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Thinning the herd


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Hi chaps.

I was wondering if the GAS and bass collecting afflicted can help me apply some sense and logic to my situation. I'm due to be a father in 2 months time, and I cannot mentally justify having 6 basses taking up so much space and a having few hundred quid tied up we're likely to need in a few months time when the missus is on maternity pay.

Some background - i'm in a laid back rock/pop covers band and we gig fairly infrequently (4-5 a year). I like having lots of versatility but am unlikely to take more than one bass to a gig. Outside of this I play a lot at home and love swapping instruments around and hearing the differences between them and for this, my collection is great, but I know there are some overlaps.

So my issue is not should I sell something, but what should I sell ? Below i've written a brief description of each instrument, what I love about it and what I don't, and how much i'd let it go for, in order of aquisition. I want to try and sell at least 2. What would you do ?

[b]Yamaha RBX775F[/b] - Gift from my parents on my 21st birthday (10 years ago nearly). Converted to fretless and refinished in a unique red leather binding. I don't play it a lot as it needs a new nut and setup and it wouldn't ever get used in my band but has much sentimental value.

[b]G&L L-2000 [/b]Tribute Carved Top - Bought from BassDirect in 2010. HUGE sound and cuts through the mix, does everything I need itto. Stunning looks and I know it's a great piece of kit. G&L are very underrated and I like having something that's a bit of a 'well kept secret' in the bass world.

[b]Peavey T-40[/b] - Great looks, uncommon. I like it's underdog reputation and this thing is from 1979 and thus older than me. It's too heavy for a 3 hour practise but bearable for a 2 x 45 min set. The pickup types and switching mean there's lots of sounds in this (Stingray tones possible with the outboard preamps on my Zoom B3). One i'd keep as an 'antique' and hope to hand down one day.

[b]Lakland 55-60[/b] - Ltd Edition Metallic Teal Green (more of a sea foam really). Bought from GuitarGuitar last year when I wasn't even looking to buy but was pondering over 5 strings. Tried it on a whim hoping I wouldn't like it to extinguish GAS but it was petrol on the bonfire. Bought it 3 days later ! Amazing passive Jazz sound and utterly perfect setup. Gigged a couple of times and has excelled each time. Unique looks and very rare.

[b]Fender Precision[/b] - 2005, MIM. Gift from my Dad last year, fitted with flats. So smooth to play and sounds awesome. Setup is perfect - but one dimension sound and unlikely to make it to a gig with the competition it has.

[b]Line 6 Variax[/b] - Gift from my Dad last week. Taken to practise and a revellation. Played solo it doesn't overwhelm me with it's J/P models but in the mix it's great and the Rickenbacker (sorry for the profanity) models are very convincing. I know this is one that can replace a couple of others if I sell. It'd be an awesome gigging instrument and fun at home due to it's versatility.

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Your Dad sounds like a fine and generous chap :) .

You say you can't sell the first one, so get that one sorted and playable.

Think my choice after that, would be to keep the G&L. As you say, underrated. Have to agree, they sound huge and very versatile.


Good luck with it and the impeding arrival of baby machines.

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Doesn't sound like your overly enamoured with the P bass so I'd suggest that can go... maybe the Lakland too? would give you the biggest chunk of cash?

I recently sold an L2000 Tribby.... not really sure why.... It was an excellent instrument that would have suited pretty much any band I have played in. I reckon your tribby could do everything you need and keep the others for sentimental reasons.

I'm not the best person to be giving advice about getting rid of basses though... my collection is expanding exponentially :blink:

Edited by CamdenRob
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[b][b]Fender Precision[/b] - 2005, MIM. Gift from my Dad last year[/b]
[b]Line 6 Variax[/b] - Gift from my Dad last week.
you have a cool Dad!

sell everything but the precision it only does one thing but does it so right.

congratulations on impending fatherhood its the hardest job youll ever have but the only only that will really satisfy you.

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the Lakland has the most versatility as a 5 string with lots of tonal options so for a rock/pop covers band I'd keep that as the main gigging monster, consider getting rid of everything else in order of increasing sentimentality?

Edited by andydye
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If ever there was a wrong crowd to ask, it's us :lol:

It's really only you who can answer the question. I've bought and sold more basses than I care to mention, but the 3 that have stayed with me through thick and thin are my 2 P basses, and my Shuker, simply because they do everything I need.

Incidentally, if you do decide to sell the Variax, I'll have it off you - I've been wanting to try one of these for years, and keep missing out on them.

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Wow, getting some wildly differing opinions here ! It's great to hear other people's thoughts on this as it adds factors I had not considered.

Something else I think to bear in mind is that owning basses is generally a fluid thing for me, so there's nothing to stop me selling something hoping to get another one if I fancy it in the future (be that 1, 5 or 10 years, i've got plenty of years left !). Whilst my Dad bought it, he accepts it's not the best instrument in the world and actually initially bought it for himself before passing it on (I expect he played about 10 mins on it).

Since a couple of these are not ones I can easily replace I think I would kick myself if I let them go (Peavey/Lakland). Precisions are ten a penny so I think this one will likely face the chop. It's a good MIM but it doesn't ignite as much anticpiation as when I plug the others in. The Lakland can do the P sound if I put flats on it and I happen to have an extra longscale set of Chromes on the RBX currently.

I expect the G&L could join it as they're also not too hard to come by and underpriced for their quality/ability, and i'm considering that the Variax may be able to cover it sonically. A side by side test is planned for this.

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I'd be asking myself which basses can I later easily replace with new purchases for those I'm ready to sell now (assuming that at some later stage you have more room in a different house and some disposable income or come your way as more gifts). What you can't easily replace I'd say are the Yamaha (custom finish and sentimentality), and the Peavey T-40 and the Line 6 Variax since they're no longer in production.

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[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1390566995' post='2346917']
What you can't easily replace I'd say are the Yamaha (custom finish and sentimentality), and the Peavey T-40 and the Line 6 Variax since they're no longer in production.
[/quote]

Those are the three I would have said to keep!

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[quote name='kennyrodg' timestamp='1390565995' post='2346898']
Keep the P, you're Dad bought it for you. It'll be priceless to you one day.
[/quote]
Yep once they're gone, all you have left is momentoes and regrets. Keep all the momentoes you can, while you can. The rest are replaceable

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My Dad has promised his collection of guitars to be bequeathed to me anyway if the time comes so i'm happy i'll have stuff from him he used. Strictly speaking the T-40 was bought with the profit we made between us from buying/selling guitars so in a way he contributed there too.

Regarding the 'grab 2 basses in a fire hypothesis' - I took the Lakland and the Peavey.

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I'd probably ditch the Lakland first as whilst they're really nice, they're not iconic & you'd get a good price.
Then the Peavey could probably go - cool though they are being realistic; you're not going to choose to play it over the others.
Personally I'd probably lose the P-bass too as the line 6 can probably do the job but I'd understand keeping it because P's are always a good one to have in the collection.

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