Got any Gear Regrets? Stuff you refuse to sell because you can't get much for it?

[AlsoRan]

I was sitting around looking at all the guitars, basses, amps, pedals, and effects I have and I just got sick to my stomach.

When I first started playing 5 1/2 years ago, I thought I would be just playing Hard Rock and Blues. I had no children and no wife and a crapload more money. I started pit with cheap guitars not knowing if I would stick with it. I then bought the Gibson Flying V, Explorer, a Fender Jazz Bass and assorted amps pedals and other guitars.

After attending a lot of local rock and blues concerts, and almost gettin into scraps with drunk and high (or drunk/high) patrons, as well as experiencing a couple of raids, I figured out that at my age (44 years old at the time), this was not the scene for me.

I noticed the Jazz crowds were so much more mature and positive. When there were cops outside it was to help keep away those that would disrupt rather than to stare at my pupils.

Now I have all that nice gear, much of it I would sell but there is no way I can get near the purchase price. I am too proud to just let it go at a fraction of the cost so it just sits except when I pull it out to crank up and play a Scorpions, Iron Maiden, or BB King song.

Now I know chances are I will find a use for them in a couple of years and will probably break down and play with someone but I don't need all the gear.

Do any of you have a bunch of gear you don't need but refuse to sell it for the market resale value because it is too low?

Do I need to just cut my losses? Is this just a part of being a musician and finding your sound? OR, am I just one of the many guys that got caught up with a hobby and now am left possibly holding the bag?

[Help!I'maRock!]

i have a whole buncha stuff to sell. amps, guitars, pedals...i just don't really feel like the hassle right now.

resale depends entirely on what you have. for instance, i have a Silverface Princeton Reverb. i can easily get out of it what i put into it. but my Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket is maybe worth 2/3rds of what i paid for it 15 years ago. i can either wait that one out until it becomes "vintage", or take the loss and put it towards something new. i haven't decided yet.

[Cobra]

I have 2 full rooms of gear, some of which I've had since the early 70's.
It's crazy & totally out of control...
And that's just the stuff I kept!!!
I was looking to downsize, & then the ecomomy tanked.
Not willing to take a huge hit on it, I was able to get by without selling anything for a crazy loss.
I'm still waiting it out for a little better climate to sell in.
Hopefully we've turned the corner & that time won't be too far into the future

[AlsoRan]

I hear you guys! Do you ever wonder, considering the way music can be created without live musicians, if love musicians may even go out of style in favor up someone with a computer and a garageband program?

It is not too far-fetched to think live music may fall by the wayside, or turn into someone with an IPAD and a multi-effects unit. There would go the value of someone's Marshall Stack.

This i starting to make me think the window of opportunity to sell and get anything is slowly closing.

As an example, my mom has got a great vinyl record collection, but the number of people that would use it is greatly diminishing as we speak. Soon, they will all be gone, and her collection will have no one interested in buying.

[rickshapiro]

I have been attempting to purge and I understand the feeling. I was able to get rid of an ES135 and a Parkerfly Custom, sold them both pretty low. I have a fantastic Takamine Electric Classical, I've played tons of other similar guitars out there and it blows most of them away, and these are three times the price but I have yet to be able to sell it. There is no way to convey real quality over ebay. So to sell it, I need to sell it for a ridiculously low price. I do not play it much any more but I hate giving it away.

I have tons of keyboards, effect pedals, mixing boards and a few guitars that I would like to get rid of. I have learned is that this type of music equipment depreciates very fast and although you can still make great music there is very little market value.

It is funny, I've been putting things on Craigs List for free, stereo speakers, computers and other things and they have all been taken but even for free people ask a million and one questions.

I hate where I am in my life as far as consumption goes. If I had the energy I would not mind being where I was in my college days, the shirt on my back, my guitar and the world ahead of me (less the student loans). Now I spend a good majority of life maintaining and working to afford to maintain my possessions.

It is very frustrating. At some point I need to let go of the fear of giving things away. All this stuff sitting around drives me nuts, it really is a distraction and prevents me from focusing on the things that really bring me joy.

[Anandbhat]

I sold a bunch of stuff to GC for less than half of what I paid for them just to get rid of it! It can get to a point where all this stuff lying around becomes a source of stress! Electronic and midi stuff depreciates the most.

[AlsoRan]

I think many of us, at least us Americans, are having to deal with having too much stuff as well as the reality that we were not always wise in our spending.

I actually feel a little shame sometimes but I have matured a little now and don't think I will make the same mistake in the future.

The key now for me is to dig out as fast as I can while at the same time, figuring out what has TRUE value and is worth keeping. Oh, and also what is really worth purchasing!

I will probably start giving stuff away as I meet more and more aspiring young musicians. The feeling of creating an opportunity for someone is worth more than the 40 or 50 dollars I would get from ebay.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and good luck with your decisions. Life is definitely about learning.

[zigzag]

I have six electrics, two acoustics, three amps (one brand new), and 3 or 4 pedals. I play all my guitars, have a buyer for one amp (half the price I paid for it 15 years ago), and use only one pedal occasionally. I'm happy where I am and use most of the expensive stuff.

[bmw2002]

Once when I was home from work for a couple of days, I got bored and decided to make a excel spreadsheet detailing all of my music/gear related expenditures over the past 5 or so years: when I bought something, when I sold it, how much I paid for it, what I invested in terms of upgrades, what I sold it for. I continue to maintain that spreadsheet to this day. It was and is an eye-opening experience as to: (a) how much money I've spent, (b) how much I've lost - looking at it strictly as an investment, and (c) how much enjoyment I've gotten out of these items. Out of dozens of instruments, pedals, amps, etc., I've bought and sold, I've probably made money on a handful, and probably enough at the end of the day to buy a few pizzas. I look at the "loss" essentially as rent I've paid to enjoy these items, and in part the price to make some other musician -- particularly young players -- happy when they've gotten to enjoy it.

