What is that one piece of gear you wish you never sold?

I don't really regret it, but I did own one of Neal Schons CAE 3+ preamps. That thing slayed. Bruno Durand (the 3+ doctor) said it was the best one he ever heard, and he has heard hundreds.
 
My beautiful cherry red 71 Gibson sg…. Sold it for $400 - I was just a stoopid kid.


Infuseguitar said:
I think a lot of us had sold a piece of gear at one time or another that we wish we hadn’t. What is that one piece that you wish you didn’t and why? Here’s my sellers remorse story. About 20 years ago I had a 1984 Kramer Focus 3000 with original Floyd Rose that I traded for a JCM-900 2100 100-Watt head. At the time it was a great swap but I’m not sure why I did it. I didn’t need another amp. At that time I had several. This was what I considered my 1st "real guitar” compared to what I had at the time. My old man bought it for me brand new for my 14th birthday. I’m not sure if it's sentimental or not but I really wish I never traded it.
Click to expand...
 
I sold a 2017 Les Paul Tribute to fund a new LP last year. I don't regret the new one at all; it's an awesome guitar. But I think about the old one a lot. It wasn't the best guitar I've ever played, not even close, but it was the most reverberant electric I've ever played by a mile. You felt every note you picked in the palm of your neck-holding hand, and the whole thing shook your gut when you played it. It was acoustically the loudest electric I've ever played, let alone owned. That being said, it kind of sounded muddy. If I kept it, I would have swapped out the pickups, had it hand-wired, and had the fret ends smoothed out.

But I think a lot about how reverberant it is, often when I'm wondering if that's the secret to a good electric. It's odd how much I miss the way it felt.
 
nathan_393 said:
I sold a 2017 Les Paul Tribute to fund a new LP last year. I don't regret the new one at all; it's an awesome guitar. But I think about the old one a lot. It wasn't the best guitar I've ever played, not even close, but it was the most reverberant electric I've ever played by a mile. You felt every note you picked in the palm of your neck-holding hand, and the whole thing shook your gut when you played it. It was acoustically the loudest electric I've ever played, let alone owned. That being said, it kind of sounded muddy. If I kept it, I would have swapped out the pickups, had it hand-wired, and had the fret ends smoothed out.

But I think a lot about how reverberant it is, often when I'm wondering if that's the secret to a good electric. It's odd how much I miss the way it felt.
Click to expand...
Once you've played an exceptionally resonant guitar, you fall in love.
 
Rex said:
Once you've played an exceptionally resonant guitar, you fall in love.
Click to expand...
The weirdest thing is, I still can't tell you if an exceptionally resonant guitar helps, hurts, or is completely neutral in getting a good electric tone. No idea. And every time I look it up, I feel like I am reading debates between atheists and religious folks. I wish we had more actual science to tell us what was good in a guitar, and less snake oil from the sales folks.
 
nathan_393 said:
The weirdest thing is, I still can't tell you if an exceptionally resonant guitar helps, hurts, or is completely neutral in getting a good electric tone. No idea. And every time I look it up, I feel like I am reading debates between atheists and religious folks. I wish we had more actual science to tell us what was good in a guitar, and less snake oil from the sales folks.
Click to expand...
What is good is up to you, science and other opinions be damned.:)

more on topic, Korg PME pedal board (comp, 7 band Eq, chorus, stereo delay.) It wasn't great or anything, just nostalgia.
 
Last edited:
nathan_393 said:
The weirdest thing is, I still can't tell you if an exceptionally resonant guitar helps, hurts, or is completely neutral in getting a good electric tone. No idea. And every time I look it up, I feel like I am reading debates between atheists and religious folks. I wish we had more actual science to tell us what was good in a guitar, and less snake oil from the sales folks.
Click to expand...
Yup. There’s a lot of opinion flying around about that, and pretty much no scientific investigation.

That said, here’s my own opinion: a more resonant guitar makes for a livelier playing experience, a more interesting tone, and a more engaging session for the player. As with many things, the more gain you use, the less difference it makes.
 
