Hi all, I am currently considering letting go of my Telecaster. It's a '63 Closet Classic with an ash body in Vintage Blonde that I received in a trade. For the past few months my strat has been getting all of the playing time. Problem is the Tele is what I consider a gem, and I know I won't ever find another one like it. I have two nice guitars, but I don't actually NEED this one. I could use the money (who couldn't?), but can make finances work even if I hang on to it. I'm pretty sure I would regret letting it go even though it's sitting in its case. Why is it so hard to get rid of it?!

I would like to hear from people who have been through the same type of situation. Have you managed to actually shake any regret you've had from letting your gear go? Or is the situation better looked at as a 'musicians battle scar' and something many people go through? Personal regret is one burden money can't fix, after all.

I should've kept my '66 Strat.

I should've kept my '64 SG Standard.

I should've kept my '63 Strat.

I should've kept my '66 Vibrolux Reverb......



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

69 les Paul, newer guitars can always be bought again.

I have many gear regrets. I wish I could go back in time and kick my own butt. If you like it even a little bit, keep it as long as you can.

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My ability to spell is in direct proportion to the amount of coffee I've had.

marshall jcm800 master volume 50 watt head and 4x12 matching cab from 1989. i sold it in 1995. i still cry over that.

I miss my late 80's Ampeg SVT200T combo. It was equipped with 4 ten inch speakers(same as the 8x10 cab speakers), a quality direct box...even a limiter. I think it was 200 watts..but 300w with the proper extension cab. It just sounded so good and was easy to get a tone from. Absolutely no noise or hum, either.

I traded it in with cash for a Magnavox era SVT tube head and cab. I swear the combo sounded much better than the so called "real deal". I've never seen another up close..and there's only a couple online.

Live and learn I guess.

No, because I've never sold a Fender guitar. I choose them carefully and only buy ones that I click with and know I'll keep for a long time. They all carry memories for me of people I've played with, places I've been and great times.

I did give one guitar away though - a genuine E-series MIJ Squier Strat to a great friend. And that was on condition that it can't be sold. If he decides he doesn't want it any more then it's mine again.

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my stuff on soundcloud

Well, in my many years of playing, I've heard it -many- times..."yea I had a (such and such)...wish I never had of sold it". And yea, most of the time it's usually followed by "well, I really needed the money". From the money aspect at least, my thinking has always been, if you're something like a carpenter or a mechanic and needed the money, would you sell your tools? If you're a delivery driver, would you sell your car? If you're an artist, would you sell your paint brushes? In most cases the answer would probably be no...so to me it just doesn't make sense for a musician to sell their guitar or amp.

That said, I try very hard to not have any regrets like that myself and I honestly never get rid of a piece of gear unless I'm absolutely sure that I'm not going to miss it...I really don't want to be "that guy". Even when my wife was going thru her ordeal with cancer and we were literally down to nothing except what we got in the bread lines, I still managed to avoid selling any of my gear. Yes, I've bought and sold and traded guitars (and amps and other gear) but it has always been gear that I just didn't really care for. Yea, I have between 20 and 30 guitars right now and yes, a few are actually for sale. Case in point, this Lite Ash Strat that I have right now...it's truly an outstanding guitar...excellent craftsmanship...I don't really care for it. So yea, that one is up on Craigslist right now. Likewise, I'm not going to miss a couple of the little $100 Squiers either. They're fun to noodle with but they don't really have any sentimental value or anything. The 3 Mexicans that I absolutely love? Yep...still got all of them and those aren't going anywhere! I waited for years before I finally got my Ovation...you can bet your bottom that one isn't going anywhere! My Pearl drum kit? Yep...still got it. I love my Pearls!

I dunno...there's some folks out there who are under the impression that you're only supposed to have -1- guitar (or other musical instrument). Maybe they will consider a backup instrument just in case. Personally I just never understood this. Each and every one of my guitars has it's own unique sound..it's own voice if you will, as well as it's own feel and it's own vibe. Even for a small gig, I usually carry 2, if not 3 guitars...and not strictly as backups. I have certain guitars that I use for certain tunes and other guitars that I use for other tunes. For example, I don't have to use my version of "Blackie" (in my case a partscaster made from two MIJ E-series) to play Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight"...I could do it with another Strat (and I have). BUT...there's a little something extra in playing that tune on that particular Strat...a little tingle that goes up my spine every time...and I'm sure it comes thru in my playing as well. Likewise, I just seem to tear it up better when I'm doing Stevie Ray Vaughn on one of my Mexicans...particularly the '96...although now that I've swapped necks on the '03, I gotta say I'm much happier there too. If I'm doing some ZZ Top, then it's GOT to be on one of the Mexi's with the Duncan pickups...I just can't get that kind of crunch out of regular Strat single coils. Then of course, some days I just feel like playing the "red one" and other days I feel like playing the "blue one"! LOL! And this doesn't even consider my "legacy" guitars. I literally haven't played my ol' Memphis for years. But she was the first real electric I ever owned and she bears the scars of my more reckless youth...got her brand new at the ripe young age of 17. I used that guitar for many of my earliest gigs and much of what I learned about setting up and modding instruments started with that guitar. Even though I don't play her, she reminds me of who I am, where I came from and how far I've come as a guitar player and musician...and the same goes for the 3/4 classical that my parents got me when I was 4! No, I'll probably never play her beyond the occasional noodling, but she's part of my history and who I am. I'm a guitar player and guitars are simply my passion. I just never understood why someone is only supposed to have just one or two guitars.

