Sources for used Source Fours?

[JLNorthGA]

I looked at Gearsource, Usedlighting and Lightbroker. I can't see the point. I can get a new Source Four for ~$320 for 19 degree through 50 degree. Add another $5 for a stage pin plug - total is $325. That includes bulb, C clamp and gel frame. The lowest price that I saw was $256. So basically about a $70 difference or 80% of new.

What other places might sell used Source Four instruments? Are there any magazines, trade papers that might have listings? If I have to buy new, I'm okay with that - but I figured I'd see what was available on the used market.

 

[ColdFusion13]

You might try Stagelight. About a week ago they were doing a "garage sale." All the used inventory was first come first serve and they had limited inventory, but it might be worth a shot.

 

[Kelite]

I looked at Gearsource, Usedlighting and Lightbroker. I can't see the point. I can get a new Source Four for ~$320 for 19 degree through 50 degree. Add another $5 for a stage pin plug - total is $325. That includes bulb, C clamp and gel frame. The lowest price that I saw was $256. So basically about a $70 difference or 80% of new.

What other places might sell used Source Four instruments? Are there any magazines, trade papers that might have listings? If I have to buy new, I'm okay with that - but I figured I'd see what was available on the used market.

I think the trick is this- ETC Source Four fixtures have set an industry standard and when used in theater or other live event, it's hard to tell old from new. If the used units are in good working order, they command a strong secondary market price.

My humble opinion-

 

[JD]

For the difference in price, buy new. You never know what problems you are inheriting. There is a reason they are being sold, and it's not due to obsolescence. One has to figure that there may be trouble with the unit, so it is being purged.

About the only time you may get a good price on a used S4 is if a company is going out of business or bankrupt, and you happen to be at the auction and no one else knows what they are looking at. Once such units are picked up by a used gear vendor, they will sell them at what they know is the market available price.

I remember back in the 80s, I was at a yard sale and picked up a mint condition Crown DC300 for $15. (They were going for $750 back then.) It is the only time in over 40 years I had that kind of luck. I suspect the same odds for finding an S4 cheap.

 

[JohnD]

With quite a bit of effort you MIGHT find a deal on ebay. You have to be careful about shipping and HANDLING charges, and take a good look at the pictures. As JD says, be aware of repair expenses, a socket is about twenty bucks, but a reflector is $ 75+. I have seen a few S4 bodies, or body plus shutter barrel at somewhat reasonable prices, just add lens tube which also seem to be sometimes available for reasonable rates. One thing to consider is that someone on this forum(can't remember who, but they worked at a large venue IIRC) bought some from 4Wall/usedlighting.com and when they received them, some of them were new in box, and the rest were in great shape.

 

[derekleffew]

Sources for Used Equipment - ControlBooth lists almost all of the avenues. I don't know of any "secret alley."
.

 

[JLNorthGA]

Sources for Used Equipment - ControlBooth lists almost all of the avenues. I don't know of any "secret alley."
.

I was hoping for lower prices. Looks like $250 is the lowest. At that rate, I'll buy new.

 

[Call911]

Check Craigslist. You never know what you'll find. I found a bar selling some etc pars they didn't want any more. Got a dozen for $100. He obviously didn't know what he had. They just needed a little cleaning. And only one had a bad lamp. My best lucky save to date.

 

[len]

I find that ebay has barrels and bodies, and the odd full fixture, but there is SELDOM a used lens tube by itself. And when they are available, they're nearly the price of new, and sometimes more As with any used transaction, shop carefully, read all the words, etc. I won't buy unless I can get them for under $200 INCLUDING shipping, and those are fairly rare. You have to be willing to do some maintenance work on them. And it also helps to remind the shipper to remove the lamp before shipping. Cleaning out a broken lamp is a time-consuming job.

IMO, if you need X quantity right now, you're just better off buying new from a decent retailer.

 

[StNic54]

Does Barnum and Bailey sell off gear every year or so? I used to hear about that, not sure if they still do.

 

[JD]

Just saw this:

Wybron Closes Doors After 35 Years of Innovation in Stage Lighting Industry | News content from Live Design Magazine

I would assume they will auction off inventory.

 

[SteveB]

Wonder what's going to go on the front of an S4 Revolution ?.

 

[sk8rsdad]

Wonder what's going to go on the front of an S4 Revolution ?.

My guess would be nothing. If there's a next-gen Revolution it would likely get the S4 LED Lustr+ engine and won't need a scroller. If ETC is true to form, they will be doing a last time buy on Wybron scrollers for maintenance inventory.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

But hey, used 360Q's can be had for $50 a pop, sometimes less!

 

[gafftaper]

But hey, used 360Q's can be had for $50 a pop, sometimes less!

