Ever Regret Selling a Guitar?

[TuskBuffer]

So here's my story:

When I was a young'n in the early 80's, I bought a Supro Dual Tone guitar from somebody for $35--it was my first electric guitar and I thought it was a piece of crap! I eventually sold it again for $35 after my dad bought me a '74 Les Paul Custom (which I still cherish to this day). Now, decades later, I search every once in a while on eBay when I'm feeling nostalgic to find that Supro and see it going for a minimum of $700, up to $2,000!!!! Now I wish I'd held on to that 1950's piece of crap (or so I thought) guitar!

[Electric Biscuit]

nope, I've never sold a guitar

[Gabriel E.]

I used to have a twinges of regret after selling my seafoam green Fender Strat Plus with flamed maple neck.

 

But then I got another strat that I'm happier with and I picked up a '58 Duo-Sonic with a flamed maple neck and had it refinished in seafoam. So now I don't feel any guilt.

 

But I do regret selling my '74 Twin Reverb with Altec speakers (the grey ones with the monster magnets). That was a nice amp.

[bbqbob]

Wish I had never sold my 1961 Gibson Melody Maker for $100 in 1975.

[quadrantg]

In '72, I traded my '69 Gibson SG Standard for a Nikon FM camera. Seemed like a fair trade then. Man, the camera I could get for it now:(

[GuitarPlayerFL]

I had a circa 1970 Les Paul Custom that I sold for $400 in the late 80s. I still have the original pickups somewhere as I put Duncans in.

 

I only wish I had it still today 'cause somebody would have given me a lot more $$ for it. It definitely wasn't worth it as most 70s Gibsons were trash!

[TuskBuffer]

But I do regret selling my '74 Twin Reverb with Altec speakers (the grey ones with the monster magnets). That was a nice amp.

 

My younger brother and I "shared" a 70's Twin Reverb. Not long after I moved out on my own, my brother sold it! Man, was I PISSED--I loved that big, heavy, awesome sounding amp!

 

It definitely wasn't worth it as most 70s Gibsons were trash!

 

Well, I'm rolling up my sleeves now, Player--talking about my '74 baby like that! It's my understanding that Gibson's quality didn't start going downhill until they moved out of Kalamazoo, MI in the early 80's.

[GuitarPlayerFL]

It definitely wasn't worth it as most 70s Gibsons were trash!

 

Well, I'm rolling up my sleeves now, Player--talking about my '74 baby like that! It's my understanding that Gibson's quality didn't start going downhill until they moved out of Kalamazoo, MI in the early 80's.

 

No, the 70s (early decade in particular) were an extremely bad time in Gibson history. You may have gotten one that was OK. Notice I said most.

There was a reason Ibanez used to have adverts in Guitar Player magazine in the mid 70s with "It's a part of electric guitar lore that the old ones are better than the new ones."

 

My Custom had horrible binding work and the hardware was cheaply plated. I bought it used as a guitar to play, but that didn't excuse the shoddy workmanship.

 

My current Les Paul Standard is a 1980 model and it is WAY better in workmanship all the way around. Even the binding work.

[Lokair]

No regrets, I even smashed at a show 1976 Jazz bass in 92(I played bass full time back then) and still do not regret losing it on stage. And no regrets on selling my American made Kramer super strat, for like 225$ in 89. These things come and go, the only thing I wish I held on to was a tube tuner, I sold for gas money to get home from a gig.

 

Lok

[Caevan O’Shite]

Not a guitar, but a 1956 Fender narrow-panel "tweed" "low-power" 5E8-A Twin Amp...

 

I was in a bind, and I made triple what I had paid for it, but still, I wish I hadn't sold it...

[Larryz]

Fender Twin and Gibson Deluxe still give me pain sometimes, but I've washed away my blues over the years with a few Strats and a couple of Taylors...the Twin and the LP just got to heavy for me...

[CEB]

White EDS-1275. I thought I needed something with a Floyd Rose whammy bar. Also there is a ES-175 I wish I had back.

[picker]

I regret selling or trading ALL of them. I wish I still had all of them, even though I'd have to rent another apartment for them all...

[desertbluesman]

I never regretted selling a guitar, with the money gained I would buy a better guitar.

 

I do regret not buying one though. I could have had a Les Paul Jr for 50 bucks back in the late 60's or so. It was a widow selling it, her hubby just died and she did not know the value of the guitar, and Leslie West was just becoming a big star playing one, and they were in big demand just a short while later. I passed on it because it did not have a tune-o-matic bridge. (of course when I thought about it a bit and went back the guitar was gone)

[Bikewer22]

You bet. Back in the 80s, I had a nice Martin D-18. The club we all hung out at had closed, and I had little outlet for playing.

We were short of cash, so I thought I'd sell it.

At the time, however, acoustic dreadnaughts were not a hot item. Disco...

