This popped up today in my eBay daily searches:

https://www.ebay.com/str/giftofmusicstore?_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211

Looks like there is an Alembic Exploiter, Ernie Ball MM & a Rickenbacker

Wonder if someone passed and donated to this non-profit.  They auction off non-school appropriate instruments and buy more traditional ones for students.

I got the email alert for the Exploiter this morning. A little pricey considering the condition of the finish, at least on the end.

As far as leaving instruments behind, I've been thinking about this for a year or two now. I plan to slowly start unloading things. I know what the "final" 6 basses will be, and I think I know what the final 4 will be.   I recently sold my 1981 moog Taurus pedals as a start. Next big item will be my 8 string Rickenbacker. I have a list of serial numbers and estimated values for everything for my wife. A couple of days ago I got the idea to assign an executor to deal with whatever is left when I go, but I realized that the person I had in mind is basically the same age as me, so I'm not sure how that might play out. Both my parents died in their 50s. I just turned 62, so I consider every day a bonus!

Considering how many friends of all ages I have lost over the years every day should be considered a bonus. My father lived until just shy of his 94th birthday but my mother died of smoking-related cancer at the age of of 72. I have outlived her but don't expect to make it into my 90s. My wife is younger than I am and the odds of her passing before me slim. She is already freaking out about what to do with my instruments and rare records. I would like her to get the money so a charity donation probably is not in the cards. If I had an ultra-valuable instrument collection and no heirs I would definitely consider having it donated to charity.

I tend to be the worst at actually selling gear instead of buying more but there are a few basses and guitars here that I never will play and should really motivate myself to sell them. I figure that my Alembics will be the easiest instruments for my wife to sell. She knows a number of the local "Alembic crew" and would be able to ask for advice and guidance.

Yeah, as I'm creeping (as slowly as possible) into my low-numbered 70s, this is becoming more top of mind for me. Haven't heard back from my friends with big collections yet, so will ping them again and again until they either answer or block my phone number.

Quote from: StephenR on February 05, 2026, 10:48:13 AM
Considering how many friends of all ages I have lost over the years every day should be considered a bonus.

April 9, 1975, I died on an ER operating table 4 times; that's over a half-century of bonus!  And I really am hoping to stretch it out a little longer, if nobody objects.

Peter

A couple years ago, and again recently, I gifted some instruments to people in my musical circle. Point being, you don't necessarily have to wait.


A good many of the tools in my shop today, indeed all of the bigger power tools, were a deathbed gift from the guy my Dad and me used to whittle on instruments with. He had cancer... pancreatic, bad. Beat it for a few years but it finally got him. This guy had done all kinds of repair work, but his passion was building F-style mandolins, and in his time he completed eight of them. He was literally carving a new top for his very first mandolin that had failed from being too thin, from his bed. There were spruce shavings everywhere. (I later finished it) A day or so before he died, he called me and Dad and told us to go downstairs and clean out the shop. Take it all, he said. Take it all now.

Sell them now. They are causing you undue rest so why keep them? Enjoy your time.

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on February 05, 2026, 02:24:37 PM
A couple years ago, and again recently, I gifted some instruments to people in my musical circle. Point being, you don't necessarily have to wait.


A good many of the tools in my shop today, indeed all of the bigger power tools, were a deathbed gift from the guy my Dad and me used to whittle on instruments with. He had cancer... pancreatic, bad. Beat it for a few years but it finally got him. This guy had done all kinds of repair work, but his passion was building F-style mandolins, and in his time he completed eight of them. He was literally carving a new top for his very first mandolin that had failed from being too thin, from his bed. There were spruce shavings everywhere. (I later finished it) A day or so before he died, he called me and Dad and told us to go downstairs and clean out the shop. Take it all, he said. Take it all now.

Held off pancreatic cancer for multiple years?  That's usually a matter of months; one tough SOB!  My condolences to you and your Pop.

Peter

Quote from: cozmik_cowboy on February 05, 2026, 08:43:53 PM

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on February 05, 2026, 02:24:37 PM
A couple years ago, and again recently, I gifted some instruments to people in my musical circle. Point being, you don't necessarily have to wait.


A good many of the tools in my shop today, indeed all of the bigger power tools, were a deathbed gift from the guy my Dad and me used to whittle on instruments with. He had cancer... pancreatic, bad. Beat it for a few years but it finally got him. This guy had done all kinds of repair work, but his passion was building F-style mandolins, and in his time he completed eight of them. He was literally carving a new top for his very first mandolin that had failed from being too thin, from his bed. There were spruce shavings everywhere. (I later finished it) A day or so before he died, he called me and Dad and told us to go downstairs and clean out the shop. Take it all, he said. Take it all now.

Held off pancreatic cancer for multiple years?  That's usually a matter of months; one tough SOB!  My condolences to you and your Pop.

Peter

Almost 40 years ago now. I don't remember that it started that way, but that's how it ended. And at barely 18 years old, it was really one of the first times I'd seen up close someone just be ravaged by something so terrible. Anyway, he had a sizeable estate and didn't want Dad and me having to pilfer through it all later, or worse, having to argue with anyone over the shop stuff. He wanted us to take it... there was no question that way. We did, and I still have it. Use most of those items every day.

