Trading "Down"?

#63
Dr. Cheese said:
Personally, I am using a $350 Kala U-bass as much as my $1,300 Lakland because people love its sound. I think am going to cough up $500 for a five string U-bass pretty soon too.
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This.

I'm probably going to unload my mint condition Godin L.R.Baggs Acoustibass fretless very shortly because I find myself mostly playing an inexpensive used Aria TSB-350 I recently picked up off the TB classifieds. Much to my surprise I like it's 32" scale better than the Godin's 34" for fretless playing. And it has tone to last for days. :cool:
 
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#64
40Hz said:
I don't buy anything if it doesn't click with me on all fronts (i.e. sound, feel, and playability) within about five minutes of my first picking it up. So (except for one time) I've never had regrets about anything I bought. I also don't hang onto anything I'm not playing for any length of time. I'm not a collector or an investor. I only buy players.

But I do understand trading down. Since I don't have a need for a Fender bass all that often, I've since given away all my MIA Fenders to young musicians who I thought were long on talent and commitment in families short on funds. I've replaced them with a few CV-grade Squiers, which are more than capable of delivering what I want from them when I need a JB or PB.
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Giving away those Fenders was awesome!
 
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#68
Dr. Cheese said:
Giving away those Fenders was awesome!
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Nope. Just the right thing to do. I'm long past the point where I care what anybody thinks about what I'm playing. (Not that I ever did.) But these kids are in school where that BS still goes on. Sometimes the school's bandleaders are just as guilty of being gear snobs. And the MIAs were nice instruments.

I personally think a beginner needs the best possible instrument they can get their hands on because they are beginners. So they need the lack of potential problems as well as the cachet that a more expensive instrument brings. I never once had anybody give me a leg up when it came to gear. So I know how it feels to struggle acquiring the tools you need if you want to be a musician. So anything I can do to help a newbie out is no burden for me.
 
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#69
IMO, the whole Gibson range to me have looked amazing and sound great for what they are designed for but just don't feel that great to play.

Trust me, I wish an EB-3 felt as good as it looks.

I think you will find something else and think, why didn't I get one of these ages ago.

It terms of "downgrading", I've done this a few times and every time and have made sacrifices to get that top level instrument back!

Though, at risk of being insulted I will say that's never going to be a Gibson. They are quite expensive because people think they are Rock machines that are as good as their guitar counterparts. They just aren't. You pay for the name and Made in USA, not the actual bass.

If the Les Paul didn't exist, I'd be surprised in a Thunderbird was sold for $1000 max.
 
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#70
40Hz said:
This.

I'm probably going to unload my mint condition Godin L.R.Baggs Acoustibass fretless very shortly because I find myself mostly playing an inexpensive used Aria TSB-350 I recently picked up off the TB classifieds. Much to my surprise I like it's 32" scale better than the Godin's 34" for fretless playing. And it has tone to last for days. :cool:
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I'll go you 1 better. My Spector Euro has been sidelined for a Warwick Rockbass Streamer.
 
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#73
If trading down jsut means moving from a pricier bass to a less expensive one, By all means

If you are talking about a straight across trade where you lose, i'd caution against that.
If you cant outright by the Washburn, see if you can put it on layaway til you get a decent price for your ThunderBird

A great feeling bass is hard to beat, but i wouldn't want to see anyone lose their shirt in the process.
Also if its a used bass, they should drop the price some, Never pay sticker!
 
#74
Good is good is good no matter the price.

Over the years when I played guitar for 17 years (before switching to bass) I started with a Gibson LP Custom, to a Traditional, to a Classic, To a studio, to an EPIPHONE. Its really funny when I think back on it. They all got the job done. They all played great and sounded awesome. I think people get too hooked on you have to spend such and such to get a great instrument.

If its what you want AND its cheaper its a no brainer.
 
#79
Keep the Thunderbird AND get the Taurus. If you like the Taurus so much use it as your primary player.

I also have a Gibson Thunderbird. It's not my main player for some of the same reasons you cited. But once in awhile I enjoy playing it. Think of it like having two cars - one you drive every day and one you keep in the garage all shined up and only drive once in awhile.

Good luck.
 
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#80
If you can afford to buy the Washburn and keep the T-Bird, I would go that route. Then if you find you really never touch the T-Bird anymore, time to sell. If not, sell the T-Bird for a fair price in the classifieds here or on craigslist if you can. Though I certainly miss a few of the instruments I used to own, I've never truly "regretted" selling one, as long as I got a fair price for it. It's part of the search for your sound. That being said, I wouldn't do what the title of the thread implies, which would be literally trading the T-Bird straight up, at GC, for the Washburn. That you may well end up regretting.
 
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