Goodbye!

Gahr

Gahr

Ambassador of Blues & Brews
Country flag
No, no, no, not to you guys!

I said goodbye to my trusted Fender Deluxe Reverb II today. After having bought an electric piano, a vintage bass and a vintage amp in the last few weeks, I had to sell something. I am trying to base my shopping on a "one in, one out" principle, but at times I find it a bit hard. I put my AC30 up for sale yesterday, and also wanted to sell the Fender. A former colleague has been borrowing it from me for the last couple of years. His band practices at the brewery, so I have kept the amp there. I haven't really played it much after I bought the AC30, but the amp still held a special place in my heart. It was my first "proper" amp; I bought it while I was still in high school, and have used it for almost every single gig or band practice I did between 1991 and 2014. Since he was playing it anyway, I asked him if he wanted to buy it. I gave him a fair price, and he said yes. Funny thing is I almost feel guilty for selling it. It was like a friend to me.

So why let it go? I have simply come to love other amps more, I guess. But the funny thing is I really didn't learn properly what this amp could do until I got other amps to play with. Now I'm kind of thinking I should have kept it until it became REALLY old and possibly more sought after than it is at the moment. Weird feeling, really, I have never been this sentimental about anything I have ever sold before. Not even when I got rid of my first electric guitar.

Oh, well! The new old Selmer amp is arriving Wednesday next week. I can hardly wait. I just need to get a cab for it so I can use it at home...
 
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I can relate.... Walking a fine line on what to keep and when to cut loose of a piece of gear.

Thats a 23 year history together. You know, there is no written rule you have to let something go.
Don't want you to feel bad either. Just a tough call.

From your post I think you were ready to let it go, and to someone who is really digging it, is the best new home for an amp. ;)

Cheers to the new amp coming this Wednesday! :cheers:
 
stringtree said:
I can relate.... Walking a fine line on what to keep and when to cut loose of a piece of gear.

Thats a 23 year history together. You know, there is no written rule you have to let something go.
Don't want you to feel bad either. Just a tough call.

From your post I think you were ready to let it go, and to someone who is really digging it, is the best new home for an amp. ;)

Cheers to the new amp coming this Wednesday! :cheers:
Click to expand...
Thanks, man!

And, oh, it was definitely the right thing to do. The guy had been playing the amp for two years, so it was only natural he got it. In fact, the only time I ever played the amp during those two years was last June when I sat in for two songs at a gig with his band. :D

I know there is no rule about letting stuff go, and I most certainly see myself breaking my current "one in, one out" rule in the future.I currently own nine guitars, one bass and four amps (that's counting the AC30 I have up for sale and the Selmer arriving Wednesday). Of those there are two Epiphones I will likely try to sell at some point, the AC30 is already up for sale, and there is a Danelectro that is technically my son's guitar, but he shows no interest in it whatsoever. The rest of my guitars, amps and the bass are keepers. Either because they are vintage pieces, because they have a history that makes me hold on to them or because I have "invested" in them in the way of modifying them into guitars that I really love. What I have come to realise though, is that there is no point in holding on to stuff just because I want lots of guitars or amps to choose from. I need to have some sort of connection with the pieces in addition to actually playing them. I used to have that connection with my Fender amp, but it was not really there anymore, so out the door it went. It is kind of the same with the AC30. I love it, I've had fun with it, I think it is a good amp, but after buying two old Gibson amps, I just don't play the AC30 anymore. Fingers crossed I'll sell it quickly.
 
I too love gear that I can make a personal connection with!
I get having too much gear too! Have I been there! :giggle:

I like to choose guitars based off the fact that I can customize them, kind of make them my own.

You never know about your son.
Once he makes that ear and heart connection to some style of music out there.
I took guitar in 8th grade because I needed an to fill out my course studies and this was the only thing open.
It was just 1/2 a year thing. Never gave any thought after that.

