Ever sell a bunch of stuff to upgrade to something special? How'd it go?

Adman103

Adman103

Power User
I'd love to hear from some other forumites if anyone has had the experience of selling a handful of guitars to pick up one more expensive and special instrument- how did it go for you? Have you had any regrets? Did you end up sticking with the more special instrument for a long time?

My collection has grown a bit over the last few years, and each guitar that I've picked up is really a great instrument in it's own right, but I'm finding myself gravitating towards some more than others. I have a G&L Legacy that's a wonderful guitar, but I find myself reaching for my ASATs much more often, and never playing the Legacy live. It's a custom shop, so probably worth a couple grand. I've got a beautiful EBMM Kaizen that's the same way- phenomenal playing guitar, but I'm having more trouble than I thought I would adjusting to the 7 string thing, and while I dabble in hard rock stuff, it's probably only 5% of my actual playing, and my SG fills that role well, and I'm much more comfortable with the SG.

Meanwhile, I've been really hankering for a Gretsch after being a primarily Gretsch player for years and not having one in the stable for a long time now... and I've found a Gretsch custom shop in a guitar shop in England, but it's a boatload of cash. It's ideal for what I'd want- spec'd perfectly- really a bit of a unicorn for me. I could swing it if I were to move the Legacy and Kaizen, but the sheer amount of money involved is kinda scary, not to mention I'm going to have to pay extra for the darn tariff to import it back into the US which drives the price up even higher... but it's really a one of a kind special guitar.

Have any of you done something like this before? Gotten rid of a few great guitars that probably just weren't for you to pick up something much pricier? I'd love to hear of your experience, and how it's turned out for the long run. I really am losing interest in the buying/selling game, and am trying to just settle on guitars that I'll have for a long time. Any perspective and thoughts would be much appreciated- thank you in advance!
 
I think almost everyone here has sold off stuff to get better stuff - I certainly have.
There will always be regrets and there will always be another guitar/piece of gear.
If there's a special guitar you want and if you have guitars/gear sitting in the closet collecting dust, make the move.
I would sell almost anything that is only being played 5% of the time.
 
I would bet most of us here are in that same boat, i.e., we sold enough stuff to buy our first FAS product and have been hooked ever since. Cliff's the Pusher Man.
 
Last year, I sold more than half my gear! I wanted to reconnect with my first love: acoustic instruments! I bought two Lowdens, a unique Irish brand I've always adored. My uncle brought one back from Paris in 1985, and I fell in love with it instantly! ;)

tempImageq2rHEy.jpg
tempImageruJ4CE.jpg

PB _Old Lady_1.jpg
PB _Old Lady_3.jpg
Lowden_O25C_3.jpg
Lowden_O25C_2.jpg
Lowden_O25C.jpg

It didn't exactly inspire me to write new songs, or even motivate me to practice, but I fulfilled a long-held dream! And I recently picked up a new guitar again with a Tom Anderson, which I'd been dreaming about for ages!

Back when I was playing the most, I only had my trusty old US Standard Stratocaster and my 1976 Guild Acoustic D25M, and I didn't need anything else, either on stage or in the studio.

Strato_Nikko_1989.jpg

Guild_D25M_1976_1.jpg

Guild_D25M_1976_2.jpg

From my humble point of view,
there's what you dream about, and what you really need to work with, the rest is just a matter of desire and means… lol.

The important thing for me is to get what I need out of it, and there are plenty of ways to do that!

Have fun!
 
Last edited:
I have sold I few I wish I could get back, but I have purchased a few high end J Customs, Les Pauls, and ESPs. They are all fantastic instruments. That said, they cost 3-5 times as much as the guitars I play the most. They are definitely not 3-5 times better. The best playing guitar I have is a an Ibanez RG410 (Roadstar II) that I purchased new in 1986. GAS is a terrible thing, but I think I'm finally done buying and selling guitars. I love the ones I have, and have lost the desire to even consider buying another guitar. We shall see how long it lasts. :tearsofjoy:
 
taracatac said:
I have sold I few I wish I could get back, but I have purchased a few high end J Customs, Les Pauls, and ESPs. They are all fantastic instruments. That said, they cost 3-5 times as much as the guitars I play the most. They are definitely not 3-5 times better. The best playing guitar I have is a an Ibanez RG410 (Roadstar II) that I purchased new in 1986. GAS is a terrible thing, but I think I'm finally done buying and selling guitars. I love the ones I have, and have lost the desire to even consider buying another guitar. We shall see how long it lasts. :tearsofjoy:
Click to expand...
Jealous!

