I'd like to sell most of my basses, but can't bring myself to do so

[Sida79]

Anyone else have this first world problem?

 

I don't play nearly as much as I used to and since I've become a family man I don't really have a place to store a collection of basses, but can't get the number to less than four to save my life

due to that familiar feeling of each one "being different" and bringing to the table something the others don't have.

 

I've got 1 x Precision and 3 x Jazz currently.

 

Despite this I've always been a Precision guy. Don't ask why, it's not rational, they somehow suit me on a level I can't quite put into words. Whenever I'm practicing or writing songs, it's most likely

I'll grab my Precision, so selling the only one I have would not make much sense.

 

So, sell all the others, right? Well...

 

I've got a Fender Jazz, a model I've always wanted, that is easily the most versatile bass I have and most likely the one I'm recording with as it cuts through the mix well and every sound guy knows just to do with it.

I've got a custom Jazz, ordered to my specs, that's a 5 string model and automatically used for any cover bands I gig with, that's been with me for decades and carries huge nostalgia points. And likely isn't worth a fraction of what I payed for it.

And finally I was stupid enough to buy a Limelight Jazz because it looked cool and I figured I'd sell it afterwards, that happened to be just about the best sounding Jazz I've ever played, something my bandmates tend to agree with.

 

Worst of all, I feel remorse after selling any half-decent instrument and would likely buy back a lot of the ones I've sold over the years if I wasn't already sitting on four basses stacked in my study and thinking what an overkill it is.

[ezbass]

Keep the P and the Limelight. The Limelight is the best sounding J you have it seems, so should easily cover everything the other 4 string does. The 5 goes because you’re playing less and likely to be gigging less too. If you need the extended range, fit a D tuner to the Limelight. 

[CookPassBabtridge]

I have the same issue, more basses than I can justify right now but in my case it’s because I’m not actively gigging/playing in a band. I’ve managed to sell a couple and I felt less bad about it afterwards than I thought. Maybe try shifting your least favourite first and see how you feel afterwards. Letting it go for the right price always helps too!

[chris_b]

No, I don't.

 

I have 2 basses, 3 amps and 4 cabs. They all get used.  I have 5 screwdrivers, 4 saws, 2 spirit levels etc. They all get used as well.

 

IMO owning stuff is fine if you use it. It's still fine if you don't, but not for me. 

 

If you want to sell but can't get started, just pick the bass you play the least. Keep going until you arrive at the last 2. That's when you stop selling.

[Doctor J]

I've been playing bass since 1989. My tastes have changed a lot in that time. If all goes well, I'll live for another 30 years, perhaps more. I think that's plenty of time for tastes and preferences to change again and, hopefully, everything will get a go as the favoured child 😂

 

Bass is a lifetime journey, see it in the long term 🙂

Edited July 31, 2021 by Doctor J

[Barking Spiders]

3 minutes ago, Sida79 said:

Anyone else have this first world problem?

 

I don't play nearly as much as I used to and since I've become a family man I don't really have a place to store a collection of basses, but can't get the number to less than four to save my life

due to that familiar feeling of each one "being different" and bringing to the table something the others don't have.

 

I've got 1 x Precision and 3 x Jazz currently.

 

Despite this I've always been a Precision guy. Don't ask why, it's not rational, they somehow suit me on a level I can't quite put into words. Whenever I'm practicing or writing songs, it's most likely

I'll grab my Precision, so selling the only one I have would not make much sense.

 

So, sell all the others, right? Well...

 

I've got a Fender Jazz, a model I've always wanted, that is easily the most versatile bass I have and most likely the one I'm recording with as it cuts through the mix well and every sound guy knows just to do with it.

I've got a custom Jazz, ordered to my specs, that's a 5 string model and automatically used for any cover bands I gig with, that's been with me for decades and carries huge nostalgia points. And likely isn't worth a fraction of what I payed for it.

And finally I was stupid enough to buy a Limelight Jazz because it looked cool and I figured I'd sell it afterwards, that happened to be just about the best sounding Jazz I've ever played, something my bandmates tend to agree with.

 

Worst of all, I feel remorse after selling any half-decent instrument and would likely buy back a lot of the ones I've sold over the years if I wasn't already sitting on four basses stacked in my study and thinking what an overkill it is.

