(OT) Do you clean your keyboard gear when you sell it?

[Jose EB5AGV]

Well, this topic has been brought up due to my last acquisition, a YAMAHA REFACE CP. I got it at a good price and in the pictures it seemed like a cared-of unit... Well, the good thing is that it works, but it was very dirty on arrival, with lots of dust on the control area, keys which were no longer slippery, some cat hair here and there, rests of what seems a coffee spill on the bottom side... All in all, after a thoroughly clean, it is a 8+ over 10. But, as it arrived, I would say a 6-7 (judging just by the externals)

 

When I sell anything, and in this case, keys related, I clean it as if it was for myself. Usually, my gear is pretty clean (I use covers, bags and such). But, anyway, I like to sell pristine-looking gear.

 

Am I alone on this?

 

Just curious... 😅

 

Jose

[mate stubb]

I abso-friggin-lutely clean everything before selling.

[HammondDave]

I have to. Too much crime scene evidence on it.

[ElmerJFudd]

Unless you want to let it go for the least amount possible.  Of course, especially if you are trying to get interest by posting photos.  

[Piktor]

I haven’t sold much, but I suppose that I would clean before selling. Not to derail, but I am also wondering if anyone deletes their custom patches before selling. Do you restore the unit to its default settings? 

[ProfD]

Absolutely clean up gear and restore factory settings prior to selling it.😎

[Docbop]

Well haven't sold any of my keyboard gear, but have sold lots of guitar gear and when I sell something I'll wipe it down and clean up any coffee drips I'm notorious for having on my guitars.     Am I one who obsesses over gear always looking like new, oh hell no gear is meant to be played.  Like my guitar my keyboard get quite a bit of dust built up and I wipe that off  now and then.   Keyboard not being next to my body like guitar doesn't get the coffee drips and I am careful about liquids and electronic so I don't set any beverages on the keyboards.  I have a cloth keyboard cover but it spends most its time on the floor under the keyboard I forget to put it on usually because it late and I'm tired and heading to bed.  

 

 I came from the 60's so well worn gear with cigarette burns,  beer bottle stains,  worn or frayed amp covering, spots with finish worn thru from real playing were all badges of honor they add mojo  to the instrument.   I see people post on forums I have a horrible scratch on the endcap of my keyboard how do I fix it???  Then you see a photo and  the scratch is barely visible.   Like  the GC crowd of guitar players that post I have a swirly on my pickguard I've spend days trying to polish out.   It's a friggin pickguard that it job to protect from scratching up the wood it's doing it's job idiot.  

 

So like HammondDave said "I'll wipe off any  crime scene evidence" then hand it over to the buyer. 

[Stokely]

I personally would; if only to keep from being embarrassed (and one might think it would help a sale if the buyer is coming to look and decide).

I never understand the thought processes, and I see this often with another hobby, fishkeeping:  "Selling a 50 gallon tank, great shape but needs to be cleaned."  And the thing is dirty as hell with algae all over it.  I mean, my immediate thought is:  what are you trying to hide?  That makes no sense to sell something at anything close to fair prices when it's literally filthy.

There's a big difference between buffing out a pickguard and cleaning shmuck off of something.

As far as custom patches, I'd probably ask the person.   Now, purchased libraries (something I've never had to deal with on a keyboard I've sold) I'd remove those.

[Jose EB5AGV]

This is an example of what I have got today:

 

 

 

And this is how I would sell it:

 

 

It is the same instrument, just an hour and a half later.... Is it not worth the extra mile?

Jose

 

[CHarrell]

Naw, I want buyers to get my boards with skin flakes and hairs from the downstairs. They'll hate me now, but respect me later when I make my big break and they can sell those for thousands a strand!

[Docbop]

44 minutes ago, CHarrell said:

Naw, I want buyers to get my boards with skin flakes and hairs from the downstairs. They'll hate me now, but respect me later when I make my big break and they can sell those for thousands a strand!

Alanis Morissette did a benefit concert at the church I worked on the media team at and one of the things she required was a good comfortable stool to sit on when performing.   So I said I have a Roc-N-Sock stool with the back support and Alanis used it and liked it.     Ever since then I keep thinking I could make a few bucks setting it on eBay and hyping it for have essence of Alanis butt still embedded in the seat. 

