You've never had it so good

[Phil Starr]

A mate of mine is selling his old Peavey set up of a Mark III bass amp and 2x15. It's already sold and I have to say it still sounds great, lots and lots of trouser flapping heft

The thing is he has the original receipt from 1979 and it just strikes me how much cheaper gear is now once you allow for inflation. So just for fun, how much was a Peavey 2x15 and 400W amp in 1979. I was way out, but no hints.

This is the Mk IV but it gives the picture

Edited September 9, 2020 by Phil Starr

[Steve Browning]

Ok. Amp and cab - £800. probably way out.

In 1988 a Boogie 400 and 2x15 was £1900 and the equivalent today is £2800 which is considerably less in relative terms.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Steve Browning

[Beedster]

Being a musician today is so much easier that 30/40 years ago, both in terms of availability and range of relatively inexpensive but good quality equipment and the equivalent in terms of learning tech and resources. If I wanted to lean a bassline in 1980 I had to get my unplayable Woolworth Bass, tune it for about 20 minutes, then play the track I wanted to learn at really low resolution on my cassette player (often having had to record it opportunistically from the radio using the cassette player's in-built mic), and then play all of this through a bass 'combo' that turned the mud coming out of the bass circuit into sludge. And that lot probably cost me the same as a decent Squier, PJB combo and bass training app would cost me today

[Lozz196]

I’d say around £500, which would have been a lot of money back then.

[BigRedX]

Whatever it cost, it would have been far more than I could afford.

My first proper bass rig put together in 1982 (after I stopped using my Carlsbro Wasp guitar practice amp for my bass) was a no-name 100W transistor amp obtained in exchange for a Shaftesbury Resonator Guitar, an ex-soundsystem 1x18 Cab that cost me £25, and a home made 2x12 cab that was given to me by a friend of a friend who was moving away and couldn't be bothered with the hassle of taking it with him. That lasted me for about 10 years as a bass rig and then as part of a rehearsal/PA amplification system for my synth band.

[Beedster]

One should never miss the opportunity to add some Python

 

[Reggaebass]

Going by my first real set up , around 1979,  which was a HHic100s and 2x15 speakers , which I think I paid about £200 for second hand at the time, I’d say the Peavey rig would be between £400- £500 🙂

[ahpook]

2 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

So just for fun, how much was a Peavey 2x15 and 400W amp in 1979 ?

 

2/6 and a pickled egg ?

[Chienmortbb]

8 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Going by my first real set up , around 1979,  which was a HHic100s and 2x15 speakers , which I think I paid about £200 for second hand at the time, I’d say the Peavey rig would be between £400- £500 🙂

Back in the day I had an Orange staggered 4x12. Wimps that complain about 8x10s should have tried carting those around. They were the same style as the cab shown above. I also still have an HH VS Bassamp and an HH Bassamp 100, both working well.

Edited September 9, 2020 by Chienmortbb

[Beedster]

The HH VS was my first bass amp in about '85, coupled with a Westone Thunder 1 and a cab that doesn't spiring to memory. Many happy memories. 

[Phil Starr]

Well you are all doing better than I did. For what it's worth average weekly wage in June was £502, in 1979 it was £89.30.

[Chienmortbb]

8 minutes ago, Beedster said:

The HH VS was my first bass amp in about '85, coupled with a Westone Thunder 1 and a cab that doesn't spiring to memory. Many happy memories. 

I sold a Westone Thunder 1A and an HH VS to someone about 15 years ago. Wish I still had the Thunder.

[Chienmortbb]

OK I will guess £500 for the pair.

[Hellzero]

My first long lasting rig back in the mid 80's was a Carlsbro Sting Ray head with its matching 4x12 fitted with original Fane speakers.

I toured, rehearsed, recorded, ... with this rig for around 10 years and then gave it to a young guy beginning guitar as it was a multi instrument head (just like they used to do back in the day). It was really sounding amazing, especially on fretless.

Replaced by a tiny SWR that was also awesome.

I also had this Peavey rig that was really good.

[la bam]

Probably £1000.

My first rig in 1992 was a second hand battered, rubbish, temperamental carlsberg 90 stingray head which worked when it wanted to (remember 80s TVs worked again when you gave them a whack on top) and a very very poor 15" cab with those washing machine door protectors. 

And I got that at a bargain £200 !!

I wouldnt pay a £1 for it now!

[Frank Blank]

4 hours ago, ahpook said:

2/6 and a pickled egg ?

You'd have had change for the tram ride home.

[Dan Dare]

33 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

You'd have had change for the tram ride home.

Where your father would beat you with his belt until you fell asleep.

[Frank Blank]

20 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Where your father would beat you with his belt until you fell asleep.

See @Beedster's comment above..

[casapete]

Around £900 ?

[Phil Starr]

You guys are good, much closer than my guess. anyway here is the receipt.

 

That makes a rig like that about 7 weeks wages at the time. It would cost you less than two weeks wages now for something of similar quality. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of the price. Mind you in those days there were gigs

 

 

[Reggaebass]

It could be me but there’s no pic showing Phil 🙂

[Frank Blank]

16 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

It could be me but there’s no pic showing Phil 🙂

Same here, big blank space.

[Pea Turgh]

It’s really for foggy where Phil is today.

[Thunderbird]

10 hours ago, Frank Blank said:

Same here, big blank space.

Same here too 

[Phil Starr]