Buying back an old bass

[fishdreams]

I am tempted often (incl. the Ibby Roadster I have been hunting down for years because i had it when I was 18 and a really good bass, here in the classifieds the other day for a really good price) and then I sit down and I think: I can only play one bass at a time. And I even don't have enough time now for 1 bass. Too many instruments sitting about in cases not getting played for one reason or another. Why adding one more to it.

But that is just me. If you want it, get it, no regrets.

 

[Snert]

I miss the Alembic Series I had, sort of. I loved the tone and electronics package, but nothing else about them. I hope the new owners love them.

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

In all relationships - whether it be with people, instruments, jobs, vehicles ... - I tend to not end those relationships until I have tried everything I can to make them work. If the minuses outweigh the pluses, they have to go.

If you're talking about the exact same instrument - you were the one who sold it in the first place - I would advise against it.

If you're talking about the same model, but a different physical instrument? Give it a shot (but physically play it first, if you can).

 

[iTzPrime]

i really don't understand why one would sell the bass, if you enjoy it - unless it is for financial reasons. I never bought back an instrument I sold, mainly because if I really enjoy the bass I keep it. However I am very strict so I only have two basses at the moment.

I don’t want the bass back for nostalgia. It will be good for some things I want, but there are things about the bass I am not crazy about, but it will work and the price is right. I am trying not to let perfect be the enemy of good.

So I would say no. Why did you want it back? It doesn't seem to be outstanding or otherwise you wouldn't have sold that particular bass.

 

[2thAche]

"It will work and the price is right"? That's just a bass you're going to sell again. A buy-back is the one you loved but *had* to sell for whatever reason. Any bass will work if the price is right.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

View attachment 5351299I bought this baby in 1991 when I was 26 years old. By far my favorite bass that I had ever owned. We put in a lot of miles together. About 6 years later I was starting my family and money got tight. I sold all my gear to help out our situation and quit playing for a lot of years.
Fast forward to 2010 and my financial situation was much improved and I really missed playing. I contacted my friend who I had sold this baby to and asked if he knew where it was. He still had it in his closet and had never taken it out!
I bought it back and it was such a great feeling holding it again. I hope when I’m gone the next care taker will enjoy it as much as I have. I feel super lucky to have been given a 2nd chance.

BLUETIFUL !!!

 

[Pedullist]

My first bass was a MIJ '85 Fender P. My parents bought it for me in 1986. A great bass, but then I bought a Pedulla Pentabuzz in 1994, I noticed I stopped playing the Fender. So I gave it to a friend who wanted to use it for a project. Before we knew it, ten years had passed, and I decided to sell the bass for a ridiculously small amount of money: 50 bucks! . This was when I thought one bass should be enough...so silly. Can't even say 'I was young and I needed the money'. I wasn't thinking properly.

A few years ago I got sentimental about it somehow. I was looking for Fender P's on Reverb and my wife said, didn't you have one? And although it took some effort and a 100 dollar replacement bass to get it back, I'm so glad I tried. The bass is terrific. Definitely worth more than 50 or 100 bucks.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

When it comes to regrets, letting this bass go is regret number one! I bought it for less than $350. It is a great deal to find one for $900 now.

If you sold it on for close to $900 and you happen to find another for that same price , buy it !! Then it’s like you never sold it in the first place.
Especially in that finish which is more rare.
But then again , there are other great StingRays to be had . It will be a miracle if you find another USA StingRay for $350. But I know you can find a good deal on one with a little patience.

 

[JRA]

I just want the general consensus on getting back with an old flame.

i voted "no," but that's based on my own experiences with the concept, i.e., i've never had an ax that i wanted back: if i was done with it (could be any reason), i was done...it was no longer an "old flame," just a pleasant memory.

not being 'done with it' might make me want to revisit the idea as "unfinished business," e.g., lost, stolen, damaged. but i'm not even sure about that scenario.

i was lucky to have some good ones in the past. but i'm luckier now with the ones i have...and really, i only need one!

 

[fhm555]

I know this subject came up last week with a member wanting to buy back a SR5 HH. My response was he may love it or he might remember why he sold it if he gets it back. The bass I am considering getting is one I know well because I had a year or two. I definitely know what I like about and I am not crazy about. The bottom line is that I can get it at a fair price and similar basses are more expensive and some have recently undergone model changes that I don’t like. I don’t need convincing or dissuasion about this bass. I just want the general consensus on getting back with an old flame.

