SB400

[ilan]

I kinda like this one and entered a lowball bid. Yeah, go ahead and make fun of me... What would be a fair price to pay? Also - is it a refin? Never seen one in white before.

Never played one but I saw a and liked the sound. The long-scale SB400 should sound even better, right?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/182484325085

[gearHed289]

Cool bass! I don't think I'd go more than $300.

[Dave W]

Only one in the sold listings recently went for $899. Way more than I would pay, but worth it to someone.

The SB400 is long scale, despite what he says. The SB300 was short scale. Bridge placement on this one indicates it's an SB400.

They were only offered in cherry and walnut. A custom order is always possible, even on a budget model, but probably a refin.

The body wood was never specified. Supposedly it was alder, with a maple neck. Buy it, strip it down, and maybe we'll find out for sure.

[Granny Gremlin]

Isn't that one natural vs white?  Thought I'd seen a few naturals before... was that just the 350/450?

[Dave W]

Isn't that one natural vs white?  Thoiught I'd seen a few naturals before... was that just the 350/450?

Just the 350/450, AFAIK. I've only seen one 450 in natural, and the finish didn't look painted like the one in the auction.

[Chris P.]

I think this is the best looking SG style bass around. I love the Tele-style control panel and the single coils with chrome surrounds.

[amptech]

Funny thing, the listing includes a complete SB350/450 control plate.

I think the 300/400's were available only in cherry and Walnut, but who knows. I've been on the lookout
for a 300/350 to make a fretless SG bass, as my experiments with EB0/maho body/maho neck turned out to be no good. But the few Project SB300/350's I have found have been too clean or too expensive.

I think the ones I've seen have sold for about $900-1000, but they don't pop up too often. There is one locally (Norway) available for $1300 but he's dreaming.

If this auction was for a shortie, I'd be all over it. Good Luck!

[amptech]

There is this one too, $620 BIN but with make an offer option.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1973-Gibson-SB400-Bass-Guitar-Faded-Wine-Red-Worn-In-Cool-SG-200-/302219615454?hash=item465db15cde:g:h8cAAOSwax5Ym-Jt

[Granny Gremlin]

Yeah, the price of these has gone up due to people being crowded out by the much higher prices of the 'better' Gibsons (price disparity between these and almost any other Gibson model creates a bit of a vacuum), and also because they've been recently featured in a few vids/TV performances; not many, but just enough for people to notice and to legitimise them.  Kinda like what happenned with Melody Makers 2 decades ago and LP Jrs in the punk/post era.

I agree that the 300/400 look cool with the control plate and pickups (the 50s look fine but the larger boxy black humbuckers just don't work as well for me on that body shape.... and natural on a light wood is a hard sell for me to begin with), but the hardware isn't chrome is it?  Seems to tarnish/rust to a greater degree and more often than any other model of the era (this could also just be down to who owned them and how they treated them; lower end budget stuff in the hands of kids will get more trashed).

[Dave W]

I think this is the best looking SG style bass around. I love the Tele-style control panel and the single coils with chrome surrounds.

Uwe likes the 300/400s too. That must mean it's the shape preferred by German lawyers and moffenhoers. 

Yeah, the price of these has gone up due to people being crowded out by the much higher prices of the 'better' Gibsons (price disparity between these and almost any other Gibson model creates a bit of a vacuum), and also because they've been recently featured in a few vids/TV performances; not many, but just enough for people to notice and to legitimise them.  Kinda like what happenned with Melody Makers 2 decades ago and LP Jrs in the punk/post era.

And yet I bought my slothead EB-0 for less than the SB400 that recently sold on eBay. Go figure.

[uwe]

Dave has been very, very diplomatic in his judgement of SBs in this thread - growing mild with age, huh? 

Actually, within the SB family, the SB-400 is the best one, followed by the SB-450, followed by the SB-300 - and with the SB 350 coming in last.

Those Melody Maker pups have a very rich full frequency sound - single coil "halo" in the upper frequencies/harmonics, yet not anemic at all in the bass department. If a Ric sound that is not just "clank!' and a Jazz Bass sound make you happy, you won't be disappointed with an SB-400. I have so far only seen cherry and walnut SB-300s and -400s, but it was finish everytime, the wood of the first generation SBs is almost white and shines through as the fin wears off. Might very well be alder, it is kind of soft too.

[clankenstein]

I think i wants me an sb400.

[Granny Gremlin]

And yet I bought my slothead EB-0 for less than the SB400 that recently sold on eBay. Go figure.

OK but is that a fair comparison (was it on ebay/when/condition) - I don't recall this but maybe I missed it or forgot?  There are, of coarse, exceptions to all trends or rules.

[Dave W]

OK but is that a fair comparison (was it on ebay/when/condition) - I don't recall this but maybe I missed it or forgot?  There are, of coarse, exceptions to all trends or rules.

This was a few months ago. It had been on Reverb for two years (!), also on the store's website, don't know about eBay.  It had been listed at $1250 with a Make Offer button. It had been two years, they dropped the price to $1095, so I thought why not offer less? They obviously wanted to move it, and I couldn't have afforded it otherwise. It's in excellent condition.

It almost always pays to research and be patient. $899 isn't impossibly high for that SB400 but it's not that rare or sought after that a person can't wait for another or make an offer.

[Granny Gremlin]

Yeah, biding one's time certainly does pay off.  It's worked for me the odd time.

That does sound like a pretty good deal.  900 is too much for an SB IMHO, but I understand why the odd person would pay that much.