Bequeathing your instruments

RVA

RVA

Ambassador
What wil become of your instruments when you finally join the band of musicians in the sky?

For those of you who would be concerned by this post, I am not sick. Rather, I had occassion to think of this while drafting a will. Since I could not come up with an answer, I did not address the issue.

I have no children. I have no family that plays guitar. I fear that, although my wife could sell them, this would be difficult for her because she will remember how much love I had for them. Given an awareness of a pending demise, I could sell some and gift others, but life does not always work out that way.

I anticipate a lot of people suggesting that I give it to them, but I am really interested in your thoughts of what you want to happen to your instruments.
 
Just make sure the government doesn't get them. Seriously though, music schools are a good idea. I would suggest a local struggling band, but timescales are likely to make that a non-starter. Any friends and neighbours with musical kids? In a sense it makes no difference to you because you won't be around to worry about it, but that is too calous a thought for right now.
 
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Wow ... was this prompted by my asking you to put me in your will, for the new Sp1 ?
Hope not ...

You're thinking about where your guitars will go. Imagine my painting inventory ! I'm sure my wife would keep them all until she herself dies. Then let the family fight ove it ... or burn it.
 
My wife is a music teacher as well as a musician. If my kids don't want my gear, I'll suggest she offer it to the band program at her school...
 
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Bequeath them all to ME... of course! Auto ETSG response, programmed in.

But seriously, (I'm 68) ...it's a good question.

I'd give my two best acoustics to my music partner of so many decades, because acoustic is his thing
and those have accompanied him on countless occasions. He's such a workaholic though, he might
work himself to death and pre-decease me. I'm not a workaholic, so I look at him askance sometimes.
Three Acoustics@100.jpg
I'd give my old warhorse Bass to my daughter... she plays standup and so does her son. My daughter
plays classical and Jazz and owns her own decent acoustic bass, so she doesn't really need my old
electric, but she should decide what to do with it, if anyone should. She could sell it, and pay for part
of a semester of college for one of my grands. She can have the Fretless too, she plays fretless always.
Three Basses@100.jpg

I own five electric guitars now. None of them is a high-end instrument, three have been totally modded
and two are nearly stock. So each of my instruments is worth a lot more as a player than on an auction block.
Four Electrics@100.jpg
I'd be curious to look down from heaven (or come up on leave from hell, trailing brimstone & sulfur)
and watch the auction of my electrics. If the auctioneer knew how to
describe what's been done to each instrument, and if a lovely and buxom rocker chick would stand up and
demonstrate each instrument's tonal characteristics, i fantasize about the feeding frenzy of my peers and
colleagues, jostling to bid up the value of each of my lovelies.

...Not very likely and we don't expect it. So here's the approved Tone Rooms answer to what to do with your
instruments when you finally crash into that great bridge abutment in the sky. We'll appoint Adrian as our
agent, who will sell all of our instruments and get the top dollar, and give the money to the deserving innocents
of our choice (or his choice if the abutment effect cuts us off too fast)... minus a reasonable fee of course.
He's read all of our NGD posts, and all of our mod posts, and has drooled on his keyboard looking at all of
our pictures. So he's certifiable... as a knowledgeable agent. There it is.
Agent Smart.jpg
 
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Interesting you mention this........I had thought about that not long ago---- of course my "collection" is usually somewhat "fluid" so hard to catalog or place models/items in a written binding legal doc.---both my boys are good Ferengi and they would have the google fu and where with all to quickly research and profit accordingly --- however there is one guitar---that was given to me by a close friend-- I would want that one to go to my Grandson who has a great love for guitars even at age 5 ..........so I guess I need to be making that "legal" so the Ferengi twins dont sell it from under him :)
 
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Col Mustard said:
We'll appoint Adrian as our
agent, who will sell all of our instruments and get the top dollar, and give the money to the deserving innocents
of our choice (or his choice if the abutment effect cuts us off to fast)... minus a reasonable fee of course.
He's read all of our NGD posts, and all of our mod posts, and has drooled on his keyboard looking at all of
our pictures. So he's certifiable... as a knowledgeable agent. There it is.
Click to expand...

Col.

I am truly honored to the point of speechlessness.
 
Col Mustard said:
I'd give my two best acoustics to my music partner of so many decades, because acoustic is his thing
and those have accompanied him on countless occasions. He's such a workaholic though, he might
work himself to death and pre-decease me. I'm not a workaholic, so I look at him askance sometimes.
Click to expand...
I thought about giving it to my peers, but then I think, they shant be far behind and they will be asking the same question too soon.

Col Mustard said:
So here's the approved Tone Rooms answer to what to do with your
instruments when you finally crash into that great bridge abutment in the sky. We'll appoint Adrian as our
agent, who will sell all of our instruments and get the top dollar, and give the money to the deserving innocents
of our choice (or his choice if the abutment effect cuts us off to fast)... minus a reasonable fee of course.
He's read all of our NGD posts, and all of our mod posts, and has drooled on his keyboard looking at all of
our pictures. So he's certifiable... as a knowledgeable agent. There it is.
Click to expand...
I like it!!
 
DonP said:
Just make sure the government doesn't get them. Seriously though, music schools are a good idea. I would suggest a local struggling band, but timescales are likely to make that a non-starter. Any friends and neighbours with musical kids? In a sense it makes no difference to you because you won't be around to worry about it, but that is too calous a thought for right now.
Click to expand...
The default in my will is charity, so that is basically what I am doing at present. I do not have any specific bequests however, which I would like to make of my guitars.
 
BGood said:
Wow ... was this prompted by my asking you to put me in your will, for the new Sp1 ?
Hope not ...

You're thinking about where your guitars will go. Imagine my painting inventory ! I'm sure my wife would keep them all until she herself dies. Then let the family fight ove it ... or burn it.
Click to expand...
Yes and no. Your comment made me think of when I wrote my will. In all honesty, if it were to be tomorrow, I would give some guitars to some of the people here, but I would not make a legality of it. I would ask my wife to do it and I am rather certain she would honor it.
 
Probably leave my guitars to my daugbter,she dont play but she would care for them and i got a 10 year old Tom Boy Grandaughter that might start playing
 
Funny, after posting this thread, I had a thought. I secretly never believed I would really get older. It is not that I thought I would die young, it is just that I simply did not believe it would happen to me. At 47, I still am having trouble accepting it.

 
Same here----never expected to make 40 much less 47......... its a weird deal this thing---life--
 
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Personally, I think they should be played. If you go to Hard Rock and look at the instruments in the glass cases
...to me they all look dead. Form follows function, IMHO and if they get to get out in the lights and rock, then
they are doing what's right.

I've told my daughter this. She gets my stuff and any money that's left after I've shuffled my mortal coil.
 
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RVA said:
Funny, after posting this thread, I had a thought. I secretly never believed I would really get older. It is not that I thought I would die young, it is just that I simply did not believe it would happen to me. At 47, I still am having trouble accepting it.
Click to expand...
1975-2013.jpg
dat's wight, rabbit! Inside every old guy is a young guy wondering what the hell happened.
Me and my best friend used to laugh at old guys. He swore he'd never make sixty, and he didn't.
First Band@100.jpg
https://soundcloud.com/michael-hough-5/waiting-for-the-hatch-12-21-10
 
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I took care of that years ago.
Every one of my guitars will go to a different person
and those people will all play the Hell out of those guitars.
The guitars and the people will all be happy.
 
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