The Guitars I REGRET Selling MOST!

This is why I'm NEVER selling my guitars, great video, man!!

I actually had to sell my first guitar pretty recently, but i'm okay about it, I wasn't super attached to it, it was just a basic Squier strat in candy apple red, I called it Rosie, after AC/DC's Whole Lotta Rosie. I got it as part of a starter kit to start learning on. The guy that bought it was looking for something basic for his daughter to start learning on, they came to collect it one evening and they were really happy with it, the expression on the girls face was one of complete joy and excitement, and I could tell she was grateful to her dad for getting it for her (I sold them the whole kit guitar, amp, gig bag, cable etc) it made me happy that a dad was supporting his daughters desire to learn, something I was sorta denied as a kid, so ultimately it was a positive experience for me, my only regret is that the money had to be put towards bills etc rather than a bass like I wanted haha. I'm way more attached to my 2nd guitar, a black Gibson SG that I'd saved up for with left over money from the Download Festival in 2019, so hopefully i'll never have to sell it, I would regret that for sure.

The only guitar that I kind of regret selling, which I actually pawned, was my first guitar. We were super broke, and I sold the guitar in order to buy groceries. I don't regret it totally because we got to eat and I found a really good job the following week, so we bounced back nicely. The guitar was a Lotus, Les Paul copy, which I do own again today. And, even though the second guitar is almost identical to the first, it's just not my first guitar.  I have tried not to dwell on the loss of that guitar, and I have since come to believe that somehow, maybe losing that guitar was a blessing. Because, in my quest to find this same guitar again, I came across so many other really nice guitars that I ended up buying. So, in my quest to find a copy of my first guitar, I was led to all of these other guitars which I ended up buying. I am pretty sure that the guitars that I ended up buying is something that would not have happened had I not lost my original Lotus LP copy.  Today, I have about 35 guitars in my collection, but at one time it was closer to 80 guitars. I have since donated about 15 guitars and amps to students and music schools because I think it's important to help musicians who can't afford instruments. I also don't think that I would have been prone to donations had I not pawned my first guitar. So yes, I do believe that it's kind of been a blessing.  And, as much as I love the guitars that I own today, I also don't want to get so attached to them that I can not part with them for the betterment of others. I recently gave my son a Gibson ES-355, Johnny Marr replica guitar, which I really loved. I bought this guitar because I am a huge fan of Johnny Marr, but I gave it to my son because I am an even bigger fan of his! Even though I loved that guitar, I want to be able to do things like that without any kind of regret. I've tried to turn regret into something positive, and I am hoping that I will still feel this way in the future.

The one I regret selling was a white Washburn Solar V that was Ola's signature before he started his company. It was kinda like that wand scene from Harry Potter cause it just fit me so perfectly and felt immaculate to play. But I had some financial troubles one year and sold a few guitars including that one. I really wish I kept it. I've been looking at the newer Solar ones but I'm kinda afraid I'm going to buy one and it's not going to live up to my memory.

That Yamaha you had was almost certainly an RGX of some sort rather than a Pacifica.

I've had a few guitars that I missed greatly after selling. The first and most important was my 3rd ever guitar, my 1993 Jackson Dinky in the stone finish (which was only available for a couple years). I had seen it in a local music store and immediately fell in love with it. It played great and really fit the music I liked to play. My dad bought it for me at like 500 bucks or something. I eventually sold it to a music store on the way home from a Guitar Center because I wasn't sure I was going to make it home (I had no gas money). I took only 150 dollars for it, with the case, and then the guy handed me a check. It was an all-around bad deal for me, and I have no idea why I didn't at least ask for cash. At the very least, I didn't run out of gas on the way home. That story has a happy ending though. Once the regret set in, I started tracking stone finish Jacksons on eBay and Reverb for a couple years until I finally found the same model again in 2020. It's been my main guitar since, and I've recently had Dimarzios put in. Another guitar I regret selling is my Epiphone Les Paul Standard Pro. It was in a blue burst finish that was gorgeous. Most of the ones I had seen had flamed maple, but that one was quilt. I think that guitar had the best sound and playability of any guitar I've owned for a variety of styles. The Jackson is clearly best for shreddy distorted stuff, and the same goes for any other really quality instruments I've had. This Epiphone had a lot more variety, and I haven't been able to fill the void it left. I traded it at a guitar show for a Gibson SG Special, which I later realized had been repainted and had a neck repair. That SG played horribly, and the pickups were so hot they were unusable with any of my presets. They said Gibson on them, but they were really bad. I don't regret getting rid of that guitar, but I do regret eventually selling the guitar I traded it for. I was traded an ESP LTD EC-CZ-II Clockwork Zombie guitar, which was a limited-run Eclipse model (It's kinda like the EC-1000). It had EMGs, which I've never had before or since. It could be tuned down pretty far and still sound pretty good. I used it as my main guitar for a little while, alongside a DBZ Guitar which I only sold recently. I sold it because, at the time, I didn't really want to do much metal stuff. It's a bummer that I got rid of it because nowadays it would be a godsend for recording. Thankfully, I've been much more careful about what guitars I keep and sell recently. It turns out, even if you like a guitar, there's sometimes a point where it's just not going to be of much use anymore. I recently sold my DBZ guitar and my Burny Sustainer guitar, which were both very good and got a lot of use for years. However, I don't regret selling them. I got everything out of them I was going to get. It was time to move on. Now, I only have 2 guitars and one bass (My original Stinger Betacaster, the Jackson, and the bass is a recent Jackson JS2). I wish I had a bit more variety, and I do miss some of those other guitars, but I have all I really need. (thanks for reading if you did. I know it's wordy. I'm not good at cutting out the fluff).

