Best items you found at thrift stores (Goodwill)?
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LeoFulgencio
Rookie
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
For the first time in about 2 months, the thrift gods were smiling upon me. Picked up these for under 10 each. I think the Wilson Reflex might be my favorite paint job of the Wilson Midsize mold, a quick search of it pulls up some threads where people talk highly of this model. Unlike a lot of other Midsizes from Wilson, this one merely says "Graphite" at the top and says nothing about its material percentage. Anyone know?
Next up is a racket I nearly spent 35 for on the auction site. I've tried the octagonal Bosworth frames before, now time for this Foxy Frame to get some court time.
So usually you see a racket labeled as a "Graphite + blank" ingredient layup. This thing is like "lets just use everything we got in one frame" It's a "Graphite+Boron+Fiberglass+Composite" Surprised they didn't tack on Ceramic for good measure.
Next up is a racket I nearly spent 35 for on the auction site. I've tried the octagonal Bosworth frames before, now time for this Foxy Frame to get some court time.
So usually you see a racket labeled as a "Graphite + blank" ingredient layup. This thing is like "lets just use everything we got in one frame" It's a "Graphite+Boron+Fiberglass+Composite" Surprised they didn't tack on Ceramic for good measure.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Nice finds! Please let me know the Reflex specs and how the Reflex hits? I'm looking at some similar Pro Matrix and Odyssey frames. My GTX 2000 is great, mainly because it's 358g weight is well offset by being 12pt HL strung.
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
I bought both the Matrix and Reflex in high school back in maybe 1989 or so. They were both department store frames that cost maybe $25 each. I preferred the Reflex because it has PWS where the Matrix didn't. There was no bumper guard so the white paint would scrape off and leave black graphite exposed which I didn't like. I probably put some Gamma Guard tape on the head back in those days. They were both good hitting frames but I definitely liked my POG 90 better.For the first time in about 2 months, the thrift gods were smiling upon me. Picked up these for under 10 each. I think the Wilson Reflex might be my favorite paint job of the Wilson Midsize mold, a quick search of it pulls up some threads where people talk highly of this model. Unlike a lot of other Midsizes from Wilson, this one merely says "Graphite" at the top and says nothing about its material percentage. Anyone know?
Next up is a racket I nearly spent 35 for on the auction site. I've tried the octagonal Bosworth frames before, now time for this Foxy Frame to get some court time.
So usually you see a racket labeled as a "Graphite + blank" ingredient layup. This thing is like "lets just use everything we got in one frame" It's a "Graphite+Boron+Fiberglass+Composite" Surprised they didn't tack on Ceramic for good measure.
I found a Head Liquid metal Intruder today. Can't find much info on this racquet. Oversize model. Looks like a stretched out LM MP.
I also saw a couple of Head Radical S frames from a couple of years ago. Pristine shape and $34 each. Is that a good deal? This frame still seems to be well over $100 as a discounted new frame in stores. Thinking about going back and grabbing one for my son as a stepping stone to an adult frame.
I also saw a couple of Head Radical S frames from a couple of years ago. Pristine shape and $34 each. Is that a good deal? This frame still seems to be well over $100 as a discounted new frame in stores. Thinking about going back and grabbing one for my son as a stepping stone to an adult frame.
LeoFulgencio
Rookie
Still only internet buys.
Sorry to one up you @kevin qmto ...
I found a very similar Prince OG.....in a trash can at my local tennis facility
Original fairway grip, no cracks, but had broken gut strings
Took it to my shop and had it restrung and it is totally fine. BEST FIND EVER!
as far as thrift stores, I was in rural central Florida and found a Jack Kramer Autograph wood racquet $10 and had the original case to go over the head. Slightly warped
I found a very similar Prince OG.....in a trash can at my local tennis facility
Original fairway grip, no cracks, but had broken gut strings
Took it to my shop and had it restrung and it is totally fine. BEST FIND EVER!
as far as thrift stores, I was in rural central Florida and found a Jack Kramer Autograph wood racquet $10 and had the original case to go over the head. Slightly warped
Pro Kennex Prima Graphite Ace and a Prince Pesponse 90. Oddly both cases were also there but the racquets were separate. I left the cases since they also had tags on them.
