Should I Let Go of My First Bass? Vacation, and Other Band Purchases.

[yakmastermax]

Hey TB!

I was hoping to get your collective wisdom and experience to help me make a decision. I recently got my second bass ever and I'm loving it. I've been playing it almost exclusively for the past month. My first bass I bought almost 5 years ago and I just haven't really touched it since getting my new Fender MIM Precision. While I very much enjoy how my first bass sounds and plays it just doesn't get me going the way that my fender does. Furthermore I've got a vacation to Israel coming up and I could really use the cash so that I can eat/drink out and get souvenirs. I also really need an envelope filter for funk covers as well as another condenser mic for band recordings.

My question to you guys is this: Should I let go of my first bass ever to fund these other things? Having spending money for my Birthright Israel trip is my number one reason for selling. As a college student my income is pretty fixed. I've got enough cash for the basics of the trip but it would be nice if I could have some fun over there.

I do love my first bass. I painstakingly refinished the weak factory finish myself and it is my first bass ever. The neck is super slim and fast, not like my P bass.
I really don't play it anymore though and honestly I don't see myself making it a main player again. If I wanted to have a slim fast main player like it again I would be more likely to purchase a newer higher quality bass similar to it.

What do you guys think? Should I keep it or let it go?

 

[wraub]

Hey TB!


I really don't play it anymore though and honestly I don't see myself making it a main player again. If I wanted to have a slim fast main player like it again I would be more likely to purchase a newer higher quality bass similar to it.

What do you guys think? Should I keep it or let it go?

I believe you answered your own question right here.

 

[Bassbubble11]

It may not even be worth selling. What kind of bass is it? Also the fact that you refinished it is going to kill it's value no matter what it is IMO.

 

[P-BASS BILL]

OK ... here's my take.
1. How much do you expect to net from selling this bass?
2. Will that amount be of any REAL consequence to your budget?

The reason I ask is that ONCE YOU'VE SOLD IT ... IT'S GONE FOREVER. You sound like a young man (I'm 70) so I would like to share my personal experience with you.

My very first bass was a POS Framus STAR. I wouldn't have kept it if I were paid to, but my first REAL bass was a '72 Ash/Maple/Pearl Block Jazz Bass. After owning it for about 38 years it was still as minty as the day I bought it ... I sold it (along with a 30+ year collection of guitars, basses and 60's-70's tube amps) because I finally quite actively playing after 50 years)!

WHAT AN IDIOT! I should have hit "pause" and thought about which of the items I unloaded I just might regret selling ... but I didn't! So, thanks to some great members here and Reverb.com I have been able to pick up a few of my old favorites ... BUT I KNOW THEY ARE NOT MY ORIGINALS ... ONLY COPIES.

So, Max, think long and hard before you pull the trigger on this one.

PS. On the other hand ... it's all just "STUFF" and I can guarantee that in less than 100 years ... you won't give a "hoot in hell" about all that "STUFF"! Just sayin' ... ;-)

 

[placedesjardins]

What do you guys think? Should I keep it or let it go?

Basses come and go. I sold my first bass, which was a cheap used bass. I have no feelings toward that bass and was happy when I traded it away. My second bass guitar, I donated for a cause. My third bass, I sold to fund my current bass.
If there is no intrinsic value to the bass, then sell it.

 

[Malak the Mad]

I vote "Keep It", but then, I am subject to the vagaries of "Nostalgia". However, once it's gone, you'll likely never, ever see it again. Bear in mind; this was your "first-ever bass", not just "any bass". Hell, you even put the effort into it to refinish it! That takes dedication.

To summarize, nothing will ever hold that place in your own, personal history…not some chachkies, not cab fares, not a bunch of fast-food meals or even a few nice meals. Once you've spent that money, it's gone. So, let me ask you this…how much swag or grub or conveniences will fill the void left behind by the absence of your "first-ever"?

 

[Solarmist]

It sounds like you really want to go to Israel - so if you need to sell a bass to do so that you don't play all that often and could easily replace - I say go for it ... sell.

I'm curious though - what kind of bass are we talkin' about?

Have a fantastic vacation!

 

[mikeswals]

My first bass was POS plywood P bass copy in the late 80's. Terrible stock electronics, so I installed EMGs, ripped out the frets and converted it to a 5 string with a Wilkinson bridge. I sold it for $100 bucks when I bought something better.
My dad and grandma bought me that 1st bass ($175), they went halfsies on it, and for the longest time now I wished I had it back! Nothing great about it but nostalgia, and I could fix it back up as a backup player. Long gone.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

OK ... here's my take.
1. How much do you expect to net from selling this bass?
2. Will that amount be of any REAL consequence to your budget?

The reason I ask is that ONCE YOU'VE SOLD IT ... IT'S GONE FOREVER. You sound like a young man (I'm 70) so I would like to share my personal experience with you.

My very first bass was a POS Framus STAR. I wouldn't have kept it if I were paid to, but my first REAL bass was a '72 Ash/Maple/Pearl Block Jazz Bass. After owning it for about 38 years it was still as minty as the day I bought it ... I sold it (along with a 30+ year collection of guitars, basses and 60's-70's tube amps) because I finally quite actively playing after 50 years)!

WHAT AN IDIOT! I should have hit "pause" and thought about which of the items I unloaded I just might regret selling ... but I didn't! So, thanks to some great members here and Reverb.com I have been able to pick up a few of my old favorites ... BUT I KNOW THEY ARE NOT MY ORIGINALS ... ONLY COPIES.

