What was your best ever purchase?

carlos

Helix FX late last year for £200 from an older gentleman who couldn't be arsed learning how to use it. I've since sold all my pedals...

pintspiller

Mine was probably my first tuner. A Sound City job with a VU-style needle if I remember right.

I was tone deaf, but had learned a lot of shapes via a Neil Young songbook I photocopied from the library.

I probably would have quit playing guitar and got a motorbike instead.

Musicwolf

Probably my Marshall JMP-1 pre-amp bought in the mid to late 90s for £150.  I'd lusted after one since they were first released and it didn't disappoint.  Min's been sitting in the loft for a few years but I got it down and tested it a few months ago when I was doing some recording and needed a second pre-amp (I use a Kemper these days).  It still sounds very good.

ICBM

Musicwolf said:

Probably my Marshall JMP-1 pre-amp bought in the mid to late 90s for £150.  I'd lusted after one since they were first released and it didn't disappoint.  Min's been sitting in the loft for a few years but I got it down and tested it a few months ago when I was doing some recording and needed a second pre-amp (I use a Kemper these days).  It still sounds very good.

I just got out my old Boss SE-70 which I bought new in (I think) 1991, although I can't remember the price. I hadn't used it for years, and I was really quite surprised how good it still sounds - programming it is still a faff, but I've started to remember it better and it's slowly starting to become a bit more intuitive again!

prowla

My first Rickenbacker bass was my best buy.

At the other end of the scale is a WL can opener I bought from the 50p shop in Manchester in the 80s; it wore out and I tried many other brands which turned out to be rubbish; then I happened across someone selling new ones at a car boot sale and normality was restored!

Fretwired

Steinberg Cubase VST back in the 1990s followed by a Line 6 POD (I got a red bean the week it was launched and its still working). I was able to record whole tracks and create drum tracks via MIDI and my guitar playing improved. Before the advent of modellers and DAWs noodling late in the evening wasn't an option.

MtB

Back in the day when you could get over 2 US Dollars to the pound I bought a new USA G&L Bluesboy. The delivered price in the UK ended up at about £770. 

DrHankWangfordSnr

Its a toss up between my Helix (alllll the gear I'll ever need YMMV), my Ibanez nylon acoustic (40th birthday present, I play it every day, still no signs of improvement), and my 64 year old Hofner Congress (so much mojo, and a super living room guitar)). They all bring joy in equal measure.

maddog_1957

I didn’t buy it but my Dad got me a Hofner Senator cello acoustic for my 12th birthday. Lovely old guitar.

roberty

Guitar-wise I'd say THR10, my sound is just that much better when playing through a big amp since practising on that thing 

In general, probably my UAD Arrow, the Marshall and Ampeg sims are superb, and producing music at home has made me look at my playing in a different way

Actually I got a '64 bassman combo for $440 NZ back in the day, before eBay and the internet. Left it in NZ tho and eventually sold it for a couple of grand online years later

30hertz

I recently picked up a 1982 Westone Thunder 1-A bass for £0.00 -- all the vendor asked was that I donate at least £20 to a cancer charity, which I gladly did. The stock active circuit doesn't work, but I've just replaced it with an EMG 2-band from the spares box. It plays beautifully and sounds fantastic.

Dave_Vader

My dirty old Sunn Mustang P-Bass copy that I took off my mate for beer money borrowed (£30) back in the 90s.

A refinish and replacement pickup and tuners later and it's still my main bass and has probably earned me more money than any other instrument I own.

Jalapeno

My Sadowsky Jim Hall Special </predictable> - bought it from Sadowsky in NYC when £1=$2.25 - it was cheaper than a tatty ES175. Now worth twice what I paid for it (which is irrelevant as it's going nowhere).

Close second ....

Tom Anderson Hollowbody Drop Top - been sitting in shop forever, I went in determined to buy a PRS McCarty, but the owner said to try it because he couldn't understand why it was in the shop.  I got it half price and it was made on my birthday ! (Not the year obv as I'm an old git).  Effortless to play and light as a feather.

Also rans.....

Xotic EP Booster

Yamaha THR5

Tracktion / Reason / Ableton

rivercider

viz said:

Just got an immaculate 2-year old hifi amplifier with 18 years left on the warranty, for half price. Less than half price even. It really seems to be a buyer’s market at the moment. 

18 years warranty left? Blimey. Result!
Mind you, I have an Arcam Alpha 6+ amp that's been in daily use since 1993 and never let me down.  Guess they didn't do planned obsolescence as well back in the day. 

LordOxygen

A used, mint Yamaha THR100HD for £320. Superb amp for home use, over the moon with it tbh. 

Twangyman

1970's Gordon Smith GS2, bought secondhand, been my main gig guitar since 1990's.

AlexC

http://i64.tinypic.com/67877k.jpg

I’ve posted it before and I’ll post it gain - Epiphone Les Paul Standard in perfect Nick for £45 from the local village hall auction.

Zoolooter

Anarchy Audio Gold Class OD
Talisman reverb
Bogner New Yorker amp 
51 Nocaster neck pickup

Keefy

Ibanez SD9 Distortion - £4!

JMP220478

Marshall 2204 head from '78  - bought in late '79 s/h - for about £140 - still going strong 40 years later ..