Then in 10th grade Bam! I became a big time Beatles nut! :LOL:
From that point on, all through High School I always carried and played and acoustic.
 
I believe it's good to look forward rather than back.

Anyway, that's the philosophy I'm trying to live right now.
Last year was drastic for me, my lady was diagnosed with brain cancer...

I decided my new career was to be care giver, which meant that
many things I had thought important were no longer important.
Things I didn't realize were important have become crucial.
I sold off and gave away piles of stuff, equipment and gear that I
had accumulated in a long and adventurous life.

I retired from my photo business, and gave the operation to my step daughter.
I informed my band mates that I could no longer tour with them, and encouraged
them to carry on without me, which they have been able to do.
I sold my house, my canoe, most of my gun collection, and some of my collection
of guitars and basses (the oldest and most valuable ones), fishing lures, furniture, tools, books... it took months.

Cindy and I have moved to Tucson Arizona, near some of her family including
her shiny new grandson. We now live in a two bedroom apartment, and last year
at this time we lived in a four bedroom house.

Why am I telling you all this? Maybe I feel that we've become friends through
this forum and that other one. Also, you just never know what might happen next.
Especially as a pro musician in USA (which means you're a professional driver).
The most dangerous thing most of us ever do is get in a car, and drive down a busy
highway. In Norway I presume it's dangerous also, because I've seen pictures of
Norway, and there is no level place. Or not much. Part of the US is like that too,
it's called West Virginia. No level ground there.

Anyway, I'm sympathetic to how it feels to part with an amp that has given your
music wings. I sold several amps last year, but there were a couple I was unwilling
to part with, so I "fostered" them with some musical friends. They accepted custody
of amps I could not bring with me, and I also fostered two guitars I didn't want to
sell. So I know where they are, even though they are 3200 km away. My friends will
play them and clean them and change the strings maybe.

And maybe this post caught my attention because the Fender Deluxe reverb is one
of my all time favorite sounding amps. I've never owned one, but always wanted to.
I've played through a few, and love the tone of Humbucker pickups played through
this amp. So I hope your new ones are as pleasing. And I hope you drive safely and
brew excellent ale, and never have the kind of trouble I've seen.
 
I saw the title of this thread and the Col's avatar, I was startled. I'm glad it was an amp leaving and not Col Mustard or Gahr. I too have parted with a lot in this past year. I'm still going through a lot of changes in my life and once they are under control, perhaps I'll share them with y'all. As for now only a select handful of friends here know about the trials and tribulations I have been going through for the past few months and will continue to go through for the next year or so. I don't even want to try to elaborate as in depth as the Col has, he is the master of postology. So yes this post caught my attention, nice play Gahr!
 
I wish you well... some of us have been trading these good wishes about,
they always seem to hit the mark. Be well, be strong, and keep your eye on the
trail out. ...and thanks for the consideration... I had the same feeling seeing
Gahr's by-line. "WAIT! DON'T GO!"
 
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Gahr, I feel your pain.

1) Keep tabs on the amp and tell your friend that if he ever wants to sell it then you'll buy it back off him. Some emotional attachments are worth more than reason or pragmatism, and that amp will come back to you, Gahr. There's nothing wrong with feeling bad over emotional attachments or making gear selling mistakes. You wait and see, that amp will come back to you, and maybe in a few years time during the 2025 TTR Grand World Tour, Norwegian Leg, some of us will get to play it with you...

(I am currently sending an email to the fella I sold my Junior to, saying I'll buy it back if he ever needs to sell it!)

2) You might as well sell most of your gear because you know we are all heading towards the same endpoint where we all only play SG/LP Specials/Juniors through Mesa Boogie amps!
 
This thread turned serious real fast!

But the Colonel (as always) shares some very important insights. When faced with the truly important issues in life, giving up gear you love is not really a problem. I would sell anything I owned if it could help saving anyone in my family. Guitars and gear can be replaced, people can’t. And time spent with people is more valuable than time spent with objects.
 
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