I have a friend who plays bass. He has some sort of Japanese copy of a P bass with Fender P bass pickups in it. He gigs several times a week and his tone is just great. I played with another guy for a couple of years. His guitar was a Tokai copy of a Telecaster. He sounded great with that guitar. I think that a lot of tone is in our hands and how we hit the strings and fret the neck. I imagine if you can sound good with a cheap guitar you can sound good with just about anything.
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Buying expensive gear then regretting it
- Thread starter Sunset Shalom
- Start date
I my case it has never been about "regret".
I have bought several high-end pieces of gear that turned out to be "not for me". When I realized they weren't for me I sold them on to the next guy and never looked back.
I have bought several high-end pieces of gear that turned out to be "not for me". When I realized they weren't for me I sold them on to the next guy and never looked back.
I so agree with this,... Was high scale on amps (Thundefunk) and almost bought a New Sadowsky NYC (had a custom Rosewood Board Sunburst P/J made, sent her back).. Happy with my Fender American Standards (after some forays into G&L and Musicman's) and Ampeg amps,... These just seem to work for me,....
Although with the 100W guitar amps the OP mentioned that is actually quite often the case. Try to get a Marshall half stack into its sweet spot without the sound guy screaming at you... Not many venues for that.
The great gear purge of 2015 started with a few pedals listed right here on TB.
Next up, amps, cabs, and basses. Once I got rolling, I went all in. I put every bass up for sale, all at once. Rolling the dice to see which bass would be the last to sell, and that one would be the keeper.
I figured the six string would be the last to go. It was the first. Dang, that had been my main squeeze for over a year. Three more basses followed the first.
A pair of fEarfuls went along with a couple amps. Straps, and extra strings got thrown in with basses. Pretty much anything and everything got photographed, listed and sold.
I pared it down to one (gasp) bass, a combo, my fEarful 12/6's and a couple pedals, and the looper.
In the end, the TB community reclaimed over $10k in gear. Most of it bought used right here from the fine folks of TB. (Ten years of prowling the TB classifieds ads up to serious cash)
Stuff comes and goes. It wasn't any kind of hardship sale. It was just time to simplify. Now, if I get the urge to shop, I'll try new strings and work on the set up.
It's been fun, and I'm really happy with what I ended up with. Thanks to all the great community members who have been so cool!
Next up, amps, cabs, and basses. Once I got rolling, I went all in. I put every bass up for sale, all at once. Rolling the dice to see which bass would be the last to sell, and that one would be the keeper.
I figured the six string would be the last to go. It was the first. Dang, that had been my main squeeze for over a year. Three more basses followed the first.
A pair of fEarfuls went along with a couple amps. Straps, and extra strings got thrown in with basses. Pretty much anything and everything got photographed, listed and sold.
I pared it down to one (gasp) bass, a combo, my fEarful 12/6's and a couple pedals, and the looper.
In the end, the TB community reclaimed over $10k in gear. Most of it bought used right here from the fine folks of TB. (Ten years of prowling the TB classifieds ads up to serious cash)
Stuff comes and goes. It wasn't any kind of hardship sale. It was just time to simplify. Now, if I get the urge to shop, I'll try new strings and work on the set up.
It's been fun, and I'm really happy with what I ended up with. Thanks to all the great community members who have been so cool!
We don't see the question the same way. You are talking about too much power and therefore unsuitable for the intended use.
I think some folks bought something they couldn't afford and are trying to get what they can out of it. I see people state in their ads on here that they are selling whatever new piece of gear to pay down their credit card debt, and I imagine that's the case with a decent amount of gear for sale in the classifieds. So they bought something on credit, then the new wore off but the debt is still there. Now a few months later they're selling it at a loss, plus whatever interest has accrued.
Yeah, but I also meant that as a general example. I just think that generally the idea of using something is often better than the actual thing. Pedals would be typical culprits as well. I know I have bought a lot of expensive stuff only to flip it later. The bread and butter stuff usually seems to stay around, though.
Flipping wasn't the premise of the question as I read it. The question as I read it was is it common for people to sell big ticket items when they feel they could/should have bought a less expensive alternative. I wouldn't consider any pedals to be expensive in the context of the question. Another way to look at the question is to ask why are expensive items sold as used, and I don't think that feeling that you overpaid in the first place is a normal answer. Why? Because once you've bought something it is a sunk cost. If it was new you likely won't break-even if you sell an item and trade down to a more affordable option.
