Letting go...How?

[Oldguy64]

So, we moved into a smaller home as the kids have mostly moved out.
My guitar room has become a corner, and I’ve gone from four guitars to 10.

I’m trying to downsize the guitarsenal.
But only one guitar stands out as having little history with me.
My case queen, gets little play time. And is basically the best all laminate guitar ever made.
It’s also the guitar that my Dad (may he Rest In Peace) helped me buy the day I graduated from nursing school.
My solid body Acoustic was kind of a rescue, and it’s been Frankenstein’d into an ugly, but much better guitar. It’s also the last guitar I played for my mom before she passed away.
It goes like that for each guitar.

I’ve got one for sale, I call her “Stinky” as she belonged to a smoker before coming to me.
I had to have it “restored” as it had been defaced with a huge sticker on the face...and a long crack as well.
Both are fixed and the git is all polished up. It plays and sounds fantastic...still stinks. But it’s a heck of a guitar.
And that’s just three...
How do you let go? With little to no regrets?

[Shades of Blue]

Honestly, unless you just literally have no space to store the guitars, then I'd keep them all and just not add any more. If you do need to get rid of them, then apply the "last in-first out" mentality.

First, identify the ones that you can't sell due to sentimental reasons. Let's say that turns out to be 6 of the 10. Take the 4 remaining, and start selling based on the newest in the collection. I'd venture to say that the newest guitars have the least amount of sentimental history, right???

If you have made smart purchases over the years, or have too much sentimentality assigned to each guitar, then the only solution is to move again...


EDIT: I re-read your OP and realize that there is another solution. Would it be possible to give a portion of your guitars to your kids? Do you trust them enough to take care of them and not sell them? Sure you could gift a couple guitars to the kids and then free up space???

There are really only two guitars that I will never part with. The first is my Seagull S6, which was my dads and the guitar I learned on. The second is my '61 Thin Skin Strat. I bought that the week before my father-in-law died and it turned out to be the best strat I've ever owned. It reminds me of him. An honorable mention goes to my PRS SC245. It was signed to me from Paul Reed Smith himself at a meet and greet. I no longer like the guitar, but I keep it as a keepsake from the event. One expensive keepsake! haha.

[muscmp]

there is sentimentality based in a lot of things throughout our lives. if some of those THINGS mean a lot to someone, then they may want to keep them forever. after you are gone, they will be kept by family or gotten rid of.

hope this helps.

play music!

[guitar george]

The same way you downsized when you "moved into a smaller home". You got rid of "stuff". Everything has a bit of a story and some memory associated with it, but, only the most sentimental need to be saved. With guitars it's usually the best sounding ones that you might also want to keep. Realize that they are only stuff that is taking up a lot of room and you have no need for all of them. You have to be brutal.

[Steadfastly]

It's usually a case of being more realistic than sentimental. Take some pictures and savour the memories.

[woodbox]

This can be a tough situation.

Reminds me of a song I wrote 25 years ago when I was downsizing.
The chorus goes like this:

If it's gone, let it go
Ya only got so much time dontcha know
If you can change it, do it
If you can fix it, do that too
But if it's gone, let it go

With your guitars, as you describe them, the connection to them is NOT gone.
It's still there.
You are still attached to them.
So keep them.

But if/when you find that it has changed, if your connection has faded or altered,
then you won't need to ask the question about how to let go...you'll just do it.
Cuz when it's gone, ya let it go.

[smurph1]

I recently had to thin my herd. It wasn't easy but now I have the guitars I really want.

[cotten]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

...I’m trying to downsize the guitarsenal...

Sorry, but this is probably against the rules on this forum! But on the chance that you insist anyway, here are some suggestions:
1. As Shades mentioned, do what you can to keep the guitars you need to part with still in the family. But first, make sure a written, laminated story goes with each one. Keep a copy, complete with pictures, or even better, a video of you enjoying that instrument, talking about why it is important to you.
2. Find an appropriate place to donate it to. (I once helped grease the wheel for several guitars to be donated to both a local veterans home and a center for music therapy for adults with developmental disabilities. These instruments, though not worth a lot of money, sure brightened the lives for a number of people!)

cotten

[Oldguy64]

Funny thing, I actually have a list in my head of what I’d replace the entire lot with if the house burned to ground tomorrow.
That list is four guitars.
One is guitar I already have and would replace with the same thing.