A friend gave me a guitar that, though not super expensive, was just right for me. But for some reason, when I was trying to reduce my stuff, I thought I had given it to Good Will. For years I regretted my mistake. Then one day, during a move, I opened up a hard guitar case I had lying around and there it was. I was so happy. I learned my lesson and still have it.

My first guitar was a Christmas gift when I was about 10. My parents got divorced about 3 years later and my mother sold all my stuff at a yard sale while I was with my dad. I am 47 now and I found an identical match on EBay. 🤘Guitars are art🤘

I had a 70s Japanese Greco Strat copy at one point that I ended up selling when I was in a tight financial spot. I sold it to a local musician who still owns and plays it, so on one hand I'm glad that it went to someone who appreciates it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't hugely regret it. Sometimes tough choices had to be made, even if you later regret them.

I had a 90s charvel in the 90s. It was mettalic fleck green with emgs and a maple fretboard. It basicly played itself it was so nice. And i pawned it to pay rent and then didnt have the money to get it back. I got 1k for it and he put it at 2k in his shop and it sold in like a week! I was heartbroken!! THANKS FOR BRINGIN IT UP MAN! 😆

i started playing when i was really young, got my first 2 electric guitars around 9 or 10. i stopped playing for more than a decade, and the guitars just sat around collecting dust at my mom’s house, and then at my ex’s. i though about selling them so many times, never thought i’d have a use for them again and just saw them as an emergency fund. well, i picked up playing again a little over a year ago, and i’m so grateful i didn’t get rid of them. whatever forgettable amount of cash i would have gotten for them pales in comparison to the amount of joy they give me now. definitely influenced my approach to buying and selling, i try to be really considerate before picking something up or moving something along. haven’t been hit with a regretful sale yet, but im sure it’ll happen to me eventually haha

This video is really affirming because my experience is a little different. I was set to trade my Charvel TX Custom (tele style, with ivory pick guard) for an Ibanez RG. I found the Ibanez on craigslist and had communicated with the person selling/ trading it. We were set to meet up the next day when I suddenly got cold feet. I texted the guy and told him I was sorry, but I didn’t think I could trade the guitar. He was super gracious replying, “I totally understand… I’ve been there, and I’ve regretted letting some guitars go in the past.” I don’t play that guitar a ton, but it does have a lot of sentimental value. Every time I do play it I’m glad I didn’t let it go. I ended up buying an Ibanez RG that I traded for a different RG. I’m very happy that I made the trade, and so is my friend who traded with me. Win/ win! Great video…really enjoyed it

For me, it was a beautiful, purple Ibanez RG I bought in Japan. It had great action and an amazing sound even with the stock pick-ups.

The Yamaha guitar you had was probably the RGX 321FP. My model is the RGX 121FP, it has a huge Yamaha logo on the headstock like you said. Great guitar indeed. I've upgraded mine with emg kit zakk wylde. Sounds awesome.

I still have me first squier strat and I’m so glad I never sold it. I still have the next 15 guitars I bought too unfortunately. Love you Mike, you are such a great guitarist and my favorite YouTube channel.

I have three: A Rickenbacker 4001 bass, a Washburn Nuno Bettencourt model, and a Gibson custom shop Flying V with a Kahler trem.

Love your vids man!

Great video, I love your content! I love your John Mayer techniques video.

I havent sold any of mine but hearing your stories was like walking through time. It reminded of where I was and the circumstances behind obtaining my axes. My very first guitar was bought off a street busker by my mom when I was 15. I'd love to know the guitars story or his reason for selling it to her. Itd probably make me sad though. Thanks for sharing Mikey.

I had an Epiphone Les Paul Custom that I worked really hard and saved up for when I was 14-15. Around my mid 20s there were a few years when I wasn't really playing that much but was really into audiophile gear and low on cash so I traded it to someone looking for a first guitar for their daughter. I traded for a set of Beyerdynamic DT 990 headphones and an O2 DAC/amp. I had so many great memories made on that thing and still check the classifieds every day for it.