Hardwood & Wicker Thiele Dilemma for New Member

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s-fresh

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Hello!

This is my first time posting here although I have read these forums from time to time for many years. What a great collection of information and knowledgeable people. Thanks for keeping it going all this time, guys!

So I recently came across a set of Thiele Hardwood & Wicker cabs from the 80s and could not resist buying the set. They came bundled with a IIB combo and all three are in very nice shape (especially when you consider they are 30+ years old). My original plan was to sell the combo and one of the cabs, then just keep one of the Thieles. I was only ever looking for one, but the deal with everything together was very good. Now that I have them in person and sitting in my garage, I am not sure I should break them up. I opened them up and they are labelled "1 / 11-86 / Padauk" and "2 / 11-86 / Padauk". A matching set! My original assumption was one of these might have been built to go along with the IIB, but that is dated 11/15/81. So the amp came by itself and the cabinets are a matching set that must have been bought later. Here are my questions:

  1. Just how rare are the Hardwood/Wicker Thieles? I have been looking for a while but this is the first opportunity I've had to purchase one. Knowing I got a good deal, is it likely I will ever see another one of these again at a somewhat reasonable price? I know there is some demand for them, but that doesn't exactly mean they are rare. Any feedback here would be much appreciated.
  2. Should I be ashamed to break up the set? I have no idea what kind of interest there would be for a matching pair. Personally I was only after one of them, but if there is someone out there looking for a set might I be able to trade for a single one plus cash?
  3. A third totally unrelated question, how rare are the Mark I through III amps in a wicker and wood head? I see A LOT of combos in my area, (most are black) and a few wicker and wood combos, but I'm not sure I've ever seen a hardwood head locally. I would be interested just how hard it might be to find a head. I've had IVs and Vs but I am looking for something a little less complicated now.

I started taking photos of one of them before I got cold feet. Here are a few. Any other padauk Mesa pictures out there?

Thanks in advance for any advice or feedback!


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They're worth about $800.00 each on the used market, I have seen them for as little as $500.00 each, but a matched set? I'd list them for $1800.00 o.b.o. and lower the price a hundred every week until they're sold or you reach your bottom line.
 
screamingdaisy, thanks! I am stoked to have found them. It only took 9 hours of driving to get them home due to horrible weekend traffic but it was worth it.

Markedman, that's more or less what I have seen browsing old eBay and Reverb listings. That being said I just sold a nice black tolex EVM Theile for just under $500 so I can't imagine letting one of these go for anywhere near that unless it was thrashed. The bigger concern is for me the price range we're discussing is based on 4-6 sold items (what I have seen at least). It's not like a Mark V where you can see them change hands daily. My usual plan for selling stuff like this where I am on the fence but it might be worth something is to just put it out there at a price I couldn't say no to and enjoy it in the meantime. I guess I am just doing a reality check with the people that know the market best, how many of these things are out there? If I sell now will I regret it? I found a few posts here from people looking for them and it doesn't seem like they ever found one. I don't want to be that guy, cursing myself about the one that got away. I am already doing that with a bass I owned when I was a kid. :oops:
 
Welp, I am leaning toward just keeping one. I hate to break them up (and I'm feeling a bit greed about it in general) but I don't really need two and I'm sure someone with a nice old head would appreciate a matching cab.
 
It sold in about 48 hours for over $1,000. Had some interest in the pair but I ended up keeping one. Too cool to give up. Thanks for the replies!
 
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