dodger Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Greetings: RE: Scott 299 C If you were told (if you went through an ad) that there was a Scott 299 C - Excellent, for sale how would you define that and what condition would you expect a vintage unit of that age to be in? 1. Electronically, what shape/condition 2. Physical Appearance/Aesthetics: cleaned by Seller, you clean 3. Scratches, 2 scrapes on bottom of faceplate - one is #/8" long other 3/16"), some pitting on Faceplate (3/8" scratch/gouge above "MAG" slider switch, 4. Dirty plastic/metal knobs with circular rings of dirt around some of the knobs, minor pitting, very small, on metal insert of knobs, 5. Fingerprints, dirt, some lettering missing on chassis bed (tube bed) with paint coming off of the transformer (no cabinet), 6. Avg. #/8 x 1/4 " making tape glue and paper or price tag residue on blck base of 7591 output tubes (all 4), 7. Broken fuse. OR would you consider the eletronics inside, if in good condition, clean inside to meet the criteria for EXCELLENT or would you expect both inside and outside (Aesthetically/Faceplate and chassis to be cleaned by the Seller), there was no damage to inner outer boxes, or to plastic wrap around unit intact, no punctures, gouges, signs of dropping, etc.) Over time I have bought many vintage piece, from friends )or so called friends) and strangers and I know my standards. I would like to find others definition of EXCELLENT. I did see some pics, but the dirt, the gouges/scrapes, tape on tubes plus broken fuse were not visible to me. Depends on lighting, There was an offer to refund "some" of the $380.00 to clean the exterior dirt and replace the fuse on this "30 year old unit.' "the age has to be considered... the Electronics are some of the best he had seen..." Please reply I thank you all, Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 "Excellent" condition means everything works, and should clean up nice enough to be a "9" as described by the Audiogon scale (www.audogon.com). What you are describing is a 6 or a 7 -- or "fair" condition. If I sell something this old in "excellent" condition -- it looks like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted June 30, 2003 Share Posted June 30, 2003 Dodger, Sellers have a pretty broad Idea of what Excellent condition is !! If the unit is electrically stock which is the way I prefer to buy them and have my customers purchase them and is described as excellent then I would expect the cosmetics to be near perfect for the amp to be worth $380 no major scratches that can be seen from 2 foot away and nothing broken the amp could have some light dust but should be over all real clean !! Craig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted June 30, 2003 Author Share Posted June 30, 2003 ---------------- On 6/30/2003 8:45:08 AM NOSValves wrote: Dodger, Sellers have a pretty broad Idea of what Excellent condition is !! If the unit is electrically stock which is the way I prefer to buy them and have my customers purchase them and is described as excellent then I would expect the cosmetics to be near perfect for the amp to be worth $380 no major scratches that can be seen from 2 foot away and nothing broken the amp could have some light dust but should be over all real clean !! Craig ---------------- Craig and Dean, my sincere appreciation for you replies. It's nice to such quick excellent replies! I wonder what a couple more members think? (Strength in numbers. Thanks Again to the two of you and anyone else that replies. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyKubicki Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I'm with Dean...his picture says it all. I prefer sellers to be more accurate, like "it s a 7 out of 10", or something to that effect if their pics are not clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arfz28 Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 A tube amp in the condition of Deang 299b would be a tuff find that one is an 11.When someone says excellent it should be very close to mint, no scratches or dings at all on the faceplate and all lettering in tact. Some dust and a little dirt around the tubes is usually normall, its hard to clean and a lot of people dont do it.An amp that you are describing I would give a 6 or 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtice Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 I've noticed that some sellers toss the term "excellent" into an ad like sprinkles on a cupcake. If I was serious about buying I'd pin him down on exactly what that term means by asking specific questions... like "no scratches on the front that can be seen from 2 feet." If he side steps the question you know you've got a generic excellent which doesn't mean much of anythingabove average, maybe. Language is just not sufficient to describe gear in 50 words unless the terms are defined elsewhere. There is no standard definition of terms on ebay. Then consider that you're talking about vintage gear the term seems to change to "excellent considering age." Or "excellent considering that it's been abused and stored in a damp basement for three decades." There is no substitute for a detailed description, IMHO. