seniorblues
24 September 2013
I have a Deagan model 30. I bought it about 25 years ago and am now retiring to a smaller house and need to sell it.
I'm a professional piano technician and a hobbiest woodworker. I had intended to redesign and rebuild the instrument from scratch with new legs, aluminum resonators, fine hardwoods, etc. I don't know if that would have compromised its value, but the brown and gold paint job and a few unravelled resonators made it seem like the only option.
Should I sell it as is or rebuild it as I intended?
Comments
In my opinion
IndianaGlen Wed, 10/02/2013 - 13:40
Please take this as my opinion only. As a guy who hobby builds vibes, even a mint and original model 30 isn't worth all that much as it doesn't have graduated width bars; 800-1200, in comparison to a graduated bar set of the same era Deagan Aurora, 1000, 1100 etc, which would be easily double or triple over the 30 in mint condition.
I have a model 35 that is mostly original (I put a new motor on it) and it sounds great, although it's sound doesn't carry like my M-55's do. If it was me, and I wanted a vibe that is sort of around the house as a really cool decoration and something playable, I'd rebuild it. The other nice thing about the 30 is it's small so it fits into a smaller area. If someone wants to gig with it, they will likely need mics. I've tried my model 35 in an acoustic practice with bass piano and drums, and it was a real challenge to be heard, the low bars just don't have enough metal in them to speak like a wide bar vibe.
I don't think there's much money to be had in rebuilding. Back to your original question, In my opinion you wouldn't hurt the value in rebuilding it, however the payoff after rebuilding is limited, as the vibe has a limited market.
Thanks for your thoughtful
seniorblues Sun, 10/06/2013 - 18:45
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Your familiarity with the instrument, as well as your shop experience, is just the perspective I needed.
I wonder if there's a market for an instrument like this in a school system somewhere. One option is to just make it functional and keep the asking price in line with it's design/condition.