Late '70s Sansui GX-300 rack...very extremely rare rack
- Thread starter bluesky
- Start date
bluesky
Lunatic Member
$146.50 A 'super nice' sweet price.
I paid $150 (plus shipping - $55?) for my smaller GX-100 which was a real good deal. Then it ended up NOS which was really a pleasent suprise really, factory fresh.
A quality rack now-a-days cost $500 (used) - $1000 (new) plus. They are expensive. And I don't even think they even make 'monster amp racks' anymore.
How much do I think the rack was really worth? To me, a lot.
If I didn't have the GX-100...I'd pay up to $350 if I could pick it up locally, but it would sell cheaper. Those racks are really quite impossible to find in that model. And it's styling is most quality,fancy, excellent, and just 'looks darn nice'. The rack was in nice shape. I'd go total $400: purchase price which included packaging shipping. If it's worth it to you...it's worth it. Probably cost $350-$400 back in 1980.
How long will it be before another 300 comes up? 5+ years. Or maybe tomorrow. Ya never know. But I really do think it may be 4-5 years minimum, from experience.
Oh well. Someone got a nice one. Hope he was an AKer.
Ghonk: Should of bid $273 (thread #19). You would of got it for $175 or less. But then there's the $100 packing and shipping. Total $275, unless your picking up locally.
The winner of the auction 'knew exactly' that rack model and he knew 'how to bid'. You can tell by his last seconds sneed in bid. He played the 'game' exactly like stated in thread #19. "WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT GUY COME FROM!!!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!! (To late, he wins.) :>) That's the way it goes. It's happen to me many times too, until I learned and I got the eBay thing figured out in #19. He really wanted that specific rack. I bet he bid exactly as stated in #19. He didn't even put in an initial bid!! He was 'a sneeker', he really 'wanted that rack"!
Tobyj17: I'd be over at the guys house getting that rack! If he's stacking stuff on it, it doesn't mean anything much to him. Measure your amp first and take a tape measure. 100s fit regular standard sized amps, 200s fit large receivers, and 300 fit the monster receivers.
Life goes on.
I paid $150 (plus shipping - $55?) for my smaller GX-100 which was a real good deal. Then it ended up NOS which was really a pleasent suprise really, factory fresh.
A quality rack now-a-days cost $500 (used) - $1000 (new) plus. They are expensive. And I don't even think they even make 'monster amp racks' anymore.
How much do I think the rack was really worth? To me, a lot.
If I didn't have the GX-100...I'd pay up to $350 if I could pick it up locally, but it would sell cheaper. Those racks are really quite impossible to find in that model. And it's styling is most quality,fancy, excellent, and just 'looks darn nice'. The rack was in nice shape. I'd go total $400: purchase price which included packaging shipping. If it's worth it to you...it's worth it. Probably cost $350-$400 back in 1980.
How long will it be before another 300 comes up? 5+ years. Or maybe tomorrow. Ya never know. But I really do think it may be 4-5 years minimum, from experience.
Oh well. Someone got a nice one. Hope he was an AKer.
Ghonk: Should of bid $273 (thread #19). You would of got it for $175 or less. But then there's the $100 packing and shipping. Total $275, unless your picking up locally.
The winner of the auction 'knew exactly' that rack model and he knew 'how to bid'. You can tell by his last seconds sneed in bid. He played the 'game' exactly like stated in thread #19. "WHERE IN THE WORLD DID THAT GUY COME FROM!!!!!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!!! (To late, he wins.) :>) That's the way it goes. It's happen to me many times too, until I learned and I got the eBay thing figured out in #19. He really wanted that specific rack. I bet he bid exactly as stated in #19. He didn't even put in an initial bid!! He was 'a sneeker', he really 'wanted that rack"!
Tobyj17: I'd be over at the guys house getting that rack! If he's stacking stuff on it, it doesn't mean anything much to him. Measure your amp first and take a tape measure. 100s fit regular standard sized amps, 200s fit large receivers, and 300 fit the monster receivers.
Life goes on.
Last edited:
bluesky
Lunatic Member
I totally understand, I've been there in my younger days, super deals and low on funds. Believe me...I know.
Drop off for free is an amazing thing.
Not to worry...the buyer had made up his mind already anyway that he 'was going to win that rack'. He bid really high I'm sure. I wouldn't be suprised if he bid $280 (+). Anyone who 'sneeks in' in the last 15-20 seconds, with no prior bid, as he did, bids really big. It's the stragity to win. He was zoomed into that specific rack and that auction ending time...big time.
There will 'always' be a next time.
Last edited:
bluesky
Lunatic Member
That rack was in really nice shape.
There will be another one come up for sale. When, who knows.
Just so you know, a SR-838 does fit on top of a GX-100, the smallest one, real nice. Perfect. Plenty of room.
Last edited:
bluesky
Lunatic Member
So you got your 22000 from him! Most Excellent.
I've been told that the measurement of the shelves is Width 25.5 inches x Depth 19 inches. (Wish I knew the size of the GX-200 but never have been able to get that information.)
