What would you do? ... Bass Replacement..

[DubHunter]

An unfortunate situation, but one that will be able to be resolved.

Wondering what your thoughts are.

My first bass ever, was an early 90's Mexican P Bass.

I loved it. I learned so much on it. Went to the studio with it. I played many types of music on it. I became a bass player with this instrument. I put it aside over the years but I always had it there, and it always sounded good.

A few years back, a good friend of mine, a great guitarist, had some work to do on bass. I had no problem letting him hold onto and use the bass. I saw it at his house, at a recording session.. knew where it was and knew it was in good hands.

In the last two years, this friend has moved a couple of times, and left the city where I live.

I had been thinking of the P sound, and recently have been wanting a 5 string P. I contacted my friend, and had trouble getting in touch.

The other day he called me. He can't find it. Lost in the move/over the years.. He wants to fix the situation, as he feels bad. It's a nice gesture. However, it is tough to replace a sentimental relic.

So, do you think it's cool to ask for a bass that has a bit nicer value than a new mexican p bass?
Say an American Deluxe Precision V? Or is it only right to have a mim p bass replaced with a mim p bass?

Thanks for your input..

 

[Einherjar]

Try to get an American standard out of him. see how bad he REALLY feels. Lol.

 

[fhm555]

First, guilt the heck out of him for losing your emotional anchor to music, then take him to your local GC and get him to replace your MIM 4 string P with a new example of same. He pays, but the sale is recorded in your name since it's your bass. Next, before the 30 day no questions asked full refund runs out, take your new P back and trade it for that MIA 5 string deluxe, or whatever else you might want, and pay the difference. You get what you really want and he gets to make good on his guilt for losing your baby.

Even better, if you can guilt him into coughing up the full whack for the fiver and still sleep at night after doing so, go for it.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Your friend lost a 90s MIM, he owes you the value for a 90s MIM bass, he definitely does not owe you a new bass since you were not out a new bass. I'd say you have a $200 (maybe $250) budget at absolute max.

 

[DubHunter]

Your friend lost a 90s MIM, he owes you the value for a 90s MIM bass, he definitely does not owe you a new bass since you were not out a new bass. I'd say you have a $200 (maybe $250) budget at absolute max.

Sentimental value means nothing to you?

I see what you are saying, in regards to the physicality of the item.. but not everything in this world is worth the material value that corporations say they are.

It's not just a 90's MIM P.. It's an important part of my youth and growth..

 

[Faith Nicole]

Your friend lost a 90s MIM, he owes you the value for a 90s MIM bass, he definitely does not owe you a new bass since you were not out a new bass. I'd say you have a $200 (maybe $250) budget at absolute max.

Sentimental value means nothing to you?

I see what you are saying, in regards to the physicality of the item.. but not everything in this world is worth the material value that corporations say they are.

It's not just a 90's MIM P.. It's an important part of my youth and growth..

sentimental value is not monetary value. There is no amount of money you can spend to replace it on sentimentality.

He let the bass drift around with a friend for ?years? He has to assume some of the responsibility for the loss, not just the friend. With a good friend, just come to an equitable solution and move on. If you want a 'better bass' to then work out a share plan that suits both of you.

 

[Shardik]

You want more money than that bass was worth or would be worth today? Forget it.

He should pay for a bass of equal value, no more, no less.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Tough situation. I don't entirely believe he "lost" the bass... sold it, or gave it away to someone else seems a lot more likely. But I don't know the guy so I can't say fer sure.

I think I'd just tell him the truth. The bass had some sentimental value to you, and a replacement won't really cut it. Tell him what you really want, and tell him you'd be happy to take whatever he wanted to put into it. The bass couldn't have meant all that much to you if you left it to him for so long, through moves, and all that. Me thinks there's a good chance you'd have sold it if you hadn't lent it to him. The true, fair, think to do IMO is get the used price for that bass. But it's your call.

On the flip side of all that, I've been in your friends spot more than once. I had a telecaster lent to me when I was a teenager, from a non musician. After about 7 years of having it I considered it my own, and around 15 years later sold it. Lost contact with that guy, don't even remember his last name, and well... if he ever popped up now and wanted the value of that guitar back I'd be in some hot water. It was a late 60s tele. Even though nobody was hurt by that, I feel I owe him or the universe some ammends. I don't feel good about it, and it's something I absoultely wouldn't do today.

And it kinda sorta happened to me with a Les Paul too. In a prettty bizarre story. Had a friend/aquaintance who wanted to borrow a piece of crap casio cz101from me. I was using it a lot at the time for recordings and didn't want to let it go. He told me he do a temporary trade with a Les Paul. I could hold onto the Paul for as long as he had my $200 POS synth.

He was an recovered heroin addict, and got diagnosed with AIDS. He went into a coma. I heard he passed away. I sold the Les Paul. About 6 months later I got a phone call. From him. One of the weirdest set of mixed feelings I ever had.... He was one of the first people to survive that disease. He had mental issues due to it, and I guess the coma he spent some months in, but yeah, I felt very weird about that. I never got my synth back, so technically I didn't do anything wrong. Thankfully he completely forgot about the guitar, and never mentioned it again. I believe, hope, he's still alive and well living down south somewhere.

Sorry for the slight derail... flip side of my flip side is some girl somewhere has a classical guitar of mine that's worth a bit at this point. Has had it for about 6 years now, and I don't have a clue how to get in touch with her. Maybe that's my ammends for my first scenario above.

