Name: Steve Kennedy
Email: steve@pacair.com
Subject: Blonde MM RD 50
Thread: 156
Time: Mon, 3 Sep 2001 18:06:44 UTC
I have never seen any Music Man production figures (and I don't know if any exist), but the subject of "rarity" comes up often.
Most people's conclusions of rarity are based on what they see...
If you almost never see a particular model for sale on the net, in music shops or in use on stage then you tend to assume that they are relatively rare compared to the models and cosmetic treatments you always seem to run into.
There is NO doubt that blond, white and "pinwhale" (or "pinwhal", I have seen it written both ways) Tolex coverings on Music Man amplifiers are much rarer than the standard black amplifiers. Part of this is related to the fact that these lighter colors were only offered as "standard" options in the later part of Music Man amplifier production (after 1980).
Also, these finishes were sometimes only available on the "high-end" models that had Electro-Voice EVM loudspeakers. This combination of factors really cuts down on the potential numbers you might see!
None of these tolex options are mentioned in the 1980 catalog and most of the smaller RD series amplifiers weren't made until around 1982. Since Music Man quit the business in 1984, this means there was a much smaller window of availability on these models.
Speaking from personal experience, I have seen only 3 or 4 blond RD50 series amplifiers show up on ebay in the last 4 or 5 years I have been looking. This is compared to many hundreds of black MM amps. Of course, I have probably seen less than 2 dozen RD50 series amps in black during this same period as compared to the hundreds of amps in other model series.
If you look on eBay and see the bid prices that RD50 series amplifiers usually attract you will get the impression that even if they are not rare, they are considered to be highly desirable... and this also makes them rare because they are hard to get and there is more competition for them!
I am not implying that eBay is the only source of information, but it is a good indicator of current market that anyone can view, search and draw information from.
Steve