Time to sell it all?

[Maxdusty]

If money's not an issue, space is not a problem, and your spouse is actually telling you to keep them all, I would be inclined to keep them for now until you can think more clearly or see a need to downsize.
It's always easier to hang on to the guitars and basses and sell them if and when you need to, it's much harder to have the regret and try to find the same instruments to replace them. That is even if you can find the exact same models again.
It's not like there's a timeframe in this, used basses typically don't lose value the longer you hold on to them - once they're considered used, they're used Heck if anything, and given the kinds of basses you have, they may even appreciate in value given where you're moving to in the middle of the country where there aren't quite as many boutique quality basses you see as on the west or east coast, so maybe there is a little bit more of demand for them there. I believe this is the case because we used to live in Northern California but would often visit Denver where my wife's originally from and often visit some of the music stores.

 

[johnbee]

I get GAS for new stuff all the time, but for me personally, it feels excessive to have more than a few. Maybe even embarrassing, like it's too much given my level of skill and practice. So I like to keep the number low, and have one bass that does each thing, not having duplicates of the same thing (of course, we can all define 'same thing' a different way: for some, it might be a jazz with rounds, a p with flats, and a fretless; for others it might be subdivided into rosewood vs maple board, active vs passive, and why just P or J, what about an MM?).

So my suggestion is: Get rid of one of your guitars. Get rid of one of your fretted 4-strings. Keep the other 4 instruments! That way you've got a guitar, a 4-string, a 5-string, and a fretless.

 

[bobba66]

Dump it all. You can always but more down the road.

 

[tekhedd]

I'm not sure I understand the question: looking at the picture I keep thinking "we're talking about downsizing to this, right?"

One bass rig, a compact guitar setup, a small assortment of really beautiful playable basses... I will bet cash money that you'll regret any single sale you make out of this collection.

Duplicate pickup configurations? Nope. You don't even have a backup bass rig here. Unless you're looking to actually give up playing, I'm afraid I fail to understand the question.

There comes a time when you realize that you don't own your stuff, it owns you.

EXACTLY. None of my gear has given me permission to sell it, so I don't.

I keep thinking I should sell a few of my less-played basses, and I talk out loud about it. And my wife is like "why?" The thing is, I don't seem to have a good answer. It's not like selling a bass will cover the mortgage for an entire week, or a single phone bill. They take up very little space, relatively speaking. It's not like you have three rusting parts MGC's in the back yard or something.[*]


* - Disclaimer: actually I'd be fine with a few rusting parts cars as long as they're under tarps!

 

[berman3313]

When you DO sell...
Use the funds to do something memorable with your family. Something, that when you look longingly at that empty space on the wall where bass or amp X used to reside, that will an indelible memory for your family to share - a trip - a weekend - a celebration. For your kids, those memories will last longer than, “man, I wish Dad didn’t sell his bass”.

 

[Wfrance3]

Just for what it's worth, I have been focusing in on building bass skills and pairing down and it really has been pretty rewarding to me.

I have been pairing down and have some more to go, but this is where I stand at the moment. All are good quality nice, but are going/need to go.

NEED TO MOVE - Just don't play anymore to any significant degree...
(1) acoustic guitar
(1) electric guitar
Planning to fund one nice 6 string acoustic that has a smaller body and lower action so, kinda electric-esque. Have that one just about worked out, so will be squared away on that pretty soon.
(1) looer pedal that is curretly fs here....

HAVE MOVED
(2) Top brand DI pedals, a fretless 5 string AEB, a hand full of other stuff, a blender pedal, a vol. switch, a couple of smaller pedalboards, power supplies, etc...

HAVE LEFT - and am good with...
(1) 5 string with soapbars jazz-bass esque...
(1) 5 string PJ with flats.
(1) U-bass
(1) Zoom B10N and a drum machine for home practice. Used with headphones mostly, but also have a small combo amp.
(1) Modest pedalboard, 3 pedals only and good IEMs for my one and only gig(at the moment and probably forseeable future), Church.

I had the world's worst bass teacher, myself... Have been going back through and learning technique from the ground up, in a much more correct manner. I have 2 courses that I've been plowing through at record breaking low rate of speed, but have committed to consistently plugging away at it and have been making progress. These are online ones by a top-shelf popular online instructor. Idea is to fill in all the holes that I left for myself if I'd learned bass properly in the first place. They weren't free, but gear sales funded them, so kinda felt like they were....

So that's my story. If I ever grow my needs past 3 flavors of bass and a nice acoustic guitar, the purchase will be warranted by the situation. My 4 kids are growing up right before my very eyes, and that is the priority. I'm 53 and this is as much clutter as my life needs at the moment.

 

[FenderB]

That's something I worry about. Simplifying only works if I can be disciplined afterward. But if I trim down to one bass and then decide that I really need a fiver, or a fretless, or a J or P (depending on what I keep) then I'm just selling stuff now that covers pretty much all the basses only to buy stuff to replace it later.

Yep, that's exactly what happened to me. Had a big garage sale, gave stuff away and threw stuff away. Now I have a 45x30 Morton building with more crap then I did when we moved. Like I said, keep em you can always sell it after the move. It's an affliction there is no cure for.

 

[chaosMK]

Here's my opinions

White Guitar- Sell
Sparkle Guitar - Keep
Seafoam-Olive- Sell
Lavender- Sell
Burl 5 - Keep
Sunburst 5 - Keep

Bass Amp - Keep
Little Guitar Head - Sell
Mesa Combo - Keep / Trade for better Mesa

 

[addylewis]

I've been wrestling with this lately and would love to get some outside opinions.

My wife has told me to keep everything but it feels weird to be simplifying everything else but hanging onto these boutique instruments that are more than I need.

Thoughts?

Your wife has told you to keep everything...isn't the stereotype "the wife's told me 1 bass and 2 amp"...?

I've just (literally yesterday) got my 6-stringers out again for a plonk around for the first time (pretty much) since I took up bass and dropped guitar in 2001...

I'm glad I kept hold of them...not loads, but I've got 4:

Squier Strat - my first guitar...
Epiphone Les Paul - used on my first gig 3-and-a-half years later...
Epiphone Del Rey - nice guitar got for Christmas just after I'd taken up bass at college...
Rickenbacker 350 - it's the full-size version of the John Lennon Rickenbacker man...my 18th birthday present and something I COULD sell if I ever suddenly needed money...

(I used to have 6 but sold 2 of them to mates)

I've got 9 basses - I know which ones I'd sell and not really miss if need be...5-6 of them are definitely keepers.

If you really feel bad, maybe you could ask some mates to take care of/look after/possibly buy-then-sell-back-to-you-if-need-be some of them?

 

[mikezimmerman]

Your last statement really struck me, because for me (and a lot of others, I suspect!), accumulating gear is sort of a substitute form of gratification for when I'm not actively playing/gigging very much.

I've owned probably a hundred basses over the years, many of them fairly high-end instruments with exotic woods, active electronics, and 5+ strings. I currently have half a dozen basses, three of which were custom built for me that fall into the latter category. Those basses are among the most beautiful instruments I've ever seen, and are pretty much irreplaceable.

That said, when I'm gigging a lot, I usually find that I can do just fine with one fairly functional instrument, and the passive Warmoth Jazz 4-sting that I put together a few months ago is probably all I need for 95% of what I do. Focussing on playing and gigging definitely changes my outlook on gear.

So, maybe wait until you get settled and start gigging, THEN decide what's important to keep?

I do play them all. The basses more than the guitars, but each of them comes off the wall a few times a week with one usually getting the majority of the time depending on what I'm working on.

I don't think I'll ever not play unless I'm physically not able to. But I think I'm just feeling like what I have is overkill right now. And yes, one guitar, one bass and both amps is what I was thinking.

Years ago I played out as much as possible and started it dialing it back when our oldest was born. I gradually pulled back until I was just subbing occasionally and now I strictly play at home. Which is why this feels like overkill. Maybe now that the kids are older I should focus on finding a band (or two) after we move and gigging again.

 

[jnsnj]

EXACTLY. None of my gear has given me permission to sell it, so I don't.

LOL it's all about consent these days

 

[Jehos]

If that were my collection, I'd ditch the two 4-strings. Fretted and fretless are worth keeping because you can't exactly emulate one with the other. The guitars are different enough to make an argument for keeping both, but cutting down to 1 would be ok too.

 

[NecroticImbecil]

Sell one of the four strings, use the money to help pay for the 8 or 12 string you lack. Otherwise, it's a solid, versatile stable. Oh wait, this was about downsizing..I've thought about doing that, haven't played out in ages . Not desperate for money or space, so I don't.

 

[Greyvagabond]

You should definitely get ride of all of it. I'll take the lot off your hands for $500.

 

[PWV]

When you DO sell...
Use the funds to do something memorable with your family. Something, that when you look longingly at that empty space on the wall where bass or amp X used to reside, that will an indelible memory for your family to share - a trip - a weekend - a celebration. For your kids, those memories will last longer than, “man, I wish Dad didn’t sell his bass”.

This.

I've been gradually downsizing over the last year. Last summer I realized we could either take "one more trip" with our son or I could keep that boutique bass. Sold the bass, and I'll never forget that trip was paid for by the sale.

Those kids grow up fast - faster than the dust that gathers on our basses.

 

[Jared Lash]

Your last statement really struck me, because for me (and a lot of others, I suspect!), accumulating gear is sort of a substitute form of gratification for when I'm not actively playing/gigging very much.

I've owned probably a hundred basses over the years, many of them fairly high-end instruments with exotic woods, active electronics, and 5+ strings. I currently have half a dozen basses, three of which were custom built for me that fall into the latter category. Those basses are among the most beautiful instruments I've ever seen, and are pretty much irreplaceable.

That said, when I'm gigging a lot, I usually find that I can do just fine with one fairly functional instrument, and the passive Warmoth Jazz 4-sting that I put together a few months ago is probably all I need for 95% of what I do. Focussing on playing and gigging definitely changes my outlook on gear.

So, maybe wait until you get settled and start gigging, THEN decide what's important to keep?

I've said it a lot over the years but I think it's true: GAS hits hardest when I'm not gigging. Those are also the times that I'm most critical of my gear as well. When I'm playing out a lot I make due with what I have but when I have extra time on my hands that's when I start thinking that I need a new bass, or new pedals, or new pickups etc.

I think you're right, that I should wait until after the move, look to start gigging again and then reassess .

 

[Kmonk]

You don't need any of it. What your wrestling with is want not need. If you really want to simplify and sell, just keep the one or 2 that you like the most.

 

[K-2]

I have not read a single comment here and will not give mich opinion, but : DONT! Dont sell your basses/guitars! You can downsize in your cabs/amps if you have more than one. But don't sell your instrument. Your wife told you, you can keep them and thats the final word! Keep em, they are beautiful and useful. Strengh to you brother if its a bad time, but keep as kany instruments as you can!

 

[Knavery]

I have not read a single comment here and will not give mich opinion, but : DONT! Dont sell your basses/guitars! You can downsize in your cabs/amps if you have more than one. But don't sell your instrument. Your wife told you, you can keep them and thats the final word! Keep em, they are beautiful and useful. Strengh to you brother if its a bad time, but keep as kany instruments as you can!

I also did not read the entirety of this thread because I'm at work. I agree. I've often thought about the catharsis of selling most of my gear. My wife talks me out of it on occasion. I would like to sell my guitar gear, because I don't much play that stuff anymore and that would open a lot of room. I would never sell custom stuff unless I needed the money. You shouldn't either. Keep them up on the wall as art if you need to.

 

[GManfromOz]

You could put the majority of the gear in secure, climate controlled storage for a while and see if you truely can live without them.