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Basses for sale repeatedly here: Duds?

ZuluFoxtrot

ZuluFoxtrot

Oct 28, 2018
219
1
459
South Orange County
#1
I’ve bought a few basses here and there from various used marketplaces including talkbass.

My latest thought is when a bass is listed a few times with short ownership between listings it must be a dud. That’s been my experience mainly buying used a few exceptions and would rate buying used a general 80/20 dud/keeper ratio.

Not meant to offend, just talk about gear and hear others thoughts.
 
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#2
I don’t know about “duds”. It’s more like not every bass is going to be to everyone’s liking. That’s the risk one always takes when buying from a distance. It’s also the advantage of buying used; if a bass (or any piece of gear) doesn’t work out for you, you can sell it at little or no loss and move it along. Eventually it will find an owner for whom it’s a perfect fit.

And then there are the folks who are playing “catch and release”, but that’s a whole different dysfunction.

(I’m also amused by the classified threads where people chime in “My old bass!” Sorta like hearing from all the ex’s of someone you’re thinking about dating. :roflmao:)
 
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#4
ZuluFoxtrot said:
That’s been my experience mainly buying used a few exceptions and would rate buying used a general 80/20 dud/keeper ratio.
Click to expand...

Seems to me it’s greatly dependent on the definition of a “dud.” If the “problem” is that it’s too heavy, sounds dark, neck’s too thin, et al. – that’s just personal preference. As @red_rhino said, it's just a matter of the bass finding the right person. Not unlike one that hangs on the wall at the guitar shop for a long time.

If it won’t stay in tune, truss rod won’t adjust, neck is cracked, poor sustain – that’s a different matter entirely. I think I’d rightly call that a dud.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

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#6
Sorry, I haven't shared that experience. Inevitably, the reason a person might sell a bass is there might have been some aspect of it that doesn't work for that player, worked at one time but doesn't anymore, or they might have moved on to different instruments.

But as far as things sold here being outright duds, I don't agree. I have scored many great basses on this site. In fact, duds are exceedingly rare.
 
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#7
I read through the classifieds habitually just to learn about different basses/pedals, etc...and MANY of the classifieds mention that the basses are great, but just not right for the current person playing them.

Often the scale length is too long for someone getting older and experiencing discomfort playing long scales, someone moving towards all 5 strings, or even selling a bass to raise money for a new bass (or even emergency bills).

I wouldn't say they're duds but sometimes...yea I've seen the same basses pop up for months 😀. But eventually someone is gonna think to themselves "YES, this would be perfect I can't believe someone is letting this go!"
 
#8
There are also basses that have very different features or feel to them than what is more or less the Fender P or J standard. I'm sure many players are used to that standard but then read on talkbass about something interesting and want to try it out for themselves (totally fair!), but then they find that it's not their cup of tea (also totally fair). Seems logical to me that the basses that are more outside of the box, will be more likely to be up for sale more often, due to this sort of scenario and not because there's anything wrong with them. In many ways, Talkbass is the perfect environment for that sort of thing. It's exciting to see and read about unique and new designs on here and... oh look! There's a good price on one in the classifieds
 
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#10
I would estimate that 80% of the basses listed on FB in my area are Squier P or J basses. Since they are entry level basses, a lot of them are “catch and release” due to the buyers losing interest for one reason or another. Then there are other entry level basses from Harley Benton, Ibanez, etc. Less than 5% are actually basses that I would be interested in. That may sound snobbish, but it’s not. I already own a Squier CV P bass and I’m not in the market for any used basses right now.
I don’t think those numbers or my mindset have any relation to TB classifieds, though.
 
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#11
red_rhino said:
It’s also the advantage of buying used; if a bass (or any piece of gear) doesn’t work out for you, you can sell it at little or no loss and move it along. Eventually it will find an owner for whom it’s a perfect fit.
Click to expand...
I've long thought this is especially true here in the TB classifieds. A lower-risk way of sampling what's out there. If I buy a bass here and find that it's just not a keeper (It's not you, it's me.) I can resell it, and if I take any loss on it, consider it "rent". I got a great deal here on a TF sig that was (and still is) truly "mint". I don't care for the selector switch at all, yet I'm reluctant to do even something as simple as rewiring to VVT because then I would no longer be able to call it either "stock" or "mint". I had never tried a bass with a selector switch instead of VVT, and it turns out I don't like it, but it's definitely not a "dud". So I'm wrestling with doing any mods on it, or keeping it stock and mint and moving it along. Even if I returned it to stock beforehand, I wouldn't feel right listing it as either "stock" or "mint".
 
