Newbie looking for wisdom! '84 Thunder 1

Hey there!
I've been looking around the Web for information about a bass I have and this seems like one of the better forums to ask!

To clarify, **I'm not trying to find a buyer** - I realise that would put me in breach of ToS!
I just genuinely need help from the community to get an idea of what I'm actually dealing with, so I can give her to someone I know can properly appreciate her, rather than mis-selling a classic vintage to someone who will abuse or forget her - like I did

Unplayed instruments make me sad

All that being said; I have in my cupboard a Red
*'84 Thunder 1 Westone Bass* - given to me as a young musician when I had yet to decide:
"Guitar........or Bass?"

I chose Guitar.....

So I have this Bass, unplayed for at least 20yrs (I think its still strung with the strings it came with!) which as far as I was concerned was a bog standard, basic asf Bass Guitar - I was going to Skip it as I'm running out of space and i didn't think it'd be worth any more than £15/£20....

....but then I happened to catch someone's ad on a website; a Wood Finish Thunder 1 going for *£350*?!

I'd presumed that because the advertisement was for a Wood Finish, rather than painted, *that would be the reason for that Bass' value... BUT then I leaned that Red is a rarer than usual colour for this Instrument?

I did what further digging and found out that the 9 digit serial number starts with the last number of the year of production... Mine starts with a 4, so I'm guessing it's an '84?

I'm guessing it's a Thunder 1 because that's what the headstock plate says

I've seen some go for lots £££ and some for not so much...

What the hell have I got and what the hell do I do with her?!

Any and all help GREATLY APPRECIATED
Many thanks in advance for your time, Guys and Gals

Dusty

Hey Dusty!  It's a 1984, yes.  Condition is important regarding value, as you know.  You'd have to go by what recent sales show, sold sales, obviously, not what they are asking (again, as you probably know).   Sales on these old gals are emotional, largely.  Who knows what someone will pay, it fluctuates according to the collector's need, whim, and cash flow.   

What condition is it in, has it remained non damaged over the years?

Thanks for the reply TC!
She's by no means "mint" but she's not bad..
Minor surface scratches on her face (could/should I T-Cut these?), two small chips out of the paint on the headstock, couple of minor scratches on the Westone badge plate and very grimey..
I'm pretty sure she's even strung with her original strings lol..
the good news is the fingerboard, neck and frets are completely undamaged, the neck is straight and she works just fine mechanically and electronically

Is it the kind of thing I should strip down, clean and Polish or would potential buyers prefer it "as is"?
...I know in the antiques market, cleaning your item is a big no no, so I wasn't sure whether to just leave it "dirty"...

I'd hate to think I'm keeping cooped up, something which is of value to the community..

Many thanks for taking the time to reply, a thousand fortunes upon your household, kind sir!!

Dustisdeadbodies wrote:...Is it the kind of thing I should strip down, clean and Polish or would potential buyers prefer it "as is"?
...I know in the antiques market, cleaning your item is a big no no, so I wasn't sure whether to just leave it "dirty"...

Welcome here man. Gotta say though, your user name makes me shudder a wee bit. The Grim Reaper is over in the corner honing his blade as we speak.

Hey, this ain't no antique we're talking about! Except for the strings which tend to be a personal preference thing, I would certainly not hesitate to get rid of the crud. I think most folks would not look favourably at a dirty automobile for sale, and the same is true of instruments. No one wants to buy finger jam, rust and, um, dust with their purchase unless they've been searching high and low for this particular item and don't care.

Unlike guitar strings, bass strings are expensive and if they're going to be tossed out by the next owner it's a waste all around. I'd clean your originals up with some naptha or such and leave 'em on. But do clean the fret board and polish the frets, hardware, and body. It'll help sell the thing easier.

If you haven't found this already here are a couple of quick references on our website:
DESCRIPTION LINK
CATALOGUE SCAN

Right  on,  clean her up.   A  good clean guitar is a better sale, unless you have some old sweet 60's or 70's Gibson or Fender that people seem to love if they are grimy and beat half to death, lol.    Give her a good clean and set it up on EvilBay.  See what happens!  For a sure sale, and to garner emotional response, start it super low and watch as the bidders have fun with it!  As for a Buy it now" price, I don't know what to say?  Too high and you can come down, but too high over and over again causes folks to lose interest.  What a game it is!

Some folks are asking silly prices on ebay, worth about £150 for a good clean Thunder 1. Red doesn't make it rare. The most sort after Thunder 1 bass are the ash ones with a nice matching/figured grain. Some grains are crap with bits of timber mismatched.

The better Thunder 1's basses are the active/passive version best of both worlds...