Both of them were pristine with grommets in great shape which is a bit unusual given the age.
Prices are going up. They were $10 each.
Both of them were pristine with grommets in great shape which is a bit unusual given the age.
Prices are going up. They were $10 each.
@kevin qmto I am interested in your take on the Fox WB-215. Let me know how it hits. I've seen people string the racquet like normal and skip the throat part. The way the throat grommets are designed, looks like it can be strung either way.
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
I too have been burned by picking up what looks to be a great stick in a thrift store only to spot a crack in the frame. Hurts me deep inside.
retrowagen
Hall of Fame
Equally frustrating, I’d say, is finding a racquet cover or case for something rather special (i.e., St. Vincent-era Wilson Pro Staff mid, Prince Boron, etc.) with no racquet corresponding to it. We search all over for the racquet, hopeful we’ll find it, but to no avail.
I recently found an all-leather case for a Prince Boron at a local Play It Again Sports shop, even with its leather key fob zipper pull present! I knew exactly what I was looking at, but could not find the racquet it belonged with, anywhere… this got me so flustered, I left the cover behind and went home. Later, I realized I should have just been content with the cover (admittedly quite rare on its own merits; perhaps even rarer than the racquet itself), but when I made a return visit to purchase it, it was gone.
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
Alright, I brought out the Fox to hit with today. I’ll make a video and post it just for you!
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Plainsman83
Rookie
Only one racquet at Goodwill during my monthly visit. It was an aluminum Head Edge, complete with that oh so early 80's white head cover with the red, orange and yellow stripes. This thing was very original, with what appeared to be the factory leather grip and the decals on the plastic throat piece were all intact. This is the third decent condition Head aluminum racquet (complete with head covers) that have been there, the first being a Master and the other a Red Head. Didn't get the first two since I still have my own personal originals from back in the day, but this aluminum Edge had me briefly tempted.
retrowagen
Hall of Fame
Scored a pristine 1983-vintage Max 200g (with equally pristine-looking Babolat head tape on it!), and a nice Prince Magnesium Pro 110 this afternoon; $2.99 each, with original covers!
Still some good ones out there…
Still some good ones out there…
What did you do to deserve such good karma?!
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
Man, talk about lucky break with that 200g.
I found a pretty good shape st. Vincent Jack Kramer staff 85 at Play it again Sports, but at $20 I left it as I already have 3 Wilson Midsize mold rackets laying around that I never use.
was I a fool?
I found a pretty good shape st. Vincent Jack Kramer staff 85 at Play it again Sports, but at $20 I left it as I already have 3 Wilson Midsize mold rackets laying around that I never use.
was I a fool?
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coachrick
Hall of Fame
Careful pulling that tape off!!
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
If the PS125 is still there, I think you should buy it at that price. If you don't subsequently like it, I'll be delighted to offer you $30 plus shipping to the UK if it's in good condition.
atatu
Legend
Posted this in the rackets section hoping I'd get some help identifying it, but anyway today I bought some kind of Head prestige flexpoint racquet on "offer up" it has a glossy black paint job and cap grommets, the pallet is marked TL 82 but the grommets are marked TK 57 B. It has flexpoints but it also has the liquidmetal bumps at 8/10 and 2/4. Not sure if it's a pro stock or just a prototype but it's pretty cool.
https://ibb.co/rpMmtsK
https://ibb.co/rpMmtsK
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
I think that’s a prototype or demo prerelease for the accounts to hit with before it was released.
SlowTiger
Semi-Pro
Flexpoints had the liquid metal and the i.series tech in it. It was like a final push for that generation of adding/tinkering with old stuff before the whipped everything clean with microgel
Plainsman83
Rookie
I made my monthly visit to the Goodwill next to my barber, and they had...nothing...zip...zilch...nada. That is the first time since I joined this thread that they had absolutely nothing. Even if there is nothing interesting you can usually count on at least seeing a cheapo Wal-Mart racquet with broken strings or a warped and cracked 1970's Spalding or something. I had actually gone in with the intention of picking up the aluminum Head Edge I mentioned in my last post but it was obviously sold. I bet it is on fleabay somewhere.