Fortunate to have a son who is a bassist and a grandson who is showing interest.

   

You know, as I think about it, if I'm leaving musical gear to a public school, what if I'm contributing to the delinquency of minors !?!?!?

Quote from: bigredbass on February 07, 2026, 03:13:18 PM
You know, as I think about it, if I'm leaving musical gear to a public school, what if I'm contributing to the delinquency of minors !?!?!?

If any of my kinfolks' progeny are enrolled there, count on it.

All kidding aside, the downside of making a musical gift is it's just that. I've lived to regret a couple. An F-5 mandolin and an RB-170 banjo so far. I hope that kid grows a brain one day. Whatchagonnado? 🤷‍♂️

On the other hand, I gave our family's Kay bass to a young married couple last year as a wedding gift. I'd already given the bride-to-be an L-00, and her husband-to-be one of our banjos before their betrothal. Dad was going to sell Cousin Buddy's old Kay anyway, and their home just seemed like a good place for it to be. I just bought Pops out and made it happen. Now I know where it is. Plus, I don't have to carry a bass over there for jam night.

Sometimes it works out. Sometimes your nephew is a dumbass.

I had to dig back and find this thread. There are probably more along a similar theme, but Mark's was the most recent I could remember.

The reason I came back to it; earlier this week, this old friend of mine (now that I'm old enough to have really old friends) asked if I'd go with him to evaluate an estate of musical instruments, belonging to someone we both had known well. This is part of his business since retirement... he often brokers sales and auctions for well... just about anything. Last month he sold a practically new old-stock Ford Bronco from 1989, got $30k for it. Guy drove from two States away to trailer it home, but it ran fine. Lawn mowers, chainsaws, weedeaters, pocketwatches, pocketknives, even firearms. Being an FFL holder, he can do legal transfers and handle all the paperwork, so when an estate contains these items and there is no one to leave them to, he can sell them. Anyway...

As we all know, musical instruments are often a very sentimental thing. Not just to us but often to a family. This was Mom's guitar, or Grandpaw's fiddle. I hear this all the time in my shop. And sometimes they're just a burden, particularly when there is a house-full of them. So that's where we came in the other day... my friend initially called me because there were two upright basses included that he wanted my opinion about, but also because there were about 30 fiddles, a National lap steel, and a handful of guitars including two vintage Martins. (one of which I was aware of) I am not qualified to appraise violins, but I am educated enough to look over a fiddle and tell; okay, this is a yard-sale fiddle, Strad-copy, probably mid-20th C. German factory, needs cleaning and setup, maybe $300-$500. And the next case contains an instrument in fair-poor condition but with a repair label from 1813, and a grafted pegbox/scroll, and clearly a replacement neck. Okay, this may be a potentially valuable violin, and I should not guess at this - take it to an appraiser. That's me... I know enough to know what not to touch... that's why I'm there. Out of the entire bunch, I found three that I thought were probably investment type items that should be looked at by more experienced eyes, the rest were either wall art, or simply serviceable fiddles. We made the decisions on which to leave as-is and which to set up prior to sale.

I happened to notice while working through the pile, my friend was making an entry into a notebook, cataloging each one, noting everything I said. Then he put a coded hang tag on every case, or directly on the instrument if there was none. That went on until we were done, detailing which ones I would work on, what work I had recommended, and even estimated charges for the work. I couldn't help but notice how casual he was about it the whole time. It never felt like a business proposition... just more like a conversation. I always hate having these conversations over the phone or in my shop with people about old instruments that often aren't worth saving, but my friend was brilliant at it talking to this family. They were glad to see someone giving these things some kind of attention, even if it meant they were going to be scrapped to repair other instruments, as would be the case with probably a dozen of those fiddles. And that was how he put it- "I know who can use these." That knowledge put them at some peace. They were pretty happy to hear that at least a few of them were somewhat valuable. Those Martin guitars were a mix of good and bad news, but either way, they'll definitely sell. Both needed work, one needed serious work. Neither will grace the doors of my shop... hard pass.

We spent almost 4 hours in that house going through a lifetime collection of stringed things, trying to put values on them. It's incredibly hard when someone is standing there watching. I've seen there is some value in having an impartial third party do it, particularly if that third party is working on a commission.

Just something to think about.

If you want to get out in front of it, make a list. Make a card for each one in your collection. Make a hard copy, not just some spreadsheet nobody knows about or has no access to. In addition to obvious things, like dating and identifying it, put stuff in there the average person wouldn't know about your guitar. (or bass, or trumpet, or kazoo) It'll go a long way to helping someone figure out what they are looking at one day.

Quote from: edwardofhuncote on October 10, 2026, 05:02:58 AMIf you want to get out in front of it, make a list. Make a card for each one in your collection. Make a hard copy, not just some spreadsheet nobody knows about or has no access to. In addition to obvious things, like dating and identifying it, put stuff in there the average person wouldn't know about your guitar. (or bass, or trumpet, or kazoo) It'll go a long way to helping someone figure out what they are looking at one day.

None of mine are collectible, and they're all going to the one son who plays - but there is an envelope with my will addressed to him, telling what each is, how & when I got it, which bed the case for each is under, and what work, if any, each needs.

Peter