Question about recreational bass trading

[Kyle Williams]

Hello,
I'm writing a piece for my local newspaper about a local bass player. He told me he acquired his bass from a trade done on this website. He was able to trade his current bass for one he more desired in a matter of hours, and then he noticed that only a few days later, the bass he'd traded was already up for sale/trade again. I expressed surprise at this but he told me "it's pretty normal actually. Some people buy, sell, and trade basses like twice a week." He says it seems to be not just for profit, but for fun.

I'm so intrigued by this culture of online instrument exchange, and would love to hear more about it. If you are someone who enjoys buying, selling, and trading instruments, or has had any experience with this, could you please write back about why you enjoy it? If you've had a particularly good or bad experience, I'd love to hear about it. Really, any information is helpful. Thanks!

 

[theduke1]

Sorry
I only buy/ sell / or trade for something else I want or need
Duke

 

[hypercarrots]

sometimes trading is a good way to try out an instrument for a while and see if it works for you.
its not necessarily about recreation or the fun of it.

 

[charlie monroe]

From time to time utilizing the trade option you described actually helps to convert the instruments to cash.

In the above example, the person you interviewed may have owned a fairly commonly admired instrument and traded it for something that had less universal appeal, but similar value.

The second person traded his less common instrument for something that could be sold to a wider market segment, thus (possibly) reducing the amount of time required to convert to cash.

 

[mikeoso]

Find out about ______ Acquisition Syndrome (bass, guitar, gear, whatever). Hunting, finding, acquiring, possessing...and then doing it again and again.

 

[hrodbert696]

There are guys in the classifieds who have literally hundreds of ratings, meaning they have made hundreds of deals on TB. For a lot of them, I think it's what @hypercarrots said - trading instruments around a community is an easy way to try out lots of different things, and you keep the ones you really love. I am not particularly prone to it myself.

 

[Spidey2112]

I hear it's been legalized in Colorado.

 

[Nedmundo]

There are guys in the classifieds who have literally hundreds of ratings, meaning they have made hundreds of deals on TB. For a lot of them, I think it's what @hypercarrots said - trading instruments around a community is an easy way to try out lots of different things, and you keep the ones you really love. I am not particularly prone to it myself.

I think that's right, and it works well in a community like TB. Some accomplish largely the same thing by constant buying and selling on eBay.

One of my close friends and former bandmates has bought and sold an untold number of guitars and amps over the years in this way, everything from cheap oddball vintage stuff to modern mainstream Gibsons and Fenders. It was a constant process we called "the churn," and it was a form of entertainment for him. Interestingly, despite his huge guitar collection, on stage he almost exclusively played an old, beat-up Gibson SG he bought used.

BTW, I'm not prone to this either, largely because I find selling instruments to be a hassle.

 

[JRA]

I'm writing a piece for my local newspaper

i think most TB members are trying to stay out of their local newspapers...so they come here instead.

 

[Sixgunn]

All of my basses are "recreational".

 

[EatS1stBassist]

Hello,
I'm writing a piece for my local newspaper about a local bass player. He told me he acquired his bass from a trade done on this website. He was able to trade his current bass for one he more desired in a matter of hours, and then he noticed that only a few days later, the bass he'd traded was already up for sale/trade again. I expressed surprise at this but he told me "it's pretty normal actually. Some people buy, sell, and trade basses like twice a week." He says it seems to be not just for profit, but for fun.

I'm so intrigued by this culture of online instrument exchange, and would love to hear more about it. If you are someone who enjoys buying, selling, and trading instruments, or has had any experience with this, could you please write back about why you enjoy it? If you've had a particularly good or bad experience, I'd love to hear about it. Really, any information is helpful. Thanks!

Over 50 years of buying selling and trading bass and over 300 basses later I would say I really love it!!

 

[wmhill]

It's a different version of collecting baseball cards...

 

[EatS1stBassist]

It's a different version of collecting baseball cards...

I look at them as affordable Hot Rods!

