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Advice on parting with a bass


Bafflegab

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Hey all

Firstly - this isn't a sale post!  If and when I do decide to sell, I'll pay the fee and list it properly 😃 

Basically, long story short, I've got this bass that I've had for a long time, it was custom built to my spec, and it's a really great bass to be honest, it does everything it needs to do.

Only one problem - I don't love it.  I don't feel like I've ever really connected with it, even though it's a really good instrument.  It barely gets played 😪 

I keep thinking about selling it (I could use the money, it's not like direly in need or anything like that, but I could use it elsewhere) but I get as far as taking photos and then change my mind.

How can I get over this and sell it to someone who will use it?

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1 minute ago, skidder652003 said:

If you haven't really ever connected to it then why the hesitation? Is it because you won't get what you paid for it?

More that because it was made to my spec, I feel like I should love it and keep it.  My friend said when I got it "you must keep it forever, never sell it as it's YOURS" 

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I’d say if you’ve not bonded with it then move it on and look for a bass you truly love playing. I’ve had many basses that for whatever reason I just didn’t gel with, nothing wrong with any of them, so sold them, hopefully to people who really loved them.

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I agree, you shouldn't feel any hurt by selling it. Perhaps the only thing you should accept that maybe "your specs" are not, in fact, your specs! Just keep looking! It's nothing bad to say on you nor the instrument.

On another note; have you tried to give it enough time to see if you actually could get comfortable with it? Some of my most beloved basses I had to "fight with" for a bit before forming very strong bonds :)

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I've had several guitars and basses made specifically for me.

I sold one of those basses last year (a fretless 5-string Sei). It's a fantastic bass, and when I first got it, it was my main instrument. However since the band it was bought for split, I've used it twice for live and studio work in the last 9 years, and I can't see any of the bands I am in currently or any music that I might want to play in the near future requiring it, so I decided it was time to move it on. The money I got was spent on something I can use for the music I am currently playing.

Did I regret it? Yes and no. It was a bit sad to move on something that was specifically made to my tastes and requirements, but equally I felt guilty that it had spent a good proportion of it's life either in it's case or on a stand only getting occasional playing time - very little of it serious, so I was glad it has gone to someone who will spend more time playing it than I had recently.

And should I ever need another fretless 5-string bass I can go through the whole process again!

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I think this is the real risk with custom basses.  

Because you can't see and try the physical product  before you commission it you're never quite sure what you are going to get.  Although on paper everything should be perfect it may not turn out exactly the way you had pictured in your mind.

So why not just sell it?  Well that's hard, it's not just the monetary investment it's the emotional investment too (almost a feeling of failure) so you keep trying to make it fit and fall in love with it.

The reality is if it hasn't after all this time, it's not going too.  Once you commit to selling it I think you'll start to feel much better.

Edited by PJ-Bassist
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I've had a lot of guitars, basses and assorted drums and percussion I've had to sell. In most cases there's no regrets, no tears goodbye 😀. After having to sell my white American Tele on EBay I had pangs but when I reminded myself it made me a very tidy profit I got over it quickly. So much depends on who the maker is and how much you'd get for it? If you don't connect with it that's a deal breaker.

Edited by Barking Spiders
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As already said, maybe your specs in reality weren't what you expected in your head, or didn't all work together in the same bass? 

Either way, once it's gone and its replaced with something you do want then it will be a happy memory. My P Bass is.

When I spent serious money on a bass 18m ago I wanted lack of choice. That sounds daft but I went in to Wunjos with a budget and bought the bass that sounded and felt right for my gigging needs, though I could have spent months online agonising over fretboard woods, etc. I don't regret the choice at all! 

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Dunno if it helps but I sold a guitar a couple of years ago to a vague friend - it was my first new guitar, had it since I was 19 etc etc but just never really used it. And after 20 years it was essentially taking room up that could be taken over by a bass...

