Anyone ever buy their own gear back...?

I do a lot of trading, swapping, bartering, etc for basses and gear in general. Anyways, a few months ago I had this pretty Washburn bass hanging in the rack that hadn't been played in quite a while. Well, figured I post it up on CL for sale or trade. I get this call from a guy a few days later saying he'd like to trade this Squier bass for my Washburn. Normally, I'd say "thanks, but no...", however I know this guy. I asked him where it was made? He replies "Korea". I reply, "okay sure, let's do it".

I know enough about Korean made Squiers to know it's going to be a great bass despite the Squier brand. Sure enough, I get it home, plug it in and it's a keeper. Not in bad shape for a bass that's been played heavily since 1992. This guy is a bass player for a solid local band called Cadillac Overdrive.
Fast forward four months. I start looking at the basses hanging either in racks or propped up in my floor stand and this Korean Squier has a little dust on it. I'm looking for cash for a new pedal, so post it up on CL for "x" amount of dollars.
Not ten minutes later I get this phone call from Andrew (the guy I swapped basses with) and he says, "...dude, is that the bass I traded you for a while back?!"

I reply, "...yes it is, why?"
He says, "I'll buy it back from you today..." He sounded a little desperate

I offer to just swap the Washburn back for the Squier, but he apparently likes the Washburn as well. Long story short, he ended up buying his own bass back. I've never done that, or seen it happen (other than people finding their stolen gear in a pawn shop).
As he's standing in my workshop I ask him, "...why did you swap that bass in the first place?"
He states, "...well, I wanted to try something different and I'd been playing that same bass for a long time. I actually regretted it as soon as I got home, although that Washburn is pretty sweet..."
I don't know if that tinge of guilt I felt when he handed me cash for his old bass was justified or not.

I guess the morale of the story is: if your gut says DON'T DO IT- DON'T. However, I'm glad he's got his 'old dependable back' and I can head over to my local guitar shop and get this pedal I've been eyeballing for the last month now.

H


Post Scriptus: Totally unrelated to post above, but I got to catch the Eagles in San Antonio this past week. Awesome show. It was called "The History of the Eagles" Tour. They brought back all their original players except for Randy Meisner (who they wished well and stated on stage that "where ever you are we wish you the best") Those guys played for an hour, took a 10-15 break and played for another 3 hours. Great show for a band that's been together for 42 years.

 

Admittedly, I'm not that bright, but what does, "...you do know this is the DB side--yes?" mean? And, yes, another admission: I'm a gear-o-holic. I have 4 basses, that will never leave me, ever. The rest I keep to play around with, do mods, pick up on trades, or aquire for a small some of cash just for the heck of it. The fact that I not only have bass gear at home (and stored in my office at work) isn't a bad thing. Listen: I don't drink, don't smoke, or "hang out w/the fellas"- so my wife allows me my one vice: Bass guitars and bass related gear. I supposed I posted this thread simply to see if anyone had ever purchased something BACK that they really didn't want to get rid of/sell in the first place. He was more than happy to have him pay me for his previously owned bass- I even offered to swap back that Washburn, but he decided he liked that one too. His "mea culpa" paid for a pedal and a couple of sets of new strings I hadn't tried before. So we're both happy with the outcome...and that's what it's all about.

BTW, I had a fretless bass not being played that I gave to a local bassist to try out for as long as he liked...not strings attached...no obligation to buy- just for the heck of it. If he wants it, great- we'll work something out. If not, I get the bass back and he got to give it a test run. No worries. I have recently learned you can actually trust people from time to time; and it usually has a happy ending.

Anyways, again, I'm not familiar with the "DB side" lingo. Please clarify drruB. ...was in the Army for a long time and landed on my head on several occassions.

H

 

Oops. My apologies everyone. Didn't realize I was in the Double Bass Section of the forum for some reason. Not sure how to get this moved in the right section, so advice would be appreciative. Thanks and sorry again....

H

 

Thanks Ken!

Harris

 

That is freaking awesome. Congrats on the reunion. =})