I regret not trading my Les Paul Jr for something better, but I got impatient and traded it for a Dano and a vintage acoustic, only to find out the Dano and acoustic were worth a combined like $350 where the LP could have nabbed at least $500.
I don't regret the fact that I traded it though. The p90 sounded like shite(well, more like I just grew out of the sound of it, but it didn't do cleans well at all) and humbucking dogear replacements are hard to find. The dano sounds tons better though it may not play as buttery.
I was fortunate enough to find my perfect guitar early on and still have it, but I also used to buy and sell stuff all the time. Usually to upgrade my amp or try a new sound/guitar combo. Some of the things I wish I had back are:
- My first Mustang purely for sentimental reasons. I got it for 150 bucks and after playing it for a few years I got my blue guitar so it wasn't seeing much use. I think I got 200 or 250 when I sold it, so I thought I came out ahead.
- A '64 Gibson SG Junior that had a single P90 in the bridge position that was really nice. It was neck heavy and at the time I didn't really dig the P90 sound and I needed a new amp before going on tour. I paid 800 for it and traded it straight up for a 100 watt tweed Peavey Classic head.
- There was a 100 watt HiWatt Lead that was totaly awesome, but didn't have a reverb and I refused to use a pedal. I think I paid 400 for it and traded it for:
- 70's Ibanez Iceman. I loved everything about that guitar including it's goofy looks. It was a black neck through with 3 pickups and had been modded with a bunch of toggle switches. I picked it up at local second hand guitar shop and after the deal was made the guy said "you know Al Jourgensen brought that in". I sold it to buy a Jazzmaster that I ended up hating, which in turn got sold too.
Hmm, everytime I get misty eyed about some guitar I sold I just remind myself why I sold it, for example Tele Custom clubby neck & forearm burn, then don't regret it.
I do regret selling my Mustang, only becasue the guy was a bit of a twat.
Also my Vox Continental Organ back in the 90's, I sold it for what i paid (about £250) they go for over a grand on the bay these days. Plus I'm told it belonged to the Specials at some point.
I regretted having to sell my '65 RI Mustang but now I have Stewie's old '72 so I'm pretty much made up. I've always sold to buy and get to where I am now, so everything was sold with a reason in the same way Benecol alluded to new life being breathed into the new purchase by the purge of the old. I wouldn't trade back anything I've gotten rid of for anything I have now. I've generally sold guitars and amps to good homes, so there's no badness there either luckily.
I do miss the Telecaster Deluxe, Baja Telecaster, Marshall JVM, Marshall JCM800, countless pedals from time to time but I regret NATHING
This is the warmest, most organic synth I've ever owned. I sold it because I needed something more practical for gigging with my band at the time. Huge mistake. I bought it for $900 ten years ago and they usually go for $2K + now.
-50's harmony stratotone - sold to fund my first acoustic.....they're worth double now what I sold it for. I loved the guitar but the pickup was too weak for me.
-70's royce LP copy - got for free but sold for like $45 on ebay. It needed more work than I could do to it, but I feel like if I had it now I'd be able to sort it out
-60's Truetone shortscale hollowbody - Great little guitar, the neck was like butter with perfect frets and it was in great condition all around. I sold it because I was planning on selling more guitars as well to fund a guild acoustic (crappy fender california made one) that I wanted at the time but I never followed through with the other sales. I made a slight profit but I still wish I had this one.
Effects
-USA Big Muff Pi - wood box, non-true bypass model. Traded it straight for a DOD Classic Fuzz that fit my pedalboard better.
-Digitech XP-100 Whammy
-Probably more than I can count but right now these stand out
Amps
-60's Airline tube combo amp, forget the model. I traded it in towards a GR33 and GK2 pickup (WHY?) because I felt my amp needs were all met by my 1970 Fender Twin