Bagumbawalla
G.O.A.T.
While on vacation- checked out thr local thrift stores. Picked up (so far) 3 rackets.
1. A head Airflow flexpoint with metallix (whatever that is) in fairly good condition with Wilson NXT Tour 17.
2. A Babolat Drive Z-MAX with Zylon Matrix (whatever that is) with quite a bit of wear.
3. A Prince CTS Precision Oversize in good condition, strung with Prince Synthetic Gut.
1. A head Airflow flexpoint with metallix (whatever that is) in fairly good condition with Wilson NXT Tour 17.
2. A Babolat Drive Z-MAX with Zylon Matrix (whatever that is) with quite a bit of wear.
3. A Prince CTS Precision Oversize in good condition, strung with Prince Synthetic Gut.
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
Found this today, might just be the brightest colored candy apple gloss red I've ever seen on a tennis racket. Can't stress enough, this Pro Kennex Encore 60 (anyone know what the 60 stands for? Evidently there's other numbered encores out there) is in fantastic shape. Obviously it spent little time outside its case. Also, it looks nearly identical in shape to my Copper Ace, both rackets say they're a mix of Graphite and Fiberglass. There has to be some difference though, as the Encore 60 weighs 20 grams more and mine are identical in grip size.
they put serial numbers or something on grips lol?
they put serial numbers or something on grips lol?
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Guessing 60% graphite 40% fibreglass (i.e. 36% graphite, 24% fibreglass, 40% epoxy) like many of the other PK made models for Wilson, Prince & Dunlop etc.
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kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
The copper Ace actually gives a percentage (60% graphite, 40% fiberglass), but the Encore does not. I’m guessing it’s going to be different given the slightly heavier frame.
Henry Hub
Rookie
Before covid, the first days of Wimbledon were productive times for a racket collector to be doing the rounds of the charity shops in South West London. Last year was unsurprisingly fallow in that regard and my expectations were accordingly low as the first shop opened its doors to my eager face this morning.
While there was still precious little stock on offer relative to most previous years, this was made up for in variety, with some real curate’s eggs in among them.
After going for a stroll down Worple Road to look at the old pre-1922 home of the tournament (now a local school’s sports ground), I picked up this lovely Max 150G in Wimbledon for a tenner:
I found this Head Genesis 660 (regrettably the IDS version) for a fiver in Church Street. As someone who wielded the Ventoris with varying degrees of success in the early nineties (ie sometimes I couldn’t keep the ball in the same court, at others I couldn’t even keep the ball in the same postcode), I was ever so jealous of the sapphire-blue Genesis which then clocked in at an eye-watering £200. With this behemoth now in my possession, Mars Rovers better watch out for my next mishit…
Just across the road, I found this extremely scarred Fischer for a tenner. If there were ever any decals to identify the model name, these long since lost their battle with the asphalt this racket has been scraped across. Maybe an early Matchmaker?
In Hammersmith, an early Midplus Head Graphite Pro in great nick:
While there was still precious little stock on offer relative to most previous years, this was made up for in variety, with some real curate’s eggs in among them.
After going for a stroll down Worple Road to look at the old pre-1922 home of the tournament (now a local school’s sports ground), I picked up this lovely Max 150G in Wimbledon for a tenner:
I found this Head Genesis 660 (regrettably the IDS version) for a fiver in Church Street. As someone who wielded the Ventoris with varying degrees of success in the early nineties (ie sometimes I couldn’t keep the ball in the same court, at others I couldn’t even keep the ball in the same postcode), I was ever so jealous of the sapphire-blue Genesis which then clocked in at an eye-watering £200. With this behemoth now in my possession, Mars Rovers better watch out for my next mishit…
Just across the road, I found this extremely scarred Fischer for a tenner. If there were ever any decals to identify the model name, these long since lost their battle with the asphalt this racket has been scraped across. Maybe an early Matchmaker?
In Hammersmith, an early Midplus Head Graphite Pro in great nick:
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Wow Henry! Just wow! That Max159G is mint!
