Selling guitar ‘collection’ to acquire a smaller number of great ones

JezWynd

mgaw said:

just get a great one

This works for me. One guitar, an ES-125t and one bass, a 62 Hofner 185. Not particularly expensive vintage instruments but both play incredibly well and suit my style and ability perfectly. I still like to browse the vintage for sale sites but mostly to admire and enjoy the view. I do get amp lust now and again but can usually ride it out until common sense prevails. Still a complete tart when it comes to pedals.

Lesgrandepotato

Six here, 

08 Les Paul gold top - bought in Houston on a business trip and carried home. Love it. 

03 MIM strat my first ‘proper’ guitar
04 epiphone dot - fell out of love with this for years then loaded it up with a set of fletcher pickups, awkward shape but sounds great
XX parts telecaster. First build. Looks cool. Weighs a tonne. Never play it.
19 Gretsch 5655jnr whimsical purchase chasing John squire tones. Wants a setup to be its best but it’s also the guitar I always pick up first. (Azure blue and gold hardware - she’s a looker) 
00 - epiphone lp100 my first guitar, memories of mum who left us not long after buying it for me. Plays great. Battered and full of memories.

Not sure I understand telecasters, kinda fancy a nitro strat....

dindude

I go through the same cycles as many have said. Have a desire to get it to a one or two nice instruments, then it slowly builds up again, currently I’m at 5 and that’s pretty much my peak before a cull, I agree what someone said above that it just does my playing headspace in if I have too many. 

Where I am with it all right now is that having basic food-group bases covered to a decent standard isn’t a bad place to be, stops the cycle (and wasted money) of buying and selling a guitar with P90’s every year!

So I don’t mind splashing out a little on my one or two main ones (typically a Strat plus something with humbuckers), then the fun is finding quality but decent priced examples for the other bases.

pjf

I was perfectly happy with a tele as my only electric for several years

Then I started reading this forum more, and before I could exercise any semblance of self-restraint or set a limit on my credit card, I found I had amassed an Epi LP, ES-339, Tokai LS-80, ES-335, and J. Parsons Areli (which I posted an NGD for recently)

The next step will be thinning the herd again based on what I can realistically put to good use!

PolarityMan

Gassage said:

I did this a year or so ago.

Wholly cathartic.

I am left with the poverty levels of

1959 Strat

1966 Tele

The Peter Green LP

Swiss (real) Blade

1973 Thinlne

Double cut Special.

All of them play like gods, all of them have newish strings, all of them I know.

Which one do you use for drop A?

PolarityMan

Thing is for low to mid range guitars the resale value is so low that its not really worth the hassle selling them. 

MikeS

DrCornelius said:

Yup, typically 2 or 3 times a year :-)

If the process were a computer program it would be

10 I think ' A Tele and a LP s all I need'
20 Sell everything else.
30 Buy a semi as everyone needs one of those - usually a Gretsch. 
40 MikeS has something gorgeous for sale cheap so I buy that.
50 I listen to John Mayer and buy a Strat
60 I remember how nice my Musicman Albert Lee was so buy another one on here
70 Goto 10

 

Sevenof9

Brilliant discussion 
without wishing to come over as Schadenfreude 
it is quite comforting that it isn’t just me....
couple of things to add from my experience 
You know like the best way of stopping smoking is to only smoke in one place, use the same ashtray and never empty it - realising just how much crap you’re putting in as you can see the whole extent of your habit.....
so I have scrupulously gone through my emails photos etc and have amassed as extensive and accurate list of guitars and amps as I can
1. I have an embarrassing list of guitars 
2. I had genuinely forgotten about some 
3. I have bought the same guitar back on at least 3 occasions 
4. I have bought the same ‘type’ of guitar within a short while of selling said ‘type’ of guitar numerous times 
5. It is hopeless 

It also became clear that a large number of guitars/amps came by way of Fretboard 
so maybe are all in this together

Richardrichard

Apologies for necro but I thought this was worth updating.

I went for it, of the 10 guitars I had when I posted this only one remains, and that isn't a player,  and it's essentially a fake PRS I had made in China years ago but with my baby daughter's name on the headstock in place of PRS logo, her birth date as serial number etc. Not worth anything to sell and a bit of a story.

I have no regrets at all. I have bought, sold and traded various things since. Having lusted after core PRS for year and years, I've been through a few since and realised I don't like them. They look great, play fairly well but no better than some things significantly less expensive and I don't like the tone at all.

The things I've been through have really helped me refine my idea of what I like and don't like and I now have a much clearer picture than I ever did before.

Currently I own;

Washburn N4 Vintage (2005) - not even on my radar before I was offered it in trade - fabulous.
Schecter Banshee Elite - had never owned a Schecter or a through neck, classed myself as someone who didn't like hardtails. I love this thing
Stormshadow Custom T - Just got this today from another member, what a beautiful guitar and immense for the money I paid. Pau Ferro neck is silky smooth and sanded to within an inch of its life, NFT Floyd I've been keen to try, roller nut, Oil City pickup which again I've not tried. Even has a Red Bishop Magik Arm. Fantastic
Charvel DK24 HSS - Pretty nice but considering moving it on, would need to replace it with something else HSS though. May add locking saddles instead of moving on.
Faith Venus Hi Gloss - I have taken the action right down and even on 12's it plays almost like an electric. Brilliant.

I wanted to share with others thinking of doing this that I would very much recommend it. It has really broadened my horizons in terms of both guitars and musically, got me out of a rut etc and I am back in love with the instrument.

Anyway here's a group shot (minus the Charvel). Interestingly despite being a fan of fancy glossy colourful figured tops I have ended up at a very dull natural wood collection by accident!