[CHarrell]

26 minutes ago, Docbop said:

Alanis Morissette did a benefit concert at the church I worked on the media team at and one of the things she required was a good comfortable stool to sit on when performing.   So I said I have a Roc-N-Sock stool with the back support and Alanis used it and liked it.     Ever since then I keep thinking I could make a few bucks setting it on eBay and hyping it for have essence of Alanis butt still embedded in the seat. 

 

This is the economic reality venue owners want us musicians to live in!

[Stokely]

"Essence of butt" is not only a fun prospective band name, it's highly accurate when it comes to describing many of the ones I've been in/tried out form.

[jazzpiano88]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:37 PM, Docbop said:

Alanis Morissette did a benefit concert at the church I worked on the media team at and one of the things she required was a good comfortable stool to sit on when performing.   So I said I have a Roc-N-Sock stool with the back support and Alanis used it and liked it.     Ever since then I keep thinking I could make a few bucks setting it on eBay and hyping it for have essence of Alanis butt still embedded in the seat. 

You checked?  No hint of Docbop?

[RABid]

I clean it before taking pictures to use when listing it for sale. Then look at the pictures and think "how did I miss all that dust" and start over.

[CHarrell]

1 hour ago, RABid said:

I clean it before taking pictures to use when listing it for sale. Then look at the pictures and think "how did I miss all that dust" and start over.

 

Way too true. 

 

Unfortunately, some retailers aren't immune to this whole thing either. I bought a PX5S in "Very Good" condition from Guitar Center earlier this year...the previous owner must've been Santa Claus 'cause that keyboard looked like it had gone though a world's worth of chimneys. It was covered in this thick, thick layer of black dust, some chips on keys, the chassis, some weird orange specks, needed a firmware update just to function...didn't last long in my place. Took it back to GC after complaining about the quality, happened to check the website a couple days later...and there it was, listed in "Great" condition. 

[Old No7]

On 8/22/2023 at 11:39 AM, Jose EB5AGV said:

(OT) Do you clean your keyboard gear when you sell it?

 

Maybe the better question is...

 

Why would you allow your keyboard gear to ever get dirty, dusty, grimey, etc, whether you are selling it or not?

 

Just my $0.02.

 

Old No7

[Artomas]

To me, the funniest thing is you can see that the seller actually did "clean" it, to their standards... If you look closely, you can see that they used an old sock for a vertical swipe wipe between the knobs and faders, but the toggle switches in the fx section proved to be too much of an obstacle for the sock. That's how I know it wasn't panties - you can wedge those into some pretty tight spots. The sock is like your rough grit sandpaper, and the panties are more for detail work, and final polishing.

 

It's also possible they used a greasy hash-browns finger, to wipe the dust between only the most widely spaced of the knobs and sliders, after they'd spilled the coffee. It was probably a pretty frustrating moment - I bet they were scream-whining after the coffee spill.

 

Probably it was in some back corner on the previous owner's 2nd desk and never got used, to the point that, when the coffee spilled, they picked up the Reface and wiped the desk under it, and put it back down, without even thinking about wiping the under side of the Reface too. It was an afterthought item, not like the phone and laptop, which they checked thoroughly after the spill. So, it's probably actually in decent shape, not used very much.

 

Mine has been traveled a ton, but otherwise kept in its case (they make a soft case that you can wear like a messenger bag) and it's held out so far. I was torquing the knobs like it was a groovebox, for a bit... I'm a little worried they'd get scratchy if I kept that up for too long... otherwise it seems solid, for a mini-keyboard.

[Old No7]

1 hour ago, Artomas said:

...If you look closely, you can see that they used an old sock for a vertical swipe wipe between the knobs and faders, but the toggle switches in the fx section proved to be too much of an obstacle for the sock. That's how I know it wasn't panties - you can wedge those into some pretty tight spots...

 

One would think panties would be ideal for a "vertical swipe" ? ! ? !

 

Old No7

[PianoMan51]

In the days of my youth, bars had cigarette smoke at choking levels. And the smell of last night’s bar keg and spilled beer was , in today’s terms, ‘systemic’.

 

My keys stayed in these places for weeks at a time (remember House Bands?) And never ever saw the light of day. To be constantly coated with beer mist flavored and colored with tobacco particles.

