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"This bass deserves to be played." Does it?

#25
tb-player said:
I've noticed that many times, sellers in the classifieds will share the reason their bass is for sale is because "this bass deserves to be played." It’s kind of a curious phrase.

Whenever I read that, I always think, "What does that mean?” Is it just another way of saying, "this bass is worth a lot of money and I'd rather have some cash-in-hand than see an expensive bass just sit there." Maybe it’s guilt for having paid a lot of money and not putting in the time? Or maybe it’s a nice bass that you don’t like but hope someone else will?

I don’t think I’ve ever used that phrase in a listing (I could be wrong on that), but for me, it would be because I'm not vibing with it. I've sold a lot of basses that I just didn't get along with, but the buyers ended up loving them. They just needed an owner who appreciated them more than I did.

When you read “this bass deserves to be played,” what does that mean to you?
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if i said it then it means this.... i bought it cause i liked it a lot but i still only play the same bass for the last 20 years and im just not going to ever bond with another instrument so please take this away from me im not even sure why i ever buy basses they always end up a disappointment to me and i should know better. or something
 
#26
I think it's kind of odd that just about any turn of phrase you could come up with will be taken as though it has nefarious intent by some rather large subset of people.

It's just a phrase that means "I'm not playing it and it's not doing anyone else any good just sitting here." It doesn't mean it's a bad instrument, it doesn't mean anything else, just that they've decided they're not using it enough to justify keeping it around.

That's pretty much why we'd sell anything. That and/or the money. I've sold amazing instruments that just weren't giving me the sound I wanted with the other gear I have. It's not a horrible thing. I hated seeing them languishing when someone else could enjoy them and put them to better use.
 
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#30
E2942 said:
All I care about when reading ads are the facts.
It bugs me when others come in with "Why are you selling it?".

If it has issues I think it's very unlikely that the seller will mention those as the reason they're selling.
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Anyone who wouldn't disclose problems with whatever they're selling is a scumbag. And yeah there are a lot of scumbags out there, I know... That's why you ask questions, to try to get enough additional information to figure out if the seller is trustworthy or not. If my asking questions bugs you that bugs me and I'm a lot less likely to buy whatever it is you're selling. A lot less.
 
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#33
tb-player said:
I've noticed that many times, sellers in the classifieds will share the reason their bass is for sale is because "this bass deserves to be played." It’s kind of a curious phrase.

Whenever I read that, I always think, "What does that mean?” Is it just another way of saying, "this bass is worth a lot of money and I'd rather have some cash-in-hand than see an expensive bass just sit there." Maybe it’s guilt for having paid a lot of money and not putting in the time? Or maybe it’s a nice bass that you don’t like but hope someone else will?

I don’t think I’ve ever used that phrase in a listing (I could be wrong on that), but for me, it would be because I'm not vibing with it. I've sold a lot of basses that I just didn't get along with, but the buyers ended up loving them. They just needed an owner who appreciated them more than I did.

When you read “this bass deserves to be played,” what does that mean to you?
Click to expand...

I think you're way kver thinking it. It simply means "This is a really nice bass. But I have others I like more so this one sits in the case. It's a shame for such a nice bass to sit in the case."

That is all. Don't stress over it.
 
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#37
tb-player said:
I've noticed that many times, sellers in the classifieds will share the reason their bass is for sale is because "this bass deserves to be played." It’s kind of a curious phrase.

Whenever I read that, I always think, "What does that mean?” Is it just another way of saying, "this bass is worth a lot of money and I'd rather have some cash-in-hand than see an expensive bass just sit there." Maybe it’s guilt for having paid a lot of money and not putting in the time? Or maybe it’s a nice bass that you don’t like but hope someone else will?

I don’t think I’ve ever used that phrase in a listing (I could be wrong on that), but for me, it would be because I'm not vibing with it. I've sold a lot of basses that I just didn't get along with, but the buyers ended up loving them. They just needed an owner who appreciated them more than I did.

When you read “this bass deserves to be played,” what does that mean to you?
Click to expand...
In my opinion they are saying this is the one bass that I own that is expendable!
 
#40
matti777 said:
Reality is that the bass didn’t make the cut
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When I decide I'm selling something, it's not because I don't love it. In the case of an instrument, it's most likely because I'm not using it at all.

It has become a liability, regardless of its retail value.

One can still admire a painting, or a seldom used appliance but I fear damage or misfortune with valuable unused gear lyin' about.
 

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