You should see some other BCers collections of 20+ basses, so your 4...well think on't 😁

[Reggaebass]

If you don’t need the money just keep them, I’ve got 13 at the moment and like them all, there’s a couple I don’t play very often, but they are there if I want to 🙂

[Lozz196]

42 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Keep the P and the Limelight. The Limelight is the best sounding J you have it seems, so should easily cover everything the other 4 string does. The 5 goes because you’re playing less and likely to be gigging less too. If you need the extended range, fit a D tuner to the Limelight. 

Nail, head. Exactly what I would have said.

[Soledad]

I know about this. It's like clearing the loft. Getting shot of the first one is the hard bit, after that you're off.
Recently sold 2 Fender Jazz - a fretted and a fretless - don't miss either. Kept my P Special (which is a gem) and the Mayones fretless.
Logic and my experience tells me having more basses doesn't make me play or sound better - and actually after the initial thrill of acquisition, the extra bass doesn't make me happier either.

doubt much of that helps mind😀

 

[Guest]

The best advice I can give is have one bass to cover each sound/look/style. Everyone is different but I’ve made this mistake several times - the fact is if you have two basses that are the same make and model, or cross over a lot, you’re always going to pick a favourite. It’s got nothing to do with woods and hardware, just some basses sound and feel better than others. Of course, some players buy many of the same make or model but I would class that as collecting rather than owning. To the OP - you don’t come across as a collector, so if you have 3 Jazz basses then pick the best (sounds like the Limelight) and keep the P as you said you’re a P player, and ditch the other two. Get a G&L, Lakland, Rickenbacker or Stingray or something else that doesn’t cover the same sonic territory if you feel the need to have more than 2 basses. Only keep something that you really like and want to use - anything else is just decoration, which is why the for sale section remains so busy

[Sida79]

49 minutes ago, ezbass said:

Keep the P and the Limelight. The Limelight is the best sounding J you have it seems, so should easily cover everything the other 4 string does. The 5 goes because you’re playing less and likely to be gigging less too. If you need the extended range, fit a D tuner to the Limelight. 

That's a great idea, but I've been struggling in the past with DADG... I think I'd need a complete 4 string detuner

 

45 minutes ago, CookPassBabtridge said:

I have the same issue, more basses than I can justify right now but in my case it’s because I’m not actively gigging/playing in a band. I’ve managed to sell a couple and I felt less bad about it afterwards than I thought. Maybe try shifting your least favourite first and see how you feel afterwards. Letting it go for the right price always helps too!

I think that's precisely my issue, which is my least favorite? Perhaps even the bass I play the most since usefulness does not have to be exciting 😕

 

7 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

You should see some other BCers collections of 20+ basses, so your 4...well think on't 😁

Oh, I've had more... but at one moment I promised to myself never to have more than 4 again and stuck to it, if needed selling one to buy another. But until now I've always had at least one bass that might have been "fine, but not my thing as much as the others".

 

 

7 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

If you don’t need the money just keep them, I’ve got 13 at the moment and like them all, there’s a couple I don’t play very often, but they are there if I want to 🙂

Was a hoarder when I was single, so now I'm starved for space. Basses are still much cheaper than new apartments!

 

 

2 minutes ago, Soledad said:

Logic and my experience tells me having more basses doesn't make me play or sound better - and actually after the initial thrill of acquisition, the extra bass doesn't make me happier either.

doubt much of that helps mind😀

 

True, but I still miss the ones I've sold. So many unique basses... the ones I had, at least, not this weird 3 x Jazz situation I have now haha

[ezbass]

1 minute ago, Sida79 said:

That's a great idea, but I've been struggling in the past with DADG... I think I'd need a complete 4 string detuner

 

Takes practice, I’ll grant you and can lead to some embarrassment when you forget to reset it (been there, forgot that), but worth the effort IMO. Or just leave as is and use an octave pedal if really necessary.

[Crawford13]

I know this feeling and to be honest I am going through it a little just now too. 

With doing so few gigs / recording session I find myself looking at my instruments thinking "I have far too much money tied up in these". 

