It happens to almost every electronic musician. It's a way of life for some folks.
The Garage Sale, The Benefit Sale, A blowout sale at the thrift shop. There is one we all wait for: The going out of business blowout sale at your and my [favorite place (to see go out of business LOL)] The Pawn Shop!

What I was wondering is: What was your 2 best deals (purchases).
How much and for what item.
Please don't include freebies (or might as well be a freebie). eg. A Marshall stack with a Les Paul, pedals, works fine, and a Mel Bay "learn the guitar" book all for under fifty bucks would be considered a freebie. An old Fender Twin Reverb wouldn't though.
Any realistic purchase within the past two years.

One I did good with is an entire set of tuning forks for $10. I can see why they sold them because I'm the musician, and I dont even use them either. Lots of compliments on them at the office though.

I picked up a white Musicman Eddie Van Halen Special for $150 too. A real player axe (daily use intended design). Basically I'd say it the guitar doesn't break from a fall or rough shuffle, you can count on it being in tune when you grab it. (w/already streched strings)

Im sure there's somebody in the domain that has done better than me, right?
MORPH!

I got a good deal on a 16 channel keyboard mixer on ebay because someone listed it as a "mixer" instead of "mixing board," hence it was mixed in with blenders and cake mixers and shit.

Sold a couple years later on ebay for $20 more.

Well, this deal goes back in time. It certainly doesn't qualify for the 2 year limit, but I was always amazed by it. When I first started playing keys in the early 80's, I bought a used Yamaha Cp-30, For 4 or 500 hundred bucks. That's not my "garage sale" story. But about 6 months later at a garage sale I found this ugly metal pedal with the words Big Muff on it. I really didn't know what it would do. Now I see you can buy one now for about 80 bucks. I plugged it into my CP-30 and it made the coolest sound. Very, very similar to the guitar sound of Grand Funk Railroad's Closer to Home. It was an awesome combo... Then I moved a few times, lost track of my Big Muff and now... I have no idea where it is.
The lady selling it had no idea what it was and said to me when I asked how much... "2 bucks". I wished I still had it now. I think I'd use it with my keys.


[This message has been edited by RW (edited 02-12-2003).]

Rickenbacker TR35B bass amp. $225 Can.
Korg SP100, around $325 US.

I bought my TR909 when they were being cleared out in the mid 80's for £200 before anyone thought they had any use. I bought a Coloursound Fuzz pedal and Vox Wah for £10 in 1980. The Fuzz died but the Vox still works great.

RW, what 2 year limit? Don't smoke and post, ok?

I bought a Casio FZ-1 sampler for 1200SEK (about 120USD) in 96. That thing was quite good. Waveform editing was great with the large LCD and it has resonant filters. I don't use it anymore though.

-tek

Alright... so I'm pokin and smostin..

Morphamatik said "Any realistic purchase within the past two years." So I thought there was a time limit, but as you can see, I didn't adhere to that any too good.

RW

Wait a minute! I'm the one who should lay off the meths for a while. I see it now. Morph did say within the past 2 years. I'll just pretend it's 98 all over again.

-tek

The previously imposed two year time limit is hereby permanantly uplifted. Additionally a pardon is given to all.
It's a free for all now, so pass me some of that.
A real long time ago I got a Magnus organ for 50 cents and converted it into a smokeless ashtry. It worked for years. Then I quit smoking, and Dixie snipped the cord (her little way of saying this now belongs to me) and she thinks she turned it into a planter. I had painted it with Glasso car paint years ago sort of a Waldorf yellow. It was a fine paint job and is holding up. I think...yes there are Easter lillys in it now and is indirectly still serving.
MORPH!

PS Recently a friend came by and before entering threw his cigarette butt in the Magnus planter (formerly an ashtray). She happened to see him do it and came in with a grouchy pout telling me while holding the butt and I tried not to but just couldn't keep from laughing as my friend said he thought it was an ashtray. For the first two seconds I got a blank stare and then she busted out laughing too. From time to time a friend might ask about my Magnus ashtray and it makes me laugh as I tell them , 'oh, yeah it's right outside on the porch'.



[This message has been edited by Morphamatik (edited 02-14-2003).]

My best buy was a Roland JX8P synthesizer with the optional PG-800 controller with all the knobs and sliders for $100 from a guy in Burbank who was just trying to clear out some space in his studio. I was happy to take it off his hands. I still use that synth and get some great sounds out of it.

Yamaha CS-01 for $20.00.

a SH101 (grey with mod grip) for NZ $200 (about $100 US)
and a yorkville elite active 3 way stereo crossover for NZ$20 ! yesterday ! like $10 US Mad !

A few years ago there was a shop in Glasgow called "The Guitar Store" and every year their promotional vibe was that for one day only they'd sell brand new guitars for 99 pence! (that's just under a £pound and slightly more than one dollar!). Folks, we're talking a MAJOR case of people flocking to sleep outside the shop in the streets here!

I remember standing outside the joint for ages one time, freezing my arse off in the snow from about 4 in the morning onwards.

But by the time I eventually got inside the shop, they had sold all of the 99p guitars. All I got that day was a couple of free plectrums that I had to fight for on my hands and knees in a violent scramble.

The bastards!

Anyway, I guess you'll not be surprized to hear that they've now shut down.

Hey I thought I might have gotten a good one yesterday. A decappitated Ovation Acoustic electric. Sometimes you can splice the headstock back on. It turns out that this decap was not the case so I salvaged all the parts off of the instrument. Salvaged:
Electronics complete (incl bridge saddle).
Tuners (stock oem machine heads)
Rosewood 21 (oem fretboard)
decorative bezel (for sound hole)

Garage sale score this morning! "hey how much you want for this old stomp box thing?"
The Electro Harmonics "Bad Stone" (PhaShft)
well you ready?.........twelve bucks! yeah!

[This message has been edited by Morphamatik (edited 03-07-2003).]