Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Which guitar or bass do you regret either selling, trading the most?

The reasons could be value, sound, playability, sentimental.

For me it's my 1979 4001JG. Worked so hard to save for the bass, along with a Sunn Concert Bass head and cabinet, they were my mainstay for years when I played in bands.

I sold it because my band told me that I needed to have a Fender sound, so I sold it, then bought a 1974 Jazz bass for $200. Now, after running into the singer after all these years, she tells me "We shoulda never told you to sell that Ric."

Oh well...

Guild Bluesbird, Fender JV "Squire" Strat MIJ 1st year 60's reissue, Carl Wilson Ric 12 (had two)..both gone...I get to vist the 60's Les Paul Standard plain tobacco top I gave my son...no worries there though..

Some of the stories are too hard to relate, so I'll just make a list:

Guitars -
'65 Fender Mustang
'73 Guild D-35
'7-something Les Paul Deluxe goldtop
'76 Strat
'7-something Ric 320 (w/f-hole)
'63 Jazzmaster (real, not RI)
'5-something Gretsch Rancher(?) acoustic
'7-something parts bass (Jazz body, maple P-neck)

Amps & Misc:
'6-something Kustom 200
'65 Fender VibroChamp
'65 Fender Deluxe (non-reverb, w/Altec speaker)
'65 Fender Pro Reverb
'77 Music Man HD-130-210
pair of Bose 800 PA speakers
'6-something Vox Jaguar organ
'8-something some kind of Yamaha piano
Tons of various pedals worth a fortune now...

In some very few cases, some the above was trade fodder for other things on that list. But mostly, those things are gone because of financial difficulties such as getting my electricity and/or water turned back on, etc.

Is it any wonder why I'm a more selective buyer and keep everything I buy these days? Don't want to go through the trauma again.

This dilemma has caused me to become a little more detached from my gear. I see them as tools I use to do my job, but I like my tools a lot...if something goes away, something comes in to take it's place.

My saddest losses were my '73 4001MG, which I had to sell because of a family emergency, and a '75 4001 AzureGlo which also needed to go to cover a financial crisis.

But I'm still alive, and life goes on. I think of them as old girlfriends, nice memories, but they're gone and life goes on and new girls come along

I always regretted selling my Jazzmasters, but thankfully i've found an excellent one now and it's not going anywhere!

As far as Ricks, I miss my 4001c64 and my 360 Carl Wilson. Shoulda just held onto them.

My 99 Jazz. It was my first "real" bass. The girl who bought it from still sends me photos of it to taunt me.

That's the ticket Steve!

Never sold any, but one was stolen a long while ago, when i was still "under 20". Frankly, its quality wasn't worth the tears of regret but it was my first real guitar...

I will always be upset about the Kramer xl8 that was stolen. I saved SO hard for that bass. Only had it about a month.

Same her Mark..in my case it was a Starfire bass and a Danelectro reverb unit..no, I did not use them together!

1968 (or 67 not sure) Candy Apple Red P bass with a 66 Jazz neck. 1975 fireglo 4001.
Black faced Fender Showman head and cab, Marshall Major head.
1970 blueline SVT head and cab. (among many many others I regret letting go).
I would love to own a Guild Starfire bass.

Hey Bob...if I ever find the guy that bagged mine I'll make ya a sweet deal..LOL..lot of BF Showmans out there...

As strange as it may seem, I miss my old Washburn XB-100 because it was my first bass that I owned and didn't have to borrow or play when I came over to jam. It never stayed in tune and it was rather weighty, not at all like the ones they make today. It came with flatwounds and they stayed on for EIGHT YEARS. It never knew a gig bag, let alone a case. It even fell over smack on the floor several times, which didn't seem to injure it at all. But- the reason I miss it is not only because of its valiant service to a joker like me, I bought it with the absolute last of my college money. I'd been playing the bass for a while, I just never had my own. I had just over 200 bucks left after I got out of college and my friend and I were starting a band. So we went to GC and they were having a sale on Washburn XB-100s. Gee, go figure... anyway, I left with one and just enough money for a six pack or something. I just shouldn't have sold it, and I traded it in on an Epiphone factory second that was a DOG and in no way worth my poor old Washburn. My only hope is that it went to a good home, which it probably didn't.