No such thing as 'a keeper' - agree?

[Lozz196]

I`d like to think that I won`t sell any of my Precisions, as I`ve realised that the US Standard Precision is the bass I play best. As such, although there are many basses out there I`d like to own, in reality I would probably sell them again, so hopefully now bass-wise I am complete. Should I ever need the money, and have to offload, I`m fairly confident I know which one I would keep hold of.

Strangely enough, the instrument that has been with me the longest (16 years) is my MIM Sunburst Strat with Tort pickguard and Jeff Beck Jr humbucker.

[stef030]

my jazz been with me since 78 will never part with it,even when I was homeless
for a very short while,it lived under my moms bed back in edinburgh as I was in london
my friend took it up when he was visiting family,when I got myself sorted again
went up to visit mom and pick it up,been with me ever since,
been with me longer than the wife,
lol

[Mr. Foxen]

Fair few of my basses are worthless frankensteins that I quite like, now I've spend ages fiddling, I guess those are keepers.

[Johngh]

I have a 75 re-issue MIJ Jazz that I sold like an idiot and managed to get back. The only way that one would now get sold would be if I lost my job and had mortgage to pay or get kicked out, have to be last resort though.


I've had a few basses that I thought would be keepers, but it just never turned out that way.

Also had a few basses that turned out to be kippers, but that's another story.

[thodrik]

I only tend to buy a bass if I know its going to be a keeper. I would not sell any of my basses. My 1970s Fender Precision will always be mine, as will the 2 Vigiers and the Sadowsky Metro. The basses I have are pretty much the only items of value that I own. I would only sell them if I really needed money, but never for the purpose of getting another bass.

In terms of amps though, yes I could imagine selling or trading. Or if I was buying a bass blind and I didn't like it when it arrived, it would maybe go.

I have never described a bass as a 'keeper' though, I think that I just take it for granted that I'm not going to trade it on or sell it.

[lee650]

You are right the term "keeper" is used a lot, i have an 82 squire jazz i bought it when i was 19 so ive had it 18 years next month, ive used it everywhere, mind you it did spend a few years under my bed at my mums while i travelled and gigged away as i was using various yamahas and warwicks, but these days its gettin plenty of use, it is a "keeper" i will never sell it and ive never even thought of selling it!!
It must ba a basschat GAS term as i never suffered too much from gas while i was a pro player i had what i liked and used them for quite a while till something interesting came along(not that often), as soon as i got a normal job 4 years ago i had evenings to myself and joined basschat and ive been through loads of basses not as many as some mind , but my faves have been a musicman sterling (a keeper) until a ken smith came along and that definately was a keeper, i only sold it due to financial bother, if i didnt need to i would have used it for a very long time. now i have a very lovely spector. a keeper? im not sure the jurys still out but i doubt it, too much GAS!!!!!!. very happy at the moment though!!
Ido know where my sterling and smith are though and i will have them back

Edited February 5, 2011 by lee650

[jezzaboy]

The last time I said that a bass was a keeper was when I spent £600 on a Fender Jaguar and that was about 20 basses ago!

It`s being on this site that does it. You are rolling along quite happy and you look at Gear porn and say "that`s a beautiful bass" and that`s it!. Luckily, I`m now skint and can say with a certain conviction that the three I currently own are keepers. But if I had the cash.....

Jez

Edited February 5, 2011 by jezzaboy

[icastle]

[quote name='Johngh' post='1117105' date='Feb 5 2011, 09:51 PM']Also had a few basses that turned out to be kippers, but that's another story. [/quote]

Didn't you notice they were a bit fishy when you bought them?



Yeah, I know... can I get my coat before I do though?

[simon1964]

My '64 Precision is definitely a keeper - if only because its got the same date of birth as me

[Johngh]

[quote name='icastle' post='1117110' date='Feb 5 2011, 09:56 PM']Didn't you notice they were a bit fishy when you bought them?



Yeah, I know... can I get my coat before I do though? [/quote]


Buying basses blind mate. Never do it now. Always travel to meet up and check them out now.

