So talk to me about selling your gear, don't know if I can bring myself to do it.

terada

Ok guys, so here's the thing. I never sell stuff. never done it. I buy heaps of stuff, and it ends up just sitting around, and then I look for opportunities to give it to friends on a long term (forever?) basis. I figure its all good karma right?

Now recently, I played a historic Gibson les paul and I'm smitten. Gonna have to get one. But these bad boys are (to be honest), out of my league unless I sell some stuff.

So I take a look around and see a bunch of gear that quite frankly hasn't seen hardly any play time over the past couple of years. And it's kind of sad in a way, because the gear is all good quality stuff (gibson les paul 70s tribute, Vox ac4 head and cab, electric drum kit etc etc).

Logically I'm thinking, hey, you don't use this stuff, in-fact, it really is just taking up space in your already tiny flat. Why don't you sell it all, and buy the one thing that would get tonnes of use.

But I'm still struggling!

How the hell do you guys do it??? 

DesVegas

It's either sell what you have or go on the game again .. selling hand jobs for crack .... what's it to be ..

If it makes you feel any better .. 99% of the people on here regret selling at least one item they have sold

richh

That makes total sense then to get rid of your unloved items and get something really special!

Unless you can trade your old gear for the LP, you will need to sell, and at the moment it is not easy to sell music gear for decent prices.  Still sounds the way to go though.

XWulfhere

I've got my Ric up for sale. I never thought I'd sell it, it used to be my favourite guitar. But as my styles and tastes have changed its sat under the bed for a few years and I just decided it's better o let someone else play it, it's no use to me. I want to use the money to upgrade some stuff on my old Riviera, and while I could just buy the stuff anyway it's far better to let the gear pay for it. It's difficult to let it go, I wrote a lot of tunes I liked on it and it was my friend through some unhappy times, but I just got to move on I suppose.

/2p

EDIT: But write down your serial numbers, you might be able to track it down again!

Trotter

Man up, sell it, don't worry about it. If it's not being used you're not gonna miss it.

Maynehead

I like to keep one of each. 1 LP shape, 1 Strat shape, 1 Tele etc. etc. If I ended up with 2 of the same, I'd keep the best one and sell the other. After all, there's no point in having 2 Les Pauls when you're only going to play the one that you like more.

I also sell anything that has something I don't like about it. It could be a neck that's too thick, a bridge that doesn't stay in tune, a body that isn't balanced on a strap, but ultimately means that the guitar will not get played, so no point in keeping it for the sake of it.

JookyChap

Sell them, if nowt else it'll give you years of whinging about the one you never should have flogged followed by more fun trying to buy them back

stimpsonslostson

It's also important to NEVER try any instrument you couldn't afford to buy. 

I live in the shallow end of the guitar buying pool, but the same rules apply- I'm cash and space limited. I played a friends Gibson Melody Maker and was smitten, so it looks very much like my BassVI will have to make way to pay for one. I'd always wanted a BassVI, but it just isn't getting the use I think it deserves- it doesn't fit with what I'm playing now either. I just have to find a buyer (& a MM for sale) now.

frankus

I sold everything except my very first US Strat and my Tokai ES-170 in order to get my Suhr Custom made... 6 years later, I have a bass, a bass vi, a custom tele, an acoustic, my first strat, the tokai and a suhr... a fender twin, a cornell romany and 4 pedal boards... and a pignose amp.. a zinky camel cigarette amp and a metric shit load of diy pedals.

Also I've discovered I buy and sell these things regularly Jen Wah pedals, Guyatone ST-2, Malekko Omicron Phasers, Ibanez phase-tones, Arion SCH-1, Whirlwind Orange Box, Zendrives, Danelectro Tuna Mayo Trem, Zoom M5s, Fulltone 69 fuzz mk2

There is no escaping, you're signed up for life, sell stuff, buy stuff, sell stuff, buy stuff... get in a band and you'll prioritise differently but you'll sell stuff and buy stuff.

Ride the tiger: think in terms of want, not "scared to lose".

Shark_Eyes

I sold last night my first real gigging amp and to be honest, it feels like the end of an era. But I don't use it (too loud) and certainly don't want to move it into the new house. So it has to go and that money will be used to buy a much smaller and more usable amp. One that I can turn on without worrying about the windows being blown out. Thus progress is made.

I'd suggest getting rid of stuff you certainly won't miss first and holding onto the things that might give you pangs of regret later.

chrisj1602

It's just stuff isn't it.  Since my main band packed in a few years ago I have sold loads of good gear and nice guitars, but you can always buy more!

ToneControl

2 options for most people:

1. buy what you want, then desperately sell what you don't in a hurry, and risk taking a low price

2. self-restraint - sell what you don't want until you have enough. I did this years ago to get a good SLR

If you have surplus cash you can buy then sell at leisure

meltedbuzzbox

the first sale is the hardest. 

Once you start though its quite therapeutic and you start looking at what else you can sell. 

I have done nothing but sell since I bought that one guitar I really, really wanted. Turns out I have no desire for the rest of the stuff really. 

edit: shocking grammar. 

Teetonetal

Unless something had real sentimental value, if you don't and honestly don't think you'll use it in the near future, get rid and get something new.

Last year I sold my Marshall 30th anniversary head and 4x12 cab. It funded new guitar which is now my go to and a raft of pedals as well as a cub 12 which is my new gigging amp. Sure the Marshall was nice but I hadn't touched it for 5 years. All in all a good choice.

Teetonetal

meltedbuzzbox;561416" said:

the first sale is the hardest. Once you start though its quite therapeutic and you start looking at what else you can sell. 

I have nothing but sell since I bought that one guitar I really, really wanted. Turns out I have no desire for the rest of the stuff really. 

there is a lot of wisdom in that!

Roland

If it's not adding to your life, either now or in the forseeable future, then it's distracting from it and should disposed of. *

* I don't necessarily abide by this maxim myself.

tone1

If it's 'neither use nor ornament' it's gone

Moe_Zambeek

The only thing i'd never sell is my first 'proper' guitar that I worked hard as a kid & saved up for, them gigged happily until the internet came along

I've had some great gear over the years but truthfully I miss none of it.

As mentioned above it's also very cathartic. Once you start it becomes tempting to sell everything and start again

Flink_Poyd

terada;36929" said:

never sell stuff. never done it. I buy heaps of stuff, and it ends up just sitting around, and then I look for opportunities to give it to friends on a long term (forever?) basis.

Hi friend! I prefer this option buddy. I can be there tomorrow if you need it pal.Love to help out a chum in distress. De-cluttering is the way forward matey

terada

Wow loads of thoughts here. Thanks to all! I think it makes perfect sense to get rid of the unused and can see it maybe getting a bit cathartic!

One thing that concerns me is that I'd hate to get rid of just one or two bits I'm thinking about selling, and yet not make enough to make the historic gibson a possibility!

But then the only use the guitar and amp gets these days is me appreciating the style of the guitar visually, and on occasion may use the cab of the Vox to play other amps through.

Sassafras

I've got a wardrobe and 3 cupboards full of stuff that I haven't used in years, it's only there as a form of bank deposit which I shall break into when I find a Telecaster I really want.

If I sold some of the stuff in drips and drabs, I'd just have a small amount of money at a time which I would only blow on luxuries like food and clothing. When I do sell, it'll be all or nothing.