Amazing find, lots of questions

[BrianR]

I ran this by Fisherdude and he said it's okay to post here.

Not sure if any of you ever encountered Dr. Goodears from Mt. Pleasant, MI. He was a CMU professor and an audiophile. He ran a store of sorts for a while in the 90s, selling Naim and some other high-end brands while putting together a system or two for himself. Unfortunately, he passed suddenly a few years ago while on vacation. The family never has learned how he went, he was found unconscious in the living room of their cabin.

I'm a good friend of his sons and was told about all this after the fact. I had my suspicions after visiting their home once and noticing quite a bit of high-end gear on the shelves not being used.

They offered to sell me what's left, and I'd like to pick up some of it, but am having a hard time coming up with a value.

So far, here's what I've seen:

Bottlehead Foreplay preamp, built. I tested it last night in my system, sounds wonderful. Dr. Goodears built this shortly before his passing.

Bottlehead Paramount amps, new in the box, unbuilt. He was going to build this upon returning from vacation, but didn't make it back.

Naim SBL speakers, black veneer. Updated drivers. Have the crossovers. Some minor nicks in the veneer, I'll test them at my place soon.

Naim NBL speakers. 10/10 mint, as far as I could tell. Barely used.

McIntosh tuner. Wood cased, not sure the model. Untested, assumed to work.

McIntosh MI-3 scope. Wood cased. Untested, assumed to work.

Mod Squad Phono Drive. Untested, assumed to work.

Mod Squad Line Drive. Untested, assumed to work.

Theta Data BasicI cd transport. I hope to test it soon.

Linn Sondek LP12 with Naim arm and wood Grado cart. Black veneer, sweet.

Epos speakers. Believe they're ES-14s.

SME 3009 Series III tonearm in gold. Not sure what the cart is, but it has one.

Two NAD DVD changers. A T-571 in less than perfect cosmetic shape and a very clean T-572. Both untested, assumed to work.

Golden Tube SEP-1 preamp. Tested in my system yesterday. Seemed to work alright and sounded good but the volume control seemed odd. It didn't go to more than a comfortable listening level, like the gain was real low.

Yamaha TC-800GL tape deck. Very good condition apart from some dust. Clean battery compartment. Untested, assumed to work.

VPI record cleaner. Believe it's a 16.5. Untested, assumed to work.

That's most of what I can remember at the moment. There was also a Creek CD player and a nice DAC I can't remember the models of.

Obviously I am affiliated, but not posting this to sell anything, just looking for some values.

 

[brutal]

Can't help with pricing, but wanted to be the first to say;

"Linn Sondek LP12 with Naim arm and wood Grado cart. Black veneer, sweet."

:drool:

 

[elgato8905]

I can't say what a fair price would be, but I can say this... All of that stuff together is worth A LOT of $$$.

 

[JT-3]

Are you trying to balance a score between fair market value? That's a tough spot to be in, IMO.

I agree, plenty of money of here.

 

[audiodon]

You might preface your offer with "Honestly I'm not sure. I don't want to insult you, but at the same time . . . "

They might just want it outta there and be happy with some money for it.

If you are a good friend of the good Dr's son, tell him friendship is more important than anything and if it's going to get weird, you'd just as soon decline.
If they're not offering cherry picking and you have to take the whole lot, it'll be some work just to take what you want and sell the rest off.

There's many thousand dollars worth of stuff there, but you've got to find the right people.

 

[cwall99]

Heck, if they just want it outta there, I might have just found a reason to go to Alma for my college homecoming.... A quick trip over to Mt. Pleasant...

Oh, wait, I don't have any money. Rats.

 

[robobxman]

Here's what I'd do: Tell them you would like several items, but cannot use or afford the whole lot. In exchange for those pieces you do want (assuming it's several and not a majority of the gear), offer to sell the remaining items and give them the proceeds.

I think you would all benefit from this arrangement.

 

[SoCal Sam]

Since you are a friend of the family, you really can't go too low ball on them. For me, the rule of thumb when buying is condition unknown, third of market value. Works, half of market. Mint with box, up to two thirds of market. There is a fair amount of work involved in selling and paring down a large lot to the stuff you want to keep. Not to mention the minor maintenance stuff like cleaning controls, etc.

