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My goodbye : For a while

B

BassDmb18

Dec 28, 2002
443
1
42
Davie, FL
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#1
i was fired. I had bills mounting up, my company downsized, and I was the recipient of some very bad news. I have an apartment with a lovely girlfriend I live with. This news breaks my heart because I now feel lost. And of all the cool bass stuff I just got, and all the great bassists I've met in the past 2 years on this site, the first answer I could come up with the help alieviate the first few months of financial problems I may be facing is to get rid of all the great gear I worked so hard for.

I have not been in a band for a while, I was playing mainly for pleasure. I am literally in tears writing this because it hurts how I will mis the community. I will stop in, but all my gear will be for sale here to all TB'ers first, then the remnants will be off to the bay as I hunt down new work.

I THANK ALL of you for holding together the greatest DAMN COMMUNITY the web has every seen. Bass on all my brothers. I leave you all for a while with a heavy heart, but I will be back in the future. (maybe with a squire and crate amp.. lol)

Thank you all again.
~AJ Guerra

p.s.
All my gear will be in the classified forum :hmm:
 
#7
Dude. Sorry to hear about that, Man.

I wish I had an old junker bass I could lend you (I just say 'lend' because you couldn't feel guilty for not selling it then). As it is, my main and only bass already IS a junker (a beat-up old Foundation), and my amp is already lended to ME from a freind!

C'mon Bass Brothers - a couple dozen bassists can't come up with something for him to keep his chops up with?

Joe
 
#8
Stay optimistic about the future as you're only 20.
Imagine being in your present position at 50. (Many people are)

My advice, get your resume really together and get on monster.com.
Then practice your interview skills (questions/answers) like you practiced your scales. Your local bookstore will have a couple indispensible volumes on the subject.
Sell what you have to sell slowly as a last resort.

Remember, you're 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Relax, you'll be fine!

Best of luck.

P.S. Monster really is the stuff. If you have the time to interview you'll be back to work within 6 weeks with Monster.
(No, I don't work for Monster but it's worked for me 3 times, once being re-hired within 3 weeks of being downsized while our economy was at it's worst. Keep the faith!)

Also, downsizing DOES qualify you for unemployment compensation!!
 
#10
AJ - I see you're in Fla. - is your former company's downsizing a result of the hurricanes?

If it is, you might find that some different rules are in effect.... possibly, for example, unemployment benefits available to folks who wouldn't qualify under normal circumstances, etc. Also, if you contact the folks who are sending those bills and advise them that you lost your job because of a hurricane (or if you even think that might be part of the reason), they *may* be receptive to easing the pressure until you get re-employed.

Ask around.

And BTW - I do have a few budget basses that don't see much playing time, and I will be making trips to Orlando in December and February. If you sell your gear and need a loaner, PM me. We can work something out.
 
#13
Sorry to hear the bad news AJ, hang tough and keep looking. I went through the same sort of situation a couple of years ago and it all ended up working out. Gear is gonna come and go, you will eventually end up with better stuff but I sympathize with you. I would want to sell my stuff either.
 
#15
bigbeefdog said:
...And BTW - I do have a few budget basses that don't see much playing time, and I will be making trips to Orlando in December and February. If you sell your gear and need a loaner, PM me. We can work something out.
Click to expand...
Now THERE you go!! Thanks, Bigbeef. TB has been very helpful to so many, but 'talk is cheap' - here we see someone willing to go out on a limb for a fellow. Helping someone to play a better bass line is good, but here we may have opportunity to make the difference as to whether someone plays AT ALL.

Let's not forget that these are real neighbors at the other end of that data cable.

Inspiring, Man -

Joe
 
#16
Please accept my sincere best wishes on finding another job.

Just remember that you don't have to have a bass to participate in this forum, just being a bass player and having access to a computer is all it takes. It seems that every time I've had a set back in my career it has eventually worked out for the better. I know it doesn't seem like it now but you may just find that fate has dealt you a better hand than you already had. You may be down, but you're not out. Keep the faith.

Larry
 
#17
Joe P said:
Now THERE you go!! Thanks, Bigbeef. TB has been very helpful to so many, but 'talk is cheap' - here we see someone willing to go out on a limb for a fellow. Helping someone to play a better bass line is good, but here we may have opportunity to make the difference as to whether someone plays AT ALL.

Let's not forget that these are real neighbors at the other end of that data cable.

Inspiring, Man -

Joe
Click to expand...

Not really that big a deal, dude. The wife has been ragging on me to unload some of this stuff, I have some cheapies I don't use, and I'm heading in that direction soon.....
 
#18
I know how you feel, I was laid off in April this year, I was
devistated. To be cut off from your income, just like that.
The best advice I got was to register for unemployment as soon as possible, cause it takes so long to get. I registered
the very next day on-line. I also had to sell gear to survive.
I had to sell my 1978 Fender Antigua Jazz Bass and most of my Hot Wheels collection.The Jazz went to a good home, but I will always miss it. I started calling everyone
I know and started looking for a job. I stayed up in spirits by
going out and jamming at local blues jams, and I stayed in touch with the owner of the company, and wound up getting
a job at the same company I was laid off from 2 1/2 months later, but a lower job.
At a way lower pay rate. But It was still more than unemployment and I stayed on there Major Health Insurance.
I am still looking for a better paying job, but the job market around here is awful.I also live with my girlfreind and she had
to go back to work so we could survive, I was making good
money and she did not have to work before I got laid off. Now with both of us working we still do not make as much as I was before.
Keep your spirits up, and do not let it get you down, make sure you and your girlfreind talk over everything. Money
can be a relationship killer, so be sure and have good communication. Life is full of up's & down's, things will get better. Keep a good attitude.
If you have to cancel your internet, do what I did and go to
the local public library and you can get on-line free.
 

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