| My Dad always said that if you entered into a deal as either the buyer or the seller, and you didn't KNOW what you were buying or selling, then you deserved the deal that you got, whatever the outcome. I can certainly see both points though. And sometimes things change. Prior to this somewhat recent surge in the prices of vintage instruments, trumpets like that old Chicago Benge would have been considered old, and therefore wouldn't have commanded a good price.
Back in about 1984, my Dad, a hobbyist guitar player, decided that he wanted to get himself a decent instrument, so he packed up an "old" electric guitar and his no-name acoustic guitar and headed up to a music store in a neigboring town to make a trade. He came home with a pretty nice Ibanez Lonestar series acoutstic guitar. He had to pay a little bit on the trade, but overall, he was very happy with the deal.
But check this out - the electric guitar that he traded was a 1962 Fender Jazzmaster in Ivory White and it was in pristeen condition. Today, that guitar would probably be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $3000 - he certainly didn't get that for it at the time. In 1984, that Jazzmaster wasn't considered "vintage", it was considered old.
It sounds to me like everyone walked away from the Benge deal happy and I would love to get my hands on it and give it a go. I've never played a vintage Benge, but I'm sure that they have the reputation they have for a reason.
__________________ Patrick Gleason
email me at: trickg1@hotmail.com
"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
"At my signal, unleash hell."
- Maximus Decimus Meridius |