Best and worst buy or sale of 2010!

[MAXIFUNK]

With it getting close to end of another GAS year.
What did you buy you loved? What did you buy you hate?
What did sale you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.
Any good trades or bad trades of 2010?

What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?
Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

[Eric***]

What did you buy you loved?

Tech 21 Trademark 60
Godin LG Signature

What did you buy you hate?

Nothing, really. I bought a DI box that I have yet to use, but that's all. I do have a guitar and an amp to sell off, but they're not from this year.

What did sale you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.

Again, not much of anything. I traded away some pedals that I occasionally miss, but I don't regret trading them.

Any good trades or bad trades of 2010?

Only one -- an SX guitar and a bunch of pedals to Commodore 64 for a Godin Redline. I'd consider that a good trade, since I actually play the Godin.

What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?

Hmm. I dunno. Maybe a few pedals? I wouldn't mind a delay or volume pedal, and one of those clip-on tuners would be handy. Also, I suppose I would like to find a Carvin someday, but it's not urgent; I have all I can handle right now guitar-wise.

Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

I'm the "lucky" person who gets annoyed if I have too much crap to keep track of and maintain, so my GAS is constantly at battle with my desire for simplicity. It means that they usually keep each other at bay.

[Commodore 64***]

Worst: The Fake tele I bought for $350. I felt bad about talking the guy down from $400 too.


Best: The Peavey Transtube Bandit I bought for $25, and repaired for another $35 in parts.


Other good ones:
Ibanez Artcore AF85VLS-- Beautiful guitar, wife paid too much at $375, but I still love it.

Trading my '68 Champ for a 1990 Jackson Soloist Pro: The Jackson is beat, but feels and plays wonderfully. Replaced the Champ with a Blues Jr ($275 on CL).


Other not so good:
Trading my MiM Strat for a PRS SE: They were both nice guitars, but the Strat was nicer, in retrospect.

Trading my Michael Kelly for a B-Stock Turser Tele: I don't know what I thought that big "B" punched into the headstock meant, but it sure made it tough to resell/trade at anything close to what that MK was worth. Damn that MK was nice. WTF was I thinking. I'm hoping to redeem myself with a Samick that I have on layaway at GC (It was used and can't pick it up till the 24th of Oct). Since the Samicks and MKs come out of the same factory, as I understand it, maybe I won't feel so bad in 4 days.


Turser Tele:

[Eric***]

Damn that MK was nice. WTF was I thinking.

That you don't like 24.75" scale length, I believe.

[Commodore 64***]

That you don't like 24.75" scale length, I believe.

Ahh yes. Well. That Artcore is 24.75 and I seem to be fine with it. I think that perhaps I was not thinking rationally.

[Bloozcat]

I think I was reasonably restrained this year - whether that's something good or not, I don't know.

I did buy my B-Stock Agile AL-3100M back in February. But, other than some parts and pieces for projects I think that was the only major GAS item.

I must be slipping...

[Katastrophe]

Didn't buy anything, except for strings, this year.

Hated getting rid of: Charvel 275 DLX and Crate amph. I know, they were both imports, but the Charvel was easily the best playing guitar I owned, and it was pointy! The Crate was a good, solid, loud, dependable workhorse amph that one could beat on and still count on it to keep going.

Nothing special, but they were mine!

2010 GAS: I got the bug really bad for a Squier John 5 Tele... Then for Teles in general. Currently afflicted with Les Paul / P90 GAS.

Amph GAS has me pointed mainly in the Fender Superchamp XD direction, but the Mustang 40 watter has my attention, too. So does the Peavey Bandit. Lots of raves about that amph.

The poor economy and lack of a job did nothing to curb my GAS... I just postponed it until I have the money to indulge. This actually gives me the time to look over gear and try it out, without the GAS pressure. I can take my time and pick and choose what's best for me.

[Jimi75]

I almost managed to not buy a piece of musical gear this year. No GAS attacks. When I discovered that awesome sounding 1976 Fender Strat I bought it. It wasn't quite GAS or so, it was just the right time to effect the buy, if you know what I mean, but I could have also survived without buying it.

Another great buy was my pull up bar...although this has nothing to do with musical instruments ;-)

[bcdon***]

Bought a Korean-made Zakk Wylde custom camo on craigslist, had the frets leveled and setup with great low action, and then I installed some Seymour Duncan Blackouts. I love this LP but I love the blackouts even more!