In my opinion used gear is most commonly available because the owner found it unfit for purpose, decided it was no longer needed, or is somewhere in the process of acquiring a more desirable alternative.
I get your point but I can say for myself that yes I have done exactly that. Bought and owned very nice amps (vintage), found out that they are really not worth the money in my book (-> overpaid) and sold them to buy something (imo) better and cheaper. Didn't lose any money, though. Did the same with instruments.
But I know what you mean and think you are generally right.
I've bought some expensive gear that I loved, and enjoy every minute of playing time, and feel it was the best purchase ever. And I've also bought expensive gear and felt the opposite. Sometimes I hang on to the duds for a while instead of selling for an instant loss. And sometimes a piece of gear I thought was a dud, I just didn't have an exact use for at the time and later on I get a lot of mileage with it.
My Am Dlx Stratocaster was like that - great guitar, but I liked the more narrow vintage style nut widths better, and I was playing bass in a band - not guitar - so the guitar sat in its case. Fast forward a BUNCH of years, and I'm playing guitar in a blues-rock cover band. Suddenly my Am Dlx Strat and Tophat amp that had both been collecting dust got great amounts of use!
2 years ago I did a Warmoth build of a Strat from scratch - bought all the parts. Flamed maple top over chambered ash body in a Sunset Orange finish. Birdseye maple neck with a pau ferro fretboard. Sperzel locking tuners and DiMarzio pickups. The total cost was a bit staggering, but the end result was a guitar that played and sounded great and could be my one-stop-shop for all my guitar needs. And predictably, I don't play it much. Oh well - maybe one day I will be in a band playing guitar again and need a Strat like that.
I did a bass build from scratch when my son was born, and named it after him. Built it for him for later when he's a teen. But it came out kinda heavy - great bass though, I just don't play it much due to the weight.
Oh - and I've bought some cheap gear bc it looked "so cool" or lusted over one for so long - only to not play it much once I got it. So its not an issue that is specific to more expensive gear.
My Am Dlx Stratocaster was like that - great guitar, but I liked the more narrow vintage style nut widths better, and I was playing bass in a band - not guitar - so the guitar sat in its case. Fast forward a BUNCH of years, and I'm playing guitar in a blues-rock cover band. Suddenly my Am Dlx Strat and Tophat amp that had both been collecting dust got great amounts of use!
2 years ago I did a Warmoth build of a Strat from scratch - bought all the parts. Flamed maple top over chambered ash body in a Sunset Orange finish. Birdseye maple neck with a pau ferro fretboard. Sperzel locking tuners and DiMarzio pickups. The total cost was a bit staggering, but the end result was a guitar that played and sounded great and could be my one-stop-shop for all my guitar needs. And predictably, I don't play it much. Oh well - maybe one day I will be in a band playing guitar again and need a Strat like that.
I did a bass build from scratch when my son was born, and named it after him. Built it for him for later when he's a teen. But it came out kinda heavy - great bass though, I just don't play it much due to the weight.
Oh - and I've bought some cheap gear bc it looked "so cool" or lusted over one for so long - only to not play it much once I got it. So its not an issue that is specific to more expensive gear.
I spent a lot years playing less than ideal gear and not being able to afford what I really want. I am now in a situation where I can basically have whatever I want (within reason).
The result is that I own only one bass, that cost as much as the next three most expensive instruments I've owned combined (and one of those was a 1962 pre-CBS Jazz).
Absolutely no regrets, as this bass is the finest instrument I've ever played and gives me everything I need. The only regret I have is having to sell two basses and a high end amp to afford it.
I also own only one amp rig at the moment. All told, it cost app. 5,700 USD. Again, totally worth it, as it provides total reliability and sonic bliss.
FWIW, all the gear and instruments I've owned over the past 40 years (a LOT) have been totally paid for from gig earnings or from selling gear I already own(ed). Not one cent from the family budget.
The result is that I own only one bass, that cost as much as the next three most expensive instruments I've owned combined (and one of those was a 1962 pre-CBS Jazz).
Absolutely no regrets, as this bass is the finest instrument I've ever played and gives me everything I need. The only regret I have is having to sell two basses and a high end amp to afford it.
I also own only one amp rig at the moment. All told, it cost app. 5,700 USD. Again, totally worth it, as it provides total reliability and sonic bliss.
FWIW, all the gear and instruments I've owned over the past 40 years (a LOT) have been totally paid for from gig earnings or from selling gear I already own(ed). Not one cent from the family budget.
It's easier to buy than it is to sell. I must have 10 dirt boxes.
