Vintage gear, honestly described
In September 2005, a guitarist-turned-bass-player cleared out his gear on eBay — a 1990 USA Telecaster, a Turbo RAT, a pro-wired Lace Sensor pickguard and more — with listings so detailed they’re still worth reading. Here they are, with all 116 original photos.
Browse by category
Guitars and pedals, the parts that shape tone, the cables that carry it — and one Ethernet hub from the early broadband days.
Featured listing
“How come yours sounds so much better than mine?”
A yellow 1990 American Telecaster, bought used in Wichita in 1999, goes up against a friend’s $1,000+ G&L ASAT — and wins. The listing also covers every nick in the finish, a serial-number mystery and how to ship a guitar safely, with 75 photos.
Go deeper
A 1990 Telecaster with a “1999” serial? Here’s why it happens, and the better ways to date a US Fender.
Gold, Silver, Blue and Red: what each Lace Sensor color is voiced for, and the Fender models that made them famous.
Same socket, very different jobs: gain, drive and headroom across the three classic preamp tubes.
New: gear spotlights
Listing-style profiles of individual instruments: photos, specs, serial dating and what to check before you buy.
A metallic Lake Placid Blue P-bass with a rosewood board, from Fender’s Ensenada, Mexico factory in 2010.
The full sale
Yellow USA Tele with a maple neck, TBX tone control and its hardshell case, plus a shoot-out against a G&L ASAT.
Lace Sensor Blue and Gold plus a coil-split Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, pro-wired on a 1987 MIJ pickguard.
The highest-output pedal in the RAT line, used on both guitar and bass. Boxed with the manual.
Seven-band EQ with ±15 dB per band, the "forgotten hero" of the pedalboard. Boxed with the manual.
Fifty feet of USA-made DynaMike 223B wire, used maybe half a dozen times as a DI-to-board run.
A new Electro-Harmonix 12AT7EH plus four used preamp tubes from the "leftovers" drawer.
Four pairs of reusable, toolless 60° gold pins for 12–14 gauge speaker wire.
A metal-cased 10 Mb hub from the early broadband home office. It sold to a local buyer before the auction closed.
Why they hold up
The Telecaster listing alone has 75 photos, including close-ups of every scar and chip in the finish — plus a warning about glare.
Where each piece was bought, what it cost, how it was used and why it was being sold — receipts included.
$1 starts with no reserve, actual-cost shipping with refunds for any overpayment, and questions answered before the bidding.
