[thechat] Guitars - Wuz --> RE: restaurant in Bangalore

[erik mattheis]

Perhaps someone will get some joy out of the old story of my most
recently purchased guitar.

In 1994, in my mid twenties, I was working in the phone bank of a
non-profit, living month to month, hand to mouth. During the period I
had to pawn a MusicMaster and borrow $100 from a coworker's husband to
get it out of pawn. At a time when cash was more flush, I had enough
to buy a bass. I was a regular at all the Minneapolis pawn shops and
used instrument stores even when I didn't have money to buy so believe
I saw a good deal when I saw it. One day at one of the Midwestern used
instrument chains, I found a Rick 4001 at $400-some dollars, seemed a
great deal to me.

I haggled just a bit with the salesman and got it under $400, noting
one of the original pickups has been replaced. After I'd paid, it
occurred to me to ask if it had a case. Usually the salesperson will
push a case on you, and looking back this guy would have left the case
the guitar came in unsold had I not asked. Nonetheless, he went in a
back room to look and came out with the case and didn't ask for any
more money.

When home, I opened the compartment in the case under the neck of the
guitar where you typically store extra strings, pick, etc. In it was
the original pickup!

Twenty years later - last year - a coworker borrowed the bass to
record with and I looked up how much they're going for: $1500+. Good
investment!

-- 
Erik Mattheis

http://www.flickr.com/gelk