Henry Hub
Rookie
Now we come to the curios. From a little place in Mortlake, this Donnay Ghost with its collagen-pumped frame for £5:
And finally, bedfellows in a bucket in a Wimbledon high street shop, these two £5 frames, which I suspect were donated by the same person. He certainly had esoteric tastes…
Deesse Miracle (Automatic? Titanium?). In super condition, offering the prospect of some comedic hitting. I am particularly taken by the previous owner’s ambitions to make this a platform racket, leading him to plaster lead tape judiciously at 3 and 9 and with gay abandon on the buttcap (see photos).
This was the final racket, a frame that our friend above may have transitioned from and decided that, in comparison, the Deesse was a conservative choice.
Weed “The Zone Plus”. The most bonkers racket I have ever seen, it makes the Kuebler Inertial Lite look rapier-like. The face of the racket spans time zones.
I throughly enjoy a good technical decal and this one is a peach. “Allow 1-30 days for your shots to adjust”. I’m guessing the warranty period was less than 30 days, then…
I left behind a Manuel Orantes Slazenger X10 and a Yonex Ezone Lite, among others. I also failed to persuade the good people of two charity shops to sell me a Wilson Roc and 2 Head Speed MPs.
And finally, bedfellows in a bucket in a Wimbledon high street shop, these two £5 frames, which I suspect were donated by the same person. He certainly had esoteric tastes…
Deesse Miracle (Automatic? Titanium?). In super condition, offering the prospect of some comedic hitting. I am particularly taken by the previous owner’s ambitions to make this a platform racket, leading him to plaster lead tape judiciously at 3 and 9 and with gay abandon on the buttcap (see photos).
This was the final racket, a frame that our friend above may have transitioned from and decided that, in comparison, the Deesse was a conservative choice.
Weed “The Zone Plus”. The most bonkers racket I have ever seen, it makes the Kuebler Inertial Lite look rapier-like. The face of the racket spans time zones.
I throughly enjoy a good technical decal and this one is a peach. “Allow 1-30 days for your shots to adjust”. I’m guessing the warranty period was less than 30 days, then…
I left behind a Manuel Orantes Slazenger X10 and a Yonex Ezone Lite, among others. I also failed to persuade the good people of two charity shops to sell me a Wilson Roc and 2 Head Speed MPs.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Great looking 150G. The perfect training stick.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Yeah, I believe Copper Ace is super flexy and fiberglass is slightly lighter than graphite.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Yeah, there are definitely some other rackets from the Taiwan mid-80s stock that have 60 and 80 in their names, and when you dig into the specs you find they're 60% or 80% graphite. Seemed to be the standard gradation. I feel that these mid-range rackets were just churned out in different paintjobs to feed individual market segments. Might have been country specific or even retailer specific. Still great full-weight frames with amazing quality leather grips. I'd be tempted to remove that grip carefullly and put it on a modern stick.
retrowagen
Hall of Fame
It’s my favourite time of the year, when British tennis professionals wish they weren’t British, Southwest London gets surprisingly busy for some reason, and our correspondent @Henry Hub goes on his trad SW London charity shop racquet harvesting expedition!
Some really interesting finds there - the 150G is particularly impressive, and I do love the Head Graphite Pro (and, if you should find it’s getting in the way, I can certainly help store it for you in my cupboard here in California).
The Ghost and Goddess (Deesse)…? Gosh, how weird racquet design was getting in the early 90’s! The Donnay does look like the tennis racquet equivalent of Kim Kardashian’s derrière, and should be the butt of post-hitting clubhouse jokes; or, alternately, a strange Belgian design made of sausages, the (snicker) wurst piece of tennis equipment I’ve seen lately.
Some really interesting finds there - the 150G is particularly impressive, and I do love the Head Graphite Pro (and, if you should find it’s getting in the way, I can certainly help store it for you in my cupboard here in California).
The Ghost and Goddess (Deesse)…? Gosh, how weird racquet design was getting in the early 90’s! The Donnay does look like the tennis racquet equivalent of Kim Kardashian’s derrière, and should be the butt of post-hitting clubhouse jokes; or, alternately, a strange Belgian design made of sausages, the (snicker) wurst piece of tennis equipment I’ve seen lately.
