Hi Gary; welcome to the board! There really wasn't enough information to get a good idea about this bass. We don't know what condition the electronics were in; nor do we know what condition the finish was in. At a grand, this may have turned out to be a good deal; or it may have needed a refinish and new guts; or it may be somewhere in between. But I kinda see what you're getting at. This is the type bass where you might win the auction and ship it straight to Santa Rosa; have them look it over and call you up with the verdict. The nice thing about that is you can get some upgrades while you're there and end up with a really nice and personalized bass.
