Seller's Remorse - what's your tale?

[BigBluez]

Did you ever sell a bass only to have it haunt your dreams? I had a Reverend Decision bass years ago. I sold it because (I'm stupid and) it didn't fit the vibe of the band I was in. Here I am, years later, and I have left the band. And guess what? I just bought a Reverend Decision bass. What's your tale?

 

[michael_t]

One bass I regret parting with is the 2006 Fender MIM Precision, which I got for my son in 2007 to play in the high school jazz band. A very simple and basic bass, but plenty of nostalgic value. That's when I swore to myself never to buy a bass I didn't intend to keep for life.

I've acquired eight basses since, and they're all still with me.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Sold a '96 Q5 that I've regretted. I've tried a few of the newer ones with a truss rod and they never felt, or sounded, quite the same. The problem with non-truss rod models is that some do have genuine relief issues, so buying one online without playing it first wouldn't be an option for me. I did reach out to the buyer on a few occasions just to say I'd like first dibs as a buyer if they ever decide to sell it but have never gotten a response from them. Oh well.

 

[JRA]

there have been a bunch of "regret" threads. i always say the same thing: i have none!

no remorse re: instruments. i'm sorry to be a poster without a remorseful story, and i hope you don't interpret my overall no-regret contentment as trolling!

 

[micguy]

I had a momentary bout of seller's remorse a few years back about my first bass - a 77 Ric 4001 (which I bought new and sold a few years later). I went to a nearby store, picked up a 4003, plugged it in, and....yeah, I remember why I sold that bass. Remorse cancelled. Never mind, I'm good.

I have donated a bunch of basses to local music schools for kids - all solid, good playing instruments that I had gigged, but that were no longer my weapon of choice. Not a single moment of regret for any of those.

 

[bholder]

I've sold exactly 2 basses in my life. I bought both back 3 times over because I missed them (Epi EA-260 and Gibson Ripper).

So yeah.

 

[-Stingray]

Only one. My candy apple red 2012 USA Fender Precision. I'm getting over it though......especially since my last Spector purchase. It was just a great playing/sounding instrument...... and crazy light at 7.8 pounds. I don't even remember why I got rid of it, but I think about that bass a lot.

The one that got away.....

PS....the Spector is 7.3 pounds, and sounds even better. The remorse is quickly fading.

 

[Mike Vee]

Several:

This is not a regret, but I do miss it!!!!

Not a regret, but REGRET that it came with uneven frets, buzzed, and had to be returned.

BIG regret - 2006 Stingray, mint, under 8.5 LBS

BIG regret - 2013 Classic Sabre - best MM tone I ever heard, by a longshot too

Mild Regret - a really beautiful Stingray Special with a PERFECT neck and rare natural color

 

[Lobster11]

Coincidentally, my only experience with buyer's remorse was also a Reverend, many years ago. It was my first foray into the 5-string world. I loved the look and the sound but at the time struggled to adapt to the extra string. Perhaps more important, though, I couldn't abide the narrow string spacing relative to my 4-string basses.

It was several years later that I first learned to play with a pick, after playing fingerstyle exclusively for 15 years or so. Once I got comfortable with that I realized that the narrower string spacing on that Reverend would be a plus instead of a minus when played pickstyle, and I wished I had it back.

 

[J Wilson]

None.

 

[JC BASS 91]

I will forever post this on these threads when they come up. This is the only bass I have ever sold that I regret selling.

1979 Peavey T-40

 

[Geri O]

There's a few I regret selling, but then I wouldn't have been directed to the most awesome basses I have now.

I do sorely regret selling one particular bass, the Mike Lull P5. The quintessential Precision bass tone, more so than the Fender to my ear.
Even though I had reconciled myself to letting it go because "it was always my third choice of bass to grab", I still miss it dearly.

 

[friskinator]

I generally don't get nostalgic about basses I've owned, but there are 2 exceptions.

1. My first bass, a MIJ Matsumoku-made Vantage. I used it to learn on and never gigged it, so I let the singer in my original band borrow it for studio use. He went through some personal issues (including addiction), and when I asked him where it was years later, he had no idea what happened to it.

2. Warwick Fortress One from the original "golden age" run in 1992-1993. My first expensive bass, and I gigged the hell out of it. At some point in the mid-90s I got the Music Man bug and sold it, and I wish I hadn't.

 

[Z-Bass]

I try not to dwell on this because you live and learn and the gear you cycle through is part of the process of finding out what you like and do not like. However, I do regret selling my first 5 string bass - a Yamaha BBNII 5-string. I've detailed this in other threads but I honestly bought it as a low cost way to dip my toes into the 5-string realm. Only paid $400 for it new, nothing fancy about it. Black gloss finish and a rosewood board. I had the shop install a 3-band Basslines Seymour Duncan pre-amp. I then I proceeded to played the heck out of it for a long time. It was such a well built bass and not just for the money. It had such a beautiful chunky tone and the neck was great. Not a single dead spot, great B string as well. I usually get a slap in the face reminder when I listen to older recordings and it's a tone that I would love to have again. I sold it because.................who knows. I probably thought at the time that I needed something more expensive and upscale. I sometimes think about tracking another one down as they do pop up from time to time but I wonder if perhaps I was just lucky and got a good one.

 

[Topkat13]

One time I sold a bass and I wish I hadn't.

 

[IPA]

a couple, mostly sold due to money issues or getting GAS distracted

They aren't particularly rare, but they would cost a lot more to reacquire now because everything costs so much now.

 

[Drop1]

Coincidentally, my only experience with buyer's remorse was also a Reverend, many years ago. It was my first foray into the 5-string world. I loved the look and the sound but at the time struggled to adapt to the extra string. Perhaps more important, though, I couldn't abide the narrow string spacing relative to my 4-string basses.

It was several years later that I first learned to play with a pick, after playing fingerstyle exclusively for 15 years or so. Once I got comfortable with that I realized that the narrower string spacing on that Reverend would be a plus instead of a minus when played pickstyle, and I wished I had it back.

I sold off a few 5'ers for the same reason. I still don't play with a pick, but I got sent one just yesterday with a pedal order.
The second I started, it felt like the strings were miles apart.
My mind started to drift into "what if" territory so I immediately threw the pick in the garbage before that can of worms even gets opened.
Rabbit hole and regret avoided.

 

[Grinderman]

I'd rather not think about it.

 

[thisheregiraffe]

I don't regret selling or trading any of my old basses or guitars. In most cases, those sales/trades allowed me to acquire different gear that I liked more than the old stuff. I suppose I do miss a couple of them occasionally, but if I had them back now they wouldn't match up my current #1 basses anyhow. So it feels a bit wasteful to hang onto things I won't play much. I hope the new owners of those instruments play and appreciate them more.

 

[micahwc]

I had an ESP with an evertune that I posted on Reverb. It sat for months. I decided to take it off reverb and keep it. I grabbed my phone to do so and there was a notification that it had sold.