Never Opened Gear

Fhamre

Super Member
I have an opportunity to buy several high end pieces that have never taken out of their factory boxes.The boxes are sealed. One of the pieces is a 2385,never opened.Now my hobby is restoring this gear and in most cases selling them so I can move on to the next challenge.
I guess the question is should I open them up and restore them? Or would most collectors want them still sealed. Taking away my fun. I have restored a 2385 before including the dual caps.
I know that a piece of gear that has never been plugged in before will need the pots and switches cleaned and lubed and likely the dc offset tweaked etc. at a minimum.Just to run properly.
Be interested in your thoughts?
 
agree, sealed in the factory box is best. Once opened any claim that you've only used it for 5min or whatever is just a sales pitch.
 
I know you like to find and fix stuff as a hobby (me too) adding value along the way. In this case it’s hard to add any value and in fact it may detract from it.

Caps are rated at hours of operation at a given temp. Since the unit has no hours and has been at room temp the likely hood that the caps are dried out is small.
 
When it comes to vintage i like to see what im getting so it would probably detract from the price for me if it was still sealed.
 
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Steve, great story! If it was me I couldn't stop myself from hooking up my favorite speakers, a Sade album and checking it out. :)
 
like new cars driven off the lot, that look inside could cost you. and especially if the
components degraded (perhaps requiring the DBT or variac up-voltaging the AC).

I once went to buy a "brand-new" canon inkjet to stockpile one of Canon's best.
at home I discovered the carts were already installed. Not brand-new because
it could not go into long-term storage.

I'd keep it for retirement money. by then it may fetch, after opening and judicious
use, more than today's NIB/NOS prices.
 
Tough one......

Where in the world do you find an unopened 2385 ? I heard there was an old electronics store in Canada that had tons of NIB unopened gear......
 
Personally if you are going to keep it I would use it and love it. Since none of us is getting any younger I say enjoy it, the curiosity will haunt you.

You will just be keeping it nice for someone else. Like trailer queen classic cars that were originally meant to be driven and used not driven on and off a trailer in my personal opinion.

That said if this is strictly to make a profit on then keep it in the box and sell it and live with never knowing how it looked and if it worked etc.
 
We've had a long thread on this exact question before. Can't find it now...

Suffice it to say, a 'sealed box' may not be a factory sealed box. We got very good at 're-sealing' boxes with a very special stapler and original staples back in the day...
 
Unopened. Sell it to "me" and I'd do you a courtesy of doing a YouTube video and/or a live whatever they have and you get the best of both worlds. Top dollars and watching something to be opened for the first time. Nothing like sharing, besides then you'll know for sure what a true mint looks like so nobody else can pull a shinanigan on you if you come across one again.
 
It's a lot like a business I know, they have this brand new product that on the surface is one of the Cadillacs of the industry. They also repair the older Cadillacs after years of abuse, something none of the competitors offer. Basically that thing is worth gold unopened, if there is a problem you can fix it. Opening it will greatly diminish the value, in the world of cars it's like 20-30%. Offering service and informing what the problems might be is the honest and best way to make a little money. Personally I'd put it right next to my 2385 and crank the heck out of my 880's......
 
Depends on what your intentions are for it--if you are just buying it at a decent price and really don't want/need it, and your intention is to just flip it for a profit, I'd leave it sealed. If you really do want it, crack that seal and pull it out and start the testing and potentially the restoration work. And "factory sealed NIB" doesn't mean anything much beyond perfect cosmetic condition--it doesn't mean its going to operate like brand new--time takes its toll. I know a few people who have been "burned" buying factory sealed NIB gear--they paid the premium price and then had to invest in a full restoration anyways. They could have just found a nice example and restored it for half the money.
 
Sealed in the box is NIB.
Some people pay through the butt for that.
No idea why anyone would want a 2385 sealed in the box to stay sealed.
But I sell a lot of crap for too much money and I know people are whacked.

I would argue that never used indicates perfect condition.
E-caps are wet Chemical based and rubber sealed.
Chemicals and rubber ages, period.
Rust and corrosion never sleeps.


For this case, buy and flip as is and offer full restoration if they want to actually use the unit.
 
Agreed with the unanimous opinion (thus far) that if the intention is resale, do not open.

Offer as found with disclaimer that no guarantee of functionality can be guaranteed due to age, which should be readily understood and accepted by the audience for such an item.

The proceeds should be enough to buy a fully serviced 2385 and have a bundle of cash left over.
 
I don't buy things I don't intend to use. I'd buy it if I wanted to own it, open it in front of the seller to ensure it's not a re-sealed box of bricks, and take it home to enjoy.

Further, I'll pay more for a nice original used piece than something that has work done on it, unless it's documented to have been restored by a very reputable shop. My experience so far is that most "serviced", "recapped", "restored" etc. units are not done properly and I need to spend time "un-f***ing" (USAF term) it before I can properly restore it.

So if you buy it and don't open it, you might be buying a nice box of sandbags, if you do open it you might be decreasing the value. Depends on the seller and buyer.

Also, if I look into a unit's vents and see evidence that it truly is NOS, I don't care if the box has been opened or sealed, ... it takes a lot of time and effort to make something that clean inside.

For reputable auctions and sales anything of significant value inside a sealed box is typically verified in some way, if you have access to imaging equipment you can at least verify there's a 2385 in there.
 
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