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Regrets...What's the Best Advice you have?

slapmachine

slapmachine

Oct 4, 2010
451
12
PV, Kansas
#1
So, for the last year or so, I've had immense regrets on having returned my Fender Select Precision bass back to Guitar Center after a couple weeks of owning it.

I was infatuated with the bass, and hands down the best bass moment in my life happened when I cranked my Markbass 102P "stack" in an outdoor gig, running the precision with the LMII head, the Compressore, and XL Chromes on it. I even remember the weather (overcast), the guitarist's clothes (old Shure t-shirt, no shoes, ragged tope cargo shorts), and too many other details about the show.

I ended up giving it back to GC, because I decided it was too much to throw down on an instrument at the time, since I was just going into college. Two years into school I've had serious thoughts of rebuying it, but without a job or anything that would mean a fair depletion of my savings.

UGH, I hate being fiscally responsible and having GAS. I've really ridiculously tame when it comes to gear, and all I own is my little Markbass rig and two basses (one acoustic, one electric), but DAMN!!

:help:
 
#2
Don't worry. Life is long. If it isn't long, you don't have anything to worry about. Either way, it's good, so no reason to regret being responsible now. You will have plenty of time to be irresponsible when you have more money. Then you can be far more irresponsible and still eat and sleep inside. It's better that way, even though it doesn't seem like it now.
 
#5
Gaolee said:
Don't worry. Life is long. If it isn't long, you don't have anything to worry about. Either way, it's good, so no reason to regret being responsible now. You will have plenty of time to be irresponsible when you have more money. Then you can be far more irresponsible and still eat and sleep inside. It's better that way, even though it doesn't seem like it now.
Click to expand...

+1 Right on, great advice!
 
#6
SlapMachine - I did something similiar. I had a P-Select that I had been gassing for. Then I ended up being seduced by a Mike Lull. The Lull I was nice, but I realized I'm a Fender guy. I sold the Lull and bought a brand new PSelect. The one I just bought ended up being one of the first 100 that Fender made of the P-Select (#39 of 100 to be exact.......it even has a certificate of authenticity). All of the plastic was still on everything so I got kind of lucky. That said you can find a brand new P-Select for $1,500 or $1,600 which is a steal. Here's mine (I put a black pickguard on it).
 

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#7
Chances are that you either have outright plain selective memory or that you wouldn't find it as good as you did back then if you could get your claws on it now. Or both.

If you got the new price back that's good anyway because these cheap instruments eat up a lot of money if you buy new and sell used. So for all you know your financial situation could be even worse and your dream bass isn't.
 
#8
slapmachine said:
Two years into school I've had serious thoughts of rebuying it, but without a job or anything that would mean a fair depletion of my savings.

UGH, I hate being fiscally responsible and having GAS. I've really ridiculously tame when it comes to gear, and all I own is my little Markbass rig and two basses (one acoustic, one electric), but DAMN!!

:help:
Click to expand...

You have the rest of your life to GAS over gear and go into debt - believe me, I know!

Deal with it. Get out of school with as little debt as possible to start your "adult" life.

Like the old saying goes…if I only knew then what I do now…

I'd have almost no debt and really nice gear that I would have bought and paid for years ago.
 
#10
slapmachine said:
So, for the last year or so, I've had immense regrets on having returned my Fender Select Precision bass back to Guitar Center after a couple weeks of owning it.

I was infatuated with the bass...I even remember the weather (overcast), the guitarist's clothes (old Shure t-shirt, no shoes, ragged tope cargo shorts), and too many other details about the show.

:help:
Click to expand...

You made the absolute stone cold right move to return the instrument and get out of the music business, as bands wearing cargo shorts have no place, and little hope for success, in the business of show.

I second the recommendation above that you major in marketing or some such field where being a tool in cargo pants is not an obvious liability.

Hope your guitarist is out of the biz, too. My 2 cents.
 
#11
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do , I saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, each careful step along the highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
 
#12
Dude! You totally screwed up! You should have kept the bass, dropped out of school, stole the guitar player's cargo shorts, loaded up the civic, and headed to Hollywood!!!

Man, you'd probably be famous by now. I mean, what good is an education, really.

Oh, well. The damage is done. Might as well finish school, and buy another Select later, when you can do it out of one paycheck and still have money left over.

(yeah; I realize you weren't dropping out of school. Just kidding :D)

edit: Oh, yeah. Let the guy keep his shorts. They'd look funny on you anyway.
 
#13
I don't understand the question.

I will tell you this much for free and I'm not a young guy:

It's just gear. Emotional involvement with it as if it were anything more than that is terrific folly (just look at all the more or less hysterical threads on TB if you doubt it).

There'll always be another deal, another instrument you'll eventually get bored with.

Worry about stuff that matters. This doesn't.
 
#15
Ironbar said:
You may hate being fiscally responsible now, but you'll love yourself later on for it!
Click to expand...

+1.

I finished college in '69, so I'm a long way down that road now. I have a selection of five basses, two electric guitars, two resonator guitars and two flat top acoustics, one of which was custom-made for me by a local luthier.

Back in the day I had a no-name electric guitar that I bought with a Silvertone 1484 amp for $40, and an acoustic Ventura that I paid $35 for. Along the way I learned to do my own set ups, met a lot of interesting and talented people and had a lot of fun.

Save for tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, go for it! :D
 
#17
Why not sell your two basses and use the proceeds towards picking up that bass? You can also sell college text books, take part in some paid volunteer college experiments, sell crib notes (lol)...just joking.
Basses come and go, unless you bought a one-of a kind prototype bass, it is likely you'll cross paths again when you're ready.
 
#19
Lank Thompson said:
SlapMachine - I did something similiar. I had a P-Select that I had been gassing for. Then I ended up being seduced by a Mike Lull. The Lull I was nice, but I realized I'm a Fender guy. I sold the Lull and bought a brand new PSelect. The one I just bought ended up being one of the first 100 that Fender made of the P-Select (#39 of 100 to be exact.......it even has a certificate of authenticity). All of the plastic was still on everything so I got kind of lucky. That said you can find a brand new P-Select for $1,500 or $1,600 which is a steal. Here's mine (I put a black pickguard on it).
Click to expand...

$1600!? Geeze. I've never seen one below $2300
 
#20
Bongolation said:
It's just gear. Emotional involvement with it as if it were anything more than that is terrific folly (just look at all the more or less hysterical threads on TB if you doubt it).
Click to expand...

QFR

Gear is just stuff and all stuff is transitory subject to all the vagaries of life - natural disasters, divorces, thieving bandmates, "bad" decisions.

Stop beating yourself up and walk on young sportsman
 

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