Defender Cabinet..How much to pay?

[rurdy4me]

I know of a guy that is willing to get rid of some empty cabinets. He asked me how much I would give for them. I asked him how much did he want, then he again asked me how much do I want to give. So the question is, "How much would you pay for a Defender cabinet?"  I know that some cabinets are worth more than others, but I might have a chance to get some good cabinets at a fair deal...thanks

[Dave_K.]

Well that depends on how "empty" these cabinets are.  Do they have a monitor?  Do they have a power supply? Do they have a control panel?  

If empty means still with monitor and some kind of control panel (probably non-original) then I wouldn't pay more than $150-$200.

BTW: defender cabs have 19" monitor and a very small area for the control panel...barely enough room for 2 players (just just a couple buttons each).  You may want to consider a larger cabinet with larger monitor (like a old Jamma 4 player NBA Jam...they go pretty cheap).

-Dave

[dgodwin]

I paid $175 for a NBA Jam Cabinet that had been converted to a Run and Gun 2.  It was missing the game boards, but everything else was there and in good condition.  The monitor is a front-mounted 25" monitor.  I think I got a pretty good deal.  

As for how much I would pay for an empty cabinet... that depends.  What are your plans?  If you want to restore the defender cabinet to its original form, then you might want to pay to find one in good cindition, with good side art.  If you're planning on making a MAME cabinet, side art might not be important, so you just might want a cabinet that's structurally sound.  You can usually find good cabinets for free, or at least next to nothing from a local collector, or a distributor.  Check around.  I was offered at least 10 different cabinets for next to nothing before I decided to get one with a monitor.  

Daniel