Please advise me on value of my basses.....

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BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
I haven't picked up a bass in years and have 3 high-ish end basses taking up room that I really should be converting into cash or maybe something guitar related.  One reason I've never sold is that I'm so out of touch with what these are worth that I'm not sure what to ask for them. I'd be grateful for any advice on value.  They are:

Lakland 55-94 5 string.  Not the cheaper Skyline range, this is the real thing. I bought this as a nearly new bass from a guy in New York through Ebay.  White with maple neck. I'd guess around 10 years old.  Excellent condition except that the fingerboard is pretty discoloured with persistent use.  Lakland only put crazy glue on these and it dissolves in sweat.  I honestly doubt it's possible to buy a better made 5 string bass than this.

Yamaha Nathan East (5 string). I think this is the original Nathan East Signature model - there were updated ones subsequently.  Late Eighties model. These were Yamaha's top priced model, listed at $3,000, but they had difficulties shifting them at that price and a small number came to the UK at exceptionally good prices.  Think I picked this one up for around a grand.  Blue quilt top and matching headstock, ebony fretboard.  Every bit as good a bass as the Lakland IMO.

Fender 60s Reissue Jazz Bass.  USA made Jazz replicating an early 60s bass, Olympic White with Tortoiseshell scratchplate and matching headstock, absolutely fabulous looking, virtually unplayed because I never quite got the hang of a passive bass and then I stopped playing.  Imported directly from the US when exchange rates were nearly 2:1, it cost me around £1,000 around 6-7 years ago.



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Comments

  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23937
    Musicians Friend is showing new Lakland's of that model in cherry sunburst with maple neck at £1900 ish (About £2500 for a high grade quilt top) being

    So adding Vat is about £2300 new.

    So you might get £1500 depending on how bad the fingerboard dirt is.

    I was looking at a 1960s Fender reissue myself and found some at about £700 ish cheapest. There is only 1 on ebay completed listings at £717, in the USA. Regular USA Standards are going for £650 to £800 at the moment so you should do better than that over here. A good one could get over £1000


    Ah, the Yamaha! The usual massive first price and then loads of reductions. They will never learn! The Attitude 3 Billy Sheehan model was RRP £3000, then came down to £2450, then £2000 and I got mine brand spanking new at £1400!



    You might make some profit on that one!
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    Thanks for that.  I'd prefer to sell locally if I can rather than avoid the hassle of packaging and shipping, but there won't be a big local market for the 5 stringers particularly so I need to have a price in mind.

    That Yamaha is identical to mine.  I'm surprised tbh, I thought that would be the hardest sell and the least valuable.  I wonder if that's the American market - I once sold a Wal bass on Ebay expecting around £600 and Americans bid it up to $2,600.



    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    Just realised the dating of the Yamaha is an obvious slip of the brain. It would have been mid-late 90s not 80s. I bought it in Birmingham and Noel Gallagher had been in the shop the day before which was a bit of a big deal at the time as it was round about the height of their fame.
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23937
    Got any pics of the Lakland?
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    I don't have any pics just now, I might look to see if I can get some later in the week.
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    I never quite got the hang of a passive bass
    Sorry for the thread diversion, but I read this and at first thought "WTF? What 'hang' is there to a passive bass? You plug it in and play it."

    Then I realised that it explains something - I've never seen the point of active basses. To me they do exactly the same as a passive bass, except they have more controls that do things basically the same as, but less well than, the controls on the amp. So in fact, I have never 'got the hang of active basses' - I just never thought of it like that before.

    But I wonder why there should be a difference? They still both essentially do the same thing, it's just the controls are in a different place. Interesting.

    Anyway…

    :)


    Don't know about the active ones, but the Fender sounds very nice and at a guess is probably worth around a grand as fretmeister said.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    You're reading too much into it,

    I'd always played active basses. For me getting a sound I'm happy with isn't instantaneous with new gear.  The intention was to spend time familiarising myself with the Jazz, but I took it along to a couple of gigs and it wasn't happening straight away.  No presence or punch compared to my active basses. So I put it on the back burner until I got a chance to spend rehearsal time with it.  Before that happened the band folded and one thing and another I stopped playing bass.

    I don't know whether or not I'd have ended up getting on with the passive or not.  I had a J Retro in mind as a fall back if I didn't.  Plenty of infinitely more talented and accomplished bass players than me, and I suspect a majority of pros, prefer an active bass and it's not because they don't know how to eq their amp for a passive.  OTOH many fantastic players including Pino, one of my favourite players, prefer a passive bass.

    Thanks for the input on value.  I'll probably keep one of the three and the Jazz is tempting because it seems the best fit for a guitarist who picks up a bass once in a while.  OTOH it's probably much the easiest to sell and frankly the others are much better basses if you take mojo out of the equation.


    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23937
    I still want to see the Lakland!
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    Anything to do with a camera I tend to rely on my better half - it's the one area of technology she knows better than me.  I'll get her to take pics of the basses when I get the chance.  Also my new guitar - got myself a Gibson 336 last week.
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • axisusaxisus Frets: 28280
    I like the sound of that jazz bass!
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    edited April 2014
    It's a really nice one.  Block inlays. The guy who played bass in Morrissey's band had one that looked identical.  I sold my bass rig a couple of years ago and gave the the buyer my Jazz to check all was working.  He immediately said he'd buy the bass as well if I was interested in selling which I wasn't at that point.
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    edited April 2014
    Not good pics I'm afraid.......I must try to get something better.
    image
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    Gives an idea of the discolouration on the fingerboard.  
    image
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    The Jazz...

    image
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • BlueingreenBlueingreen Frets: 2582
    The Yamaha.  

    image
    “To a man with a hammer every problem looks like a nail.”
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  • Blueingreen;220465" said:
    Gives an idea of the discolouration on the fingerboard.  
    Very cool!
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23937
    Not good pics I'm afraid.......I must try to get something better.
    image

    It's a lovely bass!

    I think it depends on your buyer. Some people go mental about that sort of thing, but some don't.

    Wouldn't bother me in the slightest. I've had plenty of bare maple boards in the past and they all end up like that.
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