Come Clean...

[steinwand]

sound > reputation

[Instrospection]

I've had all sorts of gear over the years. As i've got more discerning, there's a few things that I consider, and it's always between:

 

--sound

--build quality

--features/ tweakability

--reliability

--holding it's value

 

For me, holding it's value is last in line after the other four factors. And I play gear as cheap (and good) as a Bad Monkey, all the way up to a Keeley Time Machine Boost and through vintage, collectable amps. But I do like to know that what I buy now, holds it's value. I have alot of pedals that aren't technically worth much, and for me, it's not worth it to sell them--but some of them are also at the point where i've found a better pedal, and they sort of largely sit around. I have to sort of buy upscale now, because if something will be sitting around because i've found something better, it is nice to know that it's worth it to actually sell and go through the hassle of listing it in the classifieds and getting tire kicked and whatnot.

 

Most of the time when I sell stuff, i'm not in a desperate need of money, nor do I try to price gouge. It's just stuff that I haven't played in a while or don't play much, and being someone (like alot of people here) that quite frequently buys on the "what I want" rather than the "what I need" philosophy, it's a given that there's going to be stuff that I don't play after awhile and/ or find something better....impulse buys that aren't quite so great in hindsight. It is nice to have an investment in some stuff that holds value well, because if one has a couple of expensive overdrives and only one is getting action, then one can offload one and trade it for a top of the line effect (chorus, flange, vibe, etc) without having to break the bank and start all over in having to invest in cheaper pedals in that vein and then working up. Because in alot of cases, you definetely do get what you pay for, and that learning curve starts right at the bottom again.