Not playing anymore with expensive bass

[scuzzy]

It is a 4k bass so yeah as long as I spend maybe half max

These are $3200 new right now and are selling used between $1500-2200.

 

[jeffb28451]

i have several expensive basses, but don't feel like I'm missing anything when I'm playing my G&L Tribute jb-2. Even thinking of getting a
2500 instead of buying back my old 5 Stingray Special. The Tributes are incredible basses, esp. for the price. I had a Sire 7, I believe it was, and it was a really good piece but the preamp was just too complicated.

 

[Passinwind]

These are $3200 new right now and are selling used between $1500-2200.

Note that the OP is in Canada...

But yeah, there are actually some new ones on Reverb for just north of $2K USD at the moment.

 

[TJH3113]

I want to hear this story. I'm at 6 and will soon get to 5 or 4. I have some low to intermediate price fun basses. Makes for not having to worry at gigs. So I get the appeal of low and intermediate price.

But tell us about why the Wal and Ricky and Fodera are gone? I borrowed a Rick and a Spector at different times and still think about getting one of those at some time.

Slightly different stories for each bass. I started writing the story on each, but realized that it would have been extremely long and, possibly, boring. So, I'll try to sum it up quickly. With the Wal and the Fodera it was a matter of "diminishing returns", or I just didn't think that either of those basses was 5 or 10 times "better" than other basses I owned that were valued at 5 or 10 times less than they were. When I started getting into Spectors I considered having one built for me, but I realized that a $5,000+ NS2 was not going to give me 5x the satisfaction as I got from my $800 NS2A. With regard to the Rickenbacker... I always say, "The only time I love Rics is when I don't have a Ric." Then I get one and am reminded of why I don't like them. I just don't have anything good to say about them, so I'll leave it at that. I know some people absolutely love them and they have a big "wow" factor, but they're not for me. I've tried.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So many good inexpensive basses these days you can't go wrong, even for less than $500.

So Anyway, you can get a lot of bass for $500. It's a good time to be a Bass Player.

 

[Pier_]

Other people did go through something similar ?

years ago I bought a wonderful Fender AV62, brand new because it was, in that period (2009) hard to find used, and the new price was still affordable, not like today.

I had to sell it after a few months, due to some financial problems I was having. I sold it at the average used price, those money were useful, but looking back they were not that necessary, and I could have gone further on without selling that bass.

if it was a bass whose value was extremely high, like a vintage Fender at 6000/8000$, I'd sell it and a recent one ad 1/8 the price.
but if you have to sell yours, which is a wonderful instrument, at less than 2000$ to buy a decent bass (500/700$), mmm... I would not do it.

without our hobbies and little joys, where we'll go? the joy of playing your favourite instrument, even if you don't play often, it's more important than a few bucks.

I could have kept that Precision AV62, and play the poopie out of it, since it was my first expensive bass, but I sold it and regretted it.

 

[bobba66]

Just keep it, and enjoy that next bologna sandwich!

 

[fishdreams]

If you need the money you need the money.

I also understand the guilt vs nostalgia factor. I sold off all my gear when i stopped playing for a while and life presented different priorities.

Yet, when i came back to playing 7 years later, i developed into a different and much happier musician who bonded with instruments differently - so my old sold basses, while cool and i miss them on an emotional/nostalgic level, would would not be the basses i'd be playing today on a daily basis (those are my two Martin Keiths).

That said - some good points made above about about how much you will really make of an actual sale for that bass after shipping and paypal/reverb fees etc. Be prepared to eat a big loss.

Ive been happy with parts basses too, for my Fende-ish needs, made from mixes of Squier and Allparts parts collected over the years - and parts can be bought here and there for a handful of bucks over time., when theres a few bucks left at the end of the month. So I'm sort of having like $400,- in a good parts bass, which when setup well, is as good as any US Fender to me.

 

[MrLenny1]

Keep it if you can afford to. It's a beautiful bass.
Hang it on the wall as art & inspiration to play it for fun.
I too have been tempted to sell my 2 collectable basses as I
don't gig much & usually bring my beater bass.

 

[SubNoizeRat3691]

I’ve had basses that cost over $3k, I went through the same thing. I’ve sold most everything and I’m currently rocking a Squier P bass. I did play a handful to find one that felt good, and after a good setup, it plays great! I don’t see anything wrong with it. There are great basses in all price ranges.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

It is a 4k bass so yeah as long as I spend maybe half max

maybe around 1500 and bank the rest of the 4k that this Spector is worth new

Keep the bass.

If I'm reading this right, and you're willing (and able) to spend $1,500 to $2,000 on a replacement - there's no way you'll ever come out ahead.

While your Spector's has "depreciated", it's not like a used car with 100K miles on it...
I'm guessing it's still every bit as good as the day you bought it, despite the used market-value.

 

[mikeswals]

Keep the bass. Its not worth as much as you think on the used market, you'll take a bath on it. And then to turn around buy something cheaper? You're not going to come out anywhere near as much as you think.
Right now most used mid-range instruments aren't selling as fast as they were 2 years ago, they're sitting for way longer.

 

[erratick]

Slightly different stories for each bass. I started writing the story on each, but realized that it would have been extremely long and, possibly, boring. So, I'll try to sum it up quickly. With the Wal and the Fodera it was a matter of "diminishing returns", or I just didn't think that either of those basses was 5 or 10 times "better" than other basses I owned that were valued at 5 or 10 times less than they were. When I started getting into Spectors I considered having one built for me, but I realized that a $5,000+ NS2 was not going to give me 5x the satisfaction as I got from my $800 NS2A. With regard to the Rickenbacker... I always say, "The only time I love Rics is when I don't have a Ric." Then I get one and am reminded of why I don't like them. I just don't have anything good to say about them, so I'll leave it at that. I know some people absolutely love them and they have a big "wow" factor, but they're not for me. I've tried.

Thanks. May still keep the spector and the ricky on the list of if I find the right one. It's a process.

 

[bordinco90]

My experience with Ibanez has been that they may play alright, but the crap wood they use on everything but the highest level instrument is a problem. Ive had trem screws pull out, chunks of wood fall out of pickup cavities etc. I won't touch another low end ibanez

I've never had any of those issues. My issue with Ibanez has always been the lack of stability in their lower level basses. The 5 piece maple/walnut necks have been very unstable for me. This 1 piece maple neck in the GSR is way more stable.

 

[edwinhurwitz]

if it's a bass you really, really love i wouldn't sell it. i got a lakland joe osborn in the early 2000s that i instantly bonded with. i had a few other basses around that time that were nice, but nothing i bonded with like that JO. life happened and i stepped away from music for around ten years yet i still held onto the lakland. only in the last few have i really gotten back into playing again. i've since picked up another couple basses i like, but there's no replacing my lakland.

if i had sold that bass, i know i'd be spending my days trying to replace it.

I have a number of basses I will never ever sell, including the heavily modified Starfire in my profile pic. Not only does it earn me a considerable amount of income, it's my soulmate.

Others include a couple of Modulus basses (include a 1983 neck through 6 with no serial number), a custom David King 5 string, and a modified '68 EB-3.

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Unless you are conveying that bills are not getting paid or people are not eating, then I vote no. What's the purpose of losing money on a sale in a very soft market to just buy a lesser instrument? What you spent on that bass back in the day is a sunk cost and no longer relevant.

nah, everything is taken care for but it is flush, no room for something going bad

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Your bass is 3 grand new at Sweetwater. 1800 used at guitar center. You might get around 2 for it. Most likely 1800. Then, you'd spend most of that on a replacement. Yeah, a couple hundred dollars (if you have any left over) and a bass you don't love, sounds like a losing scenario to me. You're much better off just keeping it, not spending anything on any bass gear, and therefore making the money you just saved.

I forgot to say, I'm from Canada so yeah it is more expensive here

 

[OptimalOptimus]

Consider that, once you let go of your nice instrument(s) you are unlikely to ever be motivated to buy another instrument at that quality level again. You likely won't be able to justify such a purchase.

So, if you enjoy it, and you don't have other immediate expenses that demand a sale, then why say goodbye to something that you enjoy? It's okay to have nice things, and there's no obligation to play an instrument so many hours per year or you aren't worthy of it.

Think about guys like Victor Wooten or Anthony Wellington who have collections of basses THOUSANDS of times more valuable than what any of us have. So many boutique, unique instruments they could not give each one proper appreciation via playing time even if they did nothing but cycle through their collection daily!

You have it, you enjoy it, you don't have a pressing need to get rid of it. So why make a change?

I may never be able to buy that kind of stuff ever again for sure. But I don't play enough to justify such an instrument

 

[OptimalOptimus]

So yeah, I'll keep the bass. Thank everyone

 

[TheArchitect]

I may never be able to buy that kind of stuff ever again for sure. But I don't play enough to justify such an instrument

That's a red herring. You own it already. It's costing you nothing to keep it. There is nothing to justify. There is a lot more justification needed to explain a sale and replacement with a lesser quality instrument and the unknowns that come with it than there is standing pat with a known good instrument