Edit: Just remembered that at a gig once I gave a kid who was a fan of our band a fretless SX that I had with me, cuz he was in love it. I think I may be about even on the kharma deal by now.

 

[spazman]

I don't think you can ever get back what you're looking for, but that's not entirely bad - to me, it seems like circumstance helped you outgrow your original bass. I think you should forgive the debt, and ask your friend to pay it forward. Go to GC and buy a new friend and see where your bass adventures take you.

 

[Nev375]

This isn't about money and at best you are due a new MIM P-bass. The one that was lost certainly wasn't new and sentimental value does not translate into more money. If it did, ... well, I don't want to get into the social and legal ramifications of that.


So here's what you do.

Go to GC with your friend and pick out all the p-basses from new MIM down to Squier affinity. Put a blindfold on and have your friend hand you the basses to play in the order of his choosing.
Without any pre-conceived bias about cost, resale value or the name on the headstock, you pick the best sounding and feeling bass of the lot. This way, you get the best bass you can and your friend gets a chance to not have to pony up for the full price of your MIM he lost.

 

[Shardik]

I lent my 1978 Ibanez Performer (lawsuit era) guitar to my brother in law along with a Roland 30 wat amp, and he had it for 10+ years. When he gave it back, the amp was lost, and the guitar worn a lot since he took it over. I COULD probably tell him to pay me for the wear and tear and the loss of an amp. But considering that he is a friend/family and that you should expect some wear and tear through normal use, this seems unreasonable to me. It is my first guitar and definitely have sentimental value to me. A luthier job to put it back to shape would cost me more than the guitar is worth. So now it rests in peace in its case.

The real question here is what did you expect when you first lent it to him? Did you expect him to use it in a way that didn't wear it at all? When he moved, why didn't you want it back then?

My thought is that if it was REALLY so important to you, there has been some neglect at your part, too. I'd considered this a result of life. He used it when you didn't need it. Now you want it back. What would you have done if he still had it, but it was obviously worn through use and ageing and in desperate need of service? Did you expect him not to use it?

Bottom line: Your friend has lost a used bass that belonged to you. You should expect it to have seen some use by now, and it didn't bother you when he moved away with it. You should not expect it to be gone, that is true. I think he should pay for what was lost, but not for your mental image of the bass you once lent to him for normal use.

 

[Pilgrim]

All he owes you...if anything...is an MIM P. Period.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Sentimental value means nothing to you?

I see what you are saying, in regards to the physicality of the item.. but not everything in this world is worth the material value that corporations say they are.

It's not just a 90's MIM P.. It's an important part of my youth and growth..

Sentimental value has a monetary value, it is called zero dollars.

Sorry, but that is the facts (and the legal view) you can make your friend buy you a new Standard P-Bass (or even a new US Standard) if you want but he definitely does not owe you that, so I wouldn't be surprised if you lose a friend over this by pushing for one. If you spent the $30 to take him to small claims court a judge is going to tell you the same thing, and I would be amazed if they imposed a judgement for even $200 USD since you can find 90's MIM for under $200 all day long.

 

[Nev375]

Which had more sentimental value before all this? Your bass or your friend?

Cause this will truly test the friendship. And if you still have a friend after you make him buy a bass you better hang onto him and be equally loyal in the future. You will only meet 1 or 2 maybe 3 people like that in a lifetime.

 

[mongo2]

Some Squiers are very nice and not too expensive.

 

[Stumbo]

I had been thinking of the P sound, and recently have been wanting a 5 string P. I contacted my friend, and had trouble getting in touch.

Seems like you abandoned your property many years ago. And since you lost track of your friend(and bass) for years and didn't even know where your "friend" currently resided, seems like the bass really doesn't mean that much to you, same as the friendship.

As stated earlier, nothing can replace a relic that has sentimental value. Even if you had it insured, it would only be for the replacement value sans sentimentality.

Question: If you had never loaned your bass, would you be selling it now to fund a new fiver?

+1 to letting your friend know what bass you'd like to replace your old one (without mentioning a dollar amount)and taking whatever he can pay you as reimbursement for your irreplaceable bass. After that, never mention the situation again and move on.

Life lesson: don't loan out your irreplaceable stuff (music and non-music).

 

[DubHunter]

While I wasn't using the P bass at the time, I always loved and respected the bass.

I would have never sold that bass. Sounded great, and never really wanted to get rid of it.

I let my buddy use it because he's a good brother of mine. And I trusted him. And I still do. I tried to have him get it back to me multiple times, but I wasn't about to hound him every week while he was relocating, traveling, etc..

It was his idea to replace the P bass. He wants to do the situation right.
I agree asking for a new 5 string doesn't make sense, but to buy any old mexi doesn't seem right either.

I will not lose this friend over this situation.
It's just a material possession.
It is just an interesting situation.

 

[DubHunter]

Seems like you abandoned your property many years ago. And since you lost track of your friend(and bass) for years and didn't even know where your "friend" currently resided, seems like the bass really doesn't mean that much to you, same as the friendship.


Life lesson: don't loan out your irreplaceable stuff (music and non-music).

This is inaccurate. I knew where he was at.. not always easy to see the people in your life when you are busy.

I appreciate the life lesson, though.

 

[Fluid Power]

This is a tough lesson, if he will reimburse you for the value of a 90's MIM Fender, you have a good friend. If this bass was so valuable to you, you should not let it out of your possession. As I said "it's a tough lesson"!
Good Luck!