To those who had to sell multiple guitars before moving...

[blue]

Originally Posted by rmp

I don't either

we have 8 chairs for our dinning room set.

I aint selling 6 of them so I only to move two.

I have close to 20 guitars

we had a house fire last march, (didn't loose any)

I took all of them up to my brother inlaws about 20 minutes away

once we moved to temp housing, I took most of them there

when we moved back home in January they all came back home..

I never for a sec. thought of selling anything.

We're all different. For me it's a chance to start over. 21 years ago I was still playing out in Surf Bands, and playing things like Metallica and Van Halen was what I did for fun at home, along with country blues. By 2003 playing out started being a "sit in because Tom is travelling and we need a rhythm man" situation. I had discovered Slack Key and Celtic. Still played some Shred but not as much.

Today? John Lee Hooker, Muddy, Elmore James era electric blues, Country Blues, Slack Key, Celtic, and early Jazz/Ragtime make up almost all my playing. I still will run through some Classic rock, and the aforementioned Halen and Metallica type stuff, but don't need a floating trem shredder anymore. And I have two!

I'm going to do a reset in more ways than one.

[blue]

Originally Posted by DCCougar

We entrusted a lot of expensive stuff to the movers. But not my guitars! I put 'em in my car and Mrs. Cougar's van for the 700 mile move.

My last move was 8 miles! I got spoiled by that! Depending on the final landing spot, and the legalities involved, the free space in the car will be for firearms...

[rmp]

Originally Posted by blue

We're all different. For me it's a chance to start over. 21 years ago I was still playing out in Surf Bands, and playing things like Metallica and Van Halen was what I did for fun at home, along with country blues. By 2003 playing out started being a "sit in because Tom is travelling and we need a rhythm man" situation. I had discovered Slack Key and Celtic. Still played some Shred but not as much.

Today? John Lee Hooker, Muddy, Elmore James era electric blues, Country Blues, Slack Key, Celtic, and early Jazz/Ragtime make up almost all my playing. I still will run through some Classic rock, and the aforementioned Halen and Metallica type stuff, but don't need a floating trem shredder anymore. And I have two!

I'm going to do a reset in more ways than one.

I think that's a fair point of view to consider.

I still can't see myself parting with guitars I've had for 25/30 years regardless of the current situation.

[The Watchman]

To the OP, if you dont have a emotional attachment, go ahead and put them open the market. My local guitar shop will sell on consignment. When I wanted to downsize, I took three guitars and an amp I didn't need, and traded them in for one keeper. I may do that again.

[Highroller]

I’m not sure how many people “set a goal” of selling X number of guitars because they’re moving.

For one thing, a moving van isn’t UPS. Depending on how carefully you pick your mover, once your stuff is on the truck, it stays there until you arrive at your destination. It’s not going thru 5 different hubs and being transferred from truck to truck. That makes it somewhat safer than “regular” shipping.

I did a 3000 mile move several years ago and moved everything. Guitars in their cases, cases in guitar boxes, plenty of padding around in the empty spaces. Believe or not, GC was a great source for guitar shipping boxes. I got close to 20 from them, all free of charge and they were happy to help.

Amps were a little more problematic, as none of them fit standard sized boxes. I mostly just wrapped them up in serious amounts of bubble wrap and hoped for the best.

To my relief, everything arrived OK and in good shape. So it can work out.

I don’t know about the market in WA, but here in Portland too many out of work people due to the pandemic and everybody seems strapped for disposable cash. Lots of demand for cheaper gear, the higher end and esoteric stuff sits. I tried moving an American Standard Strat on CL a few months ago and pulled it back off when I couldn’t get a fair offer. Now granted, Strats are common as dirt, but this was a fairly nice one! I did manage to move a few lower end pieces just before the holidays – parents buying gifts for their kids. Timing is everything!

Take the “moving” part out of the equation and let’s say you just want to thin the herd. No way to know how long it will take. Depends on what you have and what you want for it. But once you’re committed to selling, there’s no reason to wait. My advice? Get it done … before you change your mind!