So, Max, think long and hard before you pull the trigger on this one.

PS. On the other hand ... it's all just "STUFF" and I can guarantee that in less than 100 years ... you won't give a "hoot in hell" about all that "STUFF"! Just sayin' ... ;-)

+1 on this. It is a very common story. I've also been there and done that.
And regardless of whether there is sentimental value or intrinsic value, if you now own only two basses, it means you have 1 backup.

 

[yakmastermax]

OK ... here's my take.
1. How much do you expect to net from selling this bass?
2. Will that amount be of any REAL consequence to your budget?

The reason I ask is that ONCE YOU'VE SOLD IT ... IT'S GONE FOREVER. You sound like a young man (I'm 70) so I would like to share my personal experience with you.

My very first bass was a POS Framus STAR. I wouldn't have kept it if I were paid to, but my first REAL bass was a '72 Ash/Maple/Pearl Block Jazz Bass. After owning it for about 38 years it was still as minty as the day I bought it ... I sold it (along with a 30+ year collection of guitars, basses and 60's-70's tube amps) because I finally quite actively playing after 50 years)!

WHAT AN IDIOT! I should have hit "pause" and thought about which of the items I unloaded I just might regret selling ... but I didn't! So, thanks to some great members here and Reverb.com I have been able to pick up a few of my old favorites ... BUT I KNOW THEY ARE NOT MY ORIGINALS ... ONLY COPIES.

So, Max, think long and hard before you pull the trigger on this one.

PS. On the other hand ... it's all just "STUFF" and I can guarantee that in less than 100 years ... you won't give a "hoot in hell" about all that "STUFF"! Just sayin' ... ;-)

My absolute favorite part of TB, the large community of more experienced musicians and more experienced people in general! Your wisdom is invaluable to a 22 year old like myself!

I would only get a few hundred, but like you said the amount isn't important. It is whether that amount will have any effect. The amount of money I would get from selling it I think would have a very tangible effect on the quality of my trip. I'm going with a youth group and so there should be a good amount of going out and clubbing . An extra hundred or two would certainly make a difference in that sort of thing. The bass in question isn't a stunner or anything exotic but it certainly is a good gigable bass. I like many qualities of it but more importantly it holds a certain value in that it is my first bass. I wonder if you older guys see the same value of "first bass" and if that value continues to be held as time goes on?

My mom agrees though, it is just STUFF

I vote "Keep It", but then, I am subject to the vagaries of "Nostalgia". However, once it's gone, you'll likely never, ever see it again. Bear in mind; this was your "first-ever bass", not just "any bass". Hell, you even put the effort into it to refinish it! That takes dedication.

To summarize, nothing will ever hold that place in your own, personal history…not some chachkies, not cab fares, not a bunch of fast-food meals or even a few nice meals. Once you've spent that money, it's gone. So, let me ask you this…how much swag or grub or conveniences will fill the void left behind by the absence of your "first-ever"?

Ahh that is what I wonder. How much is a "first ever" worth?

It sounds like you really want to go to Israel - so if you need to sell a bass to do so that you don't play all that often and could easily replace - I say go for it ... sell.

I'm curious though - what kind of bass are we talkin' about?

Have a fantastic vacation!

Thanks! I'm very excited for the trip regardless of how much spending cash I'll have while I'm there. I unfortunately can't say what kind of bass it is because then the thread will get deleted for being an attempt to sell thread. It isn't anything that special though. A pretty solid gig bass but nothing to write home about. Perfectly capable but if I sold it then wanted a bass like it again I'd probably fork over the extra money for a better version.

 

[tradernick]

Your decision to keep it or let it go doesn't have anything to do with resale value, present or future use or anything else like that. All that matters is how much of a sentimentalist you are. I deeply regret not having my first bass. I have the first guitar I ever bought, the one my Dad bought me when I started taking classical guitar at age 11, and it's one of my most cherished possessions.

You're still young so maybe you can't say how much you'll regret not having it when you're 50. I didn't give it a second thought when I sold my first bass - I actually traded it in and all I could see was the Fender I was trading up to. Now I wish I had it.

I will say this - in 5 years you're not going to look back and say 'Darn, my Birthright trip would have been so much better if I had the extra $200 I would have got by selling my bass'.

EDIT: Haha, just saw your post above which went up while I was typing. If you really need that extra $200, try to get it elsewhere first.

 

[Duder]

I say keep it. Look around and see if you have other things you can part with that may not have the sentimental value your first bass will hold. I've collected odds and ends (old tube amps, percussion hardware) over the years and I'm not quite sure why I haven't parted with them to fund other purchases.

 

[Duder]

Also, enjoy the trip. I had an ex who did this years ago and she had an amazing time.

 

[pacojas]

sell it to a friend or relative with a "buy-back" option.

 

[tradernick]

My mom agrees though, it is just STUFF

Also, re: Mom's absolutely accurate comment. We just moved after being in the same place for 12 years. We started packing and I filled about 40 boxes... and I looked around and realized that my flippin' house looked the same! I just don't know what all this stuff is. And believe me, no one around here is a super packrat. I cannot imagine what happens when a true packrat has to move house and starts to realize how much STUFF he or she has. In any case, your Mom is right - half the STUFF I packed would never be missed if the moving truck got robbed. More than half.

Your first bass though? Not so sure...