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Buying expensive gear then regretting it

#61
My gear purchase issues come in 2 flavors:

1) That thing you were really excited to get, brought to rehearsal and had the "ooh new $Gear" moment...and then never really bonded with.

2) Shame over self indulgence. I like amps and cabs. Over the 4 or 5 years I've been with my current gig, I've gone through 3 heads and 3 cabinets. Occasionally I get bored and just swap out a head, though the one I have now is my all-time favorite...and still I find myself browsing cool SVT-100 listings when they pop up, or other weird or tube amps just for the hell of it. I just want amps all the time and feel guilt over being "that guy" who buys new stuff a little more than he should.

I haven't had the temerity to bring in my fretless yet. :( She will be my secret.
 
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#62
Of course no one has even mentioned pedals yet, the ultimate source of buyers remorse lol and the biggest money sink in the planted, although more of a guitarist issue. I have wasted much money on pedals, BUT, I will add that my Empress compresser and Darkglass VU are worth every penny. They have made everything I record in the studio sound pro. totally worth it even though the two of them together cost as much or more than some basses I have owned.
 
#63
Sunset Shalom said:
So I have seen a lot of super expensive amps on CR lately, like 1-2K for 50-100 watt guitar amps mostly. This has got me thinking, is it common for people to buy expensive gear then realize they could have got by with less and put the extra $ towards something more useful?

Occasionally I see a super pricey amp that I would actually snag if I had the extra money. Like a Mesa triple rectifier drool But many of these expensive amps don't even have any unique features.

I am not trying to knock people who buy expensive gear. More curious as to what drives people to and how often they end up deciding to re sell em. Name brand stuff holds its value better so that is one solid reason. At the same time if you have a 2,000$ amp and need the cash quick it probably isn't going to sell fast most of the time and seems much more risky to try and flip as well.

As a budget musician I am curious to hear what people think about this...

I see it with expensive instruments a lot too. Is it just from people having excess money?
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Your perspective on the second hand market and motivations for buying and selling gear are skewed, and your presumptions and questions have inherent flaws and/or are overly generalized. TB members, and music gear consumers in general, are not uniform widgets. You've got pros, hobbyists, collectors, recording artists, performance artists, and all sorts of other subdivisions with various motives. You've got people in various professions making wildly different amounts of money, with wildly different lifestyles and costs of living, thus wildly different disposable income and sensitivity to pricing.

Your presumption about "name brand" stuff has some merit, but isn't air tight. Jule Monique amps, Barefaced Cabs, and Dingwall basses are examples of expensive gear that flips quickly at prices very near full retail, as there is a scarcity factor for these products with excellent reputations. The average Guitar Center shopper may not know those names, but there are clearly people with sufficient funds to buy them, who are lying in wait and watching the classifieds.

Many artists will buy premium products for a specific project, and then turn around and sell those products for funds to use on the next project. Chances are, they bought used, and sell used at nearly the same price, and any loss on resale is essentially a rental fee. Perhaps you've got sponsored artists who can get discounts on buying gear, who then will flip it once they've finished a project.

There are many more details at play here, but that's my broad-brush drive-by thought on this.
 
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#64
I had a Soldano HR-100 Guitar amp for years. It sounded fantastic, no complaints at all. However, after a night at a rehearsal studio and playing through a Peavy 6505, I really loved the sound. So, the next day I sold my 100-watt Soldano for almost $2000 and bought a brand new 50 watt 5150-III amp for $800. I could not be happier with my decision. I like the sound BETTER and I made myself $1200.

The reality is that for what I do and play, the Soldano is nothing but a luxury. The 5150 gets the job done and does it well for half the price. It's just not a boutique name, and is more "generic".
 
#66
I think people have multiple reasons. When I was practicing corporate law, which I mostly hated, I had money and expensive purchases were my crack.

