Is there a quality gold machine thats a "step up" from the Gold Bug Pro?

[DizzyDigger]

Is there a quality gold machine that's a "step up" from the Gold Bug Pro?

Planning on ordering the Gold Bug Pro in the next day or so, but have just now
found that I might be able to add as much as another $1k to my poke, which would
give me closer to $1800 to spend on a gold nugget hunter.

Is there a machine that is superior in gold finding ability (to the GBPro), and that
is priced in-between the GBPro and say the Minelab GPX 4800?

I know that I'd do fine with the GBPro, but just wanting to check and make sure
that I'm not missing the boat on a superior machine in the $1500-$1800 price range.

Any suggestions? I don't care to buy used, this time, as I'm planing for the next
machine to be a used GPX 5000...purchased with the proceeds of the finds from
the machine I'm buying now.

 

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[bug]

I would seriously consider finding a used minelab GP300 or 3500!!
Best bang per dollar on those units. Unless you have a serious nugget garden loaded with gold, the 5K will be hard to pay off.

 

[Ausgoldhunter]

Whites GMT, or as above GP GPX minelab series, The Whites TDI series are okay.. not the best but a hell of a come down on price compared to minelab machines.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Thanks for the responses gents!

I had looked at the Whites units during my initial research, and while I think they're
fine machines, the areas I'll be hunting in are likely best suited to the abilities of
the GB Pro.

Bug, I gotta agree with ya there. A used Minelab might be a great option, but
I'm just not a big fan of buying used gear, and much prefer to buy new, and then
resell later when I want to move up.

Does seem as if there's a bit of a gap in the market, don't it?

Decided to stick with the GB Pro, and use the leftover to get one of the Large
Royal Drywashers. Been wanting one, and now would be a perfect time to add one
to my gear. The GB Pro has a great rep, and it won't be the first Fisher machine I've
owned (along with 2 White's, 1 Compass and 3 Garrett's in the past)

Just tonight I finished building a lightweight, portable trommel that can classify material
down to 1/4"- about as fast as I can feed it, so the drywasher is going to really compliment
the gear I've got now. Only thing remaining is finding a place to work, and that process is also
underway.

No doubt it's gonna take awhile to find $7k worth of nuggets, and the GPX 9000
Series may be out by then..lol Truthfully, I'm retired and can spend days on end
nugget shooting so long as my health will tolerate the exercise and camping out
again. The GB Pro should not be difficult to master within a few days, and once
we are "as one", that little machine and I are going to get busy and find as many
pickers and little nuggets as it takes...

 

[Hoser John]

It's NOT the machine---it's the man behind the machine that makes all the difference in the world. I know folks who have GBPro and found over $10,000 in a very short period of time and there aare some who traded them off as too hard to learn. One mans dream is yet anothers nightmare. NEVER ever buy any piece of equipment without using one awhile prior to spending your hard earned cash. Not 1 man in a 1,000 -that's experiended detectorists-sticks to nugget shooting. John

 

[63bkpkr]

Best Gold Machine

DD aka Mike,
I know nothing about the GB Pro! I used to own the original GB and could not recommend it. Looking at Fishers site I see they have several more expensive machines than the Pro one of them being the GB 2. For the GB Pro there is a choice of two coils, the little one and the big one, if you've open country with very little obstructions then possibly the large coil would be worthwhile having along??!

I would suggest PMing Lanny as well as Terry Soloman and maybe even Steve Herschbach(sp?) to harvest the fruit from their combined knowledge tree's. You have a real adventure upcoming so might just as well pull out all the stops to make certain you purchase the best unit possible with accessories. Best of Success with your Quest............63bkpkr

As has been mentioned, once you own it learn it and then put it over some gold.

Then again, seeing as how you are in Concrete and in Wa State IF you are detecting in Wa, maybe the GB Pro and the MD 20??!! You know the country you are going into and maybe the little fella would be a good companion. Ask the three guys above

 

[Lanny in AB]

A lot depends on your ground conditions.

When I first started chasing nuggets in earnest, the ground was so hot in the area I chose that VLF's were useless--let me say that again--useless. So, I rented a Minelab 2100, and it would handle the ground better, but not with perfection.

It did work though--so I bought one.