Really though what gives you that momentary burst of happiness.
Really though what gives you that momentary burst of happiness.
i've experienced all of the iterations, i think: but, when younger: i sometimes bought the pricey stuff thinking it had to be 'better'. (and, sometimes it was/is.) but as i acquired more skills, knowledge, patience, perspective: i slowly became a more or less 'smarter consumer'.
doesn't mean i can't get a telling case of GAS, but i also acquired some self control (just some!).
getting the job done is most important to me, now. more vs. less expensive is a real dynamic in my decisions, but i try to get/build what will have lasting value to me. i make somewhat fewer 'mistakes' than in the past.
then there is 'luck' (good or bad)!
doesn't mean i can't get a telling case of GAS, but i also acquired some self control (just some!).
getting the job done is most important to me, now. more vs. less expensive is a real dynamic in my decisions, but i try to get/build what will have lasting value to me. i make somewhat fewer 'mistakes' than in the past.
then there is 'luck' (good or bad)!
I put strict limits on myself and what I can own.
I have a Rule of 4. 4 basses are more than what I'd reasonably need at any time. Currently my lineup is my new Marleaux 6, my Warwick 6, my Peavey 6 and my Stingray. The Peavey is getting sold off to fund a new 5.
2 amps and a combo. My GK 700RB + Neo410 and my Mesa Subway D800 + 1x12 and 1x15. My combo is a little Warwick Blue Cab.
I make sure I stick to these rules, so that if I spend a lot of money, I'll be really careful about what I'll spend it on. All my purchases are very carefully thought out and researched, and I do a lot of A/B testing. As a result, I've never bought anything really expensive that I've regretted or sold off.
Many people sell off gear to fund vital expenses that come up, more often than not medical bills.
Effects and stuff tend to have a limit on how expensive they can get, so that's not much of an issue.
I have a Rule of 4. 4 basses are more than what I'd reasonably need at any time. Currently my lineup is my new Marleaux 6, my Warwick 6, my Peavey 6 and my Stingray. The Peavey is getting sold off to fund a new 5.
2 amps and a combo. My GK 700RB + Neo410 and my Mesa Subway D800 + 1x12 and 1x15. My combo is a little Warwick Blue Cab.
I make sure I stick to these rules, so that if I spend a lot of money, I'll be really careful about what I'll spend it on. All my purchases are very carefully thought out and researched, and I do a lot of A/B testing. As a result, I've never bought anything really expensive that I've regretted or sold off.
Many people sell off gear to fund vital expenses that come up, more often than not medical bills.
Effects and stuff tend to have a limit on how expensive they can get, so that's not much of an issue.
"Expensive" and "budget" are relative. I've always had a day job so my music income didn't have to be earmarked for rent and food. I bankrolled my gear through gigs. The vast majority of my gear was bought used, so I saved a crapload of money. Who cares that I paid $2500 for a DB (that's cheap BTW), $1500 for an amp head or $1000 for a combo when I'm pulling in $4-500 a week using them. The gear pays for itself.
If you take the long view, even chump change gigs add up. I played a residency for over 7 years that paid $30 a man. I earned over $10,000 doing that.
If I wasn't gigging regularly though I would be back to two basses and one amp which is where I was when I left college.
I knew a guy who bought a Ken Smith bass for a ridiculous sum but then eventually sold it and bought both a top end Fender Jazz and an EBMM Stingray and was just SO pleased what what he had in the end. But that's just his experience. Someone else's might be completely different. I think the said he had a constant and unstoppable paranoia he would somehow ding the expensive one and that actually took away from his pleasure of playing it. Which is funny because he's so careful with his lower priced basses which he gigs with that they appear to be in pristine condition. I think he recently bought another boutique level instrument that he never gigs. But be bought the Ken Smith back when he was a so called "starving artist".
It all has to do with your income and financial situation. I don't collect basses but i tend to like basses that are about 2000. I have never sold one. However, I would never buy a bass that is more than 2000. I would probably regret it huge time. But that is because i really shouldn't spend that kind of money on a bass all things considered.
BobDeRosa
Commercial User
- May 16, 2012
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You and your instruments should be a good match. If you have the budget and the taste for a Fodera, by all means buy a Fodera. Personally, I'm not thrilled with the sound of Foderas, so I would never buy one just because they're high end. My Yamaha BBs suit me just fine (both sound and feel) and I find no reason to look elsewhere; I'd rather spend my time being the best bass player I can be with those instruments.