Living in LA I find that lots of pros, studios and TV shows buy stuff for a particular purpose and then sell it. I bought a high end ukulele that had been nothing but a prop on a TV show for its 5 year run. I've seen amps for sale because they were bought to get a particular sound in a particular situation and no more.

I also have found that some expensive instruments are fun to own and to experience, but then different ones come along, and its better to have them move along to someone else, even if I love them, if they aren't getting played.

Now that I've retired and money doesn't fall from trees I find that I have found many more opportunities to get out and play music with people. I sort of have a rule that if I want to buy something expensive I have to sell something expensive to pay for it.

Truth is most expensive instruments aren't any better functionally than cheaper ones. These days the guitars and basses coming out of China and Asia are phenomenal for the price. There are people for whom a $20,000 musical instrument (I was not one of those) is a trinket they can easily afford. There are people for whom a $150 Squier is an enormous luxury. There is probably zero correlation between either of those and playing ability or enjoyment derived.
 
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#68
I've had shiny new pricey boutiquey gear before but for whatever reason they all went away to be replaced with used stuff, and less fancy, more basic things. I most certainly lost money on some of those high-end pieces. I do still have one "boutique" pbass but I got it used for a total steal.
My income swings wildly so I can't always afford the higher $ stuff, but fortunately I've come to conclusion that I simply don't need it, even as a pro. I do however believe in good quality and timeless, solid design, and will pay accordingly for things that will last--that goes for everything from my basses to my bikes to my clothes.
 
#69
engedi1 said:
Also, I want to add that the BEST investment I have made in musical gear has to be in cabinets. I didn't really sound like me until I got my Thunderchild cabinets. I think a lot of players put their money in the instruments and amps but neglect how huge a role the cabinets play in their live tone. I have about $1300 in my cabinets and its the best money I've spent.
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They're part of the instrument - crucial. :cool:
 
#72
btmpancake said:
Never! My gear cost way more than the talents I have- makes me want to play up to it. I'm not a hacker but I'm not a pro either. I don't think I'll ever live long enough to catch up-but no regrets.
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Your honesty is admirable. I have the same opinion of my abilities/level of expertise. I've invested in the best so that I have no excuses and am forced to 'play up to it'. ;)
 
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#73
I own a lot of expensive-ass equipment, but bass is my main (and practically my only) hobby, so I'm not forking out $$$ on other stuff. I love my expensive basses, and I'm having another one built right now (Skjold). As far as amps go, I just had to have a Glockenklang Blue Sky, and I got one used, but I still paid about $1500 for it. I'm not in love with it, and I'm considering putting it up for sale on here. Ironically, I'll probably replace it with a cheaper Class-D amp.
 
#76
I've yet to truly regret any expensive gear purchase. I look at it all as part and parcel of my musical journey. They're just tools and some tools work for you and some don't. Tastes and musical directions change. I turned a very expensive bass that I lusted after for years, but upon obtaining realized really wasn't for me, into a great deal of other equipment that IS working very well for me. I lost a little money, but not enough to be upset about.
 
#77
I bought a brand new American Precision bass. Couldn't help but think that money could have been used better. Finally moved it and settled down with an aging G&L that has more than earned its status as one-and-only.

Paid off almost $1,000 in debt with that sale. :)
 
#79
I try not to pay full price for my expensive stuff. alot of it was used. my svt was 700 off cl. my ebmm stingray was only 1050 when gc was blowing them out cheap... both my rics were 1650... i dont regret any of my expensive gear purchases. the cheaper ones i might a little since they dont hold value as well as the big ones
 
#80
Sometimes it can happen that you regret having bought it, but eventually it becomes very useful in a specific situation.
It is difficult to regret buying a good piece of gear, unless you buy a lot of stuff... but that's another problem.

I bought a couple of dirty boxes in the range 200-300$. I used them in the past, not at present, but I am still happy to have them since, to me, they are some of the best around, almost "definitive" gear. I am pretty sure they will become useful in future.
 

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