Update: Backordered Minelab GPX-4500's


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Montana I dont think there is a shortage in the demand of the 4500, with the world economy being in the toilet and the price of gold at an all time high, and I don't think I have to tell ya there is an explosion of new hunters out there. I think people are realizing there not going to find as much gold out there with common VLF's because a lot of ground has already been hammered with them. But I think if Minelab has decided to not listen to the bean counters and take a fix it now rather than later attitude that says something about their upper management. Id rather be on the waiting list to get a new one than standing in line to get it fixed. :ph34r: Take care AzNuggetBob

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AZnuggetbob. I agree. If there is a problem getting good parts, they shouldn't send them out with bad ones. I'm just saying that it doesn't sound right that it is totally a demand issue. There is more to it I would say. I'm sure there are lots of folks getting into the detecting game. There are 16 less nuggets out there for them to find as of today. I MIGHT have gotten 3 of them with a vlf.----Bob

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Guest Mike C...

Hi all I have a couple of sources who told me that ALL detector sales are way down Including MINELAB because of the economy-go check out some of the other forums-The writings on the Wall-So I say BS on the demand part :spank: -Mike C... :ph34r:

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Hey Mike,

Overall detector sales are probably down compared to the last couple of years. However, several Minelab dealers, including myself can't keep them in stock right now. Regardless of the backorders on the GPX-4500 and SD2200v2, I'm selling a bunch of Eureka's, X-Terra's and even E-Tracs.

A couple of recent customers wanted PI's, but since they are on backorder, they decided to purchase Eureka's to hold them over until the backorders arrive. Many of these detectors are heading South.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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Rob,

Give up on the demand BS, volume is down for everyone. 2 years ago you may have had 25 guys wanting buy 25 new dectors that you gladly sold to them. Today you have 3 maybe 4 guys wanting to by a new detector that you don't have in stock. The fore-mentioned scenario does not equal increased demand, based on the economics that I learned in school. You basically have a supplier that is holding out on supply. That's simply it in a nutshell. <_<

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Guy's

Too many people think they can just go buy the best metal detector on the market and it's a sure thing they will find gold and you all know that's not true.Like it was said gold is up and everybody wants to jump on the get rich quick band wagon.

People will spend their last dime in hopes it will make them rich and maybe in this case it was on a detector.The ones that are doing this buying are the same ones that never had a detector in their hands and buying higher price ones will find more gold in their thinking.

There is gold in the sand dunes and they are called tomb raiders. :rolleyes:

All I want is to let it cool off and the price of gas go lots lower.You lucky dog's that live in Az. and can walk out your back door to nugget hunt.

Chuck Anders

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Chuck I disagree with you that buying a higher end machine will not find more gold. (at least thats the way I read your comment) When I purchased my first Minelab 2000 a higher end machine, I had just moved up from a fisher gold bug a lower end machine. No kidding I more than paid for the new 2000 in two days and I did it hunting old patches that I had already hunted for years with the gold bug and the daily take was getting down to a gram a day if I was lucky. I was no newbe but It was obvious that the 2000 had considerably more depth capabilities than the gold bug. If you wanting to take old patches down to another level, upgrade. I also found gold in a spot that I was sure had gold but could not find any with the gold bug. I had hunted the spot on several occasions. It was one of those places that your just sure has gold., it stank of gold. it was in the middle of a well known gold area, it had all the right indicators. sure enough I took the 2000 in there and started popping nuggets. They were too deep and the ground was to hot for the gold bug. You can find gold with most any detector but there are advantages to owning some of the best detectors out there. Your comment on the the tomb raiders (grave robbers) what ever is a good one but, for those of us that want to keep our heads (literally) I think I'll stick to prospecting, :D Take care Aznuggetbob

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Chuck I disagree with you that buying a higher end machine will not find more gold. (at least thats the way I read your comment) When I purchased my first Minelab 2000 a higher end machine, I had just moved up from a fisher gold bug a lower end machine. No kidding I more than paid for the new 2000 in two days and I did it hunting old patches that I had already hunted for years with the gold bug and the daily take was getting down to a gram a day if I was lucky. I was no newbe but It was obvious that the 2000 had considerably more depth capabilities than the gold bug. If you wanting to take old patches down to another level, upgrade. I also found gold in a spot that I was sure had gold but could not find any with the gold bug. I had hunted the spot on several occasions. It was one of those places that your just sure has gold., it stank of gold. it was in the middle of a well known gold area, it had all the right indicators. sure enough I took the 2000 in there and started popping nuggets. They were too deep and the ground was to hot for the gold bug. You can find gold with most any detector but there are advantages to owning some of the best detectors out there. Your comment on the the tomb raiders (grave robbers) what ever is a good one but, for those of us that want to keep our heads (literally) I think I'll stick to prospecting, :D Take care Aznuggetbob

What I got from Chucks post was that there is more to detecting than having the best gear, you have to know how and where to use it. Gold won't magically appear under your coil just because you wrote a big check. Not that I believe your in that category Bob, it's just how interpreted Chucks post.