And there are a LOT of theaters out there that still have dozens of 30 year old 360Q's as a regular part of their inventory. There's no such thing as a good deal on a used S4 because anyone with half a brain hoards every old lighting instrument they ever get into their inventory until it's completely useless.

 

[techieman33]

But hey, used 360Q's can be had for $50 a pop, sometimes less!

In that same vein you can find used shakespeares for pretty good prices at times on ebay.

 

[Les]

In that same vein you can find used shakespeares for pretty good prices at times on ebay.

That is true. I've been seeing them for about $100 each lately. Not as good as a Source Four, but I'd say $100 is pretty fair. I'd snatch them up for an upcoming project, except I need 18-20 units and I don't have the money for that many (I want to buy all at once, all same age/batch). Realistically, I'll probably try to find some 360Q's.

Keep in mind that I'm not the OP... Merely a hijacker of this thread.

 

[DELO72]

Try rental companies-- (ie. 4Wall, PRG, Upstaging, etc.) They tend to a) do a good job of maintaining their stock, and b) occasionally look to turn over older inventory through offering deals and use that money to buy new ones to keep their inventory in good rotating condition. Similar to how Rental Car companies do it with vehicles.

 

[SteveB]

That is true. I've been seeing them for about $100 each lately. Not as good as a Source Four, but I'd say $100 is pretty fair. I'd snatch them up for an upcoming project, except I need 18-20 units and I don't have the money for that many (I want to buy all at once, all same age/batch). Realistically, I'll probably try to find some 360Q's.

Keep in mind that I'm not the OP... Merely a hijacker of this thread.

I'd pay a lot more for a used S4 then any priced Shakespeare. If they were free I'd still donate them to a lost cause and take the tax write off.

I owned approx. 60 of these, till giving them to the Dept of Theater and replacing with S4's

So, sorry if Altman has to hear this.....

The sockets suck. With an OSRAM/Sylvania lamp and socket, you still get pitting and lamp failure.

The fixture has - for some unknown reason, a lens forward of the gate, but not part of the lens tube. Access to this lens is a PITA should you desire to clean it.

The gobo slot, as opposed to the accessory slot, is too tight to easily take a gobo. If the gobo is anything other then spanking new and should the gobo have sections that are not flat (complicated leaf breakup ?), the gobo will catch while going into the slot.

The gel frame retaining clip is spring loaded and does not fold back out of the way, as does the S4. This is a PITA if these are boom units needing a color change. I ended up snapping off the spring. The clip still locks down, but can be left up as needed.

Alignment is dismal and difficult. Granted that an S4 isn't that great either, but given all the other issues......

Other then that, they were OK.

 

[Les]

I'd pay a lot more for a used S4 then any priced Shakespeare. If they were free I'd still donate them to a lost cause and take the tax write off.

I owned approx. 60 of these, till giving them to the Dept of Theater and replacing with S4's

So, sorry if Altman has to hear this.....

The sockets suck. With an OSRAM/Sylvania lamp and socket, you still get pitting and lamp failure.

The fixture has - for some unknown reason, a lens forward of the gate, but not part of the lens tube. Access to this lens is a PITA should you desire to clean it.

The gobo slot, as opposed to the accessory slot, is too tight to easily take a gobo. If the gobo is anything other then spanking new and should the gobo have sections that are not flat (complicated leaf breakup ?), the gobo will catch while going into the slot.

The gel frame retaining clip is spring loaded and does not fold back out of the way, as does the S4. This is a PITA if these are boom units needing a color change. I ended up snapping off the spring. The clip still locks down, but can be left up as needed.

Alignment is dismal and difficult. Granted that an S4 isn't that great either, but given all the other issues......

Other then that, they were OK.

Hah, fair enough . I've seen it from both ends of the spectrum. I worked in a Shakespeare-equipped theatre which I wished had Source Fours instead, and I've worked in a church where I would've traded the 360Q's for even Shakespeares any day. I like 360Q's, but their fleet just didn't agree with me for some reason.

The aforementioned theatre went about 15 years before socket issues started popping up, which I consider to be a standard lifespan, which makes me wonder about the issues you had with the Osram sockets. The Shakespeare has decent ventilation, and I've seen more barbaric fixtures with sockets that lived good, long lives. One gripe I continuously had about the Shakespeare was the removable shutters. They removed too easily -- trying to pull the shutter and you end up with the entire blade out of the fixture... Kind of a pain when you're on a dark catwalk. I did appreciate their thumb screws on the accessory gate (but I wished they were captive. No telling how many I lost), and I wonder why it took ETC so long to implement that.

So to cut my hijack as short as possible; the Source Four is absolutely better, but given a low, non-negotiable budget and the need to quickly fill a theatre full of lights (in my case, a very small temporary space with a 5-year max lifespan until a PAC is built), I would consider them. They wouldn't be my first choices, but if someone had a pile to unload at some very reasonable prices...