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#12
it's certainly possible.

i honestly don't think that's the culprit as often as one would think.

some things are so awesome people buy them when they don't need them, but inevitably sell them - even though they're awesome.

many of the ones deemed "a dud" are honestly just in poor set up. I've bought some absolutely killer basses that i don't think would be for sale if the owners knew how to adjust the truss rod and bridge.
 
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#13
Ostie said:
I would estimate that 80% of the basses listed on FB in my area are Squier P or J basses.
Click to expand...
Really? I've never really kept track, and perhaps you have, so you may have a much better handle on it than I do, but I do look at the classifieds all the time. It may also be that since I have no interest in them, I don't pay attention to entry level basses, but it has always seemed to me like at least 50% of the listings in the TB classifieds are high-end, high-priced, and/or boutique basses like Custom Shop, NYC Sadowsky's, Fodera's and lately it seems a lot of Spector's. When I joined in 2019 after 20 years mostly out of the scene, I couldn't believe how many $5000-ish basses I was seeing in the classifieds here and had NO idea that anyone's business model was copying Jazz basses and selling them for those kinds of prices. I knew of Sadowsky's when I was still gigging, but I don't think they were going for that kind of money back then.
 
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#15
Ostie said:
I would estimate that 80% of the basses listed on FB in my area are Squier P or J basses. Since they are entry level basses, a lot of them are “catch and release” due to the buyers losing interest for one reason or another. Then there are other entry level basses from Harley Benton, Ibanez, etc. Less than 5% are actually basses that I would be interested in. That may sound snobbish, but it’s not. I already own a Squier CV P bass and I’m not in the market for any used basses right now.
I don’t think those numbers or my mindset have any relation to TB classifieds, though.
Click to expand...

Thats a very good point I didn't consider. When I moved on from my beginner Ibanez TR70 bass, I didn't have any inclination of getting another bass with the "beginner bass' stigma. I wanted an upgrade. NOW I want that TR70 back though, for nostalgic reasons 😀
 
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#16
ZuluFoxtrot said:
I’ve bought a few basses here and there from various used marketplaces including talkbass.

My latest thought is when a bass is listed a few times with short ownership between listings it must be a dud. That’s been my experience mainly buying used a few exceptions and would rate buying used a general 80/20 dud/keeper ratio.

Not meant to offend, just talk about gear and hear others thoughts.
Click to expand...
I have quite some experiences with my local marketplace, playing bass guitar close to 25 years and flipping (for fun and trying out new stuff, not for profit) most of that time. Once you are constantly looking at same ad category for that long, you start to see same guitars and equipment. Often these are my ex-instruments. I even have a photo gallery with serial numbers and can check when that guitar was with me.
My conclusion is exactly the same as yours. And by "duds", I mean instruments that you can't get to sound or feel as expected. I.E. you buy Jazz with 70' pickups spacing that sounds dull and dark. Or dual humbucker rock bass that just disappears in the mix. Or beautiful looking 5-strings boutique bass that's too heavy and unbalanced for even one hour of playing standing. And so on.
When people look at some bass in the ad, they expect something, and then it gets delivered and it's nothing like expected. Then they try to like it for a month or two, give up and put it in the same ads.
 
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#17
Yeah, the multiple times on here can be a warning sign.
Some instruments are like wandering gypsies. But some are just a persnickerty lot and there wasn't something inherently flawed about them. Some just need that one player that melds with it.

I myself bought a beautiful boutique 5 string bass here on TB one time, but the spacing was so blasted narrow It was not comfortable to play. It had been bandied about a few times before I got it. I know it got sold a couple of times after I dealt it away. Haven't seen it up for a few years so hopefully it now has a permanent home. It sounded and looked great. Wish it could have worked out.

But there are some that just are not good instruments.
 
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