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Where do basses go to die?


EJWW

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2 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

Interestingly, many high-value classical instruments are owned by investment houses, but they loan them out to players to keep them in circulation and allowing us all to enjoy them. 

Yeah, now you mention it I knew about that. I seem to recall that was mentioned at the same time as the investors buying vintage guitars but not renting them out, which annoyed the guy telling me. 

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9 hours ago, DoubleOhStephan said:

Yeah, now you mention it I knew about that. I seem to recall that was mentioned at the same time as the investors buying vintage guitars but not renting them out, which annoyed the guy telling me. 

It’s like the general economy in micro , while people have confidence in the value of these things, the value will hold up , but if the value in a guitar is that it was a present from grandad, mum and dad or wife for instance , or it was one that has particular band or gig memories. then keeping it on a stand in the corner of the room is value enough. 

Nail it to a wall as a decoration or as a cherished memory, fine by me, I think an emotional attachment to an instrument is easily as important as its monetary value

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32 minutes ago, lurksalot said:

 

Nail it to a wall as a decoration or as a cherished memory, fine by me, I think an emotional attachment to an instrument is easily as important as its monetary value

More so for me. I find it much easier to relate to that, than going out and spending thousands on, let's say for example a Fender, which was basically a mass produced, relatively cheap instrument when it was created. But because it's a certain year, or has been played by a certain person, it's now "worth" a small fortune. 

Then again I've never really understood the vintage thing either. I'd much rather have something brand new, than some rusty, battered old bass that is somehow perceived as better. 

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19 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

More so for me. I find it much easier to relate to that, than going out and spending thousands on, let's say for example a Fender, which was basically a mass produced, relatively cheap instrument when it was created. But because it's a certain year, or has been played by a certain person, it's now "worth" a small fortune. 

Then again I've never really understood the vintage thing either. I'd much rather have something brand new, than some rusty, battered old bass that is somehow perceived as better. 

Many people have an emotional relationship with high-value vintage Fenders. You can’t have it both ways!

Some people like new instruments, others old ones - there’s room for us all in the bass playing world. 
 

As for what happens with my basses when I die, I hope my children want them and if they don’t then they can sell them/

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Working Mens clubs where they are forced to play the Birdy song on constant repeat by patrons drinking cheap bear and eating cheese and onion sandwich's from tin foil .All this under the watchful eye of the flat capped concert secretary who's chair you sit in under a sentence of death if you dare to have the nerve.Our bass's shudder with fright as it may be resting on its stand just where the bingo machine could later be appearing to be worshiped by the congregation of the for mentioned establishment.Not wishing to denigrate these places of merriment as this is where the fat stringed little buggers cut there teeth,but the thought of ending there days in the place that time forgot brings tears to my eye's for so many reasons. Mostly because  these were great place's to be many years ago but there demise through many reasons is not the place I would like the last ring of the string of my collection of bass's to be heard unless they brought genuine pleasure to the audience. In which case that would be ok.

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On 26/12/2019 at 13:14, EJWW said:

My uncle owns a 1962 Jazz bass. He is a total show-off and can barely play a note. I hope and pray that he will leave it to me in his will. In the meantime though what a waste.

 

You got the words to Red Barcheta wrong!

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2 hours ago, chris_b said:

There was nothing repairable or salvageable when my Framus finally died, so it went to the dump. Same for my Vox Foundation with a blown 118 cab. Six months of advertising it didn't even get 1 phone call. So to the dump it went.

What a shame. I saw a serviceable Les Paul copy are a dump once but the guys wouldn’t let me salvage it.

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On 26 December 2019 at 21:28, ambient said:

Most things nowadays are built to only last a few years. We’re a very wasteful society. It’s great that musical instruments at least are built with an expectancy that they’ll last a while.

You should have been around in the 60s - some cars would barely last 4 yrs before they rusted to oblivion. It was only when Japanese production techniques and approach to providing all 'extras' in the price started to wreck traditional industries in the 70s (like the British car and motor cycle industries which were firmly rooted in the 'we'll give them what we want to give them' approach) that all makers had to bring themselves into the real world. 

Consumer products these days are light years ahead of 50 yrs ago and last a lot longer - when did you last see a seriously rusty car? De rigeur in the 60s - catastophically so for some makes - eg Vauxhall. 

As for basses, well there are a fraction of those compared to guitars, but makers are and have for years been struggling to sell new product against the vast amount in circulation. There are probably fewer 'kids' taking up the instrument than say in the 90s so the market may be shrinking anyway. 

I too am curious about the vintage thing. Back in the day, people in name bands were differentiated from the masses (who had copy instruments) by having name guitars - eg Fender or Gibson. These days the differentiator is the rarity of the vintage instruments they use. 

That said I wouldn't mind a vintage P and J!! 

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On 26/12/2019 at 13:14, EJWW said:

My uncle owns a 1962 Jazz bass. He is a total show-off and can barely play a note. I hope and pray that he will leave it to me in his will. In the meantime though what a waste.

This got me thinking- considering that, unlike cars, most bass guitars are unlikely to be totally worn out and scrapped/ crushed/ converted to other uses, since the 1950s when production started they're must now be literally millions and millions of instruments lying around somewhere. 

My question is where? They keep on manufacturing them but if they're not being scrapped there must be an enormous and growing stock of second hand instruments out there. Are they unplayed and gathering dust under millions of peoples' beds or in their lofts. There must be some real diamonds tucked away waiting to be played. 

Is this being reflected in the second hand market, is there just more and more gearout there nowadays?

Funny the things you end up thinking about on boxing day...😃

They go to music-outlet-shop on ebay.

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