 

[saabfender]

Sounds like your guy enjoys the hunt, the thrill of the chase, the pleasure of acquisition. Totally get it. At least it's not women. Maybe that too but that guy's pretty hardcore. I get the feeling this is how he spends a lot of his time. Seems harmless.

 

[groooooove]

it sounds like you've never had a hobby....

I've bought/sold "for fun" (though profit/loss is a part of it) nearly 1000 instruments probably in my life. I also work full time in the instrumental music business, so theres that.

but also watches? I buy/sell regularly. motorcycles, cars, I know people who buy and sell high end chefs knives all the time. it's just a hobby - the objects are fun. I've definitely bought and sold multiple basses in a week. Usually in a quest for something I'm looking for, but sometimes you just want a weird little Hofner, or a cool carvin 6 string catches your eye - then you realize you don't need either, and sell those because you need that 70's Ibanez jazz bass copy in that awesome finish, and on you go......

 

[40Hz]

It’s kinda like the old joke about the guy who loved betting.

Guy is sitting at the bar when another guy walks up to him and hands him $100.

Bartender asks him what it’s about and the guy said “I bet on the Yankees to win last night’s game.

A short while later another man walks up to him and the guy hands the newcomer $100.

Bartender says, “Lost on a different game?”

“Nope,” replies the guy. “I bet on the Red Sox to beat the Yanks.”

Bartender says: “You’ll never make any money betting that way.”

“I know that,” says the guy. “But look at all the action I’m seeing!”

 

[40Hz]

sometimes trading is a good way to try out an instrument for a while and see if it works for you.
its not necessarily about recreation or the fun of it.

Excellent point.

With the demise of so many local independent music stores and the success of certain classified boards like TB’s - or big online aggregators like Chicago Music Exchange, Reverb, and eBay, there’s a lot more “buy & try” than the traditional “try before you buy” going on these days. So if you don’t have a return privilege on a purchase, your only alternative is to roll something over and recoupe your money or trade it for something else if it’s something you decide not to keep.

 

[MVE]

I have a hoarding gene that doesn’t allow me to sell or trade or otherwise give up and gear. My power is manifested in the amount of equipment I have amassed in my basement.
There is a full PA, drumset, several guitars, ukuleles and guitar tube amps (even though I don’t play drums or guitar or ukulele.)
A grand piano I must have...

 

[cosmicevan]

Over my life as a bassplayer, I have owned dozens of instruments and in the past used to own a rotating 10 or so handmade basses. Today I have 2 main basses (both 4 string carl thompsons...one a 36" scale and the other a 32" scale) and one other that I dont actively play (a 6 string from danish builder Johnny Mørch)...and a few gu*tars.

For me, it was a zero sum game to be able to really experience an instrument with a single monetary investment (aside from shipping costs, but back when I was actively doing it years ago shipping wasnt as huge of a cost as it is now). Sure, you can go to a music store and play something, but you dont really experience it until you've had it for a stretch of time and really get to know it. I also liked being able to try out several instruments from builders I admired to compare what I liked about them.

The great part about it is to really understand the differences of builders and to really develop an opinion on this stuff from experience instead of influence from reading and talking to others. To me, bass is my passion...not my career...and aside from the rockstar pipedream I didnt actively pursue music as a means to make a living but I did explore instrument sales, repair, and the like so back then, it was a way to learn and sort of become the expert I wanted to be for myself so I knew what was going on and could intelligently find what drove inspiration for me.

The bad part of it was always having great instruments at the same time. I traded a Fodera for an mtd and a pavel and both were gorgeous but because i got them at the same time I obviously favored the one that spoke to me more (the pavel). In a way it would shape my opinions unfairly deoending on whatever else I had at the time.

Its still really fun and now that Ive gotten back into bass, I have considerred swapping my Mørch for another rotating bass.

 

[B-Lo]

I echo the points about ot being a great way to try an instrument or related gear. You can test drive it and if it doesn't suit you, put it back up for trade or for sale.