 

[Redboy]

Here's what I'd do: Tell them you would like several items, but cannot use or afford the whole lot. In exchange for those pieces you do want (assuming it's several and not a majority of the gear), offer to sell the remaining items and give them the proceeds.

I think you would all benefit from this arrangement.

Bingo.

 

[Fisherdude]

Here's what I'd do: Tell them you would like several items, but cannot use or afford the whole lot. In exchange for those pieces you do want (assuming it's several and not a majority of the gear), offer to sell the remaining items and give them the proceeds.

I think you would all benefit from this arrangement.

You know, the more I think about this idea, or a variation of it, the more I like it. Here's my latest thought, which doesn't require you to put a value on anything:

Let's say you're really only interested in a few items for yourself. Your offer might be: "I will be happy to do the grunt work and help you sell all of the items, in exchange for the LP-12, SME arm, and the Paramounts. I keep those items, and 100% of the proceeds from everything else I will give back to you.".

Their net payback to you would still be less than they would pay through an eBay seller like ISoldIt, so they'd come out ahead, zero hassle for them, and you get your chosen items for free, in exchange for doing the work.

 

[BrianR]

Can't help with pricing, but wanted to be the first to say;

"Linn Sondek LP12 with Naim arm and wood Grado cart. Black veneer, sweet."

:drool:

Lol, I know. It's pretty unassuming, but dead sexy at the same time.

I can't say what a fair price would be, but I can say this... All of that stuff together is worth A LOT of $$$.

Definitely a lot. Estimate coming up...

Are you trying to balance a score between fair market value? That's a tough spot to be in, IMO.

I agree, plenty of money of here.

Yeah, that's more or less it. Luckily they're not really looking for top dollar, but more first-cousin pricing. I'm sure it'd be different if they just dumped it all on Audiogon.

You might preface your offer with "Honestly I'm not sure. I don't want to insult you, but at the same time . . . "

They might just want it outta there and be happy with some money for it.

If you are a good friend of the good Dr's son, tell him friendship is more important than anything and if it's going to get weird, you'd just as soon decline.
If they're not offering cherry picking and you have to take the whole lot, it'll be some work just to take what you want and sell the rest off.

There's many thousand dollars worth of stuff there, but you've got to find the right people.

Good advice. My intention was originally just to pick up a couple pieces cheap, but once I saw the extent of it, plans started to change. Definitely if things got weird or stressed, it'd be time to back out and keep friendships intact.

Heck, if they just want it outta there, I might have just found a reason to go to Alma for my college homecoming.... A quick trip over to Mt. Pleasant...

Oh, wait, I don't have any money. Rats.

Lol. Well, you're welcome to come over and listen to what ever I end up picking up :thmbsp:

Here's what I'd do: Tell them you would like several items, but cannot use or afford the whole lot. In exchange for those pieces you do want (assuming it's several and not a majority of the gear), offer to sell the remaining items and give them the proceeds.

I think you would all benefit from this arrangement.

Excellent suggestion. I think that's basically what I'm going to try to work out. Even if I don't break even, it'll be a chance to pick up some really nice gear for very little cash. Assuming it'd all sell for what it should.

Since you are a friend of the family, you really can't go too low ball on them. For me, the rule of thumb when buying is condition unknown, third of market value. Works, half of market. Mint with box, up to two thirds of market. There is a fair amount of work involved in selling and paring down a large lot to the stuff you want to keep. Not to mention the minor maintenance stuff like cleaning controls, etc.

Sounds like a good rule of thumb. I'll try applying that to my estimate. I wouldn't mind doing a little clean-up here and there, but wouldn't want it to get out of hand.

Bingo.

:yes:

You know, the more I think about this idea, or a variation of it, the more I like it. Here's my latest thought, which doesn't require you to put a value on anything:

Let's say you're really only interested in a few items for yourself. Your offer might be: "I will be happy to do the grunt work and help you sell all of the items, in exchange for the LP-12, SME arm, and the Paramounts. I keep those items, and 100% of the proceeds from everything else I will give back to you.".

Their net payback to you would still be less than they would pay through an eBay seller like ISoldIt, so they'd come out ahead, zero hassle for them, and you get your chosen items for free, in exchange for doing the work.

I like it. Like I said above, even if I don't come out even, it'll be way ahead of finding those pieces and paying retail.

