Asking for Photos of Amps on Reverb?

[Rick Lee]

Unless it's fire sale cheap, then who cares since it's worth more than that even IF its been hacked.

Same amp tech I mentioned above showed me a Marshall Major someone had bought at a yard sale for a song. Turned out to have been totally hacked up, almost no original parts or circuit left other than headshell and chassis (drilled). But again, he got it for a song, so no real harm done. And he wanted it built into an original Major, which ran about $1500 in parts and labor. I think the real ones were going for $2000-ish at that time. So he'd have been better off going that route. Still, if I find a somewhat real or original vintage Marshall at a yard sale for a song, I'm pouncing and taking my chances.

 

[Rick Lee]

I saw a fair (at best) condition '74 1959 at the Scottsdale GC today for (IIRC) $3599 today. Eff no. It was pretty beat. And even if all original components and circuit, that price is out of line. I think it's going to sit there a while.

In May of 2023 I was at Gruhn's in Nashville and saw a pretty clean '71 1959 for the same price as above. I didn't need it at the time, but I'm thinking that was a pretty good deal.

 

[FourT6and2]

I saw a fair (at best) condition '74 1959 at the Scottsdale GC today for (IIRC) $3599 today. Eff no. It was pretty beat. And even if all original components and circuit, that price is out of line. I think it's going to sit there a while.

In May of 2023 I was at Gruhn's in Nashville and saw a pretty clean '71 1959 for the same price as above. I didn't need it at the time, but I'm thinking that was a pretty good deal.

Yes, that price is fine for a good hand-wired/turret board amp. But not a '74, which is PCB.

 

[FourT6and2]

Here's a crazy eBay listing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166806778660?itmmeta=01JGTMG6WDMAP65TC7W665F15D&hash=item26d6757324:gQ4AAOSwHRtmYQu9&itmprp=enc:AQAJAAAAwMxmj+iGvOveHXEBClPb29ggTpPJH9tdJTT/jqTrzTyITzV2Jrv0pY2MEp3Glo/Han3Zqq2NAXp/qiMcTBxTxny37Vts0+80tuzQCwBKXvmXhBw2XL63NGuM9yC/g6W/7e5AybCauOSsbkSAhdVKl6NUbEIIQc8ylyZ9kbjb9Or9Yxg2VNb5ReagJ+ZNzIT5GawgdRGAvqJZbwFm0XHKXAIpATB+wzSFBa4ThinOkQltah8rWfSl4lRm22+zyqcE8w==|tkp:Bk9SR6TuwNSGZQ

1973 "Plexi" Super Lead. I put plexi in quotes because it's not. It's a metal panel. And they guy is asking $10,000. Insane. And he bothered to remove the chassis from the headshell to take photos but didn't actually post any photos of the circuit board in the listing. Why? Maybe it's actually the cleanest, most original '73 in the world. Who knows.

There are a dozen listings like this on Reverb/eBay lol...

 

[Rick Lee]

That listing is as sketchy as gas station sushi.

 

[Rick Lee]

A 100% mint, bone stock '73 1959 with original box and store receipt would not command $10k.

 

[FourT6and2]

A 100% mint, bone stock '73 1959 with original box and store receipt would not command $10k.

Spot on. There miiiiiight have been a few hand-wired '73s? But I think most of them were PCB. And asking $10K is stupid either way. There's also a listing for a '79 metal panel, PCB, full production model that's in every music store in the world for more than a true vintage, hand-wired one would sell for...

 

[Rick Lee]

There are plenty of hand wired 73s out there. But the catch is that you can't know it from the exterior photos or serial number. You have to pull the chassis to confirm. And unless you're dealing with a real Marshall nerd, that's what you have to do.

 

[dcburn]

IMO if they are willing to part with such cool and clearly not cheap gear then they should be able to remove the four nuts and bolts to slide out the chassis.
My father taught me those skills in my single digit years...

They don't know what they are doing nor do they know what they are looking at.

 

[dead-pan]

Glad I was able to get a photo of this before the trade:

 

[NotThatBrightCap]

It's perfectly reasonable to ask for gut shots on a vintage amp, modded or not. Add mods and that's another reason to want to ask.

If the seller isn't comfortable taking it apart I am understanding of that, but they should realize they won't do any harm and they will open their buyer pool.