4003DCM at Bass Emporium

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:32 am

http://www.bassemporium.com/item.php?sku=4003DCM

Was in my buddy John File's shop here in Austin on Saturday and he showed me this bass, it's very nice, the first time I'd seen the DCM. Anyway, it's a righty so...

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Wed May 23, 2007 9:51 am

I saw it a few weeks ago. Gorgeous. I wouldn't want it.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Wed May 23, 2007 10:51 am

Yep - his employee Chris says John wants $4995 and he is in no hurry to sell. Since the warranty clock is already ticking, then I agree - no way would I pay such an exorbitant price when the resale price benchmark for these 4003DCM is currently only $3600 and still falling steadily

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:20 am

I'm with you, Elys...I can hardly wait until they plunge to $699.00.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:32 am

Oof Paul - you are entirely too dour. I must needs disagree. No way that is going to happen.

I think the floor is around $3000 worst worst case, with $3500 more realistic in the near term. Most will trade in the $3500 to $4000 range if still cherry (ouch). Then, when the doubtfuls have all sold theirs for a modest profit the first time or two, a year or two out or so, we will see the market going steadily up for these over the ensuing years until you will truly be able to fund your kid's college in ten to fifteen years, absolutely.

It is not going to outperform the Lemmy for example though, because it is too overconservative a product to bring as much appreciation in a very short term. Those of us who highly value the conservative approach are too much in the minority to help the beautiful and rare DCM in the broader overall market of the great unwashed in the short term. It is upon that broader market that we must rely for general appreciation. Years down the road, ten or even twenty, the rarity will take hold and boost the value significantly IMHO, despite the lack of printed provenance from RIC.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:54 am

Do you mean, Elys, that we finally agree on something? Har!!!

There is no real lack of printed provenance, just no certificate. Serial numbers are on record.

elysrand · Post by **elysrand** » Wed May 23, 2007 12:10 pm

We agree on most everything Paul!!

BUT, the owner has control of a certificate. RIC has control of the serial number, and does not provide them to prospective purchasers for eBay purposes. So that's a non-starter as far as provenance goes. Provenance is to the owner, not the manufacturer's private and inaccessible records

It is upon this logic that my comment is based

wints · Post by **wints** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:52 pm

Buy a Seagreen instead...

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Wed May 23, 2007 3:32 pm

Oh no, the RIC market is in a downturn!

All speculators sell your DCM's now - Sell now before the market falls even further!!!

bassduke49 · Post by **bassduke49** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:33 pm

"Buy a Seagreen instead . . . "

Yeah, but I'm willing to bet fewer basses were finished in Sea Green than in DCM (75). No way to prove me wrong unless company records reveal otherwise. I've seen only 6 in photos, and one of those now resides here, the only one I've seen in person.

basse · Post by **basse** » Wed May 23, 2007 4:48 pm

Ah... And because I was lucky enough (and he was nice enough) I got to play Steve Wood's SG V63...

...and I have to say, I want one too now!!! *smirk*

PLEASE!!!!!!!

bob_atherton · Post by **bob_atherton** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:55 pm

"Those of us who highly value the conservative approach are too much in the minority to help the beautiful and rare DCM..."

Elys, I feel I have to disagree with you here. As I get older and the gigs I play are less, well, rock & Roll, I start to be a little self conscious of the bass hanging around my neck. Some basses I feel OK about 'wearing', but something with a pointed headstock and the body in the shape of a skull would make me look rather silly. At the moment my 4000 FG is my favorite RIC, it plays, sounds and looks great, but there are times when I feel it looks just a tad flash for some of the more laid back jazz gigs that I play. My sunburst Fender Jazz never makes me feel like this.

My DCM is IMHO a touch more understated that my 4000 and I have a sneaking suspicion that as our existing bass playing community gets more mature a more conservative looking bass could well be a more desirable one. Lets pick this discussion up again in about ten years time.

wj350 · Post by **wj350** » Thu May 24, 2007 2:06 am

Okay, I've been following all the threads on the DCM prices, and I figured it's time to fess up.

I sold the one that went for $3600. Apologies to anyone who feels I've deflated the market...

I was lucky enough to score two of these when the ordering frenzy hit--like many here, wasn't sure one or either would actually come in to the shops ordering, but as it turned out, both did.

I decided to put one up for sale figuring at worst it would help pay for the other one, and I'll admit when I saw some of the early sale prices, I began to think "well maybe that and a little more, what the heck?". In fact I had had a private offer of $4K including shipping, but the buyer couldn't put the coin together, so we mutually agreed to canx the deal.

So I put it up rather haphazardly, kind of realizing after I put it out there I should have thought more about the ebay basics--when to end the auction, better pix, etc. as some have mentioned here. But then I thought, what the heck, I set a reserve that I thought was a fair price for the instrument considering its availability right now ($3400 BTW).

If I wasn't willing to accept that, I could've done a lot of different things--set a higher reserve, set a higher starting bid, pull the auction (I had reserved the right to sell it outside of the 'bay, so the ball was kind of in my court). It did sell (busting another myth--zero feedback bidders can and do pay!), I got a bit more than I was willing to sell it for, and I've still got my other one--which by the way has now been "Bill-ized", which I refer to how I desticker all my Rics--that's a running joke with one of my buds on the board here

.

All of which is kind of a long way of saying I think it's a bit too early to make any assumptions one way or the other on the prices of these guitars--I think the prices at least in the foreseeable future will be more tied to an individual seller's goals (like mine) vs any meaningful sense of value of the guitar. My circumstances and rationale were not geared towards financing my retirement with the sale, just simply getting what I felt was a fair price and providing a good deal for the buyer. Don't get me wrong, if it had gone up to $7K I wouldn't have minded

, but that's not where I was willing to try and sell.

In the long run, I think Paul and Elys are right, if someone wants to buy, this is probably a good year to do it. As they find more permanent homes as players or collector's pieces or even investments (FWIW, I make no value judgements one way or the other--everyone has interests and that's how it should be), a reasonable, predictable price point will probably evolve .

So my apologies if I've done any damage to anyone's selling plans, it wasn't intentional, honest!

Bill

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Thu May 24, 2007 2:43 am

Biil, good sell. As a seller, you should always try and make the most out of your original investment. You did what any good businessman would and should do.

s4001 · Post by **s4001** » Thu May 24, 2007 3:30 am

it's your bass, you can sell it for what you want. No apologies needed.

Have fun with yours.