 

[BrianR]

Here's my best estimate of the value of this gear, based on the best research I could come up with.

Bottlehead ForeplayIII: 250
Bottlehead Paramount: 750
Naim SBL: 500
Naim NBL w/SNAXO: 6500
McIntosh tuner, MR77?: 500-1000
McIntosh MI3: 500-1000
Mod Squad Phono Drive: 400-600
Mod Squad Line Drive: 400-600
Theta Data Basic: 600
Linn Sondek LP12: 1200
Naim Aro tonearm: 1400
Grado wood cart: 150-1500 depending on model
Epos ES-14: 700-800
SME 3009 SeriesIII: 200-500 +cart
NAD T571: 100
NAD T572: 200
Golden Tube SEP-1: 200-400
Yamaha TC-800GL: 50
VPI 16.5: 500

Total, averaging price ranges is: 16,825. If any of this seems out of line, please let me know.

 

[Fisherdude]

Current price on bottlehead.com for a pair of 300B Paramounts, unbuilt, is $1,499.00.

 

[BrianR]

That's right. Thing is, I told him that's what they are new and offered him 750 and he accepted the offer. That's based on the understanding that I wouldn't be buying it to flip on eBay.

Which brings up a question I've had on those: are they worth more on the used market built or unbuilt?

 

[Fisherdude]

It's not a 30 year old unbuilt Heathkit, so its value on the secondary market would be slightly less than the current selling price, simply due to the fact that you don't provide any expert after-sale service if it doesn't work after they build it.:stupid:

 

[jjohnson]

I certainly don't know the value of all of your list but I have considered buying the VPI 16.5 record cleaner. It can be bought for $550 new. I would think that somewhere between $350 - $400 would be more in line used.

By the way, that is some fantastic equipment. +1 on the selling the majority of it and getting a couple of key pieces in lieu of payment. It would be cool just to get a chance to hear it all. It will certainly have to be tested before sale.:thmbsp:

 

[BrianR]

It's not a 30 year old unbuilt Heathkit, so its value on the secondary market would be slightly less than the current selling price, simply due to the fact that you don't provide any expert after-sale service if it doesn't work after they build it.:stupid:

Roger that. Chances are I'll pick those pieces up anyway. Not many chances to pick up a Foreplay/Paramount combo for a grand I wouldn't think.

I certainly don't know the value of all of your list but I have considered buying the VPI 16.5 record cleaner. It can be bought for $550 new. I would think that somewhere between $350 - $400 would be more in line used.

By the way, that is some fantastic equipment. +1 on the selling the majority of it and getting a couple of key pieces in lieu of payment. It would be cool just to get a chance to hear it all. It will certainly have to be tested before sale.:thmbsp:

I think you're right, 500 is probably a tad high. I'll probably be in at about 200-250.

Just got off the phone with Dave and that's how we're going to work it. Apart from the loss of Dr. Goodears, everyone should come out ahead. It'll be quite a sacrifice having to test all that gear in my system though

Who am I kidding, I'm geeked

 

[kn8243]

Cheers man thats awesome. Seems like it worked out. Now ya know when this stuff goes through your hands...have your camera ready! I want to see this stuff...:thmbsp:

 

[BrianR]

Cheers man thats awesome. Seems like it worked out. Now ya know when this stuff goes through your hands...have your camera ready! I want to see this stuff...:thmbsp:

Way ahead of you :thmbsp:

Figured I'd better take some pics on my 'scouting mission', to help remember some of this stuff. The pics kinda suck, but I was mostly looking to note model numbers and stuff.

Naim SBL:

Naim NBL:

Naim.. I'm really not sure. Is this a crossover or a power supply? I'm leaning towards power supply for the Linn Sondek. It has a knob on the front.

McCormack/Mod Squad Phono Drive:

McCormack/Mod Squad Line Drive:

Theta Data Basic:

Bottlehead ForeplayIII:

Golden Tube SEP-1:

SME 3009 SeriesIII. Anyone recognize the cart?:

Linn Sondek w/Naim Aro, Grado cart:

 

[fender23]

That Sondek, the way its set up now, is not only drop dead Diva gorgeous, but gotta be at least $1900 based on what I see go across AudiogoN if the stylus is halfways nice.