Selling a Marshall Cabinet Auction Advice

[MetalManiac]

I'm going to be throwing up one or more of my Marshall cabinets on the Bay here shortly, having tried here and on Criagslist to dump it without any success, and just wanted to know some thing.
Maybe some one here can offer some insight.
Of course, i'd like to maximize my profits.
Question is;
Should I sell the Cabinet Loaded, or Unloaded?
The speakers are just Greenbacks...nothing out of the ordinary.
Ive got three and would probably stick in a 4th Celestion of somekind.
I know this is a bad time to sell in general, but beggars can't be choosers.

[SteveAlysis]

Dont sell...

[Mr 9finger]

You'll never get what you want out of it. Marshall cabinets are far and wide. Even the old ones. Unless you get someone that really wants it and is willing to have it shipped, you're still pretty much stuck with a local pickup, but with a wider audience. Your best bet is to sell it uber cheap unloaded or put the best speakers you've got in it to get someone to take the bait and buy it. Marshall cabs have changed very little construction wise in the last 30/40 years. Unless someone is looking for that specific cab to go with a head or to complete a stack, there's really not much incentive to buy an older one when the newer ones are just as good and a lot cheaper.

Most the time, the older ones have had the speakers beat to crap out of them. So even then it's a gamble.

FWIW, I just bought an empty Marshall out of the trading post and it was $125 to have it shipped ground from NY to Indiana.

[MetalManiac]

You'll never get what you want out of it. Marshall cabinets are far and wide. Even the old ones. Unless you get someone that really wants it and is willing to have it shipped, you're still pretty much stuck with a local pickup, but with a wider audience. Your best bet is to sell it uber cheap unloaded or put the best speakers you've got in it to get someone to take the bait and buy it. Marshall cabs have changed very little construction wise in the last 30/40 years. Unless someone is looking for that specific cab to go with a head or to complete a stack, there's really not much incentive to buy an older one when the newer ones are just as good and a lot cheaper.

Most the time, the older ones have had the speakers beat to crap out of them. So even then it's a gamble.

FWIW, I just bought an empty Marshall out of the trading post and it was $125 to have it shipped ground from NY to Indiana.

Yeah, tahts about right Sir. Liek everything else they were really going for a quite premium there for awhile.
You really offer some very accurate insight. Thank you.
The new ones really do suck compared to the old ones ( actually they are good cabs, but the old ones sound a *lot better) , and are very expensive new, and kind of hard to find cheap , so you're somewhat wrong on that account.
I just saw an old 70's one exactly like mine fully loaded go terribly cheap on ebay very recently ,wheras in the past they weer really very expensive and sought after, so I think SteveAlysis is right, "don't Sell".

[Mr 9finger]

To me, a well built plywood cab is exactly that. My general point of view is, plywood doesn't get better with age like Mahogany, Ash, Spruce. In 30 years, it's still going to be plywood. I know they changed the back board to MDF at some point or another. Some say it sounds worse than the old ones. I don't personally know. I'll change the back board to plywood as soon as mine arrives, so I don't leave it on there long enough to find out. Might be an interesting test when this one gets here!

IMO, what makes the old Marshall cabs so great was the speakers. The pre Rola Greenbacks had a sound that I don't personally think has been replicated to this day. A lot of their sound came with age and use.

If your cab is in super mint condition with original speakers that haven't been thrashed, then by all means charge a premium for it. Those are the Marshall cabs that bring the money. I'm not sure which one you're talking about though, so I just kind of went off general information. I know you've got 3 or 4+

I do have agree with Steve though. If you don't have to sell it or have other easier things to sell, get rid of them first. Cabs are just a huge hassle all the way around unless you buy them brand new. I'm a tight ass so that doesn't ever happen with me. I'll take my cabs at half price thank you very much!

[MetalManiac]

To me, a well built plywood cab is exactly that. My general point of view is, plywood doesn't get better with age like Mahogany, Ash, Spruce. I. T!

Its pretty much like everything esle. Please trust me on this. Older cabs DO age and sound much better . 80's cabinets now are close to the sound of der late 70's cabinets, which in turn are close to the grail sounds of the early 70's cabinets Geroge Lynch says that he bases all of his tone comparisons for his new Lynchbacls off of.
Theres a very big problem people report with the later 900 and current production Marshall 1960 cabinets.
The quality control has been said to be lax, and the cabinets are not seasoned old stock Birch, and sound very dead and bright.
On top of that , they are loaded with new stock Chinese Celestions, which, IMO, sound good and are good speakers, but fall short of the English versions IMO..

[Mr 9finger]

Oh I'll take your word for it. I've never had an original 70's/80's cab with all original speakers in it. I really would know.

