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Trash to Treasure... share your freebie, ground score, dumpster dive treasures here...

stumptacular

stumptacular

Active Member
Trash to Treasure episode 1.

Today I helped my friend with a remodel .. at lunch we went to take garbage to the dump.... i saw an awesome vintage speaker but he wouldnt let me take it..(!!!). at the end of the day, we were pulling up to the same dump and i told him that every single time i come to this particular trash heap i find things that were literally just money on the ground... we only had a few bags to take off of the truck... we could have parked in a different spot.... but sitting on the garbage pile just by where we parked... rested on an old junk chair... about to be bulldozed .... was this rather heavy, high-end stereophile amplifier... got it home and it works perfect... lists for over $1000.... why do people throw $1000 amplifiers in the trash???!!!???!!!!????!!!???!??!?!??!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

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Maybe it was stolen and the thief got paranoid, maybe it's the work of a pissed off woman? Maybe some rich guy put it there for a guy like you? Anyway it's 150wpc really nice score stumptacular, might even say it's dumptacular....:)
 
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I just saw this thread again on the front page and I remembered this find from a few months ago:

I was looking out my front window and saw what I thought was a flat panel TV of some sort on the curb two houses down from me. I went out and sure enough it was a 40-something inch Samsung LED smart TV. It was along regular trash so it was definitely out for disposal. Shouldn't even be old enough to be discarded yet so surely it has to be damaged. I took it in and hooked it up and it worked right off the bat. I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I put it in the living room since it was slightly larger and much better than the LCD TV in there. Later on we found what was probably the reason for its tossing. Once in a blue moon it would power cycle itself. Sometimes once and sometimes several times. Not too long ago it started doing it and I couldn't get it to stop so I figured that was the end. When I finally got it to stay on I went into the settings and turned off the "voice control" and "motion activated control" as well as the built in camera and it hasn't rebooted itself since!
 
A few years back I needed a negative side post battery cable for my 77 Chevy P/U. A buddy who owns an automotive repair shop says I got one of those trucks out back that's going to the junk yard, if it's got the cable you can have it. I check under the hood and the cable's gone. The back of the truck is filled with junk with the hood laying on top of it all. I look under the hood and see the back of something with rca jacks on it, I pull the piece out and see Sansui printed on the front and knew it wasn't junk. Took it home and let it warm up in the house for a few hours (it was -20C outside at the time),Plugged it in and it lit up. It turned out to be a very good condition Sansui 771 that started me into the world of home stereo and I still have it today (it may be sold in a couple of days though. I've had many other scores over the last few years but this one remains #1 in my books.
 
Nice score, I've found some nice stuff at the dump as well, I ended up taking home more than I brought one day. I filled my truck with a set of Dahlquist DQ-20's (needing to be refoamed), A Velodyne HGS-18 sub, 12" M&K sub, 2 new Elan multi channel amps, A nice speaker selector switch, and something else all in very nice condition. I haven't bought anything in years because there is so much free stuff around, Lots of it being high quality.
 
I have never had such luck. This year the garbage collector(s) in our area sent out notices they will no longer pick up any electronics including speakers.
 
A neighbor that was cleaning out his garage handed me his Mcintosh MC225 and MX110. The 110 died several years before and he put them both away until I got them for free. The power supply transformer on the 110 was the problem so I had it rebuilt and put it back in service. The MC225 still worked. That was my introduction to vintage stereo and I have been hooked ever sense.
 
kaplang said:
A neighbor that was cleaning out his garage handed me his Mcintosh MC225 and MX110. The 110 died several years before and he put them both away until I got them for free. The power supply transformer on the 110 was the problem so I had it rebuilt and put it back in service. The MC225 still worked. That was my introduction to vintage stereo and I have been hooked ever sense.
Click to expand...

Good gracious.
 
Project 1 Expression on the curb, but sadly I left the w70s it was sitting on there, right across from my house, for days. This was before I had read through too much AK and started filling my storage room.
 
Nice! I haven't scored anything for free out of the trash or off the ground yet for audio equipment. My couch and one of my desk chairs were left when people moved out of their dorm rooms so those somewhat count since they're my seats in my secondary and primary setups, respectively, at the moment.
 
DCM TimeWindows and Magneplanar MG-2.5/R both free. Saved the DCMs from the trash. Worked fine, needed serious cleaning of the foam and a bit of tape on the inside to hold some pieces together. Refinished the roof and floor and they looked better than my original pair. exactly 2000 serial numbers apart. MGs needed tweeters, socks, some delam gluing and such. Great when done. Sold em both to Tom Clone as I had a set of TWs and also Magneplanars. He chose the 2.5 over the MG-IIIa.

Just two of many.
 
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Where do I start
Sears Professional Series amp and tuner - co worker had it in her dump bound pile. Free

Realistic STA 2300 receiver, Lab 440 turntable, cassette deck, equalizer, a pair of Optimus T-200 and T-300 speakers. Given to me by my Wife's godmother. Original owner

A pair of Realistic T - 100 speakers. Given to me by a friend of the family when I went over to buy some records off of her. Original owner

JVC QL-2A turntable and Marantz 4230 receiver. Free was going into a dump bin, the guy was cleaning up his property and starting renovations on his house.

Luxman RX - 101 receiver. Free. The guy had no use for it and gave it to me because he knew I collected stereo equipment.

2 Kenwood L -09M monoblocks. One works one doesn't. He wanted them out of his garage. He also did have the preamp but threw it out before they moved :yikes:. Free

Sears RE - 1800 Receiver. Recycle Trailer dive.

Sony STR V35 Receiver and my no name speakers(which we think are old Electrohome made in Canada) Free. The receiver didn't work (bad relay) and the speakers he just wanted them out of his cottage.

There have been a few more turntables and speakers that I got for free and repaired and flipped them.

I think that's all.........................for now

I just seem to be in the right places at the right times sometimes !!! :thumbsup:

Mark
 
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