Last edited:
nathan_393 said:
The weirdest thing is, I still can't tell you if an exceptionally resonant guitar helps, hurts, or is completely neutral in getting a good electric tone. No idea. And every time I look it up, I feel like I am reading debates between atheists and religious folks. I wish we had more actual science to tell us what was good in a guitar, and less snake oil from the sales folks.
Click to expand...

I find all the recent "nothing matters" testing...freeing. If it doesn't matter, then I might as well play what I like. And, I like guitars that feel like they're resonating. That's good enough for me.
 
Rex said:
Yup. There’s a of opinion flying around about that, and pretty much no scientific investigation.

That said, here’s my own opinion: a more resonant guitar makes for a livelier playing experience, a more interesting tone, and a more engaging session for the player. As with many things, the more gain you use, the less difference it makes.
Click to expand...
I had a PRS SC that played great and had a lot of sustain through an amp. That always surprised me because the guitar itself felt kind of dead.
 
A Peavey Odyssey, the guitar sounded so good and was so resonant. I was a huge Soundgarden fan and Kim Thayil was an endorser; although, I'm not sure he ever played the guitar on stage. I needed money and sold it to a friend who still has it to this day. I ask him if he wants to sell it back to me every time I see him. It was on clearance when I bought it and I think I paid ~$500 for it.

The attached pic is not the guitar but just an example.
 

Attachments

  • peaveyoddy.jpg
    peaveyoddy.jpg
    22.2 KB · Views: 3
  • PVSG.jpg
    PVSG.jpg
    149.8 KB · Views: 3
Last edited:
1952 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. Haunts me still.. Exceptionally light and vibrant sounding guitar. Picked it up on a trade and regret letting a generous $$ offer convince me to sell. Live and learn.....
 
muudrock said:
Exceptionally light and vibrant sounding guitar.
Click to expand...
It’s interesting to note how often a guitar is both lively and light in weight. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but the two often go hand in hand.
 
One I regret was a trade - a 70's LP Deluxe that I traded for a Warrior double cut.
I was at a guitar show in Philly and the excitement of being in a room full of so many awesome guitars made me want to try something new.
Looking back - the Warrior was a really nice guitar, but it's not a Les Paul. My LP was natural finish and was special ordered with full size hums from the factory.

Another regret was facilitating the sale of a white Charvel neck through to a guy (from Connecticut) on behalf of the other guitar player in my band. I had the Charvel at my house, this kid (who was at my house buying a Tascam DA38) wanted to buy the Charvel, so I called my guitar player and he said - sure, sell it. (For something between 350-450 bucks). I regret it now because my guitar player passed away, and I'd love to have that guitar back because it was his.
 
Rex said:
It’s interesting to note how often a guitar is both lively and light in weight. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but the two often go hand in hand.
Click to expand...
I agree. That one was special. But, I've had light guitars that were not lively at all and currently have a 79 LP custom that's every bit of 10 lbs but is super lively- acoustically and amplified.
 
Rex said:
It’s interesting to note how often a guitar is both lively and light in weight. That’s not a hard and fast rule, but the two often go hand in hand.
Click to expand...
My chambered les paul is my most lively (and is 7.5lbs). I absolutely love it.
 
A few regrets I've owned and sold/traded in the 80's- early 90's.
Jim Kelly FACS head and switcher
65 Strat
67 Tele
57 LP Special
Early 60's Epiphone Casino
2- Vibroverb
2- Super Reverb
 
ipressthebutton said:
A Peavey Odyssey, the guitar sounded so good and was so resonant. I was a huge Soundgarden fan and Kim Thayil was an endorser; although, I'm not sure he ever played the guitar on stage. I needed money and sold it to a friend who still has it to this day. I ask him if he wants to sell it back to me every time I see him. It was on clearance when I bought it and I think I paid ~$500 for it.

The attached pic is not the guitar but just an example.
Click to expand...
One of the few USA made Peaveys I haven't owned through the years. Only it having 24 frets ( I don't get along with 24 fret guitars) kept me from getting one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom