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Post by svart on Jan 20, 2018 21:53:47 GMT -6
How about stories about gear, or music production related letdowns?
The other day a local music store marked down a 7pc set of Yamaha Recording Custom drums from 1988.. Near mint condition with a very rare collection of tom sizes and matching numbers.. It's extremely rare to have such a set like this be all original and matching... And it was pretty much my dream set since I'm a die-hard Yamaha player (THE best drums in the world, bar none).
I have a pieced-together RC set in the studio, but it's pretty beat up and everything is mismatched from different years and eras.
Anyway, they marked down this 3000$+ set to 1200$.. I decided I'd go get them the next day in person since the store is only about 4 miles away. I don't know why I didn't even think to just purchase them online to pick up.
The next day is when we had the snow and ice here in the ATL. The store was closed and I was iced in my neighborhood that day anyway. The next day I planned to get them after work and they sold 30 minutes before I got there.
There will never be a deal like that again for me. I'm still salty about it 3 days later.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 20, 2018 21:57:28 GMT -6
Ouch.
I owned Duane Allman's Marshall 100 head. It was the finest, most touch sensitive amp I've ever used. A drummer I had worked with temporarily was pissed that I moved on to a new band, and stole all my band's gear from a loft we rehearsed in, sold it and left the state. It took decades before I heard another amp that sounded as good.
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Post by Tbone81 on Jan 20, 2018 22:00:30 GMT -6
I'll bite, saw a gml 8900 compressor for sale locally for like $700. I think it was from a pawn shop. Pics looked like it was in good condition. The description said that it wouldnt power on, hence the low price. In my mind I'm thinking this could be as simple as replacing a fuse...and even if I needed to send to a tech to fix it, I'm still getting a killer deal.
So I decided to wait a day or two to think about it...and the rest is history...I'll never see one for that cheap again.
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Post by Tbone81 on Jan 20, 2018 22:04:16 GMT -6
Ouch. I owned Duane Allman's Marshall 100 head. It was the finest, most touch sensitive amp I've ever used. A drummer I had worked with temporarily was pissed that I moved on to a new band, and stole all my band's gear from a loft we rehearsed in, sold it and left the state. It took decades before I heard another amp that sounded as good. Damn, that pisses me off just hearing about it. Only consolation is that People like that usually end up with shitty lives, karma and what not.
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Post by nnajar on Jan 20, 2018 22:31:33 GMT -6
My red 336 was the one that got away because it was such a great guitar and I had gotten it for such a good deal. I sort of quit playing the electric guitar a number of years ago and sold everything. What a mistake. The only thing I missed was that 336. Last year I stumbled across a sunburst 336 in a shop a mile from my house- we went for a walk to the coffee shop and just popped in to say hi- it was priced fairly but when they told me what I could have it for with cash it was such a good deal it was a no brainer. So years later the one that got away is back.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 20, 2018 22:34:25 GMT -6
Thanks Tbone. The follow up to that story is harsh. That guy had mentioned to a mutual friend that he was coming back to NY, and he'd shoot me if I caused any trouble. He'd joined an outlaw bike club, but was murdered on the way back here.
So there was definitely some bad karma there. It was a shame, I thought he was a friend, but obviously had issues. This was long time ago, and long forgotten.
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Post by ragan on Jan 20, 2018 22:35:18 GMT -6
There was a guy on my local CL selling two vintage U87s that came out of Steve Miller’s studio. $1200 a piece. I didn’t really have the money at the time but emailed him immediately anyway. Someone was already en route to pick them up.
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Post by ragan on Jan 20, 2018 22:37:30 GMT -6
Also (a vicarious one) I heard about a guy who went to an airport that was selling off a bunch of stuff, including old PA stuff. They had advertised some “old fashioned limiters” or something like that. He got out there and there was a pile of Urei 1176s and he bought like 6 of them for $400 or something.
Not exactly one that ‘got away’ from me but I still think about it.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 20, 2018 22:42:04 GMT -6
Ha, small world Ragan. A woman I was friendly with in my building was usually single and kept to herself. She was really a sweet person. One day sitting in the park nearby, she said she'd gotten married, and introduced me to her husband. I said hi, and mentioned some of my then current musical activities. He said kind of humbly, "I play guitar too", so I said in a kind of non committed way, well, maybe we can get together sometime. I was watching President Obama's inauguration a few days later, and then I saw that guy onstage playing, it was Steve Miller! I hadn't recognized him.
So that's an opportunity that got away for sure. It would have been fun to jam.