It was a nice looking rack that could easily be cleaned up. Someone got really lucky, especially if he was able to local pickup. If not...he still got lucky!
I really would of bought, at whatever cost, it but I just don't need it having the GX-100 already. I was really seriously thinking about it before I posted it here, but I just didn't need it. It would of just been 'another piece' of equipment in the closet, and it would of weighed in at 100 lbs! haha.
It is a really nice and very 'stylish' rack, 'Very Rare', and it sure is a fine focal point for anyone's Sansui system. The real thing, and it's a Japanese Sansui made1980 'quality build' and design. It's a most sharp looking rack for the hard core Sansui collectors.
** But... There is a BIG DOWNSIDE to this rack... only 2 shelves for equipment besides the TT top shelf and the bottom LP shelf. That does pose problems if you have extra equipment. Example: I have a TU-717 tuner that's in the closet now. No where to put it in the rack because the amp is on one shelf, and the CD player on the other. If I wanted a tuner in the rack I'd have to get one of the late 80s thinner digital Sansui tuners like the TU-701 or TU-711. But it's ok for me, I'm not that into radio for playing inside the house. So the TT rack, even no matter how beautiful-stylish-and quality it is, does pose this problem only having 2 extra equipment shelves.
Why?... This rack was made when folks played TTs and tuners. It's a 'Turntable rack' made for TT, tuner, and amp, with records below, "ONLY". CDs weren't really around yet. Just have to get one of the slimmer tuners to put on top, or on the bottom, of the CD player on the shelf. With the 300 maybe you could 'squeek in' a CD player on top of a TU-717, I don't know. I don't know the height between shelves. **
Last edited:
that was a nice rack. i have been thinking about getting one recently...
bluesky
Lunatic Member
The rack is really extremely well designed and is a super fine style. I love mine.
When I got the GX-100 all I knew was it was in excellent shape, or at least, hopefully in excellent shape. Seller said it was but you know how that goes. He never mentioned anything else except it came from an estate auction.
Then when it arrived, it was 'brand new factory packaged'. I just couldn't believe it. The seller never mentioned that! Sure glad he didn't. It was a very pleasent suprise. It still blows my mind.
I've had it now for 2 years. I just use a 'swifter' to dust it. It's never seen any cleaning chemicals at all. And that's the way it's going to stay!
It's the nicest rack I've ever seen with it's 'modern art' museum type styling. It's fine. And it's 1980 Sansui!
Never mentioned this: the shelves lift up when inserting equipment. It's not really needed but it sure is a nice feature when cleaning. Solid as a rock. It's really a 'feat of engineering'. It's just designed so well.
If you needed an 'extra shelf', or wanted to use the rack for 4 pieces of equipment and a TT, and I'm not recommending this because you would have to alter the original rack, you could build a shelf out of wood so easily to match the original shelves and install it. It would be a perfect match to the other shelves without problem, it would 'look' original. But you wouldn't have the space for the LPs on the bottom. But it could be a TT rack with space for 4 pieces of equipment and a TT on top. It would be so easy accomplish that task.
Or...you could have 3 shelves for 3 pieces of equipment (TT on top, amp, AU-717 size tuner, CD player) and use the bottom base shelf for laying LPs flat (not recommended) or lining up CDs (or TT accessories and CDs, or whatever).
If you had a previously well used rack showing signs of age, why not?
When I got the GX-100 all I knew was it was in excellent shape, or at least, hopefully in excellent shape. Seller said it was but you know how that goes. He never mentioned anything else except it came from an estate auction.
Then when it arrived, it was 'brand new factory packaged'. I just couldn't believe it. The seller never mentioned that! Sure glad he didn't. It was a very pleasent suprise. It still blows my mind.
I've had it now for 2 years. I just use a 'swifter' to dust it. It's never seen any cleaning chemicals at all. And that's the way it's going to stay!
It's the nicest rack I've ever seen with it's 'modern art' museum type styling. It's fine. And it's 1980 Sansui!
Never mentioned this: the shelves lift up when inserting equipment. It's not really needed but it sure is a nice feature when cleaning. Solid as a rock. It's really a 'feat of engineering'. It's just designed so well.
If you needed an 'extra shelf', or wanted to use the rack for 4 pieces of equipment and a TT, and I'm not recommending this because you would have to alter the original rack, you could build a shelf out of wood so easily to match the original shelves and install it. It would be a perfect match to the other shelves without problem, it would 'look' original. But you wouldn't have the space for the LPs on the bottom. But it could be a TT rack with space for 4 pieces of equipment and a TT on top. It would be so easy accomplish that task.
Or...you could have 3 shelves for 3 pieces of equipment (TT on top, amp, AU-717 size tuner, CD player) and use the bottom base shelf for laying LPs flat (not recommended) or lining up CDs (or TT accessories and CDs, or whatever).
If you had a previously well used rack showing signs of age, why not?
Last edited: