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Opinions regarding distributing "donor" basses

GretschWretch

GretschWretch

Supporting Member
Dec 27, 2013
12,449
25,119
East Central Alabama
#1
As I continue with my "great declutter" I am finding more than a few basses -- and a couple of guitars -- that would bring in so little sale value that they aren't even worth the trouble of putting on the market. The reward would be reclaiming the space they are taking. My original plan was to do like other TBers have done and just give a bass to some poor kid they had heard about who really wants a bass but whose parents can't afford one. But in my thinly populated area, a dozen needy kids may be a long time coming. I possibly could drop a fretted and fretless off at the local Boys and Girls club and maybe another pair with the local community concert band. But that's only four basses out of hrair.

But recently I discovered, and only about three miles from my door, a very full service local community benevolence center that will take just about anything except electronics. They have a sales area (that even has 33 1/3 rpm lps) and their own warehouse with volunteers who sort the donations into keep and toss. My instruments would be keepers that could go right into the sales area.

But then they would be for sale, not freebies, so the poor kid's family would have to pay something to get them. But if I wait for word of mouth several of these instruments could become part of my estate, which is about the last thing I want. I want them gone.

So I am asking advice from TBers who have come to this fork in the road themselves on how they would handle the situation. What are the options they followed and the decisions they made?
 
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#2
A few years back I had a wad of basses and when my situation changed, I put them up for sale in a local sales paper that covers a decent area and sold them cheap. It didn't take long to see them gone and they ranged from a pile of MIM J basses and parts to a few decent US J basses. I've still got a few, but the purge was quick and relatively painless. Had I known any kid who wanted one I would have given them the pick of the cull litter. I did give a decent SWR Working Pro 12 combo amp to the local high school band, and asked the teacher if they knew anyone who might be interested in bass but didn't have one. He said he could fix me up with several of his kids who could use a six string, but had no students interested in bass guitar.
 
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#4
Schools struggle to keep music programs afloat and are great places for donations.
I would also look around for privately run kids programs that rely on government support to function properly and retirement homes usually have a keyboard or piano to use and something for the retired bass player would be appreciated.
You may want to consider the usefulness of a bass for someone lacking in funds if there’s not an amp to plug it into but donations to charity or silent auctions would see the money going to a good cause and you wouldn’t have to worry about that.
 
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#5
Charities or silent auctions are good ideas; schools, not so much. Not that the idea in itself isn't good, but I have been in enough local high school band rooms over the last three years to know they are provided very well with basses and amps. School music programs are looked on very favorably here, largely I am sure because of Jacksonville State University, whose globally-known Marching Southerners now put 500 musicians on the field at halftime.
 
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#8
In the city near where I live, there are non profit music schools (the regular schools don’t have music programs in poorer areas). You have to drive a bit to get there, but they love the instruments I’ve donated.
 
#10
Many churches will keep a bass around for the praise band, but most players worth their salt already have one. It’s usually for the convince of leaving a bass at the church.

If you put them on FB or CL, you will likely get a bargain hunter, a modder, or a flipper. Neither of them is a crime, and you accomplish your objective of getting them out of the house. But I applaud your desire to benefit charity.
 
#11
Roland GR 88 said:
Schools struggle to keep music programs afloat and are great places for donations.
I would also look around for privately run kids programs that rely on government support to function properly and retirement homes usually have a keyboard or piano to use and something for the retired bass player would be appreciated.
You may want to consider the usefulness of a bass for someone lacking in funds if there’s not an amp to plug it into but donations to charity or silent auctions would see the money going to a good cause and you wouldn’t have to worry about that.
Click to expand...
I donated several basses, amps, and bass accessories, to a local middle school - and ended up teaching bass to about 70 students over the next five years. It was all very rewarding. :)
 
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#15
That's tough as there are always variables to consider. I'd whittle it down to a few things. 1. You don't really expect to make money here. 2. If they were playable I'd donate them. I wouldn't wanna donate something that doesn't work as that would defeat the purpose. 3. Now if I had things that didn't work, then I'd take it to that community benevolence center and drop it off for somebody else to make a project out of it.
 
#17
Geogio said:
The monies collected by a bonified benevolent society on the sale of donations goes to the "mission" not the donated articles.
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I'm not sure I understand this. I understand that the societies would sell rather than give away the donated items, but I cannot fathom how the money would go to the donated articles in any event. The item would be purchased from the society, who would then keep the sales proceeds.
 
#19
DrBnz said:
That's tough as there are always variables to consider. I'd whittle it down to a few things. 1. You don't really expect to make money here. 2. If they were playable I'd donate them. I wouldn't wanna donate something that doesn't work as that would defeat the purpose. 3. Now if I had things that didn't work, then I'd take it to that community benevolence center and drop it off for somebody else to make a project out of it.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to be donating junk. Everything will be set up and tested by me before it goes out the door.
 
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