I figure we need some sort of "sticky" thread that can hold the deals we trip over on the Internet. Gods know, I've started more than a few...

I saw this Ibanez over in the right-hand eBay bar*, & I almost jumped on it**:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_fr...p;_nkw=violet+ibanez+rgt
$250+$59 shipping, Buy It Now price.

The Ibanez RGT series is simply lovely. Swept Strat-type, 24 frets, usually double-locker, thru-neck with great hand relief, & so on. Mostly out of production, I've admired the looks of some of the sub-lines, like the HR Giger graphics, & those with bound heavily-figured tops.

I guess there's some lower-end RGT that's a bolt-neck with few features, but as it's not super-common in the used market, I get the impression the line has pleased its buyers.
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* -- thanks again, Will, for this ad block. I've bought two guitars from it since you added it, & I use it to browse eBay a few times a week.
** -- strangely enough, I have the cash. But (a) there's almost 30 axes already staring at me, (b) more than a dozen need some tweaks before I'll happily sell 'em, (c) I'm still hoping to open a real-world store in the next year or two, (d) I'm less shred than blues & oldies, & (e) there's too few hours in the week & I'd really like to work on my PLAYING more...

Anyone here live near Boynton Beach, Florida? The seller has it as a lot, local pick-up only.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gallien-Kru...&hash=item4aad959ddc

• Washburn XB900 -- Bluewash, Bartolini Active Pick-ups, Hard Case
  
• Gallien-Krueger 700RB Bass Amp
  
• Gallien-Krueger 410RBH 4x10 Speaker Cabinet
  
• Peavy Microbass Amp/Speaker
  
• Ultra Bass Stand
  
• Epiphone Headjammer XX
  
• Sabine ST-1100 AutoTuner
  
• GHS Bass Boomers 45-105 Strings
  
• Pearl Stool
  
• lots of instructional books and videos

At a rough guess, that's... let's see... $600 for the bass (both my estimate & the Blue Book) -- hey, I'm pretty sure it's one of their rare USA models -- plus the case, $500 for the head, $650 for the cab ($899 from Music 1-2-3), the Peavey's $50, & maybe $75 for the rest...

Call it $1,800 of gear, looks lightly used.

A bit less than 3 days left, & it's up to $52.99. No idea what the reserve is, but I'm watching.

Malden guitars is still having their clearance sale. I have a Bulldozer. It's a fantastic guitar and I highly recommend Maldens. The quality is much better than any Epi I've ever played. http://maldenguitars.com/store.htm

Five-string fretless bass:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Douglas...&hash=item3cbc5ca02a

A lightly used Douglas WEB 825 NA, two days left, $20 shipping, minimum bid $120 (yet unmet), Buy It Now of $150. Active pickup system. Currently $179.95 + shipping from Rondo.

I hate to say this about any Rondo product, but I ordered one of those Douglas WEB 5-string bases, and it had a little bit of a string buzz. I do my own setups and most of my repairs, etc so I tried to fix it and couldn't understand what was wrong when I failed to do so. Nonplussed, since I do suffer from the occasional attack of stupid, I took it to my local luthier who pronounced the neck mildly twisted. I left it with him to repair and he did. Since the buzz was gone and it played all right, I sold it at a typical loss. The moral of this meandering tale is that I lost a little confidence in Rondo and a little more in Douglas. It just bothers me that whoever is assigned to quality control of their products would ship out a bass guitar with a twisted neck. I haven't sworn off Rondo or anything, in fact, I have purchased a guitar from them since then. But I'm no longer an apostle of theirs, either.

I felt compelled to share this story with you guys because when I see one of those Douglas basses advertised, I can't help but wonder if it has a straight neck. I'm sure this one is probably fine, but before I got burned, I would have assumed that.