[Edgecrusher]

Its pretty much like everything esle. Please trust me on this. Older cabs DO age and sound much better . 80's cabinets now are close to the sound of der late 70's cabinets, which in turn are close to the grail sounds of the early 70's cabinets Geroge Lynch says that he bases all of his tone comparisons for his new Lynchbacls off of.
Theres a very big problem people report with the later 900 and current production Marshall 1960 cabinets.
The quality control has been said to be lax, and the cabinets are not seasoned old stock Birch, and sound very dead and bright.
On top of that , they are loaded with new stock Chinese Celestions, which, IMO, sound good and are good speakers, but fall short of the English versions IMO..

Sorry but 70's checker board grill cloth cabs are not grail cabs. Not sound wise and certainly not looks wise either. You do know that the change to particle board backs was done in 71 right? About the same time that the grill cloth was changed. If you got checkerboard you got particle board.

Other than the slight sonic influence that the grill cloth has on a cab your cabs are the same as any other modern Marshall cab. Unless you got killer speakers in it or its a VERY clean original you wont get a premium price out of it. But in Ok condition with 3 green backs and 1 whatever speaker your going to have a hard time finding a buyer even at a price thats a steal.

[MetalManiac]

Sorry but 70's checker board grill cloth cabs are not grail cabs. Not sound wise and certainly not looks wise either. You do know that the change to particle board backs was done in 71 right? About the same time that the grill cloth was changed. If you got checkerboard you got particle board.

Other than the slight sonic influence that the grill cloth has on a cab your cabs are the same as any other modern Marshall cab. Unless you got killer speakers in it or its a VERY clean original you wont get a premium price out of it. But in Ok condition with 3 green backs and 1 whatever speaker your going to have a hard time finding a buyer even at a price thats a steal.

There is nothing wrong with particleboard backs ..they have been used on every post late 60's cabinet Marshall has ever produced after the late 60's Golden age.
While it may not be an early 60's cab, the particlebaord is a great back for a Marshall cabinet

yeah, I know prices are down across the baord, and no, the 70's checkerboard isnt the "grail"> , but like everything else, older is better, and those old mid to late 70's Checkerboards just sound so ridiculously better its a crime. They are Magic.

Add to that a set of old Greenbacks, and it will **** King put to sahme a tone dead new production marshall 1960 with Chinese Celestion Greenbacks.

[JonnyG92]

In my opinion... Although I'm fairly new to buying/selling gear and I hardly consider cabs a KEY part of my sound, I think $600 is ridiculous for a loaded cab.
Then again, this is my opinion and I'm not too experienced on how the dynamics of a Wood-A cab vs a Wood-B could possibly be worth the difference.

I can usually find a good loaded Marshall 4x12 or a 2x12 for roughly $350, so yeah... My $.02 aren't worth much.

[MetalManiac]

My $.02 aren't worth much.

Yes they are. Worth very much! Thanks for contributing.
I actually do belive the old cabs sound a lot better, and thats irrespective of the speakers, which also sound much better.

[JonnyG92]

Yes they are. Worth very much! Thanks for contributing.
I actually do belive the old cabs sound a lot better, and thats irrespective of the speakers, which also sound much better.

I'd actually like to play a Fully-loaded vintage cab one day and see what the fuss is about.

[MetalManiac]

I'd actually like to play a Fully-loaded vintage cab one day and see what the fuss is about.

your welcome to. Gimme a hoot n' Holler.

[Edgecrusher]

There is nothing wrong with particleboard backs ..they have been used on every post late 60's cabinet Marshall has ever produced after the late 60's Golden age.
While it may not be an early 60's cab, the particlebaord is a great back for a Marshall cabinet

yeah, I know prices are down across the baord, and no, the 70's checkerboard isnt the "grail"> , but like everything else, older is better, and those old mid to late 70's Checkerboards just sound so ridiculously better its a crime. They are Magic.

Add to that a set of old Greenbacks, and it will **** King put to sahme a tone dead new production marshall 1960 with Chinese Celestion Greenbacks.

Tell yourself whatever you have to to justify how you spend your money I dont care but your flat delusional on them being magically better than late 70's or even 80's cabs. Minus speakers they are no different.

[the guy who invented fire]

Sell unloaded it might be a little easier plus you don't have a matched quad pf speakers.

Just know this...shipping a 4x12 is a HUGE pain in the back side...you have to build a wooden crate for it, only UPS or Fed Ex will ship it and it'll cost a ton of money.

There are so many good repros today that just weren't around 10 years ago that the old Marshall cabs just are not worth what they once were...this makes them a hard sell.

A mid to late 60's cab loaded with the original drivers will bring a good bit of money and folks will foll with whole deal of shipping it but past that it's more or less a wash...you're better off just sitting on it or re listing it on Craigs list over and over until somebody takes it off your hands.

[Empty Pockets]

My shop has a ton of Marshall 4x12s...i think the most expensive new one is like $600.

[uOpt]

If you don't even have 4 identical speakers it's obviously better to part it out.