Reminiscing - What gear do you wish you still owned?

[wazkelly]

This time of year reminds me of when I got my first guitar.

It was Xmas 1977 and I had been pestering my parents for a Bass however my Mum reckoned I should learn to play a proper instrument and bought me a guitar instead. Don’t be offended all you Bass players out there as about 5 years later I finally made the transition.

One of my mates had a lawsuit era Off White Ibanez Les Paul that looked like Lindsay Buckingham’s of Fleetwood Mac fame and obviously I wanted a LP too however my parents ended up getting me a Jap Strat copy instead. Name on the headstock was Anson and after doing some research over past few days discovered that it was an Aussie brand that sourced guitars from Japanese factories.

Straight out of the box I was able to pick up the basics but it didn’t take long to figure out that changes needed to be made. First upgrade was Schaller machine heads and installing a 5 way switch. The guy at the guitar shop also convinced me to hand over the guitar for a week for him to have his way with it to make it play and sound better.

When I picked it up he had shaved the neck profile, installed 3 Bill Lawrence blade style pickups in a Mitey Mite black anodised aluminium scratch plate, ditched the 5 way switch for 3 on-off-on mini switches so that he could wire it in & out of phase across all 3 PUP’s He also ditched tone pots for 3 volumes instead, and what teenager uses tone controls anyway? The switches allowed for all 3 pickups to be on either in or out of phase with each other and also neck & bridge could be selected together, something that a 5 way could not do. Heaps of interesting sounds from typical thin Red Hot Chilli Peppers to classic Clapton and Dire Straits were easy to achieve.

At this stage the only original bit was the body which was 3 pieces of 7 ply glued together, yes that is 21 ply all up, with a 3 colour sunburst to hide the rather dull timber underneath. It weighed plenty which in turn provided really good sustain. Not too many photos were taken and I have attached one where it is hanging beside the Ibanez Destroyer/Explorer with my Marshall metal face 100w Super Bass head and Wasp built slant front quad box fitted with 4 x 12" Celestion Greenbacks.

:

Sadly this guitar was stolen around July/Aug 1985whilst playing a gig at Bombay Rock in Surfers Paradise. I had brought it along as a backup for our lead guitarist and hope the grub who knicked it enjoyed this guitar as much as I did and definitely wish I still had it today.

Look forward to hearing what all you forum members wish you still owned.

[GeneralKaos]

Probably the only guitar I wish I still owned is the PRS custom 24 that I sold to one of my guitarists....
I can still visit it whenever I want though!

[Andy40]

I remember Bombay Rock....sux about the guitar waz.

[dave.king1]

I've trod this path on here before but the occasional self flagellation is good for the soul so read on and weep.

In order of loss
L series P bass ( in avatar ) sold when I bought the VI in 1969
64 Fender VI bass. Swapped for 73 Telecaster custom delux and an Echolette around 1975 ( the Tele was an absolute trash guitar and swapped for the 59 mentioned below )
SG Les Paul Custom ( last seen in the hands of Kevin Bennett ) sold to pay a bad man for bad drugs, never bonded with Gibsons anyway
59 Telecaster Custom ( double bound, sunburst, rosewood fb ) swapped for a Shergold Masquarader Custom around 1976 which is still own and play regularly.

The two I would buy back if I had the money and if they were available are the 64 VI and the 59 Tele

[wazkelly]

Pretty impressive collection there Dave.

I was merely a lowly paid Bank Officer who could not afford all the known brands and searched high and low for 2nd hand bargains all the time. As lawsuit era Ibanez were pretty close to the original G or F types that is what I predominately ended up with and below is a summary of acquisitions and sales over past 38 years:

