9 basses in 8 months - a challenge

[Soledad]

I'm a bit concerned I've bought nine basses since January this year. OK I've sold 4 of them so a net 5. But it's beginning to feel like a kind of illness.

Step forward all who can top this. It'll make me feel better, or less weak at least.

(in part two, I may own up to the amp/cab/combo issues)

[kusee pee]

The only problem is you sold 4.

[HazBeen]

I fail to see the issue here

[Soledad]

4 minutes ago, kusee pee said:

The only problem is you sold 4.

So does this work like disallowed goals? I need to check the rules

[Unknown_User]

31 minutes ago, Soledad said:

So does this work like disallowed goals? I need to check the rules

We need to get VAR* on the case.

 

 

*Video Assistant Retailer

[Bolo]

I own 5 basses. Sold 2 and traded one in 30 years of playing (damn I'm getting on!).

Second place so far it seems!

[steantval]

Why?

[gjones]

8 between April and December 2018.

I'm hanging on to them though.

For a while at least

 

 

[Barking Spiders]

thing is, how many did you already have anyway?

[Guest oZZma]

18 hours ago, Soledad said:

I'm a bit concerned I've bought nine basses since January this year. OK I've sold 4 of them so a net 5. But it's beginning to feel like a kind of illness.

Step forward all who can top this. It'll make me feel better, or less weak at least.

(in part two, I may own up to the amp/cab/combo issues)

The true question is how did you manage to sell 4 basses so quickly, I keep piling up stuff that stays on sale forever

Tell us your secret

[Muzz]

I've been on a bit of a search/quest: since November, I've bought six (one's a custom build, so I haven't technically got it yet) and sold four.

[Soledad]

56 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

thing is, how many did you already have anyway?

That's the weird thing Barking. I started with one (a Yamaha, now sold). I was doing a musical shift so sold 2 flamencos (well, one isn't sold yet, it's on commission in London). I needed Fenders, that's how it got rolling.

 

42 minutes ago, oZZma said:

The true question is how did you manage to sell 4 basses so quickly,

Given they were fairly mainstream affordables, I use FB and Gumtree. I have found FB to be very effective on basses (sub a grand anyway, well sub in most cases). First thing is mentally letting go, waving goodbye in your mind. Then, decent pics, good description and sensible price. I've bought 3 basses here, but not sold any so far.

I'm sure there are BCers here can top my 9 minus 4. Step forward

[Muzz]

Over the years I've bought and sold dozens of basses, and it's been a great thing: I've owned more or less everything I've ever wanted to try - Alembics, Stingrays, Jazzes and Precisions old and new, boutique stuff like ACGs and Seis and Shukers and Overwaters, and Epiphones and Gibsons and Yamahas and Ibanezes...even a Rickenbacker 😁

And the best thing is I've not just plonked on them in a music shop, I've lived with them and gigged them; some for a short time, others longer, and I know now exactly what I like in a bass, and exactly what I don't.

It's not an illness, it's a journey and an experience which, unless you're unlucky or a bit daft, needn't cost much. 🙂

Edited August 14, 2019 by Muzz

[Machines]

I'm on 5 purchases and 4 sales in 12 months. I tend to keep a total of 5 basses. None of the purchases were planned, but all spur of moment eBay/Gumtree type events.

However - I have not lost any money so far, and even made a few quid with my dealings. The missus doesn't get the point of it all if I like what I have, but I've been doing it long enough to never lose money and have also realised hardly any instrument holds my attention for more than a year. 

[Guest oZZma]

48 minutes ago, Soledad said:

That's the weird thing Barking. I started with one (a Yamaha, now sold). I was doing a musical shift so sold 2 flamencos (well, one isn't sold yet, it's on commission in London). I needed Fenders, that's how it got rolling.

 

Given they were fairly mainstream affordables, I use FB and Gumtree. I have found FB to be very effective on basses (sub a grand anyway, well sub in most cases). First thing is mentally letting go, waving goodbye in your mind. Then, decent pics, good description and sensible price. I've bought 3 basses here, but not sold any so far.

I'm sure there are BCers here can top my 9 minus 4. Step forward

I am trying to sell a guitar amp at the cheapest price available on any site, I have tried Facebook, and the main Italian classifieds site, and Reverb...with no success. It's been on sale like 8 months now 

[police squad]

what is this word..........................SOLD

nope, never heard of it

31 in my collection atm (includes guitars and acoustics)

[BassTractor]

Sadly, this is factual:
36 months, 16 basses (some of them expensive), 14 amps, cabs and combos (some of them expensive), 6 effects and multi-effect units, plus tuner, metronomes, straps, leads and other stuff.

In my case it was health related, and very not a good thing.
Can't comment on your situation as I don't know it.
Make of this what you will: inspiration or despair or whatever. Me, I'm free now after having sold most of it.

[Soledad]

8 hours ago, Machines said:

However - I have not lost any money so far, and even made a few quid with my dealings.

That's me too - lost a fiver on a Sire, made 20 on a Dean fretless, broke even on the Yamaha...
It may be harder on amps/cabs as they are gigged and may deteriorate a bit with use / trucking.
But when I buy a bass I want it to be a keeper, if not I reckon lose maybe 10% max and consider that a lease charge for having the bass for some months - and that 'loss' is a worst case really. You'll gather I don't buy new stuff

4 hours ago, BassTractor said:

In my case it was health related, and very not a good thing.

Sorry to hear this. My post was quite light-hearted as I haven't lost so far on the 4 sold and would not feel too bad if I needed to sell 4 more - i'd just keep one Jazz I think. OK the Mayo fretless as well, and here we go

I do think that if you are buying decent 2nd hand basses at a fair market price, you will be able to sell on without losing much if anything. I do avoid custom basses, I think they are far harder to price and value.

[BassTractor]

3 minutes ago, Soledad said:

My post was quite light-hearted as I haven't lost so far on the 4 sold

Ah. I thought that under the light-hearted tone there was a certain concern.
I'm glad this isn't so.
My openness though was much about other possible thread readers. As a community (I'm old-fashioned that way) we need to exchange all aspects of being BCers - in my thinking at least.

Happily, I didn't lose money either. Between the layers of madness, there was a brain that looked for bargains explicitly so I could try the gear, learn about many types of gear that BCers had talked about, and sell it again if needed whilst losing little. Turned out I even made a few bob.

[cetera]

I've probably done that this year too. I have 72 basses now.... but 2 are for sale 😉

[Soledad]

27 minutes ago, cetera said:

I've probably done that this year too. I have 72 basses now.... but 2 are for sale 😉

I'd say this takes first place... for now. Wondering how you store 72 basses, and what it looks like? Bass Direct I suppose

[Hellzero]

I've owned around 300 basses over the last 30 years, here is  a non exhaustive list made last year : https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/329699-bldy-gas/?do=findComment&comment=3585197

In the last 12 months, I've been a very compulsive buyer/seller/trader and urm, urm, around 100 basses have come in and out. It's been a crazy year, I must admit, but being a BC active member doesn't help... 

Now, I try to have not more than 11 basses at home. I mainly play 6 strings fretless basses and almost only luthier or custom models. I'm also a Leduc basses fan as some of you know.

I don't think it's a kind of illness at all, but more the will to try as many different basses as I want.

I'm buying, selling and trading high end basses and I must say that even if it's a niche market, I've never lost money, on the contrary.

[stewblack]

I'm embarrassed to admit I can't remember all the comings and goings. Especially since discovering the joy of trading, or renting as I think of it. 

Stuff comes in, stuff goes out. Had a really good spell of not buying but actually selling basses, think I've shipped about seven in the last few months. 

I doubt I make money, I'm a terrible business man. I certainly think I came off very very badly in one particular trade - financially speaking, but then in another I 'lost' a bass I never played and gained a wonderful amp. So that was a definite win. 

I'm down to 11 functioning basses, two in need of fixing, one on the way, two in the shop on commission and one singing a siren song to me in the same shop. 

I've also shifted couple of lovely amps and a couple of cabs. And brought in 6 cabs, and 4 heads and  a clutter of effects has drifted in and drifted out. 

Bags. I buy bags, boxes,  cases, sack trucks and dollies too. 

I try only to spend money raised from sales or gigs. I earn precious little else so that's kind of self fulfilling. 

Is 12 cabs a lot? I don't know. 

[stewblack]

And two small combos.