I love all my guitars, though they all also have aspects i wish were different. But unfortunately, that doesn't keep me from wishing for various others I've never even seen in the flesh.

I'd at least like to try them!
 
i’d rather have one really nice guitar than 5 decent guitars. Less maintenance, less worry about rotation, more playing time.

I have been very fortunate with guitars before and after my time touring. I dont miss my less expensive guitars that ive sold. And not getting top dollar at the time is different than actually missing the guitars as well (my prs artist v went stupid cheap).

“Play what you love, sell what you like”
 
In the 35+ years I have been playing I have sold more guitars than I can count, often to fund something new/better.

Sold 2 guitars and a bunch of collectibles to fund a Sadowsky Tele some years back. No regrets!

I don't think it ever really "settles"... just goes dormant for a while lol.

I've gotten to a place where I really don't have anything I want to sell or that I could realistically see myself parting with despite having clear favorites in my small "collection". That doesn't mean there aren't times where I entertain the idea of selling/trading something. But I eventually come to my senses. For now ;)
 
The only things I haven’t sold to ‘upgrade’ are my guitars. Amps, pedals, cabinets/speakers, pickups have all been fair game over the decades. As I got older I learned to sell them after the new purchase as many times the new purchase ended up being sold anyway.
 
A few years ago I sold off 8 guitars in order to buy....something. I wasn't sure what at the time, I was thinking of either a Rickenbacker or a Fano, something I didn't already have. I went looking on Reverb and found this...

standard.jpg

An '82 Les Paul Standard, a product of the end of the Norlin era. This one had already gone back to the 60s design - no volute, no pancake body, none of the Norlin 'features' except for a 3-piece maple neck (which I actually like and trust more than the mahogany necks) with a 60s profile. And I got probably the best deal I've ever gotten on a guitar, buying it for half of what LPs of that era were going for.

And I realized that buying without playing it first could have been a problem - late-era Norlins are notoriously inconsistent. I could have ended up with a dog, but lucky for me that it's an exceptional Les Paul.

I wish I could have some of the guitars I sold off back again - I let some pretty good mid-level guitars go. But every time I pick up this Standard it's all worth it.
 
Sleestak said:
View attachment 166355

For a moment I thought my guitar had been cloned :)
Click to expand...
This guitar and I have been riding into battle for four decades on multiple continents. I'd estimate I have played one thousand shows on this thing. Over its life I have replaced the pickups multiple times; currently sporting a trio of Kinmans. I also replaced the bridge saddles because they rusted out, and the nut, which cracked and chipped out. It's been refretted once (stainless steel for the win). It remains one of my favorite electrics. Just a really solid workhorse guitar.
 
I sold a CS Les Paul, an old Ibanez V, an FM3, and an American Deluxe Strat in order to buy some Focal Twin6 monitors. Great decision for me; zero regrets. It was part of a larger move towards high end gear. Now I use an FM9, two Veritas guitars, a borrowed Dave Mustaine V guitar, OLLO S5X headphones, and I just ordered a set of Alclair Studio4 in-ears since my westones broke (due to my stupidity). And I couldn’t be happier.
 
jakel said:
I sold a CS Les Paul, an old Ibanez V, an FM3, and an American Deluxe Strat in order to buy some Focal Twin6 monitors. Great decision for me; zero regrets. It was part of a larger move towards high end gear. Now I use an FM9, two Veritas guitars, a borrowed Dave Mustaine V guitar, OLLO S5X headphones, and I just ordered a set of Alclair Studio4 in-ears since my westones broke (due to my stupidity). And I couldn’t be happier.
Click to expand...
The Ollo X1 was the best money I’ve spent on my ‘habit’ since the AxeFXIII. My MDR-7506’s stay at my rehearsal space now, and the DT880’s are retired to music at home.
 
Domct203 said:
The Ollo X1 was the best money I’ve spent on my ‘habit’ since the AxeFXIII. My MDR-7506’s stay at my rehearsal space now, and the DT880’s are retired to music at home.
Click to expand...
Did (or do) you have the S5X? I’m just curious about the differences. To my ears, the S5X are a bit darker than my tuned Focal monitors, as well as the tuned Mains at the church I play at. I have to be careful not to craft too-bright tones when using the S5X.

Edit: I should add that I do use the corrective EQ that came with the 5SX.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom