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Time to sell it all?

#161
Lots of good advice here. I would hang on to a few of them in case you want to start gigging again. My kids are now 10 and almost 15...gigging gets easier the older they get. I kind of did the opposite, I got back into playing with bands shortly after my oldest was born and there were lots of times I felt really guilty going out to play rockstar while my wife stayed home (and sleeping til noon after getting home at 3:30 am). These days its much easier to play out. Plus, those arent off the rack Fenders and not easy to replace.
 
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#162
One door closes and another opens. With little ones around there’s no keyboarding there? If you’re not actively playing out I’d clean house before you move, less to carry and care for, maybe those basses won’t like the mile high City. Then when you’re settled into your new surroundings go shopping.
 
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#164
OP since this is part of a wider family effort, I'd suggest selling as much as you can stand. You already have gotten rid of stuff without our coaching....
Still plan on playing ? great, keep the amps, one guitar and one or two basses , a couple pedals. But ime if the family is downsizing , Dad has to give up things too, and that will be a very important lesson whose value you may not see in the kids now but will in the future. And if your wife cares enough to offer keeping everything, you can return the gesture by keeping only essentials.
 
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#165
I can relate a bit as I am in my mid 50's, simplifying is good. I also live near you and I visit Denver for business at least twice a year and I have for 25 years.
My advice are:
- Get settled in your new life before you sell it all. Even in a new place, our lives (what we do and love) does not change radically.
- You have very distinctive instruments with little redundancy, these would be hard to replace for the most part.
- If you must pair down, I would look at selling one of the Baer cabs and perhaps one of the four strings. You could also pair down to one guitar amp.
- My rule is getting rid of what does not get used. I could have potentially lost my house in the wine country fires a couple years ago and it made me realize that I don't use many things I have so why keep them?

Good luck with the big move (one of the most stressful event in life, so take it easy on yourself) and best wishes in Denver.
 
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#166
I've never owned that many at once, and I generally play out about 120 times a year.
So I probably come at it from a different perspective.
On one hand, you're not gigging, so seems like two basses (personally, I'd pick one fretted, one fretless), a guitar, and one amp would meet your needs.
Then again, some guys have much more expensive and time-consuming hobbies -- guns/hunting, fishing/boating, cars, skiing, golf, etc -- so if this is Dad's only luxury ... hard to feel bad about that.
Nice that your wife understands what bass playing means to you.
I do beg to differ with those who think that holding on to some basses is a sure-thing investment. Some basses are hot for a while and later cool off entirely, in terms of their desirability and selling price. Check out how long it takes for some -- admittedly amazing and beautiful -- boutique basses to sell here on Talkbass.
I guess my overall thought would be: If you love those basses, and finances and/or storage hassles aren't an issue, kick the can down the road -- take them all, and decide later. If you KNOW that you're going to get rid of several soon, sell those now so you don't have to hassle with moving and storing them.
 
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#168
daveobieone said:
I'm 66, and have been playing bass for more than 50 years. I've gradually added to my collection over all those years. I've tried to part with some of these, but I have a "history" with all of them...There's the gigs I did with that one, and the recording sessions I did with this one, and I LOVE to play that one, and I'll never be able to afford another original '64 P-bass like this one. The memories attached to these makes me happy just to LOOK at them!View attachment 3360274
Click to expand...

Exactly...I'm 35 and haven't even been playing for 20 years yet, but it's the history/sentimentality "thing" which makes me keep stuff (like I said on my earlier post with the guitars - first guitar, first gig with this one...) - I've got a similar lot of basses which I'm never going to get rid of:

MIM Jazz - first bass, Glastonbury gig, got me through college/uni for 6 years...
MIJ 62 RI Jazz - damn fine bass (if a bit thin sounding in comparison to the others, records well)...
MIJ Jaguar - my main bass for the last 10+ years...
MIJ Mustang - VERY different (woody) sound and conveniently small...
MIK Squier Precision - bought it for very cheap off a work colleague, turns out it's a more sought-after model...and everyone needs a P bass somewhere don't they...? (not the BEST bass I've got, but one of the better P's I've tried...might sell if I got a non-Squier that's as good, but let's be honest - even then I'd probably find an excuse to keep it...:laugh: - been rehearsing/gigging it quite a bit this last year or so...)
Hondo Rickenbacker - Peter Hook's Joy Division bass...wanted one for years and found one for cheap (exact same model, "Hondo" only on the badge - not on the actual headstock...), had it re-wired and it sounds/records amazing...(studio use mainly, it's a bit old/scarce to be gigging with all the time...it does sometimes make the odd gig appearance though ;))
 
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#174
Jared Lash said:
I'm now on the wrong side of 40, I'm the only one who plays, (my wife plays piano and flute) and I currently don't make any money playing.



I'd like that. Even if I'll always be a Niners (and Kings) fan.



So far I'm in love with Colorado. Hard to leave California given that I was born and raised here but change is good.



Yep, it's a Starry Night Cutlass.
Click to expand...
The reason I asked my questions is, I am going through this myself. The family wants to move. I have a lot of stuff. Other than my recording gear and a keyboard that my 11 yo grandson is into and is compact enough that it's not going away. Nobody in my family is needing or wanting full drum kits, guitars, and amps, all the various stunt basses, and stunt bass amps.

If it was an issue that my playing or fiddling with this stuff was tearing my family apart or keeping me from interacting with them, I'd sell it all in a heartbeat.

However, it's never kept me from camping or tripping with them. In fact, because of it, we got to go to Hawaii for a couple of weeks cause I had a gig there. Spend the daytime together hanging. Night time gigging :)

So, if you feel you can't hang outside with your family because of gear, get rid of it.
If you can be balanced, keep your gear and go outside.

If you think you have too much, get rid of the stuff you haven't played in a month.

Gear has never kept me from interacting with the family as I am sure it hasn't with you :)

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
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#175
daveobieone said:
I'm 66, and have been playing bass for more than 50 years. I've gradually added to my collection over all those years. My wife and I would love to full-time RV, which would mean down to 1 or 2, and probably my Mesa D800 and Subway 1-15 cab. I've tried to part with some of these, but I have a "history" with all of them...There's the gigs I did with that one, and the recording sessions I did with this one, and I LOVE to play that one, and I'll never be able to afford another original '64 P-bass like this one. The memories attached to these makes me happy just to LOOK at them! Now, take a look at this picture (which is not everything), and tell me again that you need to pair-down your instrument/gear collection...View attachment 3360274
Click to expand...

I can understand and respect the sentiment here, but that's also a game I could play with many possessions that I've had (and let go) over the years. That includes some special instruments. Recently sold my first bass. Sold the Modulus Quantum that I absolutely loved in order to fund a move from WI to CO in my 20s. I miss them from time to time, but I have a picture of each and I remember playing them. I think instruments are unique compared to other sentimental items that may not be something you physically connect with like a bass. Having said that, cluttered space clutters my mind. I'm not perfect - my accumulation of things will ebb & flow, but I generally don't have strong regret after I let something go. That's part of what makes it liberating. You realize how you can do just fine without it after you no longer have it...

@Jared Lash One other thing to consider if you haven't moved yet. You will probably have more luck selling those items at a decent price in CA, versus waiting until you are in Denver. Obviously you can list stuff here and deal with shipping, but that eats into what you recoup quite a bit. Some great gear floats around the Denver CL and some Facebook gear swaps in the area. But it's harder to sell high-end bass gear here in my experience. From pedals to boutique basses, I've mostly sold to other TB'ers or on reverb unless it's pretty cheap/common gear.
 
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#176
Man up and sell, sell, sell. You'll feel much better and be teaching your kids a very valuable lesson.

At most keep one for every three gigging projects you're actively in.

Play guitar through the bass rig.

Best of luck, love and life in your new home!
 
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#177
DJ Bebop said:
The reason I asked my questions is, I am going through this myself. The family wants to move. I have a lot of stuff. Other than my recording gear and a keyboard that my 11 yo grandson is into and is compact enough that it's not going away. Nobody in my family is needing or wanting full drum kits, guitars, and amps, all the various stunt basses, and stunt bass amps.

If it was an issue that my playing or fiddling with this stuff was tearing my family apart or keeping me from interacting with them, I'd sell it all in a heartbeat.

However, it's never kept me from camping or tripping with them. In fact, because of it, we got to go to Hawaii for a couple of weeks cause I had a gig there. Spend the daytime together hanging. Night time gigging :)

So, if you feel you can't hang outside with your family because of gear, get rid of it.
If you can be balanced, keep your gear and go outside.

If you think you have too much, get rid of the stuff you haven't played in a month.

Gear has never kept me from interacting with the family as I am sure it hasn't with you :)
Click to expand...

Give your kids the gift of music. We didn't give our kids many "thou shalts", but I did decree that when they hit Junior High, they would play an instrument. I didn't care which one, but they had to pick one. They did, I got them the instruments, and they hung in until part way through high school. I do know they understand music more than they did before, and to me that's a good reason for having done this.
 
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#178
Pilgrim said:
Give your kids the gift of music. We didn't give our kids many "thou shalts", but I did decree that when they hit Junior High, they would play an instrument. I didn't care which one, but they had to pick one. They did, I got them the instruments, and they hung in until part way through high school. I do know they understand music more than they did before, and to me that's a good reason for having done this.
Click to expand...
Yep, I did this with my kids now in their 40's. son plays bass, daughter plays woodwinds. I have the grandson into music, he's 11 and into singing, piano, and recording now :)
 
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