1977 - Anson Strat already mentioned before. Don't think I would buy it back as there are better options available now.
1978 - Sakai SG Bass - Adequate is best way to describe it and quickly offloaded to a mate who became Bass player in 1st band.
1979 - Marshall metal front 100w Super Bass head and 4 x 12" quad box. Probably late 60's or very early 70's and would buy back tomorrow given the chance.
1979 - Yamaha 12 string acoustic. Looked good, great for root chords but a pain for most other things and do not regret selling it a few years later.
1980 - Ibanez Destroyer/Explorer. Bought 2nd hand in very beat up condition but still sounded great until I fixed the broken wing and had it repainted. That killed the tone and made it sound too bright & brittle. Looked great played great, ended up not sounding so good and currently working on PBG EX-1 instead.
1982 - Ibanez Flying V. If I thought the refinished Explorer sounded too bright and brittle this was worse and quickly moved it on. Also a pain to play either seated or standing. Cool looks but a pain overall and best left hanging on a wall somewhere.
1982 - Marshall 50w 2x12" open back combo. Sounded good with the Strat but rubbish with the Explorer and when switching to Bass a few months later did not regret moving it on.
1982 - Purchased the 1st of 2 Ibanez 2369B-WH P Bass with J at Bridge style Bass 2nd hand. Bought the 2nd one from a pawn shop a couple of years later as a backup. Turns out they are nearly as rare as Black Eagles and would buy the 1st one back in a heartbeat.
1985 - Daion Acoustic 6 string. Only thing left from before getting married. Hand made Japanese Guitar with a neck that feels like an electric one. Plays and sounds better than any other I have played since hence why it was the only survivor.
1985 - Rickenbacker 4001 in Azure Blue. Best guess is around 75 vintage bought 2nd hand for $750 and it would easily fetch $2.5k to $3.0k today if still in good condition. This was the only American axe I owned and the one I regret most letting go.
1985 - Yamaha BB1000 Fretless Bass. It was originally fretted and the previous owner had someone remove the speed humps and inserted maple strips so that you could see the fret marker lines to help with intonation. Lots of fun and would also buy it back if possible.
1985 - Ampeg 200w tranny head & 2 x 15" cabinet. Absolute rubbish and couldn't wait to move it on.
1979 - 1985 bought various Boss & Ibanez effects units and as they were all MIJ now worth plenty today. Wish I still had all of them.

Might start another thread for people to share what non PBG stuff they own as it sounds like there would be some pretty interesting gear and stories to hear about.

[tonyw]

I have always until the last 15yrs kept my guitar quantity down to a dull roar.

I was given an old Stella, was my older brothers, i think i was about 9yo and preferred to play drums or sing but gradually persisted and started to play guitar a bit and was learning trad blues (have never been a real good player) was even playing trumpet before this, as soon as i could make a note i always had the trumpet from about 5yo. I ended up falling in love with the Stella and had it for many years until some drunk smashed it up on me about 1970.

I was given for my 11th birthday a 1960 Telecaster and an old amp but i preferred to play acoustic, so this gear sat in the corner for nearly 2years until i joined my 1st band at 13. I loved kicking out the blues with this gear and singing, it was fun being in pubs and venues in Newcastle when i shouldnt have been, and no one questioning why i was there. Returning to the band room one night my heart sank my gear was gone, i still wish i had that guitar, it had so many memories attached to it.

Went back to playing acoustic, 3 part harmony country rock (Crosby Stills Nash and Young was 1st off the rank) i was 15 and had left home when i was approached by some older guys to join their band, but i needed an electric guitar, a Les Paul to be exact. There was no way i could afford that, so i went and saw my my mates brother, a luthier who said he had just what might do me, he had received the goods for money owing to him for repairs, it was a Hagstrom Swede (looked like a Les Paul) and a Marshall Super Lead Mk2. I plugged it in fired it up and fell in love, this guitar had some of the sweetest sounds i had ever heard, asked how much and was told happy birthday $200 the lot as thats what was owed to him when the guy gave him the gear in lew of paying. I gigged this guitar until 1982, then money problems hit and something had to go, i got $1200 for the guitar and amp and still miss that guitar to this day often looking on Ebay for a bargain.

Since then i have never sold a guitar, lost a guitar or had one stolen, but have a few collectables that if things got tight i would be able to flick them off.

[wazkelly]

Great story and sure many others on this forum would have had similar experiences.

End game is to hang on to what you have got as it is not always replaceable.

[Bungee]

When I stopped playing live I decided to cash in on all my gear, and although I would never use most of it again, I do regret it. I decided to keep hold of my strat, as it is my favourite guitar, I also have 2 six string acoustics, but sold everything else. I mostly regret selling my original TS9 tube screamer, they're pretty rare and would love to plug it in every now and then.

I had a heap of pedals and thought getting rid of them was a good idea... Now I realise it was dumb!