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bey Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 One entry found for excellent. Main Entry: ex·cel·lent Pronunciation: 'ek-s(&-)l&nt Function: adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin excellent-, excellens, from present participle of excellere Date: 14th century 1 archaic : SUPERIOR 2 : very good of its kind : eminently good : FIRST-CLASS - ex·cel·lent·ly adverb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOSValves Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Jtice where is the Sig update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 Randy, I understood all that, but I am having a bit of trouble with this: Pronunciation: 'ek-s(&-)l&nt fini Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 E-Bay is basically a pig-in-the-poke. The only thing a buyer has to base his buying decision on is the sellers feedback, which we already know is not totally reliable. If you feel the seller overrated the item, I would hold his feet to the fire. And then post feedback that truly reflects your buying experience. Good luck to you. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted July 1, 2003 Share Posted July 1, 2003 If I advertised something and said it was in "excellent" condition, I would mean: 1) nothing is broken or missing. All the knobs, switches, footers, screws, whatever that are supposed to be there are there. 2) there is no cosmetic damage that is permanent. No significant scratches (and "significant" depends on age and purpose - a scratch on a 30 year old turntable dust cover is different that a scratch on the faceplate of a one year old Mac amp), no dents, no dings (will, a small nick here or there, again depending upon age, wouldn't disqualify from "excellent"), no rust on metal parts, no corrosion on chrome. 3) It *ABSOLUTELY* would not implay *ANYTHING* about the state of cleanlyness. If I took a mint Stereo 70 out of the box, set it in my attic for 20 years, and it collected a couple of inches worth of dust, cobwebs, and mold (providing the mold didn't eat away the finish), I'd still consider it to be in "excellent" condition. Just because it's dirty doesnt' mean it won't work or is damaged. 4) It would *NOT* mean I have the box, the directions, any documentation, or anything else other than the component itself. by saying the *AMP* is in excellent condition, I am implying *NOTHING* about the parapanailia that came *WITH* the amp. 5) Regarding speakers, I'd allow a couple of dents and dings for every 5 years of age. That is, a 30 year old KHorn with a couple of pieces of veneer chipped off here and there, or a gouge out of the front panel, might still be in "excellent" condition, while a 1 year old Belle with the same damage would certainly not be. That's just my off-the-top-of-the-head reactino. I've never used audiogone or any other site that tries to establish emperical objective standards, so I have no idea how the above relates. But I do buy and sell on EBay a lot, and when I buy stuff, that's what I'm expecting when I buy something the seller says is in "excellent" condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted July 2, 2003 Share Posted July 2, 2003 Very hard to find a 40+ year old scott that is in excellent condition on ebay. You may be able to bring it to excellent after much work but rarely are they ever excellent to start. I looked for a long time before buying one. The definition must be broken down between cosmetics and working condition. Unless it has been rebuilt recently (and done right) it no way can be in excellent working condition. It can work, but that's it. Cosmetically, that's been described well in above posts. If it can be cleaned to the point of no visible scars and the cabinet (if it comes with one) has no major scrathes or dings and can be buffed close to perfection than it is excellent. Of course all knobs must be on and ON STRAIGHT. Many are bent slightly and you can't always tell that from the pictures. IMO, there's virtually no such animal unless you buy if from a forum member who has had it brought up to that condition. Mine is close. Cosmetically it is close but not quite. Electronically, I think it's excellent (thanks to Craig) although I'm not enough of an expert to give it that designation. I just know it sounds excellent IMHO. Most selling these on ebay are trying to make a buck. Take their descriptions with a grain of salt, ask lots of questions and request additional photos from many angles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtice Posted July 3, 2003 Share Posted July 3, 2003 ---------------- On 7/1/2003 9:04:55 AM NOSValves wrote: Jtice where is the Sig update ---------------- Craig, You must be referring to my revival of the old Monster Interconnectsdidn't know you were so into wire! LMAO! There is that better? John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted July 4, 2003 Share Posted July 4, 2003 I'll have to agree with the rest of my esteemed board members here. What you have described doesn't sound to be "excellent" condition. I recently picked up a Scott 299B off eBay and it is now with Craig for him to work his magic. From the pics I have seen, I'd say mine comes close to the magicial "excellent" rating. Or maybe "very good." Hopefully Craig can send some pics to me to drool over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.