I’ve only ever had one bass I liked enough to buy back if I sold it, but I never sold it. I’ve also gone through a crap ton of other basses, with only a select few I still have. I had second thoughts about a few of those, but only before I got my current #1. Since then I don’t miss a single one of them beyond what they might be worth these days had I hung on to them. I’ve still got a small number of “others”, but I’m slowly selling them off. The only exception is a short scale as any future I may have as a player lies in that direction due to physical limitations visited on my left hand by age and the silly notion I could overcome any injury short of amputation. In short, I’m an old dog trying to dispel the idea I cannot be taught new tricks. Oddly enough, even knowing I’ll never be able to play it with any degree of success, I continue to rationalize keeping my #1. I’ve had zero problem letting any of the rest go, and in fact recently gave a cherry Jet King to my niece for her church building fund, and was happy to do so, but I have yet to make any effort to do any research into what the current value of my old faithful might bring me.
To end this ramble, I do not have even a tiny bit of regret about not having a bass I used to own, but I can’t seem to let my all time favorite go even though it no longer serves as anything but a reminder of some of the best (and worst) musical experiences I’ve ever had.
All that said Doc, if an old flame is calling, maybe you should pick up the phone.

 

[MegaSwing]

Of all the basses that have come and gone through my life, I’ve only reacquired one, a Ben Lindsey Jazz 4 (a very fine FSO), which will likely be the sole survivor if I am ever down to my last bass.

Just be sure to manage your losses when you attempt to get an old bass back. I still regret losing a specific P-Bass body in the trade to get that Jazz back. I should have just paid some money and been done with it.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

I’ve had a few buyback opportunities and I’ve even tried to rebuild a unique one from parts. Twice. In every case, I was disappointed with the difference between my memory and reality.

There is one I’d still fall for again, though. It wasn’t being used—I was between bands and working a lot at my day job—and I traded it. Shouldn’t have.

 

[Acoop]

For the same reason I wouldn't date an old girlfriend, that ship has sailed.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I know this subject came up last week with a member wanting to buy back a SR5 HH. My response was he may love it or he might remember why he sold it if he gets it back. The bass I am considering getting is one I know well because I had a year or two. I definitely know what I like about and I am not crazy about. The bottom line is that I can get it at a fair price and similar basses are more expensive and some have recently undergone model changes that I don’t like. I don’t need convincing or dissuasion about this bass. I just want the general consensus on getting back with an old flame.

Every time I have done this, I ended up going "eh, now I remember why I sold it". FWIW that's my experience.

That said, there are a few I'd like to have back though that I just sold for money when times were tight.

 

[cholyoke]

No, but I really love the basses I have now. The basses I sold before were the path that led me to where I am.

 

[groooooove]

i made a thread about my 6 string ristola bass made of cherry wood, which i sold and then bought back.

that particular story has a very happy ending. even now, while i'm downsizing heavily to pursue a new instrument all together, i just cannot sell that bass.

but, it's a one of one, handmde to very specific specs that very few people besides me are looking for. 6 string, 33" scale, 26 frets, 16.5mm string spacing at the bridge...

if it's a 4 string j bass from a large manufacturer it's a bit different, but nonetheless i think finding an old bass and getting it back is super cool.

 

[Andy Marshman]

Didn't vote on this poll. I would 'like' to buy my first real P Bass from '66 but the fact is the sunburst back then had more yellow to it than I would care to have today. So, in theory I'd like it back (and it had mojo already) but not interested in that look.

 

[ics1974]

I know this subject came up last week with a member wanting to buy back a SR5 HH. My response was he may love it or he might remember why he sold it if he gets it back. The bass I am considering getting is one I know well because I had a year or two. I definitely know what I like about and I am not crazy about. The bottom line is that I can get it at a fair price and similar basses are more expensive and some have recently undergone model changes that I don’t like. I don’t need convincing or dissuasion about this bass. I just want the general consensus on getting back with an old flame.

I'm the one that bought back my old SR5 HH ceramic in the other Post. You know my answer. Good luck!

 

[soulstew]

I am currently buying back the Rob Allen bass I sold two years ago, more out of restlessness than anything else. I was sick with seller's remorse before I even packed it up, but figured a deal was a deal and didn't want to be a flake and back out. Have pretty much regretted selling it since then, and when I had the opportunity, I bought it back. Now we'll see if I remember why I put it up for sale in the first place. It will never be my all-around axe, but when it's the right bass for the job, nothing else touches it. And it is just such a pleasure to play.

 

[4stringfarley]

The only bass I would buy back is my 5 string fretless Maruszczyk I had to sell due to an unforeseen financial emergency. I won’t live out the rest of my life regretting never having it again though.

now there is some amps on the list. I just purchased a SVP-pro for the third time.