-Joe

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Hey Guys,

Dutchman - I guess you really have no idea how many detectors I sell. LOL ... 3-4 ... I sold more than 4 detectors last week. I can tell you that between AZO and I we sell more Minelab PI's than anyone else in the entire US. You should know, I was out just about every weekend during the beginning of the year with customers on the weekends. I think some are just upset that some are still doing good business when the economy is down. Just cause the economy is down don't mean the entire World is broke!

The hotspots for PI orders are California, Nevada, Mexico and some 3-world countries ....

I have to agree with NuggetBob, a GPX-4500 or any other top end metal detector don't guarantee finds. You still have to pass over the gold. A high end detector will help with mineralization, hot rocks, added depth, more user controls and more accessories that could increase performance even more.

A GPX-4500 or any other high end PI in the right locations could mean a bunch of gold really fast. However, the flip side of that coil is a GPX-4500 or other high end PI in the wrong spots an mean no gold!

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

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What I got from Chucks post was that there is more to detecting than having the best gear, you have to know how and where to use it. Gold won't magically appear under your coil just because you wrote a big check. Not that I believe your in that category Bob, it's just how interpreted Chucks post.

-Joe

Hi Joe

if a new guy is to get in this hobby his best bet is to get the right tool for the job. a lot of guys like aznuggetbob have cleaned up alot of ground out there with old and new detectors you need all the help you can get.and if this is what you want to do. if not then go cheap thats how i see it good luck

Lon

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Guest Mike C...
Hi Joe

if a new guy is to get in this hobby his best bet is to get the right tool for the job. a lot of guys like aznuggetbob have cleaned up alot of ground out there with old and new detectors you need all the help you can get.and if this is what you want to do. if not then go cheap thats how i see it good luck

Lon

Hey Lon I can take my vlf behind any of the big guns and find gold---any bets :spank: ---Mike C... :ph34r:

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Hey Lon I can take my vlf behind any of the big guns and find gold---any bets :spank: ---Mike C... :ph34r:

Hey Mike

you kick my but with out the vlf that just goes to show the guy that has the experienced with his detector will :spank: a newbie. but if the newbie wants to get some nuggets they better get the best they can afford. the rest will come with time i got you once :unsure: lol and it felt good :D don't work to hard out there it is hot

Lon

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Hey Lon I can take my vlf behind any of the big guns and find gold---any bets :spank: ---Mike C... :ph34r:

Sure Mike, That's a sucker bet. ;) you can take a gold bug 2 or a whites gold master 2 go slow and pick up fly specks all day long in the right place. great if you want to practice digging holes. you can do the same thing with a gold pan too. You may not agree on this but this works for me, I still use VLF's in the right places. I prefer those machines in area's were most of the gold is small. They are very quick and light machines especially with a small coil on them. but for over all depth and take home weight in gold its hard to beat a PI with a bigger coil. Right tool for the job. Something else I forgot to mention often when I find a new patch I will get out the VLF and hammer it and pick up all the easy ones and then come back later and go after the deeper ones with my PI's. AzNuggetBob

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Hey Guys,

Dutchman - I guess you really have no idea how many detectors I sell. LOL ... 3-4 ... I sold more than 4 detectors last week. I can tell you that between AZO and I we sell more Minelab PI's than anyone else in the entire US. You should know, I was out just about every weekend during the beginning of the year with customers on the weekends. I think some are just upset that some are still doing good business when the economy is down. Just cause the economy is down don't mean the entire World is broke!

Rob, You are right. I shouldn't have tried to pull numbers out of my ass, when I do the numbers always stink. :wacko: Lets use some real figures. How bout sharing with me how many detectors you sold in 2006-2007 VS how many detectors you sold in 2008-2009. I will respectfully decline my argument if you have sold more detectors in 2008-2009. But you have to be honest with me about the numbers. If you don't feel comfortable about sharing the numbers with everyone on this forum, then you can just email them to me and I will keep it between us and confidential. :)

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The economy is bad no doubt, but I knew a sales manager that taught his sales crew a valuable lesson. They were complaining about a slow local economy with the unemployment rate at 10% . The sales manager told them that was great news. That meant that 90% were working and still spending. They went on to have one of their best months ever. Some products continue to sell well even in a bad economy. Some people with their hours cut find themselves with extra time on their hands, and some guys on the forums have even said that this meant more time to go prospecting. The detector market may be one that doesn't suffer as much as say the car market.----Bob

