Basses going unplayed

[JohnFitzgerald]

How long do you let them hang about before you eventually cut them loose ?

 

I know such talk might be heresy, but these two beauties haven’t got the nod since I stumbled on an old USA Musicman SUB 5 string.

 

 

[OliverBlackman]

Until you need cash or space. If you don’t need either, then keep them because you never know when you might fall in love with them again. 

[Shaggy]

When any of my harem of unplayed basses starts getting stroppy, I sing them the the old line from Hotel California:

”You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave*.......)

 

 

 

 

(*coffee table basses excepted, of course 😉)

[Burns-bass]

I have the one I won’t sell, rbe one I gig with and a backup. Any more than that is superfluous.

 

I’ve had rooms full of them before and it was ultimately pointless. So I keep the main 3.

 

I recently bought a vintage Burns bass for £100 (worth about £1500) and the guy told me I had to keep it and play it not sell it on to make money.

 

So I’ve abided by that. I’ve also bought a new vintage bass so currently have 5.

[JohnFitzgerald]

30 minutes ago, Shaggy said:

When any of my harem of unplayed basses starts getting stroppy, I sing them the the old line from Hotel California:

”You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave*.......)

 

 

 

 

(*coffee table basses excepted, of course 😉)

 

These two are deep into coffee table territory.

[JohnFitzgerald]

41 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

Until you need cash or space. If you don’t need either, then keep them because you never know when you might fall in love with them again. 

Fair point.

[BassApprentice]

I have several (albeit less valuable than those mentioned above) that I don't play.

 

As others said, selling stuff for the sake of selling regularly leads to regret when they aren't there. If and when money or space (or you play another bass that blows you away) become and issue, the look to see who doesn't make the cut.

 

Another idea could be to lend one of them to a friend should it be possible. See if you miss it then.

[Woodinblack]

I have a few that I don't play, but just generally because of the nause of selling them. Worse still, I have guitars I haven't played in decades, for the same reason!

 

[Geek99]

I just sell them. Exception one bass that partner bought for me. It is currently the only bass that I have and would be the last to go even if it wasn’t 

[ahpook]

15 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I have a few that I don't play, but just generally because of the nause of selling them.

 

I'm with you on that.

 

Although Mrs. Pook is very averse to me selling any....I think she would feel need to sell some of her many many bikes if I pruned my basses

 

 

[Burns-bass]

1 hour ago, ahpook said:

 

I'm with you on that.

 

Although Mrs. Pook is very averse to me selling any....I think she would feel need to sell some of her many many bikes if I pruned my basses

 

 

I hate selling them when you have to send them. That’s one reason for not buying too many.

[neepheid]

Instruments are to be played.  Any that aren't getting played get moved on.  I don't have a specific timescale for it, I tend to have infrequent purges when I take a long hard look at the collection and recall how often the basses are getting played.  In tandem with my participation in gear abstinence this year I've recently done an evaluation and I think there are 3 out of the 10 that could be moved on to A) make room and B) build up funds for a massive splurge next year.

 

But bottom line is I don't want to be a hoarder - it's a sin in my book for instruments to sit around gathering dust when they could go to someone else who'll play them and enjoy them.

[lidl e]

Almost all of my basses ive either built, out together from parts or heavily modified so i can't really sell any of them. Except for my steinie XP, but im keeping that for when i can't play a full size anymore.

 

I dochave 2 vintage ibanez i keep meaning to put up for sale. They are in a local shop for consignment,  but they havent put them up yet. 

[JohnFitzgerald]

My difficulty with these two is.

 

the singlecut is a one of one that was built by a very respected builder. This chance will never come again.

 

The other bass was bought for the biggest gigging year of my life.

A year like that won’t come around again and this is the bass in all the photos.

 

Ok, decision made. They’re going nowhere, I need to use them more.

[snorkie635]

2 hours ago, neepheid said:

Instruments are to be played.  Any that aren't getting played get moved on.  I don't have a specific timescale for it, I tend to have infrequent purges when I take a long hard look at the collection and recall how often the basses are getting played.  In tandem with my participation in gear abstinence this year I've recently done an evaluation and I think there are 3 out of the 10 that could be moved on to A) make room and B) build up funds for a massive splurge next year.

 

But bottom line is I don't want to be a hoarder - it's a sin in my book for instruments to sit around gathering dust when they could go to someone else who'll play them and enjoy them.

Totally agree Neeps. Send them to me and I'll send you regular postycards. 😇

[neepheid]

2 minutes ago, snorkie635 said:

Totally agree Neeps. Send them to me and I'll send you regular postycards. 😇

 

I think our definitions of "moving on" differ in at least one crucial detail...

[snorkie635]

1 minute ago, neepheid said:

 

I think our definitions of "moving on" differ in at least one crucial detail...

But I think our understanding of 'they could go to someone else who'll play them and enjoy them', will be the same. Go on, go on, go on. 🤗

[crazycloud]

I have a number I really should move on as I'm trying to concentrate on a couple and to leave space for something that might fall into my lap (like happened last week, NBD soon...).

 

My problem with selling is a) it's a PITA especially where I live in the boonies and b) the S/H market sucks at the moment so I have little interest in going to the effort of selling for little return. Plus, in a few months I might take them out again and go wow!

 

The only one that I really don't want is the Jackson V guitar I was given because 'it didn't work' when 5 mins to find and fix the soldering and give the truss a tweak made it great.

 

[Paolo85]

I tend to sell a bass after a few months I don't play it. I have decided that I don't want to keep more than 2-3 basses in total so one in one out pretty much

[LukeFRC]

I put my old main bass in a case under the bed. After 8 months or so of not playing or thinking about it it was quite releasing to sell it. 

[White Cloud]

I can't collect basses. I own two. One gets all the playtime whilst the other lurks around just 'in case' (pun intended).

[TRBboy]

I can't collect basses. I always have one I prefer anyway, but feel compelled to play the others for the sake of it. I sell anything I'm not really using, unless it's special or sentimental (like my first bass). I do now have two 'best' basses, but that's because I built one of them myself, but also I have intention of letting my Sandberg go. I have a backup bass too.

[NancyJohnson]

I'll rotate what I have.  There's nothing I own that doesn't get used.

[SimonK]

Lend them to someone trustworthy who will gig them?

 

I've got a couple, mostly guitars and amps, out on longish term loans with people who can't afford to buy their own. Choose the right person and they will take care of it better than you would!

[Delberthot]

From experience, one of the worst things about selling something that I hadn't used in a while was when I decided that I either needed one again or through nostalgia a few years later, the prices had gone silly.

 

Take the batteries out if you don't plan on using them for a long time and put them somewhere safe.