However, I found out from a fellow nugget hunter that with a salt coil it would handle the extremes much better. Nonetheless, with the 2100 I was able to hunt that horrible ground and find many gorgeous character nuggets that everyone else with VLF's had left behind as they were unable to hunt in that ground.

So, it depends as well on how mineralized your ground is where you're hunting when you're considering price and need. A used 2100 or 2200, well, you could probably get one in that new price range of yours if you need a pulse machine. PM Jim Hemmingway about his TDI Pro (a pulse machine as well, I believe), as it's in your new price range, and you won't have to buy used, but you can get a brand new PI unit.

As far as a better VLF--maybe and maybe not, but price should not be your best indicator of success. A lot of fine nugget hunters are experiencing success with the new Bug Pro, and with the Bug 2, so maybe you should order that Bug Pro and get a couple of coils, some great headphones, a first-class pin-pointer, a proven pick with a supermagnet, and then you'll get good use from your extra money.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[DizzyDigger]

Gentlemen, the additional advice is most appreciated!

John: I would tend to agree with you, however I've been a desert nut all my life, and before moving
to WA used to regularly head out from So. Cal. and camp on my own for days on end over in Nev. and
the Calif higher desert areas around Ridgecrest, Little Lake, etc. Hunted coyotes and bobcats at night,
and spent many an afternoon taking my fanny pack (water and chow) and hiking around the washes and
open desert areas, hoping to eyeball interesting goodies of all kinds.

Oddest find was a beautiful 1917 Wheatie that was sitting right on top of of the sand, and
along an edge that sloped right off into a wash. How the hell it got there I'll never know, and
I sat there on the edge of that wash for a good 20 min. just thinking of what path that penny
took to be lying out in plain sight, and in a remote area that was a good mile from any trail.

Been detecting all my life, so I should be able to settle right into the GB Pro. Used to hunt with
a couple younger guys (I was 45 and they were in their 20's), and they nicknamed me "Diehard",
simply because I was the first one out in the field, and the last one to quit when it got too dark
to see any more. Plan here is to enjoy myself, and really take my time poking around the washes
and areas that look promising. I'll hunt hard, but intend to enjoy the journey as much as finding the
nuggets themselves.

I'm only 54 and life's beat the crap outta me, this damn disease has stolen most of my
hearing, and now it's taking my balance so covering uneven ground requires a walking stick
or I fall on my arse too much. Spending this time down in NV is living a dream, for me, and
being the stubborn SOB that I am, I'm going to go and enjoy every second of it. If I find
a nugget or two, that's awesome, and if I don't..well, I doubt I'll enjoy the trip any less.
I know the machine can do it, and I can still hear well enough to hear any changes in a
threshold tone. If I come up with bupkiss I'll just do more research and hunt harder
the next trip...

63: I won't be detecting much in WA, and if I do it will probably be some relic hunting
at very old logging camp sites. I know there's other good multi-purpose VLF machines
out there, but I believe the GB Pro is built first as a gold nugget hunter, where some
others offer it as simply one of the operating modes. The vast majority of the use will
be nugget shooting in NV or down in the So. Cal. desert where a friend has several
claims.

Lanny: Thanks for the reply, and yes sir, I am planning on using as good of gear as I
can afford. Have a Apex 18-inch Badger LT on order, along with some decent snake
leggings (ain't as quick as I used to be), and will be ordering some Black Widow
Headphones and a Garrett Pinpointer along with the GB Pro. Bart has given me an excellent
price for the combo, so as far as choosing the machine, and digging gear I'm all set.

BTW, fully agree with you about it being the "detectorist" and not so much the
machine itself. With the Black Widow's I should be able to easily distinguish
the slightest change in that threshold, and I'm sure the machine and I will
be getting along quite well after just an hour or two.

Thanks again for all the great recommendations, and now it's just a matter of
putting the rest of the funds together and getting it ordered.

 

[63bkpkr]

DD, sounds like a good rig for the country you are going into! I understand about being out there to just enjoy 'there' and anything the detector picks out is just added incentive. Best of success with your quest............63bkpkr

 

[Mortamus]

Steve's Guide to Gold Nugget Detectors

 

[Oakview2]

TrinityAU, Ray Mills, can give you some great pointers on the GB pro and has plenty of articles in the IMCJ