour round trip and its doing it's thing here now. Bargains can be had. We live in a world where a 412 is cheaper than a 212 and a 100w amp is cheaper than a 15w amp. It's great (sometimes).