 

When, only by accident every few years, they did see sunlight, the filth was unbelievable. It was like the ‘bark’ on a smoked brisket. Desirable for barbecue, maybe a ‘brow badge of courage’ for musicians. Your Rhodes was covered in black bumpy plastic to hide the stain. 
 

Billy Joel’s line “and the microphone smells like a beer “ wasn’t just about the mic!

[Ed A.]

I always clean anything I sell so it looks mint.

[Konnector]

I always clean gear up prior to selling. I take care of my gear anyway and generally it's in new or near new condition regardless of how long I've had it. I know someone is getting a well cared for unit and I want it to look as good as possible in order to get my asking price without bartering.

[Jose EB5AGV]

2 hours ago, Konnector said:

I always clean gear up prior to selling. I take care of my gear anyway and generally it's in new or near new condition regardless of how long I've had it. I know someone is getting a well cared for unit and I want it to look as good as possible in order to get my asking price without bartering.

 

Exactly. In Spain we say something like this: The one who cleans the most is not the cleanest, but the one who dirties the least

[o0Ampy0o]

I have mostly purchased everything new. One time I bought a used guitar. I wasn't eBay savvy and in retrospect I did not exactly demonstrate good buyer etiquette. The guy I bought the guitar from prodded me for a good rating. I did not respond.

 

Part of it was not being eBay savvy and knowing how it all works at the time but I was also put off by the condition the guitar was in. I would never have let it ever get this way and I certainly would make sure it was not that way putting it up for sale. There was a build up of hardened yellow sweat on the pickguard and fretboard. It was gross. I cleaned it up and sold that guitar ASAP. I would have kept it but it was an older model and I did not like how it felt to play. If the original seller was paying attention I am sure he thought I was a heartless flipper because I quickly sold it for more than I paid but I really only covered the fees I had paid.

 

Later I read some bullshit post of a guy online supposedly notorious for how to treat an incoming used instrument. He even referred to the fretboard as being full of DNA to clean off. You know how this expert cleaned that off? He just wiped it off with a damp rag. Not that anyone necessarily does any of this but potentially the seller might have and there was hardened sweat on the pickguard and the fretboard.....all the years of sweaty palms, ......edit....... digging at an itch deep in your wax crusty ears, etc. is not going away with a wipe of a damp rag.

[Docbop]

8 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

I have mostly purchased everything new. One time I bought a used guitar. I wasn't eBay savvy and in retrospect I did not exactly demonstrate good buyer etiquette. The guy I bought the guitar from prodded me for a good rating. I did not respond.

 

Part of it was not being eBay savvy and knowing how it all works at the time but I was also put off by the condition the guitar was in. I would never have let it ever get this way and I certainly would make sure it was not that way putting it up for sale. There was a build up of hardened yellow sweat on the pickguard and fretboard. It was gross. I cleaned it up and sold that guitar ASAP. I would have kept it but it was an older model and I did not like how it felt to play. If the original seller was paying attention I am sure he thought I was a heartless flipper because I quickly sold it for more than I paid but I really only covered the fees I had paid.

 

Later I read some bullshit post of a guy online supposedly notorious for how to treat an incoming used instrument. He even referred to the fretboard as being full of DNA to clean off. You know how this expert cleaned that off? He just wiped it off with a damp rag. Not that anyone necessarily does any of this but potentially the seller might have and there was hardened sweat on the pickguard and the fretboard.....all the years of sweaty palms, ......edit....... digging at an itch deep in your wax crusty ears, etc. is not going away with a wipe of a damp rag.

 

 

The luther who did all my guitar and bass work for me  also worked on instruments of the biggest names in the business rock and Jazz.  So when Eric Clapton needed a refret on his famous "Blackie" Strat he came to my luther.   Eric's Blackie Strat was a maple neck and had the typical black marks on the fingerboard from lots of real playing.    My luther when he does a refret as part of his process once the old frets are removed he cleans up the fretboard.   The divits in the fretboard from use are still there, but the black marks from from sweat, finger oils and etc he cleans up.   So he finishes the guitar and Clapton comes to pick it up.  When Clapton sees the guitar he freaks out what happened to my black marks on the fingerboard.  My luther calmly says I clean up the FB when refretting.   Clapton is ticked and yells put my blackmarks back.  So he leaves the guitar and my luther makes up  some cocockson and puts the black marks back.    Now Clapton is a happy camper a great refret of Blackie and he hard earned black marks are there as a badge of honor.