What happens to your basses when you die?

[jeffbonny]

Redoing my will and I'm trying to decide what to do with my basses when I'm gone. What are you doing with yours?

(and NO, I'm not leaving them to you!)

[Kwesi]

Leave them to a good bass buddy or have them sold for money to give to family and/or friends.

[Art Araya]

Leave em to someone who's going to play them, I'd say. Otherwise your family will get them and keep them as a keepsake of you or sell them for less than they are worth.

[capnsandwich]

I'd say leave them to your family so they can keep them as a memory of you or sell them to help pay off the funeral.

[musicman666]

I'm taking mine straight to hell with me!

[sratas]

My basses are only useful tools, my own music in the only thing that matters. Basses and gear: let the family sell them and buy other things. My music: when I wrote it, I imagined that, one day, my son(s) and maybe even other generations would like to hear their dead relative. Before this moment, I imagine myself, old and deaf, in my garden while listening to my music and remembering the good old days, it could be a good thing...

[Chef FourString]

Give them to a school, children's music academy, orphanage, after school music programs, stuff like that. That's me though. You could have them buried/burned (whichever you're going for) with you. Not that you will need them for where we are going.

[bassistjoe93]

I'd leave them to family or close friends or something. Someone who will appreciate the memories in it. Put some thought to who you would give them too; at least in my family, if I gave someone my dingwall when I died, it'd get sold for $150 as a broken, crooked fretted guitar!

Or give one to a young, talented kid who is passionate about music but can't afford nicer gear.

[jerry]

I've told my wife and friends to get them to kids who deserve them. My CD collection, the public library.

[jmattbassplaya]

I'll either leave them to my children or to some of my friends on TB - so you guys better start sucking up to me now!

But honestly, the only reason I'd rather not leave them to family is because they'll end up getting sold. I guess that doesn't matter too much, but I'd rather them go to someone who I know who will actually use them and will appreciate me leaving the basses/amps to them.

[Tupac]

Leave them to my family of course, like everything else. I'll let them decide what they want to do with them. Sell, leave for memory, or give to my future children who will hopefully play bass!

[OPBASSMAN1994]

I think I'd leave my most important ones (my first bass, my Jazz that so much of my music has been written on, My white Frankenbass that my grandma got me, and the Rickenbacker that I will have...eventually) to my family as mementos of me, and also to facilitate the bass-related learning of one of my descendants (should they choose to play bass). My non-important ones that I may buy along the way (say, a '62 Jazz that I buy just to record with, or something like that), all go to auctions, the proceeds of which will go to things like children's homes, missionary and relief organizations, struggling music programs, etc.

[stratovani]

I'm leaving all my music gear to my youngest son. He's a bass player, too, and he'll put my gear to good use. Besides, it's not like I'm going to care anyways!

[1SHOT1HIT]

Leave them to my most responsible child, as of now my mother is the executor of my mess-tate.

It was my wife until she became my wonderful EX.

My current g/f will become executor should we ever get married.

So really it's the call of whoever is in charge on the day I pass on. My mother has been made aware that my stuff is to be distributed evenly between my kids.
If one of them plays which I'm sure at least my oldest will still play. Than he'd get the basses and the other kids would get other stuff to even it out.

If anyone fights over it, than I want it all destroyed publicly so they can see just how important material stuff really never was.

[Johnny Crab]

A few of the better ones get given to family members. My daughter has already asked(she plays bass as does my youngest son) if she can have my orange Fame/Hondo with factory Kahler because she loves how it plays and looks. So do I, it is #1 right now.

All of the "budget" basses here that got hours of work to turn into very playable, useful tools get given to deserving children in local high schools or junior colleges. I've met more than a few such young men and women.

[Pilgrim]

Give your family verbal instructions and then chill. If you feel compulsive, leave them a note. If you have valuable instruments, it might help them to know which ones are which.

[alembicguy]

Mine are left to my wife with roundabout values of what they are worth and to do with them as she sees fit.

[pflash4001]

I don't know. I've never died before.

[duderasta]

If my kids aren't into playing, then I will give them to a charity for kids that cant afford them

[bolophonic]

I hope at least some of my gear goes to my son, the rest should be divided up between a couple of my closest musical partners. It is all great sounding gear, but it wouldn't bring in enough to warrant a sale to random outsiders.