I had the devil of time getting a decent price for it. And of course almost immediately regretted letting it go.

[KillersInstinct]

In 1981 I sold a Gold top '72 Les Paul deluxe for $750 so that I could buy a BC Rich Mockingbird. The Mockingbird ended up with a serious neck issue and I had to take a bath to get rid of it. At the time I didn't think the mini humbuckers were cool enough...

[skipclone 1]

Just one, to a music store cause I needed the cash. But at the moment I can`t even recall what it was and since then I`ve amassed a nice little arsenal, which I have no intention of parting with.

[Bartholomew]

Had a 1963 strat that I bought new that year then spray-painted it metallic purple in my parent's garage and sold it for $300.

 

Bought a 1964 or 65 Fender Electric 12 string - probably very rare now - traded it while on a gig in Albany for a new maple neck tele - found the tele too slippery under hot lights but it had better tuning stability than the strat - so I traded it in and got a 67 tele with a rosewood fingerboard which I still have. With upgraded tuning keys, pick-ups, body contour and flat clear finish - so once again I destroyed the value but it plays amazing.

[dv8.Maker]

I've always regretted selling my 1st guitar (Peavey). Not that it was anything legendary, but I spent 8 years learning on that, and it had a lot of sentimental value (I still remember the day I bought it). 4-6 hours a day of non-stop practice (my poor parents) and I wore that thing's frets down do just about bare rosewood. Well, when I finally went to buy a second guitar the wife insisted I get rid of the old one to pay for part of it...so I sold it some young kid looking for his first guitar (at least it was put to good use). In hind sight I should have kept the guitar and sold the wife (later rectified that issue too )

[Danzilla]

I've only sold one guitar and two basses. Don't regret selling the guitar (Kramer Striker) or the one bass (also a Kramer Striker). Occassionally I'll wish I had held onto the Yamaha BB1100S, on which I had put a Hipshot D-Tuner; the preamp was kind of crappy, and I dind't know you could swap them at the time. Now, I just wish I could sell MORE of my guitars. At least, for a decent price.

[G. A. Donis]

What is this concept of "selling guitars"? Guitars are made to be bought and played, not sold

 

I still have my first guiar, Peavey T-60 '76 or '77, it is currently in pieces and I no longer have the OEM bridge pickup but I'll get her back together and in as close to original condition as possible someday.

[dvuksanovich]

I sold my Richard Brune classical guitar when I stopped playing classical. Haven't missed it.

 

I'm also going to be selling my late 80's Ibanez Jem because I love my Carvin and I don't play the Jem anymore. I plan on buying another Carvin with the Jem $$$.

[GreySeraph]

what model JEM?

[dvuksanovich]

777vbk

 

It's an '88 or '89 I think. Can't remember the exact year. It's the all black one with the neon green vine, pickups and knobs.

[GreySeraph]

gah that's an awesome guitar! Lo Pro trem right?

[Dannyalcatraz]

I have yet to sell a guitar- I'm a collector by nature- but I'm considering it.

 

The first guitar I ever played around with was my Mother's acoustic. I don't know what it was, but it has a maple top and a bright sound...but she gave it away to someone else before I expressed an interest in learning to play.

 

I got a cheapo starter Alvarez a year later and played it to death. Since then, every guitar I've ever purchased (9 so far) is still in my possession.

 

The one on the chopping block right now is a Dean Special Select EVO I purchased at the same time as a Dean Time Capsule Cadillac- my first true solidbody electrics. But I haven't played it since I purchased my fourth Jon Kammerer.

 

I'm considering selling it because I'm buying JK #5*, a solidbody w/Trem. But I'm also considering upgrading it's pickups to a pair of Tesla VR Extremes (as found on the Malden Subhuman).

 

Sentimental collector that I am, I fear I'd miss it's pretty face before long...

 

 

 

 

 

* FWIW, he's having a sale.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Yes, a 1963 Strat, gone but not forgotten!!

[TuskBuffer]

Yes, a 1963 Strat, gone but not forgotten!!

NOOOO!!! Wow, that's gotta be a heartbreaker!

[Guitarzan]

lets see.

my Yamaha SBG1000

Yamaha Pacifica 812w

are probably the main ones i miss

[haywired2]

I never regretted selling a guitar, with the money gained I would buy a better guitar.

 

I do regret not buying one though. I could have had a Les Paul Jr for 50 bucks back in the late 60's or so. It was a widow selling it, her hubby just died and she did not know the value of the guitar, and Leslie West was just becoming a big star playing one, and they were in big demand just a short while later. I passed on it because it did not have a tune-o-matic bridge. (of course when I thought about it a bit and went back the guitar was gone)

 

I kind of have a similar story. I was offered a late 50s Les Paul Special TV Yellow for $150 or $200, in mid 70s from a friend of mine. We were both in the military at the time and he needed the money. I wasn't any better off so I had to pass.