[rickshapiro]

Once when I was home from work for a couple of days, I got bored and decided to make a excel spreadsheet detailing all of my music/gear related expenditures over the past 5 or so years: when I bought something, when I sold it, how much I paid for it, what I invested in terms of upgrades, what I sold it for. I continue to maintain that spreadsheet to this day. It was and is an eye-opening experience as to: (a) how much money I've spent, (b) how much I've lost - looking at it strictly as an investment, and (c) how much enjoyment I've gotten out of these items. Out of dozens of instruments, pedals, amps, etc., I've bought and sold, I've probably made money on a handful, and probably enough at the end of the day to buy a few pizzas. I look at the "loss" essentially as rent I've paid to enjoy these items, and in part the price to make some other musician -- particularly young players -- happy when they've gotten to enjoy it.

I like the rent idea. That may help me but there is always that thought that I get some life out of them.


Rick

[jorgemg1984]

I have been trough a procces of selling lots of stuff I didn't use and only buying stuff I needed. I am much more happy with my gear now than before (I don't believe in pilling stuff I don't use that's why I might sell my 1979 Les Paul)

[mongrel]

I've been thinning out the closet for awhile but have one instrument that I would offer if the market wasn't so soft. A rather unique 1962 ES 355 with PAFS that has been relic'd the old fashioned way. Playing and time.

[NSJ]

In the span of two-three years, I've sold 2 Heritages (possibly 3 if I can sell a Golden Eagle) and 2 old Gibson arch tops (a 175 and a Howard Roberts Custom) , among other guitars.

I don't really have any regrets, really, even if I sometimes miss my Prospect STD--which was the cheapest of the bunch.

It's always better to have fewer guitars that you actually play.

[Patrick2]

In the span of two-three years, I've sold 2 Heritages (possibly 3 if I can sell a Golden Eagle) and 2 old Gibson arch tops (a 175 and a Howard Roberts Custom) , among other guitars.

I don't really have any regrets, really, even if I sometimes miss my Prospect STD--which was the cheapest of the bunch.

It's always better to have fewer guitars that you actually play.

Please PM me the particulars on the Golden Eagle. I've never met one I didn't want

[Snap]

AlsoRan, I can feel your pain... I've been always too curious and I want/need/must know the stuff on my own, so I always bought tons of stuff. Gear always comes and go, but in the process a whole lot of stuff (wanted or not wanted anymore) remains around. I have around 50 old european guitars at this moment ranging from the late 19th century to the early '70s. I don't consider myself a collector. I'm not interested in keeping even half of them, but this stuff is very hard to sell unless I sell it for peanuts. So I have something like 30 guitars and a few amps I don't really want to keep but (for the moment) I don't want to give 'em away either.

Some day I'll have to carry them to a flea market or something...

[voxwerx]

I tell you - I actually have just given away some of my gear. I try to strategically pick kids/students that seem serious. So far 6 guitars gone. Several of them were guitars that I would never be able to get any sort of financial return on- but seeing people light up when they get a guitar is a pretty good pay off. I mostly hope that the kids I gave guitars to will continue to play.

[Retroman1969]

I feel your pain in this subject.
I went through a LOT of gear in the search for what I wanted/needed. I didn't hesitate to sell off what I had when I wasn't satisfied with it or was going in a different direction. Mostly using Craigslist, sometimes I made a bit of profit, often a loss, but I always reasoned that at least I was getting most of my money back to put down on something else I want.
I now limit myself to two guitars, feeling I'll get my money's worth of use out them better that way.

Honestly, the stuff you mention that you have should get a lot of attention on things like Craigslist. I never had trouble getting lots of interested buyers contacting me on things like Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, etc.
Just take several really good quality pictures, preferably in good natural lighting, and give detailed, well composed descriptions.

I can't tell you how many Fenders or acoustics I would buy off of ads that weren't selling because the sellers had vague, poor-grammar descriptions and only one fuzzy dark or washed out picture... I would lowball them, then turn around and sell them on CL in one day for a profit... All because of the detail in the ad.

[Retroman1969]

Rickshapiro,
Loved your comments. I can really relate to that feeling, reminiscing about the free simpler college days. I often fantasize about just selling everything, including the house, and just start traveling around the world.

[lpdeluxe]

I do a lot of horse trading, getting rid of gear (amps that are too big and heavy for me, guitars I don't play). I acquired a Jazzzmaster Ultralight, new, from the dealer, for $250 cash and some trade-ins; I bought a new Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout bass amp for a traded Hartke stack and the money I got from selling my Les Paul. I have been pretty careful to buy new things that I need, and to either trade in or sell what it's replacing. This keeps the herd to a reasonable size. Of course, I still have four guitar amps and two bass amps, and I have Dobros and basses and one electric guitar, just because I gig on all those instruments. But the days of piling on the gear are over.

And on the subject of profit/loss, it's always hard to make back what you paid for something new, so I'm not averse to buying or trading for used. Overall I have a loss, I'm sure, even with buying one guitar for $425 and selling it for $3100, and buying another for $750 and selling it for twice that. I like the concept of paying rent for the privilege of playing good instruments. And I'm at the point now that my stuff may realize some cash for my kids when I'm gone (I'm 69) rather than heading to Goodwill.

[Patrick2]

All of my greatest regrets are based upon what I've sold, not what I've kept. But, I would imagine that's true of the majority of those who play here in this sand box.