 

I'm very lucky though as when I mentioned this to my wife, she basically told me to stop being silly, and enjoy my basses. I work hard so I deserve to have nice things. 

[gjones]

2 hours ago, CookPassBabtridge said:

I have the same issue, more basses than I can justify right now but in my case it’s because I’m not actively gigging/playing in a band. I’ve managed to sell a couple and I felt less bad about it afterwards than I thought. Maybe try shifting your least favourite first and see how you feel afterwards. Letting it go for the right price always helps too!

I have many more basses than I need and followed this advice when I sold one of my basses recently.

It was one that lived under the bed and was never played.

I made sure I listed it for a decent price and wasn't budging.

The guy who bought it, initially offered me £100 less than the selling price.

In the end he bought it for £20 more, as he asked me to deliver it and gave me the petrol money for the trip though to Glasgow.

Edited July 31, 2021 by gjones

[Guest]

4 basses sounds like the number someone proudly shows off after a massive cull.

 

As a matter of interest, what is it about the Limelight which makes you not want to record with it? 

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Sida79]

2 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

4 basses sounds like the number someone proudly shows off after a massive cull.

Haha... yeah, I guess.

 

3 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

As a matter of interest, what is it about the Limelight which makes you not want to record with it? 

Nothing in particular, I just bought it fairly recently. Fender is seen as the "default" sound so I can either subdue it with the tone control or make it sound quite modern with the right strings. If cranked it can easily sound like "too much of everything" and it's easier to remove the extra frequencies that are there than it is to add the ones that aren't. Often it's that very sound that sounds terrible singled out that sits best in the recording.

 

I never really knew how to do the same with vintage sounding basses. I find them amazing if they fit as-is, but other than that I've never managed to make one sound modern.

I can put steel strings on and pound them with a pick but that brings a different type of aggressive sound not everyone is fond of.

But overall I'd say it's probably just my habits and limitations, more than the actual basses themselves.

[Pseudonym]

If your constraints are primarily spatial rather than financial, is there any way for you to put two or three of the basses out on long-term loan?

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Pseudonym said:

If your constraints are primarily spatial rather than financial, is there any way for you to put two or three of the basses out on long-term loan?

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

That's a common problem you have there.

 

Have you cleared your mind and tried to get to the root of what might be causing the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to sell basses?

[Yango]

Just sell them. You’ll feel good about it later. 
 

I did the same thing. I had more than I needed, so I sold off two of my EBMM Stingrays, a G&L SB1, my SWR ST220, one of my Shure mics, two Fender Bassman 60’s and a Peavey 4x12 cab. 
 

I found it to be very liberating, because I was just hanging on to all that gear for the sake of hanging on to it. I still have two 15” cabs that my Dad made for me before he died—and I can’t seem to let those go—despite the fact that they take up a chunk of real estate in my limited condo storage. 
 

I still have pedals and gear like that which will be going soon. 
 

So, yeah, just sell what you don’t need. 

[Owen]

I have way more than I use. I do like them though

What a ridiculous state of affairs. 

[Chaosanator]

Totally get this! Could you ask a friend or family member to safely store one of your basses for say 6 months to a year? If you can experience yourself able to cope without it for that long, you might feel more able to part with it completely. 

If you're not sure which bass, perhaps you can try this with a couple of basses to see which one you ask back first.

[Bobthedog]

The important thing is to make a quick decision as to what is to go, BUT, whatever you decide, DO NOT PLAY them after the decision.

 

I am looking to thin my four to two as I decided I am happy with the Roscoe V and the MTD fretless for my music styles. Ergo the Dingwall AB1 and Fender P MIA should go. Last weekend I got took the latter two out of their cases, dusted them off, plugged them in and played them. Anyhoo, I am not selling anything at the moment! 😀

[mr4stringz]

If you can’t bring yourself to, then you shouldn’t contemplate selling any of them. Simple as that. Nailed on you’ll regret it. Seems you’ve got all avenues and eventualities covered and love all 4 of them. Learn from the past. You’ve regretted what you’ve sold before so why put yourself back in that position again, especially when it’s clear you’re far from 100%. Four basses don’t take up much more room than 2 basses, it’s only 2 case widths…😀