[Happy Jack]

I still routinely "buy blind", and regardless of whether or not it's a daft thing to do (and I'm not arguing) I've yet to be "had" by anyone. I'd like to say that's just typical Basschat for you - which it is, of course - but the same is true of my eBay dealings too.

Getting back OT, I entirely agree that there's no such thing (for most people) as a genuine keeper but I [i][b]do [/b][/i]think there is such a thing as a "category killer".

If you keep trading and keep trading, eventually you find yourself with a bass that simply isn't worth replacing because there's nothing significantly better out there. Two years ago I never dreamed that I'd end up owning a 1966 Precision; now that I do, it's pretty unlikely that I'll be buying any more Precisions for the foreseeable future.

Doesn't that make my 1966 P a keeper, then? Nope. If I got the chance to trade up to a 1963 or even (gulp) a 1956 then I'd do it in a flash ... but the chances of that deal coming my way are fairly slim.

I actually thought that Clarky's Pino would be a category killer for him, OK, I was wrong. But it could still happen.

Meanwhile, owning a passive 4-string vintage Precision of that quality means that I have no reason to go looking for another passive 4-string vintage Precision. Doesn't stop me from looking for an active one, or a 5-string one, or a bass ukelele, or a ...

[jasethebass]

Had my Kubicki since 88. Defo a keeper!

[TimR]

The term "keeper" seems to me to be used by people who have tried several different basses and eventually been dissapoined by each one in tern and swapped them.

Describing something as a keeper implies that you realise that you've been doing it and have now found the perfect one.

The more fickle a persons nature the more likely they are to impulse buy and change their mind. That's what fickle means by definition. So this fickle nature soon shows and it wasn't the bass that they were not satisfied with but they way they looked at the bass. So having a fickle nature will ensure that their view of the "keeper" will also change.

The less fickle of us will buy wisely and be happy with our purchases.

Not a criticism just an observation. I knew a woman like that - she got through a lot of men.

Heavy enough for you?

[Linus27]

Interesting spin on the discussion Happy Jack and quite true.

I think I am pretty close to my basses being keepers. I don't like having a lot of basses around and if I could, I would have maybe 3 and catagory killers like Happy Jack has said. The perfect fretless, the perfect fretted workhorse and something different. I have my perfect workhorse in the shape of my 2008 MIA Precision. I never thought it would be a keeper but I just love playing it. My something different is my Stingray. It was a present from my wife for my 40th to replace the one that I bought with my first record deal and stupidly sold when times were hard. The Stingray, in teal greem always was my dream bass. Thankfully this new Stingray sounds and plays so much better than my original one. My perfect fretless is still not sorted yet but its being worked one. My old workhorse is my ESP 400 Series Jazz. It is the best sounding and playing bass I have owned, played hundred of gigs, TV shows, radios and it pretty contains the history of my playing. As its the best sounding bass I have owned, I am currently having a fretless neck made for it by Jon Shuker. Hopefully this will be the perfect fretless. However, I also adore the Stingray as a fretless and have just bought a fretless Stingray neck so maybe that will be my perfect fretless or equel to the ESP. On the other hand, neither could be the perfect fretless and the search will continue.

Yes I would like a few other basses. A Warwick Streamer, a 51 Reissue Precision, a nice Fender Jazz even. However, I just can't see the point at the moment as they won't get played.

[Fat Rich]

I could live without the Stingray and the old wood necked Energy bass but you'll have to try to prise the others out of my cold dead hands!

That not to say I won't add a few more to the collection though.

Edited February 5, 2011 by Fat Rich

[Gust0o]

I think they're all keepers - but, in order to keep something, you must possess it for a period of time; and it's all in how you define that period of time

I have one which is a 'keeper' in the purer sense of the word, which is the Lakland which was my wedding present. That's definitely a keeper - well, for as long as I keep the wife or she keeps me

[Rich]

I have two absolute keepers... my Shuker and my Wal.
If I was sleeping on a park bench I would consider selling one of them, but I'd probably sell a kidney first.

[Tengu]

My yamaha fretless was the best that I could afford at the time so I don't have too much attachment to it. If I could afford higher quality or found another fretless that played better I would sell on the Yamaha in a flash.

