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Post subject: Dilemma
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 7:11 pm
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I posted this on TalkBass and appreciated their answers but the thread kinda died and I want to know more people's views on a situation like this:

Long story short.

Bought P-bass off a friend in August 2013 for 740 (MIA with hard case)..paying him bit by bit.

December 2013, he says he really needs money badly so he wants to take the bass back and sell it and give the amount I Paid him back to me. (Paid him $300 so far out of a possible $740).


I WOULD'VE done that excep:

Problem 1: he wants the hard case too, thinking it'll attract more ppl on CL if he includes the hard shell case. I sold my soft shell case. I only use the HS case he sold me.

Problem 2: I grew to like the P-Bass, even though my username says jazzonlyjazz and I'm a jazz bass-first kind of guy. And it's a frigging American model for $740 (probably could get a Sterling for that price). I will never find a price like that on CL, especially someone who's willing to accept monthly/bit-by-bit payments.

Problem 3: I did some heavy maintenance and upgrades to it. New PG, new tone knobs, new strings, cleaned the bridge of all that yucky rust, StrapLoks, adjusted the neck back to normal because it was warped pretty badly. I know they're not a big deal of upgrades, but I did that assuming I would keep the bass as long as I kept paying.

I'm struggling to pay him because of school tuition and other crap that requires me to spend $$$.

Problem 4: He lives pretty far away from me, like other side of Vancouver and I have no car to drive there nor does transit go to his neighbourhood.

If I do return it, then:

1. I'd get $300 back...perfect to spend on a cheap MIM bass or smth.

2. American Fenders with the heel truss rod adjustment thing were always a PITA to adjust...I hated having to remove the pickguard/strings just to adjust the truss rod.

3. The neck on this MIA is ridiculously thick and fat...I mean.....wow....my friend's MIM P felt like a jazz bass to me and my MIM jazz felt like a thin stick. I got cramps everytime I played the MIA on stage and standing...:P

4. So much clutter in my house, and it'd be nice to get rid of a bass to free up space.

4 cons. 4 pros. I'm so stuck. Is an American Fender THAT Worth it? I heard these go up in value as years go by, but not the other models, like MIM, Squiers (duh...)

Why is that? I kinda want to keep it so I can sell it like ten years later for like $3000 or smth (jk)..I guess it kinda links to my thread about anyone selling their first bass and having some sentimental attachment to it?


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:10 pm
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I don't think that bass will be worth 3000 in ten years.

Well.... it sounds like you have quite the quandry on your hands there. I don't think I would ever put myself in that type situation. There's alot I don't understand. You must not be paying him fast enough?

I might just give him the thing back and make sure he gives you the money back. I wouldn't do any thing like wait till he sells it before you get your money. Also he may have thought it wasn't that good of a bass and then you modded it and tweeked the neck etc. If you told him about that or showed it to him after you fixed it - he chumped out and wants it back so he can have more money. Maybe?.... maybe not on that. I don't know the guy. But I know of people like that. Now you have to either ask for extra money for what you did or put back the other parts you took off and untweek :) the neck . All in all it sounds like dumb #$%@ to me . I personally get rid of or try to get rid of the dumb %$#@ in my life. That's one persons opinion. :D Good Luck !


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 1:32 am
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IMHO. Sounds to me the person that sold you the bass is not much of a friend if he is backing out on your original deal.

Assuming there is nothing in writing concerning your deal, I would undo all that you've done to the bass and tell him to come and get it. I would not worry about returning it to him personally, unless he delivered it to you. If he doesn't come and get it, keep up the monthly payments.

I would not give it back unless he pays you the $300.00 when you give it back. If he wants you to return it with the upgrades you made to the bass, tell him you will need at least $400.00 (or more if you feel the upgrades were worth more).

Whatever happens, good luck, and I would no longer consider this person a friend.

Jerry

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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:54 am
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Pay off the bass pronto. You made a promise, so make good on it. The original owner has the right of repossession. Pay off the bass pronto. It doesn't matter what you think. You made a promise to pay, so pay. Quit your whining. You owe a debt. Pay it.

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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 8:25 am
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linnin wrote:
Pay off the bass pronto. You made a promise, so make good on it. The original owner has the right of repossession. Pay off the bass pronto. It doesn't matter what you think. You made a promise to pay, so pay. Quit your whining. You owe a debt. Pay it.




HA! :D


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:31 am
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Location: In the pocket north of Washington D.C.
What makes you think that he will give back your original $300 plus the cost of upgrades and the cost of your labor in cleaning and setting up the bass if you just give it back to him to sell? I think you should get more than $300 back if the bass sells with your upgrades.

We can't judge or know how close you are to this person but it sounds like you would do better to distance yourself from him after this deal plays out.

Good luck with this situation.

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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 12:55 pm
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Location: In this country town, where the laughter sounds...
What year is your MIA PBass? $740 Depending on the year of the PBass could be a determining factor too.

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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 7:22 pm
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stroker vance wrote:
linnin wrote:
Pay off the bass pronto. You made a promise, so make good on it. The original owner has the right of repossession. Pay off the bass pronto. It doesn't matter what you think. You made a promise to pay, so pay. Quit your whining. You owe a debt. Pay it.




HA! :D


:D Yeah!


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Sat Dec 14, 2013 12:48 am
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Let me make sure I understand this. You bought a bass with an agreement to pay in installments and you are not behind on the installments at all? You've been paying regularly on schedule? If that is the case, then just keep paying for it if you want to keep it or if you want shed of it and the debt then take your $300 back and then give him the instrument. I would not go for a deal where you just give him the instrument and then when it sells he gives you your $300 back. No way would I do that. If you had an agreement he should stick to it and if he wants to call it off he should give you the money back. If you have none of this in writing or if you are in arrears then he might have a point in calling the deal off.

Probably would have been smarter to pay him the money that you spent buying new parts for a bass that it sounds like he still owns, unless you have paperwork saying you own it. That's sort of like installing a high dollar aftermarket stereo in a leased car. I mean he gets it back with the upgrades?

You need to pay it off. Sell some other stuff cluttering up the place. Raise the $400 or whatever the balance is and get it over with. The alternative is to get your $300 back and then give him the instrument back. I would not give him the instrument back until he refunded your down payment. You can swap out the pickguard, etc but for what? To resell it? To add more clutter?

Sounds like you only want to keep it because it is a Fender American P-Bass, not because you actually like it a lot. There's really no point in keeping an instrument you don't love. I've sold piles of instruments I fell out of love with. You'll get over it.


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:25 am
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I think maybe Shadownet did a hit and run. Too bad. He got some good advice. :D


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Post subject: Re: Dilemma
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2013 10:32 am
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stroker vance wrote:
I think maybe Shadownet did a hit and run. Too bad. He got some good advice. :D


THE SHADOW KNOWS!

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