Minelab GPX 5000 in Northern California

[Shastasage]

Hello,

I am fairly new to N. California ( Mt. Shasta Area ) and want to do some local gold panning and metal detecting.

I am considering the Minelab GPX 5000. But recently i was talking to an guy who was very knowledgable about the area gold and he
said he thought the Minelab wouldn't work well in the area because it is so mineralized.
Thoughts?

Also they have come out with quite a few detectors in a short period of time. It seems like the 5000 has been out for at least a year.
I worry about spending all that money and next month Minelab comes out with the 5500 that out dates the 5000.
Any thoughts about if my paranoia is accurate?

Years ago i talked to a gentleman who is known in the gold mining community...he had three different Minelab models at the time.
He said he doesn't care what the price is or if they come out with a new one as he makes the cost of the detector back so fast with these machines
that i shouldn't worry about it. Do you beleive this holds true today?

Lastly...i am in California but don't want to pay the $500 sales tax on this baby. Any recommendations on who i might buy from?
Ebay has some really nice combo packs...and some mining stores have some free stuff with FREE lessons.
Any thoughts on this or any of my questions would be well appreciated!


Thanks:-)

Shastasage

PS am i correct in thinking i can also use this machine for coins and relics and beach combing?

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

You wont be sorry going with either the GPX 4800 or the 5000 if Gold searching is your objective. I have yet to have any problems with either machine in any high mineralized soil around the country. There people I know who bought these machines from me, that have paid for their machine in gold finds in 1 week. If you need any info, feel free to call us toll free at

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[minerjoe]

Well a newbie to shasta? I was born and raised there and i will say anything else will not be worth crap. I use a 4500 and a t2 i got them both from new england detectors and love them! each has its stong points, and there is NO do it all detector. Call andrew and tell him you want a good deal on two and i bet he'd set you up at dang near the price of one gpx5000. Other than the fine gold timings, i dont see any big difference really, between the 4500 and th 5000. I guess i'm partial to the 4500 being i know it so well now. The ground you have there is no worse than it is anywhere else in ca, but i run a 4500 really quiet with a dd coil. ANY mono coil gives you fits in some spots. Mine really doesn't like andasite, but you just learn to disregard those signals. I've got gold all over there. You can target sierra pacific land and go quiet. You'll never have a problem, just dont make it obvious what you're doing. The T2 is one of the best coin shooting detectors out there and it is very easy to set up and figure out. In one year i've found ten times what it cost to by these two detectors! There is gold up the south fork, for panning to start, and keep heading west and south. picyune creek has some. Dale creek, gumboot cr, man so many others. Just do some research and you'll do well. If you do get a detector, shoot me a message and i'll show you what i know. take care.

 

[Shastasage]

Well i am not sure i am a newbie to Shasta. I discovered it in 1990 and drove here every summer from Upstate NY for 17 years and have lived here for almost two years now.
We love it here. Winters are a little long but we had long and colder winters in Central NY.
I ended up buying a detector (Minelab GPX 5000) from Mike at Woodland. He was on me right away when i posted...and followed through to the sale.
Took it out in the back of our 2.5 acres and thought something was wrong with it...until i started diggin. Had no idea there was so much trash on the property.
Glad to know the ground here is not any worse than anywhere else in CA.
My biggest issue seems to be that i dont want to tread on others property and get in trouble. But from the few i have talked to who are decent people, they dont seem to have an issue with it if the area hasnt been worked in a long time or has absent owners.
The idea that you found 10 times what you paid for the detectors in 1 year gets me excited. I keep hearing stories like that..now i am am ready to be one of those stories:-)
Thanks for all your help and any more that might come my way!

 

[minerjoe]

Well, nope thats not a newbie. I just know almost everyone over there thats all! Ha ha. Small town USA! I was actually happy to get out of there when i left in 99' I always panned for gold and dredged a few times on the Klamath in december, so you can imagine i had my filll of dredging before i discovered the fun side of it. We also dredged crow creek and and the main stem sac. I really got serious on gold till i moved to Graeagle. There was so much more history over here with all the old towns and stuff. So, after i got really good i went back over to visit, and realized there was a bunch right under my nose! If you're worried about getting in trouble join the new 49ers. They have lots of land on the klamath and salmon rivers. Membership is good for life. I'll send you a few spots by p.m. I should be back over in the next week or so, maybe i can get you out somewhere. Besides i want to see just how much better the 5k is over the4500!