On the other hand, my Aria Pro II SLB is the first bass I ever bought and I have owned and used it for a little over 20 years. Even if I had the money to look for a newer one I would still keep hold of the Aria.

[warwickhunt]

I agree... and disagree!

I have a Warwick SSI that was the first Warwick I ever bought almost 20 yrs ago, so holds great sentimental value (despite me trading it for another Warwick then getting it back from a fellow BCer a few years ago); yet I think I'd likely as not trade sell it if and when the time is right. Yet I own a Bolin and another Warwick Ltd Ed which I can put hand to heart and (almost ) categorically state I'll never sell. This is odd especially as the Bolin was a purchase from new and has no special significance; the Ltd Ed Streamer on the other hand will remain with me as it is almost certainly a bass that I will NEVER be able to replace, literally no matter what the cost.

So in summary; I have a couple of 'keepers' yet they are keepers for very different reasons and basses which should be keepers... aren't!

[Bassman Sam]

I have had the same bass for the last 16 years, a USA '57RI and never thought of selling even tho' it's not been played much.Then I found Basschat. Gave me bloody GAS. I even tried to sell it but I had to withdraw it. It just felt wrong listing it in the first place. It's sad to be attached to a bass but I'm a soppy old Hector. It's a keeper until the next GAS attack or the RA over takes me.

[icastle]

I keep an eye out at what's appearing on the market.
Some items may appeal, others won't.
Some may look interesting, others leave me cold.

I may try some of the appealing items out.
If I find something that does offer a significant and, more importantly, justifiable improvement over what I am currently using, then I'll buy it.

I treat instruments as tools and means to an end, no more, no less.

[Legion]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1117146' date='Feb 5 2011, 10:28 PM']Getting back OT, I entirely agree that there's no such thing (for most people) as a genuine keeper but I [i][b]do [/b][/i]think there is such a thing as a "category killer".

If you keep trading and keep trading, eventually you find yourself with a bass that simply isn't worth replacing because there's nothing significantly better out there. Two years ago I never dreamed that I'd end up owning a 1966 Precision; now that I do, it's pretty unlikely that I'll be buying any more Precisions for the foreseeable future.

Doesn't that make my 1966 P a keeper, then? Nope. If I got the chance to trade up to a 1963 or even (gulp) a 1956 then I'd do it in a flash ... but the chances of that deal coming my way are fairly slim.

I actually thought that Clarky's Pino would be a category killer for him, OK, I was wrong. But it could still happen. [/quote]
I'd go with this analogy as well - the Pino is category killer for me, hence my desire to get it back (very pleased I did). Although as you say, if the real deal came along at the right price etc etc I'd seriously consider it. It's a case of finding something you like, then the quest seems to warp into finding the "best" example of that thing.

[stingrayPete1977]

My pre EB isn't going anywhere then again if a 77' in rootbeer came knocking maybe a trade but it would have to be in the same excellent condition as mine but so far nothing has come close.

[danny-79]

Never found two of the same model that are the same, no logic in that just the way it is, two exact same basses an can be worlds apart.
Out of my two Stingrays, the one Ive had from new (the only bass/guitar Ive ever had from new) an the other was pretty beat up when i got it, no plains to sell either, cant think of a reason why id want to have to sell them, lived on 9p noodles to get them an will do it again if ever get that broke.

But saying that, i have in the past brought basses/guitars that were the "The one to rule everything", only not to bond with them an move them on to a more deserving home. (think thats just getting GAS out of your system, gotta have a ........ only to find out its not for you)

What ever though, "Its all good fun "

[ThomBassmonkey]

My first bass, my Washburn XB100 is with me still and probably always will be. My Ibanez BTB406QM that I used for about 10 years including all my first decent gigs is also going nowhere for the forseeable future.

I don't know if I ever said my Warwick was a keeper, but I've always thought it was a brilliant bass and never expected to have it up for sale in under a year. I'm not selling it for pennies though, so I guess that's turning out to be a keeper.

My Sandberg is knocking my socks off. If it doesn't turn out to be a keeper, it'll most likely inspire something that is rather than just fading into obscurity.