I was at the Guitar Center helping a new student choose a guitar when a guy opened up a hardshell Martin guitar case with a mint DC Aura for trade-in. I heard the offer of $625, and thought I'll offer this guy $900 right now, only then I remembered I'd just bought an expensive guitar and had no cash left for gear that day. He took their offer, I guess he just wanted something else and didn't know whether the offer was fair or not.
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jan 21, 2018 0:44:17 GMT -6
When I was in college, someone broke into my locker and stole my 80's fretless Fender Jazz Special and a load of cymbals. Cymbals were replaceable, bass wasn't. Still miss it.
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Post by rowmat on Jan 21, 2018 1:03:00 GMT -6
A pair of Neumann U67's for $500 AUD each ($400 USD).
These were owned by an ex ABC broadcast engineer who was a friend of a former boss who told me he had retired and had them stored in the top of his wardrobe until he got sick of his wife complaining about them and sold them.
Now to be fair he sold them about twenty years ago and I heard the story about twelve years ago but it still made me wince.
Even back then they would have probably fetched close to $3000 AUD each if he had known their true market value.
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Post by sean on Jan 21, 2018 7:56:19 GMT -6
I can’t remember specific deals that slipped through my hands...plenty I missed by a couple minutes but I’ve also been really fortunate with all the ones I’ve got.
However, when I was in high school I bought a 60’s Epiphone Cortez. I got it at a guitar center, I think I paid $400 for it. I loved that guitar. Pencil thin neck like an electric (which some people hate but I like) and just comfortable to play while sitting on the couch. I went to college, money was tight, and I sold it. I’ve never owned another guitar I enjoyed as much as that one.
It seems like every time I see on for a decent price I miss them. Been casually looking for over a decade.
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Post by drbill on Jan 21, 2018 9:54:23 GMT -6
I'm sure my quick draw has been the pain for some, and I've in turn received the pain of missing deals as well. I try to keep some cash on hand if possible so that when an opportunity pops up, I can grab quickly. That said, I let these things slip from my mind... no use fretting over them. It doesn't breed creativity. The ones I remember are the ones I scored and kept.
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Post by EmRR on Jan 21, 2018 10:09:54 GMT -6
An entire building full of tube gear going back to the 1930's, former repair shop of the guy who designed and built the first local radio station in 1930, who served as head engineer for decades. Most of the cherry pick stuff was gone when I heard about it, but it was still packed full when I saw it. 2 dumpsters full of manuals/documentation had already been tossed. There were at least 4 full size transcription TT's with cutting attachments. The guys who ended up with it got it on terms of renting the space for their own use, and their problem to clean it out. They were paranoid like '49'ers sitting on a claim, wouldn't let anyone else see the stuff, and 2 years later the building was bulldozed and gone. Years earlier as a kid I'd been inside to buy parts from the old man for a school electronics project, and I'd forgotten all about it.
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 14,809
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Post by ericn on Jan 21, 2018 11:17:51 GMT -6
I have told this story before but I'll tell it again. Local large church is complaining about their piano sound through the PA, I offer the deal I will come in and get the piano sounding in right and trade my time and the new mics for the "80 something mics they have" I had just come off a small tour where my SM81's on piano was getting rave reviews as some of the best mic'ed piano many of the reviewers ever heard so I grabbed a pair of 81's headed over knowing This was going to take no time since the piano tuner had just left. I arrive and they have pulled the old mics which were no where to be seen just a big pair of Atlas stands and the 6 foot Baldwin, and the pianist. I have her play a bit get a feel for it up. Close, walk the house, come back put up the SM81's go back to FOH and everybodies jaw is on the floor the piano has never sounded so good ! We shake hands Agree they will bring the old " 80 mics " in tomarrow. Well the next day the head of music walks in with a scowl on his face, "Eric I am sorry but we can't hold up our original deal, the old mics are Neumann KM84's worth at least twice what the Shure's you brought us even though those Shures sound better than anything has ever sounded in 10 years on that piano we just can't " Me " I understand where your guy is coming from, but how much have you spent in the last 10 years trying to get that sound? How many have come in and billed you $100's of dollars trying to get that sound?" " Well we feel since we have better mic's and it only took you 15 minutes to get that sound with the Shures, you should be able to do the same with the Neumann's" "No, it doesn't work that way I haven't spent 6 months with that exact pair of mics every night in a different room with a different piano and a different tuner and PA trying to get a great piano sound" "Well in that case we will pay for the mics and your 15 minutes " "Fine my time is billed at $75 an hour 3 hour minimum and the mics are ( I charged list because I was pissed)" My boss arranged so that the entire $225 ended up with me, I made $50 spiff on 81's plus $80 bucks commission, 27years latter and 2 or 3 tune up calls latter those 81's are still up over the Baldwin and the pretty wood boxes with KM84's sit on a shelf with 27 years worth of dust!