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Guest Mike C...
Hey Mike

you kick my but with out the vlf that just goes to show the guy that has the experienced with his detector will :spank: a newbie. but if the newbie wants to get some nuggets they better get the best they can afford. the rest will come with time i got you once :unsure: lol and it felt good :D don't work to hard out there it is hot

Lon

Hi Lon ya you did kick my butt and that was a nice nugget as well for that paticular area-and I was'nt bragging I was just trying to point out that the PI's do miss gold and every once in a while I like to run my vlf behind my 4000 and pick up the crumbs--I'm starting to get the furness fever---lets get out soon and hit that secret wash again ;):o ---Mike C... :ph34r:

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Hey Guys,

Dutchman - I have no reason to pull anyone's leg on this. My personal sales have increased every year for the last 10 years selling metal detectors. I've had a few average years, but they were still better than the previous one. If sales continue like they have been in the last couple of months, I will easily beat last year’s numbers. When you do something you have a passion for and know very well, you're probably going to do well at it. This is one of the reasons I've been successful along with a handful of other dealers. We have found thousands of gold nuggets, been doing it for 15+ years, know our metal detectors and accessories and this normally means you will do well.

The first couple of years I had to struggle with dealers like myself today. There were dealers that were very experienced and knew all their products very well. I was a newbie trying to compete against these tops dealers. It was hard, but with determination and struggling the first couple of years I was able to get to this point. It took me almost 10 years to become one of Minelab's TOP 10 Dealers in the Country.

Montana - You are very correct saying that some people are making money. I know several guys that are making money hand over fist right now. Just because the economy is down, don't mean everyone out there is broke! I think some people have a problem when others are doing well in hard times like this.

Mike C. - There is no doubt in most places you can come back and find small gold (normally a few grains or less) behind even the top PI's. I will tell you a quick story about a wash I found that had probably 100+ gold nuggets in it.

I located a wash in the Bradshaw Mountains many years ago that was caulk full of gold nuggets. I spent several years in this wash working it with various PI's as they came out. I probably collected over 100 nuggets ranging from a few grains to 1/2 ounces. Do you remember old Brett Foster, famous for his GT160000 find (50+ ouncer)? Well I invited Brett in and he wanted to see what he could find behind me with a Fisher Goldbug II metal detector. At this time Brett's health wasn't the greatest and dragging around a big Minelab wasn't his cup of tea anymore. Long story short, Brett spent several hours in this wash picking up small sub-grain and grain nuggets. I believe he had 27 small gold nuggets in a few hours. I think the total weight was like 22 grains of gold.

During the time he was working that wash, I went over a small ridge and worked some small gullies on the backside. When I returned from prospecting these washes I had 5 nuggets for over 3 Dwt's.

I guess what I'm saying is you can find gold behind the Minelab's, mostly smaller stuff. However, I would rather spend my time and effort looking for new spots after I feel I beat them down with a Minelab PI. I found 3 times as much gold as Brett that day, while he was crumb crunching my old spots with a GB2.

I've found hundreds of those little nuggets with the Goldbug, Goldmaster, Lobo and XT series over the years. I got tired of chasing dinks that I had to retrieve with tweezers and high powered eye glasses. Trust me, I've done it and it was fun at that time, but I've moved onto looking for gold a bit bigger in size.

Take care,

Rob Allison

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Guest Mike C...

Mike C. - There is no doubt in most places you can come back and find small gold (normally a few grains or less) behind even the top PI's. I will tell you a quick story about a wash I found that had probably 100+ gold nuggets in it.

I located a wash in the Bradshaw Mountains many years ago that was caulk full of gold nuggets. I spent several years in this wash working it with various PI's as they came out. I probably collected over 100 nuggets ranging from a few grains to 1/2 ounces. Do you remember old Brett Foster, famous for his GT160000 find (50+ ouncer)? Well I invited Brett in and he wanted to see what he could find behind me with a Fisher Goldbug II metal detector. At this time Brett's health wasn't the greatest and dragging around a big Minelab wasn't his cup of tea anymore. Long story short, Brett spent several hours in this wash picking up small sub-grain and grain nuggets. I believe he had 27 small gold nuggets in a few hours. I think the total weight was like 22 grains of gold.

During the time he was working that wash, I went over a small ridge and worked some small gullies on the backside. When I returned from prospecting these washes I had 5 nuggets for over 3 Dwt's.

