More Guitars Gone

The Parker Fly Refined Classic is gone, and the Godin LGX-SA. I also sold the Godin LG. I have now sold ten instruments. I sold my Apogee Ensemble.

My T-60 with a maple fretboard is still up for sale at Elderly Instruments in Lansing -- see this link. If it sells, I will eventually get a check. If it doesn't sell in another month or so, I think they will want me to go down and get it.

The most valuable guitars are gone now. There are some more I could sell. There are some others I probably can't sell at any price, because they need too much work, or aren't worth anything. I'm thinking that over, considering what I might keep. It's a hard choice. I'm considering Operation Rip Off the Scab, which would involve selling all but three instruments -- my favorite bass, my favorite electric guitar, and my favorite acoustic guitar. Also, some of my loose gear and pedals -- pretty much everything I might be able to get a little money for, some locally, and some on eBay. There's also Operation Guitarpocalypse, which is like Operation Rip Off the Scab, except I don't keep anything at all.

Operation Guitarpocalypse assumes that within six months to a year I'll be able to get back into music. But what if a job still doesn't come around? My last few guitars will only net me enough to pay our energy bills and other expenses for maybe another two months at the outside. They won't pay the mortgage. They just keep us from sliding into debt before the end of September or October. That's no way to solve a problem, just kicking it down the road for another two months. I've played guitar on and off for almost 35 years. It's been a very important hobby to me and I've hoped to do more with music, not less-- more performing, and more recording.

Honestly, I don't actually need a collection quite like the one I had. I had sort of a mix of goals with that -- some of them I was planning to hold and attempt to re-sell after they had appreciated in value, some were for different tones for recording, and some were honestly just because I wanted to try different kinds of instruments. The re-selling thing has not worked out. Even though I bought them used, and made lowball bids, and bought them for as cheaply as I could, mostly on eBay, I will be getting less than half of what I paid for them, on average. So I guess I mostly have to chalk it up to experience and maybe learn something from this.

If I'm really going to play guitar, performing live or recording, I need a handful of well-chosen instruments and gear that sounds good. Is the best way to eventually get to that point to get rid of everything now, in the faith that I'll be able to set up a new studio and get some different instruments in the future -- maybe better-chosen stuff, making choices informed by my experience with the current gear and instruments? Maybe. Really, it comes down to my faith in the future -- my ability to get a good-paying job, to have a little free time and a little extra money, and to make better decisions. Dear reader, what do you think? How do you come to grips with giving up things you love? And are you feeling sanguine about your future, these days?