The way I figure it, is a Stellar 12-string (562ce, 356e, etc), a stellar six string (Yairi DY62c, WY1, or Takamine GB7c, or Glenn Frey signature, etc)
And a good carbon fiber travel guitar(Journey Instruments OF660, Rainsong, etc)
And maybe something “iconic” (Gibson j45, Martin D18, Guild D55).

Y’all have given me much to think about.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

...I’ve got one for sale, I call her “Stinky” as she belonged to a smoker before coming to me.
I had to have it “restored” as it had been defaced with a huge sticker on the face...and a long crack as well.
Both are fixed and the git is all polished up. It plays and sounds fantastic...still stinks. But it’s a heck of a guitar.
...

Go to your local tool rental store.

Rent an ozonator (aka ozone-generator) for the weekend for $30.

Put it in your car front seat. In the garage if its cold - you dont want guitar cold.

Leave a window open 1-2" as a source of O2 and to run extension cord in.

Put guitar in open case laying on back seat of car.

Let it run for 4-6 hours on high setting.


Come back and be amazed that there is not one particle of smoke smell and, as a bonus your car (used as a closed container) smells like new also.


O3 is an irritant to your lungs and removes useful O2, so dont do this with people or pets around. Let the car air out with open windows for an hour.

1) do this
2) be amazed
3) respond here so everyone sees how real this is

[Guitars+gems]

Yeah, guitars are just objects, after all. Keep the ones you play and find another way to cherish the memories you've associated with the others. For instance, maybe the actual last song you played for your mother is more important than the guitar you played it on. The guitar your dad helped you buy seems very important to you. Maybe enjoy it by hanging it on the wall instead of keeping it as a case queen. That would free up some floor space. You did say it's laminated.

[ChrisN]

I used to hang onto cars and motorcycles, while also agonizing about moving them along, arguing that "they're art - they're beautiful." The long-suffering wife said, "it'll still be beautiful in someone's garage. Take and frame a nice picture to keep the memory." I did so, and she was right.

I don't have any problem selling off guitars. In fact it's a bit too easy to do. I simply do not get attached to things, even if they were associated with a dramatic and memorable human interaction, such as you mention about getting a guitar from your dad. Maybe I'm just unemotional, but I simply sell the guitars that don't sound or feel right to me. My wife however, is just like you, in developing emotional attachment to things. I'm quite attached to people however, just not to the things associated with them.

[JGinNJ]

If you have sentimental attachments or feel forced by circumstances to let go of instruments, it seems likely you'll resist or regret it. It depends on your personality, too, if you're a saver (or hoarder!) or a minimalist, etc.

The last time I downsized before briefly moving into an apartment, I got rid of guitars I didn't "need" or play much- a Strat copy, a Backpacker, an old dred. No regrets, though now that I'm settled in a house they've all been replaced with guitars I play all the time!

I have taken pictures of instruments I've had a long time, had some attachment to, but finally sold. I don't regret moving them along, though. In those cases, they'd gotten old and ratty, and I replaced them with new instruments that played better for me.

[1Charlie]

How about applying a cost/benefit analysis to the decision-making process.

Step 1: Assign a page in a notebook to each guitar.
Step 2: Assign a realistic sale price to each guitar, and write it at the top.
Step 3: Make two columns on each page.
Step 4: In the left-hand column on each page, write down all of the reasons you pick it up and play it (tone, playability, sentiment, etc).
Step 5: In the right-hand column, write down all of the reasons it stays in its case (scale length, nut width, size, won't stay in tune, doesn't do it for you musically).
Step 6: Assign a score (1-10) that sums up each column overall.
Step 7: Create a ratio for each guitar (Column A/Column B).
Step 8: Factor in the realistic sale price to the ratio.
Step 9: Sell the five guitars with a combination of the highest resale value, lowest upside and largest downside.

Having said all that, I have never had to guts to downsize. I know the day will come, but I am not there yet.