It now gets gigged regularly and every so often I see it on stage, either in real life or on Facebook photos. It's a nice feeling knowing it's finally doing the job it was meant to do

Edited by Dankology
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3 hours ago, Bafflegab said:

Hey all

Firstly - this isn't a sale post!  If and when I do decide to sell, I'll pay the fee and list it properly 😃 

Basically, long story short, I've got this bass that I've had for a long time, it was custom built to my spec, and it's a really great bass to be honest, it does everything it needs to do.

Only one problem - I don't love it.  I don't feel like I've ever really connected with it, even though it's a really good instrument.  It barely gets played 😪 

I keep thinking about selling it (I could use the money, it's not like direly in need or anything like that, but I could use it elsewhere) but I get as far as taking photos and then change my mind.

How can I get over this and sell it to someone who will use it?

I'm of the 'If it doesn't get played, it goes' brigade and I have a bass and amp that are heading that way. However, if you're changing your mind at the key moment as indicated above, there must be a reason for that and you need to come to terms with it. The last thing you want is seller's regret (I hate it). 

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I specced a bass a couple of years ago and found the same thing, just didn't love it. I've now swapped to flats, replaced one pickup and modded the other and made a few other tweaks and it gets lots of use. Could you turn yours into a bass you love?

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4 hours ago, Bafflegab said:

. . . . . .  long story short, I've got this bass that I've had for a long time, it was custom built to my spec, and it's a really great bass to be honest, it does everything it needs to do. Only one problem - I don't love it. I keep thinking about selling it (I could use the money,

You need the cash. . . .  don't love the bass. . . . it's a pretty easy solution. Make a rule that you will only keep basses you like. Sell it.

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Similar to Adamg67's post, 2 above,. Have you tried changing strings? Sounds stupid, but a different 'type' of string can make a big difference. White nylon LaBellas, for instance, can really change the tone/feel. Also, TI rounds are a bit of a revelation... 

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Just adopt the rip the plaster off ethos.

Sell it, and dont look back.

Dont become attached to material things. Itll wear you down and get the better of you.

Sell, move on, be happy.

Edited by la bam
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4 hours ago, PJ-Bassist said:

I think this is the real risk with custom basses.  

Because you can't see and try the physical product   before your commission it you're never quite sure what you are going to get.  Although on paper everything should be perfect it may not turn out exactly the way you had pictured in your mind.

So why not just sell it?  Well that's hard, it's not just the monetary investment it's the emotional investment too (almost a feeling of failure) so you keep trying to make it fit and fall in love with it.

The reality is if it hasn't after all this time, it's not going too.  Once you commit to selling it I think you'll start to feel much better.

IMO the trick when commissioning a custom bass or guitar is not to overthink it.

All of the woods on mine (where you can see them) were picked first and foremost for their colour and grain pattern. I spec'd up my instruments by deciding how I wanted them to look, sound and play. I picked a manufacturer/luthier who was already making instruments with a design I liked and gave them my colour, playability and sound specifications and they did the rest. IMO if your choice of luthier can't make you the perfect instrument from those specs you need to look elsewhere.

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I think one of the problems with most custom basses is wood is wood and no two pieces sound exactly the same, so what it ends up sounding like is a bit of a crapshoot. As Martin Petersen once said, even after all the basses he’s made he’s never quite sure what a custom will turn out like as there are so many variables. And of course describing sound to someone and asking them to build something that makes that sound is a crapshoot in itself, as everyone hears - and describes - things differently.

All but one of my custom basses have gone and the one that remains is basically a replica of another make of bass, using the same components and materials. If it doesn’t work for you, get rid, unless you really have a big emotional attachment.

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7 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

I’d say if you’ve not bonded with it then move it on and look for a bass you truly love playing. I’ve had many basses that for whatever reason I just didn’t gel with, nothing wrong with any of them, so sold them, hopefully to people who really loved them.

Absolutely this. If you don’t bond with it, it’s like not fancying someone - if it just ain’t happening, there’s not much you can do other  than move on.

You won’t regret being without something you don’t really seem to like that much anyway.

Chalk it up to experience, sell it and move on. 

Edited by bassbiscuits
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