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

#81
chris_b said:
In the days when most buying and selling was local, I always asked why the guy was selling. A direct question has nothing to do with rudeness, it's about the buying and selling chess game and not wanting to end up with a dud.

They never said, I'm selling because it occasionally cuts out! But you'd be surprised how easy it is to spot someone lying about the condition of bass gear, if you look them in the eye and ask a direct question.
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I call it the “10/10/80 rule” or “5/90/5”

the idea is that 80-90% of people (insert bases here) are decent. Not perfect, but decent. 5-10% are dogs and we need to identify those. Bad past experiences can make us feel like that 5-10% is closer to 50%. The other 5-10% are true diamonds in the rough… killer deals… what we hope every purchase will be.
 
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#83
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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I use that phrase myself. I've recently sold off 2 drum kits that weren't being played anymore and just sitting there in a room. One was a Tama Superstar from '85, a real good kit. I felt it a shame it didn't get any love anymore, so I used the phrase. To me the phrase means an instrument needs to be played and loved, not to sit idle somewhere alone.
 
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#84
Personally, the phrase works for me, but we're all different. I've sold some darn good basses that just for whatever ergonomic or personal tone preference reasons, were in the #3 slot for too long, which for me means rarely getting play time. Every time I own a jazz bass, when I end up selling it whether I say it or not this is the reason. I want to like them, they are great, but I just don't gel with them. So a sweet jazz "deserves to be played", because in my house it will end up getting picked up once a month. This goes for non-bass items too. I wanted a Ducati(motorcycle) for a long time. Finally got one dreaming of all the twisty road Sunday drives I'd be taking. But in reality it was just super rarely that was actually happening with all my other commitments/hobbies. That bike deserved to be ridden, and I wasn't doing it.
 
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#86
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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In a basic sense, like a nice or just solid car, every bass needs to be used, unless the neck is garbage and can't be replaced.
 
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#87
zubrycky said:
Well, if you really have those feelings(and I'm saying that without the slightest trace of irony and disrespect), nothing impedes your improvement as a bass player if you're willing to improve.
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Thanks, but I actually earn irony and disrespect. You have to understand that I Suck so bad on bass, Black Holes look at me with amazement, wondering how I accomplish such a feat.
 
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#90
Or, “I don’t really like this instrument. It looked cool when I bought it but I don’t like it, so now that the return period has passed, I’m going to let someone else pay me as close to retail price as I can get for this thing, and maybe they’ll like it for some reason, but it sure won’t be my problem anymore.”
 
#91
I often think of the 'this bass deserves to be played' line as just more filler in an advert. People like to fluff them up and give the impression that it's a good bass that someone will enjoy.

You can't love them all! In the years I've been surfing the internet and discussing basses (about twenty, at a guess), I've seen plenty of unique or notable basses sold on forums only to see the same user later posting about that same bass in a 'what bass didn't you get on with' thread. Typically their advert will not contain a mention of them not enjoying the bass for fear it might cool the ardour of a potential buyer.

I've got basses sat at home that I feel I could play more. However I tend to have a favourite and reach for that first and foremost. I do have a decent amount of cash tied up in my basses but space to store them all is usually more of an issue. I also find selling them to be an irritating experience which often dissuades me from doing it. If someone started a business to collect, pack and wrap basses for sale and then hand them over to the courier that would be great!
 
#93
I've given away instruments, or sold them very cheap because they deserved to be played. I think my feelings might be better expressed as not wanting to waste the effort that went into creating a quality instrument by treating it as a wall hanging; it seems disrespectful to the luthier's effort.
 
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#94
It could very well be an honest feeling in some cases. It is when I use it. And I have used the phrase in one form or another a few times.
To me it is more about the possibility of someone actually deriving more enjoyment playing the bass, band members and audience enjoying hearing it being played, than I do having it sit in it's case in the closet.
So maybe the sentiment could more appropriately be conveyed by "deserves to be enjoyed" rather than "deserves to be played"
I have one now that I do believe someone else would get more use out of and enjoyment from than I do. Every time I look at it or take it out to play with I think - "This is a beautiful bass, I play it maybe 5 times a year and only for myself. I bet there is someone out there who would get more and better use out of it. It simply deserves to be played more!"
Whatever.
If I am reiterating something said here prior, forgive me, I didn't read through all 5 pages.
 
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#96
It's impossible to generalize about what other people might or might not mean by a catchphrase.

In my case, I take the phrase literally. I personally find it disturbing when I see people hoarding instruments that aren't getting gigged or at least regularly played.

This is all thanks to my dad. He was an obsessively curious musician. Over a 50 year career, I don't think he ever went more than a couple of years without taking up some new obsession- mandolin, bouzouki, clavichord, violin, viola, harpsichord, synth, 5-string banjo, hand percussion, pedal steel, Chapman Stick, various brass and woodwind instruments...

Some of those musical detours were pretty surprising for a dedicated jazz musician and guitar teacher. We lived comfortably but weren't rich, so as a new toy came in, something else usually had to go.

He never showed any regret when putting something up for sale- he had a strong belief that fine instruments are playable art, and saw it as an offence to the maker to let them decay in a case.
 
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#97
Not sure…
I play all my basses! I have a 4, 3 6s, 5 5s and they all get played. The only time I’ve ever sold basses outright was to fund another purchase and I think that’s been twice!

I’ve traded basses because I was wanting to go from a 5 to a 6 from the same Luthier or perhaps a different wood combo.

I’m always amazed by the number of recent builds that end up for sale in the classifieds. I just assume that 9 times out of 10 it wasn’t what the owner was expecting. Of course though, there’s those that are chasing the next best thing.

I just always remember the old saying that one person’s sunset is another person’s sunrise or whatever variation of that saying you like… it’s true!
 
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#100
Personally, I don't subscribe to the view that inanimate objects deserve anything. Do people sell TVs and say they deserve to be watched, or sell a power drill saying it deserves to be making holes in things?

But there's probably only two basic reasons to sell a bass: (1) You need the money, or (2) You don't play it any more. I've certainly seen ads that say "Selling to fund [something, maybe other music gear]", but I don't think I've ever seen anybody write "I have four basses. I play the other three, but I don't play this one. It's the one I like the least. I'd prefer to only have three basses rather than have this one in my house any longer", because that really isn't going to encourage anyone to buy it.
 

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