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 21, 2018 11:48:19 GMT -6
Dang. Can you casually just offer them $500 for the 84's so they won't have to bother with selling it privately?
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Post by drbill on Jan 21, 2018 11:58:33 GMT -6
27years latter and 2 or 3 tune up calls latter those 81's are still up over the Baldwin and the pretty wood boxes with KM84's sit on a shelf with 27 years worth of dust! Anyone who can make 81's sound better than KM84's gets HIGH PRAISE from me!!!!! Kudo's Eric!!
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Post by rowmat on Jan 21, 2018 12:03:01 GMT -6
The guy who I got quite a bit of my gear from years ago was another ex-ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) tape op.
Around the early 1980's he owned four RCA 77DX ribbon mics.
These had been retired from the ABC and like a lot of gear that was decommissioned it often wound up with employees either via the government auctions or other means.
He told me he was approached by a guy who was connected with a big band and asked if he could borrow a pair of 77DX's to try out for a live recording session.
A few days later he asked to borrow the second pair.
After winding up with all four RCA 77DX's the 'borrower' disappeared and he, and the mics, were never seen again - OUCH!
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Post by popmann on Jan 21, 2018 13:43:37 GMT -6
Guitar amp shopping about 15 years ago here in town....taking my #1 strat around to every music store from big corporate warehouse to pawn shop over a long Saturday. Fave amp? An odd (likely modded) Fender Concert at a pawn shop for $425. I played it at 4:30 when they closed at 5(sat)....on more stop to go....where I found my second fave (retail BassmanRI 4x10) for $825. Decided to go with the Concert....called when they reopened Monday AM to say "hold it-I'm on my way".....said someone heard me playing it and bought it as soon as I left the store. So, I paid twice as much for my second fave, which I played as my primary amp for years.
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Post by cowboycoalminer on Jan 21, 2018 16:29:20 GMT -6
Great thread. Just happened to me last night. A KM 264 on reverb in good condition for 1850 + 25 shipping. As soon as I saw it I pulled the trigger as fast as I could. Paid and felt good about it. Then minutes later I get a notification from reverb that I got a refund. The guy had shipped it that morning but didn't take down the listing. I was heartbroken.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jan 21, 2018 16:43:01 GMT -6
ugh.. that stings cowboy. It's one thing to miss a deal, another to see one available, pay for it, and have it go away. That guy should be fined ;-)
I had that happen once with a dream apartment, I was first to see something spectacular, and the deal was great, I had cash, left a deposit and came to sign papers the next day, only to be told the owner gave it to his niece, even though legally and technically, it was mine, there was nothing I could do about it.
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Post by Guitar on Jan 21, 2018 18:20:07 GMT -6
My friend and I thought it was a "good idea" to half and half on a piano for our band. We paid $1000 on craigslist for a Nord Electro 2.
It was a terrible idea. We played it for a while and wrote some new songs that featured e-pianos and organs. Also, by the way, my friend allows strangers to come in and out of his home at their own free will to practice and whatnot.
Big surprise! The piano got stolen! Along with his brother's pedal gear!
I was so pissed I couldn't contain myself. Never again will I buy gear "with" someone. He paid me a hundred bucks or something.
Years later, he gives me a damaged Marshall 1960A cabinet for free, which is one of my favorite guitar cabs of all time. So I call it even these days.
He is a good friend.
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Post by allbuttonmode on Jan 22, 2018 4:12:20 GMT -6
I traded a Roland SBF-325 Stereo Flanger and some cash for a 414 EB about 20 years ago. I don't regret getting the 414, but I do still think about the flanger. Very frequently.
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Post by Ward on Jan 22, 2018 11:08:24 GMT -6
Too many to name... but the radio station dumping LA2As, 1176s, Neve BCM10 and a Federal into a dumpster and I ignored it until too late... that took the cake.
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Post by john on Jan 22, 2018 12:06:15 GMT -6
when I was 17 I had a friend that worked at sam ash. one day he called me and said that a woman brought a list of equipment and keyboards in to sell after her husband past. we had been obsessed with the sound of the fender Rhodes from all the jazz records we were digging up and a Rhodes was on the list. He talked her into selling it to him for $300. I went with him to pick it up. it was a very small home with a large sun room addition on the backside. the sun room was jam packed with keys, records and gear. being 17 in 1999, I didn't know jack about analog gear but I remember seeing a juno, a Hammond, and a clavinet. also being 17 I had zero money to spend but I asked about the records and she said I could have a few for free. I still have the OG mint Bitches Brew that I left with. I always think back and wish something like that would happen today knowing what I know now.
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