Ever get the urge to sell off all* your gear?

Harry Klippton

Harry Klippton

Not Interested
I've got 2 guitars that are keepers and a bunch that I feel are just ok. I've got some amps that I'm indifferent about. I've got lots of stuff that I keep because I played it in bands in the past or I'm keeping in case I want it for playing in bands in the future. I've also got stuff that is damaged and/or low quality to begin with that isn't even worth trying to sell so it sits around. Any of y'all ever go through this? Any of you actually purged your stuff? How did that go?
 
Luckily I'm not in a situation where I'm in need of the money. That's almost what's stopping me is that if I sell a bunch of stuff and get some money, I'm afraid it'll get piddled away and then the whole thing will seem pointless
 
I know my repeats knob is stuck in the dimed position, but trading is a great way to revitalize accumulation.
Two people have the opportunity to test drive an item before purchase, or even get something they want for something they don't (yes fig, I think they understand the concept).
This is extremely beneficial when in-store evaluation is not feasible, say during a lingering pandemic for example.
 
Pedals and amps yes... Guitars, depends... My guitars did not cost much when I bought them but they are not common and have significantly gone up in price. They would be very difficult to replace. However, if you have a collection of modern guitars that are easily found and generic, it makes sense to purge. Even if it is vintage and desirable, if you haven't bonded with it then who cares? I sold a 77 Gibson Les Paul and funded 3 early 80s MIJ guitars that were all at a higher level of craftsmanship and tone. At one point I had a 60s Blackface Fender Super Reverb. I loved that amp but it weighed a ton and really sounded best at volumes that would piss off all the neighbours. These days, there are so many options for amps. The current generation of amp modellers is getting so close and will only get better. And if you are here, jumping into DIY amp building is not that far fetched. (Rob Robinette for example.) Also, used prices seem a bit crazy currently. It might be a good time to sell stuff...
 
  • Like
Reactions: fig
I've made a big purge once, and it was for money. It wasn't that I needed money per se, it was that I wanted jetskis and my wife said we couldn't afford them, so I sold everything down to one electric, one acoustic, and one bass, also keeping one electric amp and one bass amp. Saved all the cash from the sales in a box so my wife didn't see it show up in the bank account, then when I had enough showed her the box and bought the jetskis.

Sometimes I miss the Gibsons I sold, and the JTM45 clone that I built, but the jetskis were awesome. No regrets.
 
Harry Klippton said:
Luckily I'm not in a situation where I'm in need of the money. That's almost what's stopping me is that if I sell a bunch of stuff and get some money, I'm afraid it'll get piddled away and then the whole thing will seem pointless
Click to expand...
one time, it was because I had more stuff than room for it (referred to as The Great Purge in my house) ... got seriously locked into collecting. the second time I was moving cross country and didn't want to see things get torn up in the process (the vintage purge)
 
fig said:
I know my repeats knob is stuck in the dimed position, but trading is a great way to revitalize accumulation.
Two people have the opportunity to test drive an item before purchase, or even get something they want for something they don't (yes fig, I think they understand the concept).
This is extremely beneficial when in-store evaluation is not feasible, say during a lingering pandemic for example.
Click to expand...
You know, I used to fight the urge to buy new guitars by spending a day in a guitar shop playing a bunch of stuff and realizing I don't need any of it but that it's fun to check out different gear. Haven't been able to do that in a long time now. Also you ever notice how it's the guitar shops with all the nice stuff that are always the coolest about letting you play whatever you want and it's the ones with all the middling crap that don't want you to touch anything?
 
At one point I had a bunch of commercial pedals and amps and I just found myself just using the stuff I built. Between 2013-2017 I believe I sold about 100 pedals and 4 amps put all of the money in an envelope and used to finish the studio and fund pedal building and video making.

That envelope is getting a little thin, going to start selling again.

If you have no sentimental attachment to the gear and its just there taking up space, let it go. I have stuff i have painted that I said I would never sell and now its gone and i dont miss it. Everything has a price its just what someone is willing to pay for me to sell it.
 
thewintersoldier said:
I'm done chasing the dragon.
Click to expand...

Maybe 15 years ago, my half-brother wanted to wax nostalgic and visit our childhood stomping ground....so off to the Everglades we went. We returned to one of our favorite spots as kids...it looked the same, but that's not surprising of a swamp. We had been fishing a couple of hours, listening to wildlife, watching the gators sunning just a few feet away, when a couple of young men came down the trail and started casting their lines towards a gator. I overheard them plotting a way to "hook" the big lizard. After about 15 minutes of this, I turned to one and asked "What will you do with it should you manage to land it?" They had no response, but soon left, restoring the sanctity for the rest of us critters.
I tossed the object of their quest a small fish.
 
thewintersoldier said:
Define playing lol. Testing a pedal? Playing the same black sabbath riffs since I was 12? The unfortunate truth of pedal building for me is that after building so many pedals I have realized what I like today is what I liked two decades ago and that pretty much everything is the same. It's a fun journey but often wished I chased playing more/better instead of chasing tones.
Click to expand...
This. And the 100x. I have a room full of guitars and amps and pedals. The only time I play is to try out a pedal I just built or bought. Then up on the shelf it goes. I’ve become a gear collector and builder, even if it’s cheap gear, more than a player. I enjoy the building process much more than the playing anymore. I really should just get rid of it all but one guitar and one amp. Problem is, out where I live these things don’t sell at all and I’m not about to start shipping guitars. Amps and pedals no issues though. There’s only one thing I ever regret selling and that was my early production 5150 combo.
 
thewintersoldier said:
I sold things I thought I would miss and swore I would regret it later. Only thing I regretted was bit doing it sooner. In all honesty I could get away with my strat and tele and be good till the day I die. That's my bread and butter. Between the tweed and blackface and a handful of pedals I can do just about any sound.
Click to expand...
This is how I'm feeling and so a big part of me is just saying do it. I realized earlier that I don't miss a single amp or guitar I've gotten rid of
817.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top