Why Do People Sell " The Best Bass They Ever Played" So Often?

1. The best bass I ever played is pretty valuable.
2. I don’t actually NEED the best bass I ever played. Just a solid, reliable one that I like.

(That said, the best bass I ever played is currently in my possession, so... yeah.)
 
For some it's part of the sales talk.

Me? In the last year I've sold a US Lakland (too heavy) a Mike Lull Jazz (to raise funds) a Fender ASJV (too heavy) and in the process of selling my Sadowsky Metro Jazz (too heavy). They were all great sounding basses, and I still sold them. I'm raising funds to buy a light weight Sadowsky NYC.

So some people do have a valid reason for selling their best (so far) basses.
 
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We're all looking for that unicorn bass the bass to rule them all.
Yeah, then you find that unicorn, you realize it comes with severe emotional baggage and poops all up in your neighbors yard. So, you sell that unicorn to your ex-wife, get yourself an American made Thoroughbred. All is well. Then it develops a complex. Poops in your and yours neighbors yard. On to the Donkey. Kicks you in the face.
 
In my case it's usually because I messed something up on it and can't live with it. I'm fickle I'll admit. But I've been good for the past year. I finally got my #1 back last June (Sterling by Music Man Ray 34 CA) and I'm very happy with it. Will probably never get rid of it.
 
The
Read that all the time here...
Being someone who’s said that line I’ll chime in. Lol

1 ready for something new. New basses inspire me. Ive owned the “dream basses of my youth. You eat Instant noodles and do what you got to do get them then you happily play your dream until you reach a point where just want to try something else to be inspired to go in different directions with your playing. That was the case with my thumb NT5. I still think it is a fantastic bass. I recorded two albums with it and it was my main gigging bass for a decade, but I’d pick up other basses and feel inspired like I did when I first got the NT5. Because I got such a good deal on it when Guitar center had all their Warwicks on clearance, when it was all said and done I basically paid $700 to play a bass that retails for like 4 grand or something ridiculous for a decade.

2 financial situation. Sure I’d love to have a big collection of premium basses but I don’t make a living playing music and I personally can’t justify having so much money tied up in just a couple basses. So I tend to flip hi end basses to pay for others. A prime example. I’ll be selling my Warwick thumb NT6 in a couple weeks to help pay off the credit card I recently used to order a brand new Dingwall. I’m just waiting for the dingwall to get here so I still have a nice bass to use for gigs. Beaters are a different story. I don’t mind having for example, mim fenders laying around that I paid $300 for used. But yeah if it’s a situation where Ill have a second really nice bass that mainly sits in a closet or I can choose to take my kids to Disney I’m taking my kids to Disney. The difference between that and the beater bass is if I sell the beater bass it doesn’t give me enough money for vacation like that. I’ve never been in these situations but I’ve talked to several people who sold their “dream bass” because they had an unexpected financial situation like medical bills or they had to pay for a family members funeral. So finances can certaintly have an impact.

3 need a different tool for a different job. This is also part of my current situation buying a dingwall and getting ready to sell the NT6. My band wants to play more low tuned stuff. The Warwick is fantastic for standard tuning and I don’t mind tuning the low B down to A for a song or two but if I’m going to play half the set or more in drop A I want a tool that’s more ideal for that situation and it’s looking like the majority of the album we’re currently writing will be in drop A tuning.
 
It's coming up on 10 years, and I'm still happily playing it. :thumbsup:

I'll never sell it. It even drinks beer with me! :D

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My favorite bass is whichever one I’m playing at the moment. Just like my favorite bassist is whoever I’m currently listening to. Best is a relative term. The best bass I ever played will always be the next one I buy.

People sometimes read too much into superlatives. Which is funny since they’re so casually invoked. They’ve become more verbal placeholders or space fillers than anything else and can safely be ignored most times.