I find it odd that he considers 50% of new to be unusual in the second hand world - I've always found that 50% is a pretty common line for second hand gear.
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Bass brands with bad resell value
- Thread starter Neal Brakey
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- bass brands resell resell value
I find it odd that he considers 50% of new to be unusual in the second hand world - I've always found that 50% is a pretty common line for second hand gear.
I think you're right, I love them all so much by looks, but I really want to play by myself for awhile as a hobby.AFFIRMATIVE!!
"cart before horse"...
I played in bands for ten years before I started seriously shopping for basses.
Three hundred plus basses later, I'm still not 100% decided on "the perfect ones for me". (Maybe 99% decided - narrowed it down to medium scale, 9 inch fretboard radius , 1.5 inch nut, Aluminum or graphite neck...).
I think you are potentially suffering from an incurable bass fetish, more than any real desire to be a 'Musician'. And that's OK... it takes all kinds
I just, dunno where to start, and I know this is the instrument for me as I've tried guitar and drums before and came back to bass.
I can't tell what the future holds, but I feel I want to play bass.
Well, it's undeniable that bass guitar is the ultimate musical instrument
Fender.
I’ve had a 1961 all original Fender Jazz Bass with one of Jaco’s chest hairs stuck in the pickguard up on Craigslist for MONTHS for only $50, and I can’t even give it away!
I’ve had a 1961 all original Fender Jazz Bass with one of Jaco’s chest hairs stuck in the pickguard up on Craigslist for MONTHS for only $50, and I can’t even give it away!
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You mean like this? Or is this a Fender with a Squier logo?
This is my bass. It would be the last instrument (I have about a dozen of different things) I would ever sell. I have about $500 into it, with the case. I have yet to play a bass that suits me as well as this does.
When it comes to gear (mics, amps, speakers, processors, interfaces, computers, software etc.), I care about resale value. If I buy a 421 right, I'll be just fine if I want to sell. Unless it's broken, an SM57 (Mexican production) is an SM57. Instruments are different. They are not fungible. One guy might think a given bass is fantastic and another might think it's unplayable.
With instruments, I buy them to play them.
my yamahas and ibanezes sell very quickly.
i'm responding to your post above and below. you can't tell what you want till you know what's out there, compared different feels and sounds. you can't find "the one" till you've got more experience under your belt. i used to think i liked wider bass necks, as i preferred wider guitar necks. nope - a couple years showed me that while i might like wider necks in theory, i love a slim neck with a 1.5" nut. i also started on an extra long scale 5 string, and i liked it a lot. i might never have gone beyond it, but it was a long-term loan. as soon as i got a standard long scale with a thin neck, everything just fell into place.
over time, you may discover that you prefer a longer or shorter scale, single coil or humbucker pickups or - like me - one of each.
in 2007ish, i decided to get more serious about acoustic guitar. i played since 1968, but never considered tone or the instrument or - for that matter - the difference different strings make. i spent the better part of half a year in guitar stores every extra moment. we live near 7 guitar centers, 3 sam ash stores, mccabe's in santa monica, grayson's in glendale, trutone in santa monica, and the list goes on. there wasn't a week where i wasn't comparing different tones, feels, features. the stores were cool - sales guys even used me as an example to customers. and i did sometimes buy - so did my husband, so they were happy enough with us. but my point is i was learning that what i thought i liked wasn't what i liked.
then there's the myth of "the one" when it comes to guitars and basses. i prefer a wide tonal palette to choose from, so there is no "the one" for me. my best sounding bass, which i'm playing right now, is definitely not my most comfortable and the square body isn't great. and while it sounds smooth and creamy with lots of fat bottom, pretty much like a standup, obviously that's not the sound i'm looking for when i'm playing hard rock or metal.
just curious - have you played a 6 string bass for more than a few minutes at a time?
You can't tell which one's right for you yet. You have to know how to play first.
As mentioned above by others, this step takes awhile.....I'll tell you this: A Carvin LB70 is nothing to sneeze at. Great bass!
Carvin / Kiesel basses take a huge hit on resale. G&L also seems to have a low resale value. A individual builder that I won't mention because I like him has basses that seem to go for 1/4 of the new prices. In general, basses that are more customized / more of a one-off have much lower resale value than a builder with more of a small list of options like Sadowsky - because you mostly know what you will get and you're bass is competing against the new version only on condition. If I can save 20% off new and it's the same thing just some scratches on the pick guard, why not? More people are willing to go that way when the used version is closer to the new version. With many builders, every single instrument is unique and resale values suffers because you really don't know what you're getting and you can buy new exactly what you want unless the price difference is enough to lure you to trying the used item. G&L just seems to suffer due to the ugly headstock.
Experience has taught me how true the above quote is. This applies to so many things in life, not just basses.
I've had around 25 basses in and out of my hands over the years. Only one I bought new at a steep discount at GC; likely I'll never sell this particular bass (notice I said 'likley'.)
Any purchase I make going forward is indulgence, as no objective observer would advise ANY more purchases.
Consequently, I've adopted the following rule: Don't purchase any instrument/amp/other that is not clearly an excellent deal, no matter how much I like and would want to own the item. If it's merely priced at the market, I'll pass. I'm fortunate enough to live in a large city, so new things come up all the time on craigslist or in local stores. Patience is my watchword. Great deals can be had with patience.
