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Garage Sale Steals - What to look for?

Am I the only one that has that dream of tagging along with the wife to some garage sale, only to find some audio equipment for sale and the guy doesn't know what to ask for it, saying, "make me an offer"? The thought flashes, boy I'd like to run home to look it up on the 'net to be sure! You return home, find out it's a gem, return to the sale only to find out someone with knowledge purchased it and you wake up in a cold sweat! (Sorry, I got a little carried away there.)

A year or so ago I was interested in Nak decks and used to have such thougts of finding a deal, though I am rarely, if ever, at a garage sale.

A recent discussion on here about Threshold amps prompted me to create this post. What "legendary" piece of audio equipment would you like to pick up for next to nothing? (This way I can create a cheat sheet for my wallet! LOL)
brianmgrarcom
richgib
16 posts
 
My earlier post said Westinghouse 300B's found in rusted old amps. My error, they were WESTERN ELECTRIC 300B's... not "Westinghouse".
brianmgrarcom OP
1,317 posts
 
Rich,

It can be found at this link: http://www.vacuumtube.com/hifi.htm
clueless
763 posts
 
Damn Richgib!! I had an old Westinghouse range I was trying to get back in the kitchen and for a minute I thought I had a lead!! Best tube cooker I ever had. Gas stuff doesn't give food the same rich warm flavor if you ask me.

Great post. I'm ordering the book.

Sincerely, I remain
richgib
16 posts
 
Where to find "Vintage Hi-Fi Spotter's Guide". Paste the web address at the end of this comment into your browser and "click". Didn't even know Chuck had them up on a website! There are also some newer books offered by Chuck. I would recommend these to everyone seeking to learn more about vintage and collectible audio. Thanks, Brian, for researching this for me, and "Clueless", keep that Westinghouse range warm...:-)
http://www.vacuumtube.com/hifi.htm
brendanw
5 posts
 
I once found a cool old Advent Model 300 receiver at the Salvation Army for $17.95. It worked just fine. Vinyl heads love this thing because it has a sweet phono stage. A few weeks later I saw one at my local used hifi store for $250.

I am a firm believer in thrift store hifi. It's time- consuming and risky, but if you carry an RCA cable, a CD, and a little speaker wire, you can do basic tests.
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