Next on the GAS list is a Hell Guitar from our buddy Syo (with Bare Knuckle pickups) and next year a Mesa Boogie Mark V (well, maybe not next year, but someday).

[kiteman]

*With it getting close to end of another GAS year.

I'm ready for Thanksgiving.

*What did you buy you loved? What did you buy you hate?

My Bogner Alchemist 112 combo and a Kustom Defender 5H head. None that I hated.

*What did sale you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.

I didn't miss selling two guitars, a 100 watt tube half stack and an MFX pedal to get the Bogner.

*Any good trades or bad trades of 2010?

I got a Jackson JS20 Dinky with a Duncan Distortion pup in bridge for my Fender G-Dec Jr combo. It's one of the guitars that I sold for the amp.

*What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?

There isn't any, I'm out of room.

*Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

I guess I'm that lucky person though I only have 3 guitars, 3 tube amps, a solid state bass amp and 2 MFX pedals. Think that's enough?

[marnold***]

With it getting close to end of another GAS year.
What did you buy you loved?

My Jet City JCA20H and JCA12S, baybee! Rawk!

I also like the used Boss DD-3 that I got in like-new condition for a song.

What did you buy you hate?

"Hate" is probably a strong word. I bought and returned a Digitech Hardwire Valve Distortion pedal. I bought it in an effort to give my old AD30VT a decent hard rock/metal tone that I liked. The pedal itself was great but it couldn't overcome the shortcomings of the amph in that regard, IMO. So back it went and I bought the aforementioned Jet City.

What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?

I "need" nothing. I've looked a bit at Agile P90 Goldtops or some kind of flying V, but that's more window shopping than actual GAS. I've also toyed with the idea of getting a bona fide metal pedal

Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

Regardless of the economy, I rarely have a significant amount of disposable income, so my GAS is curtailed by reality more than anything else. I love my new amph, so I'm not looking at anything that way. Most guitars I look at, I find something that I don't like about it or something I would change. It almost always involves making it more like my DK2M one way or the other. What's the point when I already have one?

[Bloozcat]

As a good friend of mine is fond of saying, wants create needs...

In reality anything more than 3-4 guitars and 2-3 amps is really just "gotta have it" and not real "need".

A Strat, a Tele, a humbucker guitar like an LP, and an ES-335 type and you can cover just about anything. OK, maybe a P-90 guitar just to fill that niche, but is that really a true "need"?

A Fender clean type tube amp, a Marshall type tube amp for grind, and a small 5-watt tube amp for practice and you've got amps covered.

Boy, I'm sure glad I don't follow my own logic...

[Eric***]

As a good friend of mine is fond of saying, wants create needs...

In reality anything more than 3-4 guitars and 2-3 amps is really just "gotta have it" and not real "need".

A Strat, a Tele, a humbucker guitar like an LP, and an ES-335 type and you can cover just about anything. OK, maybe a P-90 guitar just to fill that niche, but is that really a true "need"?

A Fender clean type tube amp, a Marshall type tube amp for grind, and a small 5-watt tube amp for practice and you've got amps covered.

Boy, I'm sure glad I don't follow my own logic...

I agree with this, but to take it a step further, I've found that anything over about 3-4 guitars total (including acoustic/bass) in my house makes me a little fidgety. I'm always wondering about adjusting action, pickups, string changes, tunings, cleaning, humidification, etc.

That's not to say that I think everyone should follow those guidelines, but I personally get distracted when I have too many guitars and amps around. Right now, I have 2 amps and 4 guitars in my room, a powered monitor and mixer at my friend's practice space, a small amp on loan to a friend, and a powered mixer/PA in the basement. That's almost too much, but I'm keeping it as is for now.

As stated earlier, I like simplicity. One day I'll achieve it. I think

[kiteman]

Boy, I'm sure glad I don't follow my own logic...

Why not?

[MAXIFUNK]

I should answer my own thread.

With it getting close to end of another GAS year.
I better not buy another thing this year or I'll have to hire a lawyer.

What did you buy you loved?
1a. American special Strat HSS currently my most played practice axe.
1b. Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine Bass head & PowerHouse 1200 Bass Cabinet
My B-day present and holiday present to myself still leanring it but so far WOW!!!
2. CV Thinline Tele my on the go guitar it goes to work with all the time light weight great sound and feel.