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Henry Hub
Rookie
Punderstruck!
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
Ok. I thought I had cured my addiction and I had given away or sold many of the racquets I’d acquired.
I freely admit I’m a flipper. I don’t have any intentions of collecting. I only sell to either make money (1st priority) or get into the hands of a collector.
These last few I’ve paid a premium for. I’m not even ashamed….
At Play It Again Sports I’ve found an early 4 strip POG 90 that’s likely on its first string job. Has a 4 1/2 grip where the leather was removed, a grip sleeve was installed, and it had gauze tape over a deteriorated black gooey mess. I’ve now removed that stuff down to the pallet. It’s a solid 8/10 frame with great bumper and grommets and just a few blemishes (chip or scrape). I paid $21 but I had used this very racquet for close to 30 years. I’m not burley enough these days but I’ll likely put a grip on it and give it a go.
I also bought a Yonex Rexplay 440 that is strung and in like new condition. I cannot find a single blemish. I’ve never in my life hit with a Yonex. I’m almost ashamed to have written that. This one needs an overgrip because the actual grip is dry and hard. I’ll try not to touch the court. It’s nearly perfect! I paid $13.
The two expensive ones cost me $130 for the pair. I know! I know! My wife knows too!!!! I picked them up on Friday and sold them yesterday for $500 plus shipping for the pair. They were in fabulous shape. Wilson K90 Tour racquets (340g version). My wife stopped complaining….
What else?
Oh I picked up a Prince Hybrid Hornet O3 that had a broken string and a split portion of the bumper. It had head tape on it and is a solid 8/10. I paid $3.50.
@retrowagen
I’ve got a 4 5/8 Head Graphite Professional 89.5 that says Mid-Plus and is black with some gray stripes and red accents. Do you know this one? I think I paid $15 for it. Grommets are cracked and it’s a bumperless frame; only grommet strips. It also had head tape used on it so aside from the tape residue, it’s in very good condition.
Dang those K90 racquets pulled me back into the thrift search game…. Ugh!!!! I thought I was cured!
I’ve also found and sold to local kids some Babolat Pure Drive Lite frames.
I freely admit I’m a flipper. I don’t have any intentions of collecting. I only sell to either make money (1st priority) or get into the hands of a collector.
These last few I’ve paid a premium for. I’m not even ashamed….
At Play It Again Sports I’ve found an early 4 strip POG 90 that’s likely on its first string job. Has a 4 1/2 grip where the leather was removed, a grip sleeve was installed, and it had gauze tape over a deteriorated black gooey mess. I’ve now removed that stuff down to the pallet. It’s a solid 8/10 frame with great bumper and grommets and just a few blemishes (chip or scrape). I paid $21 but I had used this very racquet for close to 30 years. I’m not burley enough these days but I’ll likely put a grip on it and give it a go.
I also bought a Yonex Rexplay 440 that is strung and in like new condition. I cannot find a single blemish. I’ve never in my life hit with a Yonex. I’m almost ashamed to have written that. This one needs an overgrip because the actual grip is dry and hard. I’ll try not to touch the court. It’s nearly perfect! I paid $13.
The two expensive ones cost me $130 for the pair. I know! I know! My wife knows too!!!! I picked them up on Friday and sold them yesterday for $500 plus shipping for the pair. They were in fabulous shape. Wilson K90 Tour racquets (340g version). My wife stopped complaining….
What else?
Oh I picked up a Prince Hybrid Hornet O3 that had a broken string and a split portion of the bumper. It had head tape on it and is a solid 8/10. I paid $3.50.
@retrowagen
I’ve got a 4 5/8 Head Graphite Professional 89.5 that says Mid-Plus and is black with some gray stripes and red accents. Do you know this one? I think I paid $15 for it. Grommets are cracked and it’s a bumperless frame; only grommet strips. It also had head tape used on it so aside from the tape residue, it’s in very good condition.
Dang those K90 racquets pulled me back into the thrift search game…. Ugh!!!! I thought I was cured!
