Local pawnshop with a very ambitious price for a 64 Tbird

[Nocturnal]

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/5800380945.html

Only overpriced by 50% give or take??

[Dave W]

Maybe more than that. Have any IIs ever sold for anywhere near that?

Even if it were reasonable, I'd be leery of anything in that range in a pawnshop unless there's a known history.

[FrankieTbird]

Maybe more than that. Have any IIs ever sold for anywhere near that?

Even if it were reasonable, I'd be leery of anything in that range in a pawnshop unless there's a known history.

It looks legit but, OUCH, that price!  Looks like a headstock repair also.  I'd sell em mine for $15K, and it's unbroken (for now).

[Dave W]

It looks legit but, OUCH, that price!  Looks like a headstock repair also.  I'd sell em mine for $15K, and it's unbroken (for now).

I don't doubt that the bass is legit. The ownership history is what I'd be concerned about. If you're the legitimate owner of a valuable bass, you know that you can sell it quickly on eBay or Reverb at below market value and still net a lot more than a pawnshop will give you. A thief would try to pawn it. So I'd avoid anything like this in a pawnshop unless the previous owner could be verified.

[lowend1]

I am continually amazed at how lazy sellers are in terms of making big ticket items look their best before listing them. Its like when I look at car ads and they don't bother to wash and vacuum the car before taking pics.
Unless somebody famous owned that bass, there is no reason for not taking off the stickers and cleaning it up.

[Dave W]

That happens with just about anything used. When I needed to replace my turntable about 5 years ago, it was amazing how many older ones were listed at premium prices when they hadn't been cleaned up or serviced, or the seller didn't even know if they were working.

[eb2]

I wouldn't worry about ownership history too much. A pawnbroker license is a license to steal, as the very old saying goes. That could've been in an attic or closet for 40 years. Some old guy got it appraised around 1990 and thinks he got top dollar maybe. If it clears police reports, it's theirs. They know what it's worth so overpricing it gets them a great bit of advertising.

[66Atlas]

I had a broker contact me and offered me this bass for SIGNIFICANTLY less than what the pawn shop is asking in the ad.  I'm betting the advertised price is just to gain some attention and if they're lucky find a sucker to pay way too much.

[eb2]

That happens with just about anything used. When I needed to replace my turntable about 5 years ago, it was amazing how many older ones were listed at premium prices when they hadn't been cleaned up or serviced, or the seller didn't even know if they were working.

Turntable's have attracted the worst kinds of people. It's like baseball card collectors.

[Nocturnal]

I had a broker contact me and offered me this bass for SIGNIFICANTLY less than what the pawn shop is asking in the ad.  I'm betting the advertised price is just to gain some attention and if they're lucky find a sucker to pay way too much.

Was the broker in Phoenix? Just curious.

There was an ad on Craigslist a couple months back for a 64 TBird that the owner "needed to sell because he was desperate for money". It was listed for $500 and I saw it as soon as it was listed so I could have easily been one of the first to contact the seller. I didn't call on it because 1: I thought it was phony and 2: it  was in a part of town that is a bit sketchy. My thought was IF it was legit that it was stolen but I also thought that anyone that owned a 64 Bird would have been able to get a lot more than 500 at any pawnshop or guitar store (if it wasn't stolen). I wondered if this was that bass and someone sold it to the pawnshop for a quick return on their investment. I know most pawnshops will mess with pricing to maximize profit but I'm betting that however the shop got this, they paid nowhere near the asking price.

What is a reasonable (or the going) price for a 64?

[Dave W]

All this makes me even more suspicious of the ownership history.

[66Atlas]

The broker works out of the southeast actually but makes a living finding guitars all over the country and flipping them.  He also has a network of associates nationwide that will pick up/inspect guitars on his behalf.