I have not truth be told, I happened to pick one up at guitar center once as I always liked to go up there.
The thing with me is that once my mind is set it is set and no matter the truth I end up tricking myself into something until the truth shows through and it is too late at that point.
at one point I wanted a stingray, and nothing else. I was convinced that I loved that bass, even though I hated the placement of the 4h pickup, it hurt my thumb, but it was the be all end all in my head. Two days after I bought it I traded it for my now carvin. I didn't last a day with this carvin nor did I play it very much before I wanted to sell it.
I can tell you the ones I am selling/ sold I never even took out of the packaging it was shipped in before selling them.
I tend to feel like an idiot that I change my mind right after purchase without trying anything then sell it for much less not having it for more than a day, I end up put it up on the market before it arrives because I like the look of something else more, or I really thought I wanted a 5 string, and I end up doing too much research and trying to see what everyone else likes, that then convinces me that I must have that it's how my mind works.
only to see the other side of the field when I have already bought it, and see that 4 strings are better to people.
Basses are not the only time this takes place, but I have always relied on what everyone else thinks of something to where I am so indecisive, I rarely strike gold this way, and end up wasting money and feeling awful.
If there was more than 1 guitar center anywhere less that an hour away from me I would go every day, but the one I have around here only has low end ibanez basses, and not much else as they are relatively new, I wish I could go to any other store, but I know I would end up buying something there that I would do the same thing with, I would play a few for a minute, see one I liked the look of, buy it no matter the cost, take it home and then not want it after a day of having it.
I am an unsatisfyable person.
Patience is something I am terrible with, I happen to impulse buy only to regret it right after. I have a desk job that is super easy, so I spend 12 hours looking at different basses, and by the end I probably would have purchased one only to ask for a refund soon after as I am not completely sure, or see one bad comment about it.
I have this problem. I feel hopeless about it, every time I want to learn musical theory and stuff like that I end up getting bored to be fair, or it goes right over my head no matter how many times I hear it.
I can look at a bass all day, but playing it or learning is hard for me, I want to and I mean badly, but I let things get in the way and make it just not fun for myself at all.
It's cyclical. Stuff goes out of favor, gets back in favor, goes out of favor again... Not just instruments, but amps, effects, you name it.
I recall times in the 1980s when Music Man and Steinberger basses were going for peanuts. Guild Pilots and metal neck Kramers are still undervalued, while Peavey T40s are overpriced but Peavey Palaediums are underpriced. Active Fender Ps sell for less than same era passive models. MIJ Squiers used to sell for $200 or less, now they are considered vintage and selling for 3x that. I've bought two NS Design Radius basses, these don't turn up that often but when they do they sell for 40% off new, but you won't see Sadowskys and Foderas selling for 40% off. Used Pedullas, Alembics, B.C. Rich and other boutiques have had wild price swings over the years.
I recall times in the 1980s when Music Man and Steinberger basses were going for peanuts. Guild Pilots and metal neck Kramers are still undervalued, while Peavey T40s are overpriced but Peavey Palaediums are underpriced. Active Fender Ps sell for less than same era passive models. MIJ Squiers used to sell for $200 or less, now they are considered vintage and selling for 3x that. I've bought two NS Design Radius basses, these don't turn up that often but when they do they sell for 40% off new, but you won't see Sadowskys and Foderas selling for 40% off. Used Pedullas, Alembics, B.C. Rich and other boutiques have had wild price swings over the years.
I don’t really care about resale.
However an interesting point about the TB classifieds:
There is a higher than usual component of limited runs, special editions, PDNs.
It’s coz if we are going to buy a mass produced bass- we like the bling bling special edition.
Anyways my point is that it affects price.
However an interesting point about the TB classifieds:
There is a higher than usual component of limited runs, special editions, PDNs.
It’s coz if we are going to buy a mass produced bass- we like the bling bling special edition.
Anyways my point is that it affects price.
the problem is that with anything physical - especially something musical - it doesn't matter what you think. it only matters what you experience. the only way to tell if something sounds or feels good for you is to try it, not just for a quick trip to guitar center but at least for several days. is there a local music store you can rent from? sam ash stores rent used stuff, and i believe some guitar centers rent now, too. even if all your store has are low end ibanezes, at least you could rent a 4 string and then a 5 string and see which you like.
i love my new low-end ibanez bass, btw - it's a GSR100EX, and it's one of my cheapest basses, but it sounds and feels good.
you're probably not insatiable, but you need to spend more time with each item to find what satisfies you. spending a few minutes isn't long enough to adjust to something and really get into it.
Well I decided to keep my 1998 warwick fna 5 string, after this talk and much consideration I feel I will take the change and keep it for a bit.
I haven't even pulled it out of the box yet to play with it before I listed it.
I plan on also keeping the broadneck thumb 6 I am getting soon as well. Hopefully I can adapt to going from 16.5 at the bridge to 20mm at the bridge.
I am sure I can find a way to make it work.
I feel I will be glad I kept it after I try it for awhile.
So basically dude was giving you the taillights warranty! Once you no longer see his taillights the warranty has expired!
Sorry man been there done that!