So in the OP's case here...this is just me, but you say you have 2 other guitars...even if you're not playing that Tele right now, if it's special to you in some way, what's wrong with having 3? If there's something about it that doesn't suit you and you're sure you're never going to use it or never going to miss it, then sure...sell it. But that doesn't sound like the case to me. If you're really having that much of a conundrum trying to decide if you should sell it or not, perhaps it's better to wait until you're sure.

These are, as always, just my own personal opinions...please use them for what they're worth!

Jim

I wish I didn't sell my 1993 MIM Squire Series Floyd Rose Strat, and my old Peavey Classic 20 valve amp. biggest mistake Ive ever made. I'd buy them back in a heartbeat

I made a vow never to sell my gear unless I didnt have an emotional attachment to it someway or another.

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I had a Gibson ES330 cherry red 1965 or 66. I sold it to make a house payment, I lost the house anyway.

1962 Sunburst Stratocaster

1959 Tweed Harvard Amp

These were that I really do miss!

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

I used to own a Parker Fly Deluxe paired with a Johnson Millenium Stereo 120 amp... paid what was a small fortune for me at the time for the two. I didn't, and still don't, play anywhere near good enough to merit owning such a nice guitar! Bought em when I was feeling flush and sold them when I was broke!

Later in life I bought a PRS and always felt guilty about owning that guitar too given its expense as compared to my hobbyist skill level at playing... wound up trading up my motorcycle one day and the owner of the motorcycle dealership bought the PRS for credit toward the bike I bought. I could justify a nicer bike whereas the really nice guitar made me feel guilty. Go figure!

I miss them sometimes. I have never justified buying an amp or a guitar anywhere near the value of those since. Only just recently got a American Special Strat which is my first American made guitar since and at far lower value. I feel it is a treat but in closer keeping with my skill level and the fact that I don't have a band or make money playing.

I also angst over how many guitars I should own at a time and feel as though I am pushing it at three... even though they are three very different instruments.

What I need to do is invest in lessons or classes more than gear! I guess my story is a counterpoint to Lomitus' story above... he has 30+ guitars and doesn't sell anything unless he absolutely knows he won't miss it. Difference between him and me: he probably is a much more accomplished musician!

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Tiger J

my gear:

Jackson USA Phil Collen PC-1
Warmoth Custom-Build Stratocaster (The Andersong)
Fender American Special Stratocaster
Squier J. Mascis Jazzmaster
Fender Mustang GT40
Eleven HeadRush w/ two Alto TS212 FRFRs

I personally "REGRET" getting rid of every guitar I ever gave away or sold. Each one of them had a special meaning and place in my hart. As it turns out, I dident realise it untill after the fact. "Keep em All And Let em Grow". One day you'll look Back and say Damn, When did I buy all that stuff.
----Danny,

The only gear that I ever sold was my Blues Jr. and I sold it to be able to finance a Vox AC-15.I don't really feel bad for selling it because my buddy bought it and I have first dibs if he ever decides to resell it.If I offered to buy it back from him,it mightn't take a lot of pleading.
What I do regret is trading in a few really great bits of gear for other gear. The first blunder was a Pan Moserite Ventures copy that I traded in on a '66 Hagstrom II,even though I had enough cash to buy the Hagstrom anyway. I also traded a lovely Electro-Harmonix Crying Tone Pedal (the original 1976 one that had 4 wah wah settings and the standard wah wah pedal function)and a set of practice headphones and $20 for a 1966 Vox Phantom XII.The wah wah pedal was incredible even though the Vox was worth Much Much more.Next I traded a beautiful 1970 Traynor Custom with a 2-12 cabinet for a Traynor Mk. III.The Custom Reverb was about 35W and sounded absolutely incredible but at the time I was really into really high volume and the Mk. III was 135W. My next collosal blunder was selling my Peavey Deuce so I could buy a Marshall 4210 JCM-800, 1-12 combo,but I really didn't have to sell the Peavey.That's about it for gear regrets for me.......and that's quite enough.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

Regret - 63 Sunburst Fender Strat..traded in for a (now) less desirable Fender, which I still have.
No Regret - 67 Fender Coronado XII.