I’ve also found and sold to local kids some Babolat Pure Drive Lite frames.
graycrait
Legend
I hate you!
But congratulations anyway. I haven't been in a thrift store looking for a racket for a long time as the pickings are pretty slim in the "tennis" desert I live in. I told myself I was going on a racket buying moratorium for year but that resolution was short lived as I am waiting for a Gamma F.9 Diamond Fiber OS just to run it against my Head 107s.
I used to snag a neat racket every once in a while in the local thrift shops, once a very nice Chicago Pro Staff, but I gave up looking a couple of years ago. Now I am going to have to look around again. I do know a guy who has a "pile" Asian K90s. Are those worth serious money too?
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
I think so. If in good condition. Look on the bay. I was surprised. I had walked to my car and then went back for them after a quick look on that auction site. I then looked at my daughter and said, "Don't tell Mom. I'm going to buy those racquets." I knew her mother was going to find out because she does the finances.I hate you!
Gamma F.9 Diamond Fiber OS just to run it against my Head 107s.
I used to snag a neat racket every once in a while in the local thrift shops, once a very nice Chicago Pro Staff, but I gave up looking a couple of years ago. Now I am going to have to look around again. I do know a guy who has a "pile" Asian K90s. Are those worth serious money too?
I was thinking of you earlier b/c that POG is a 4 1/2. It's in nice shape too. It has Babolat Xcel Premium strings in it. There's a sticker inside the frame that says it was strung 9/13/88 at 60lbs but doesn't say what string was used. I was trying to figure out how long that string has been manufactured but then realized this forum was started in 2004, I think. My search skills then lost their interest. I'll need someone with early string experience who might know how long Babolat has made Xcel Premium or was it made in 1988. @jim e or @Irvin may know. It seems odd the grommets have little wear and I can read the print on the strings but crazier things have happened. I didn't need my readers either!
graycrait
Legend
Don't bother with me concerning that POG 90. I traded my 4 4-stripes to the guy who has the Asian K90s. I had 5 more of various vintages. We did a 22 for 22 racket swap several years ago. He got a pile of Princes and I got a pile of very interesting mostly late model rackets, which I ended up giving them all away. Right now I am kind of warming up to the idea of acquiring a couple Babolat PD Cortex Teams and one more APD Cortex Team. That Team weight is a nice mass to add a bit here and there if one wants to but in my case I can swing them a bit faster/easier than my standard PD and APDs, all Cortex. It is hard for me to look in the mirror and say I like the PD and APD with a straight face, but I do.
I do like my Twistpower X97s though. My Volkl Tour 10 Mids are in the mix as well. The only rackets I really regret parting with are a group of Pure Storm GTs that other people talked me out of due to my "easy" nature
I was looking at the Solinco Blackout 300 specs ...sigh....
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vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
That Graphite Pro you have is a first addition American 1986 Graphite Pro. For the model year 1987 it was changed to turquoise, added ceramic to the layup and made famous by David Wheaton
kevin qmto
Hall of Fame
Alright, I think I've been cheating recently by going to Play it Again Sports, so here's a honest find from a Goodwill. For $3.67 tax included I picked up this Dunlop Max Impact Mid. It's not a museum piece, and it was unstrung, so I put in some Gamma Livewire 17 @55lbs. Will hit with tomorrow. These were made when, early 90s right? Anybody use em?
what the hell is sorbothane anyways?
Dat constant taper yo. Constant Beams are for suckas right?
what the hell is sorbothane anyways?
Dat constant taper yo. Constant Beams are for suckas right?
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vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
That racket is from 1989. Dunlop’s first line of widebodiesAlright, I think I've been cheating recently by going to Play it Again Sports, so here's a honest find from a Goodwill. For $3.67 tax included I picked up this Dunlop Max Impact Mid. It's not a museum piece, and it was unstrung, so I put in some Gamma Livewire 17 @55lbs. Will hit with tomorrow. These were made when, early 90s right? Anybody use em?
what the hell is sorbothane anyways?
Dat constant taper yo. Constant Beam's are for suckas right?