I guess what I'm saying is you can find gold behind the Minelab's, mostly smaller stuff. However, I would rather spend my time and effort looking for new spots after I feel I beat them down with a Minelab PI. I found 3 times as much gold as Brett that day, while he was crumb crunching my old spots with a GB2.

I've found hundreds of those little nuggets with the Goldbug, Goldmaster, Lobo and XT series over the years. I got tired of chasing dinks that I had to retrieve with tweezers and high powered eye glasses. Trust me, I've done it and it was fun at that time, but I've moved onto looking for gold a bit bigger in size.

Take care,

Rob Allison

Hi Rob for me its not about finding trophies or wieght but just finding gold---I would rather dig 10 dinks than just one good chunk---I get 10 times the fun that way :blush: Brett told me the story about that 50 oz specie which was at JW's for a long time and he said that he found it with a xt 17000 and that was when the american goldstriker was making its day veiw so minelab made him a poster child they gave him a AGS and if you ever seen that add you'll know what happen from there ;) ---Mike C... :ph34r:

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Do you remember old Brett Foster, famous for his GT160000 find (50+ ouncer)?

As a side bar, was this the fellow that had the front cover of either "Lost treasure" or "Western Treasure" magazine years ago, holding a quarts and gold nugget found somewhere near the Vulture area.

Who ever that was , was a great cover photo, just curious, Wyndham

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Hey Mike,

I do like to find all the small ones also, but I've found so many of those little guys I would rather find the larger ones. It's much easier to sell the smaller gold nuggets under a Dwt in size though.

Are you sure Brett was using the XT17000? I know he was staying at the Bland Mine at that time with Kevin G. I was working the Bland underground with Kevin when Brett came up there to stay for a few months. He was complaining he couldn't find much gold, so Kevin showed him a spot and Brett ended up finding a patch along with the 50 ounce quartz/gold specimen.

This could have been about the time when the XT17000 came out though. I know he had a American Gold Striker, but it also might have been right at the time the XT17000 was released.

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

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Guest Mike C...
Hey Mike,

I do like to find all the small ones also, but I've found so many of those little guys I would rather find the larger ones. It's much easier to sell the smaller gold nuggets under a Dwt in size though.

Are you sure Brett was using the XT17000? I know he was staying at the Bland Mine at that time with Kevin G. I was working the Bland underground with Kevin when Brett came up there to stay for a few months. He was complaining he couldn't find much gold, so Kevin showed him a spot and Brett ended up finding a patch along with the 50 ounce quartz/gold specimen.

This could have been about the time when the XT17000 came out though. I know he had a American Gold Striker, but it also might have been right at the time the XT17000 was released.

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

Hi Rob Brett told me the story about the specie---he said he was using the 17000 and got a Bigggggg signal kicked a rock out of the way and the signal was gone :blink: went back to the rock and Banggggg there it was---he said it was all by its self he did'nt even find another peice at all in that area :blink: did you ever go to JW's and see it when it was there---it was about the size of a small brick and had globs-nuggets sticking out of it all over---it was a something else :blush: ---Mike C... :ph34r:
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Guest Mike C...
As a side bar, was this the fellow that had the front cover of either "Lost treasure" or "Western Treasure" magazine years ago, holding a quarts and gold nugget found somewhere near the Vulture area.

Who ever that was , was a great cover photo, just curious, Wyndham

Nope that was'nt Brett I don't remember the finders name but I think your talking about the vulture specie named Fred--it was round about the size of a baseball and the finder found it with a goldbug :blink: ---Mike C... :ph34r:
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Hey Mike,

It's always interesting to hear about these gold finds and how the stories change. I've heard about three versions, including Brett's.

During this time, Brett was staying in his trailer at the Bland Mine, which is due west of Bumble Bee. I was working with the owner of the mine during this time and we were processing and crushing ore from the main tunnel. Kevin Gillette was the owner of the mine and claims.

Brett gold me it was a single find, but Kevin said it was actually a patch and Brett told everyone it was a lonely find.

Kevin said he originally took Brett to this spot and showed him an exposed quartz vein with a lot of mineralization. He figured it would be a good place to prospect for quartz/gold specimens that may have eroded from this vein a long time ago. Low and behold, Brett found that big specimen.

I know for a fact the evening he found the specimen he came back to camp with the specimen wrapped in his shirt. Kevin said Brett was shaking he was so excited!

Yes, I seen the specimen way before it ever got to JW's shop. I also seen it on display there when JW was asking $250,000 for the piece. Heck, it had some nice chunks of gold, but I could never imagine anyone offering that kind of price for it. My best guess would be maybe a pound of gold within the 50 ounce piece.

Talk with you later,

Rob Allison

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