What did you buy you hate? nothing

What did sale you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.
Have not sold anything yet but its time to sell my Flextone III XL & my Fender FMT HH Tele.

Any good trades or bad trades of 2010? no trades

What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?
Guitars: Fender Blacktop Strat maple neck, Ibanez DN500 (DARKSTONE).
Amps: Egnator Tweaker, Mesa Boogie Transatlantic TA-15, Fender SuperSonic. I want a low wattage practice tube amp.

Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

Slowed me down no but I am always sure never to buy something on impulse. I have put 3 or 4 different things on hold this year and walked away from after thinking it through. Taylor T3, SuperSonic 22, Gibson LP with mini humbuckers. and fool and his money are soon to part.

Honestly, anything I buy now would be a want not a need once I buy HH style Guitar I feel comfortable taking anywhere. Because my LP is not leaving the house anymore.

[duhvoodooman***]

1. What did you buy you loved?
   Got a couple of new "major pieces", but my best acquisition would have to be the used Squier Classic Vibe '50s Tele I picked up. Not only is it a great guitar by any standard, but it was dirt cheap to boot. Honorable mention: Ebony finish Agile AL-3000 Les Paul copy and my new Mesa Transatlantic TA-15 amp head.
   
2. What did you buy you hate?
   Nothing.
   
3. What did sell you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.
   Nothing
   
4. Any good trades or bad trades of 2010?
   N/A
   
5. What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?
   Undecided.
   
6. Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so much gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.
   "....rarely ever get GAS anymore"?? Ha-ha! You're funny!!
   
   I use proceeds from my pedal sales, or sales of existing gear for all my new gear acquisitions. So my GAS habit is "self-funding", so to speak....

[Brian Krashpad]

With it getting close to end of another GAS year.
What did you buy you loved? What did you buy you hate?
What did sale you wish you hadn't now that it is gone.
Any good trades or bad trades of 2010?

What is brewing on your potential GAS need list?

Has the economy slowed down your GAS or are you that lucky person who has so mush gear that you rarely ever get GAS anymore.

Both of the statements in the last sentence above are true of me. Been flat as a floogie all year, but frankly I have more gear than I need anyhow. So it all evens out.

I've made a couple gear deals over the last year despite the above though. Both, however, were always specifically intended as "flips" where I could make a little coin by buying and then re-selling on craigslist (for those outside north America, that's an online classified ad website). I'd only ever bought one guitar previously with the intent to flip it.

The first one was a Squier Vintage Modified series Thinline Tele:



I had the above Tele for a couple months. Played it several times in church, and for half (played one set with my Special Jet, the other with the Thinline) of a gig with Cinnamon Hill, my side "hippie" band. So I had the use of an extra guitar for a couple months, got to play my first Thinline Tele, and made 20 or 25 bucks on the flip. Not a bad way to make a little extra dosh.

The second one I flipped was a Squier Tom Delonge Strat:



This one required a little work. It was missing the Tele-style volume knob, one tuner, one bridge piece, and set up badly. I replaced the knob, tuner and bridge piece (lucked out on the tuner, my buddy and former bandmate who's a luthier at a local shop had an exact replacement in his parts bin) for about ten bucks, cleaned all the gunk off, and readjusted the bridge to get it playable again. Don't recall exactly what I paid or sold it for but iirc I made 50 to 75 bucks on the flip, net. Despite that the body was cosmetically beat up. Unlike the Tele I had no real interest in the guitar other than to make a profit on the resale.

Almost forgot, I did buy a piece of gear that was neither axe nor amp, got a 7-slot guitar stand for $25, like new, off craigslist:



Turned out the seller was a fellow veteran in the local scene's rock wars I'd know for quite awhile (not the first time that's happened, haha). I usually keep it up in the choir loft at church for all the band to use, quite handy for that, then steal it back for my band gigs. Gets rid of the clutter onstage.

[Jx2]

Best Buy: Fender Champion 600, I love this thing!!

Best Trade: Washburn Vindicator & $50 bucks for a Epiphone Les Paul Birdseye Maple Classic.

Worst buy: Washburn Vindicator, played great in the store, never played it once I got it home.

GAS: Hagstorm Viking or Epiphone Dot, Resonator Guitar, a good OD and reverb pedal and a 15w tube amp.

[Blaze]

Use Line 6 DL 4 --- Digitech RV7 ----- Use Pedaltrain with case at great price ..

Love all of them