My progress in this course and completion of it are terms my wife “set” before purchasing new gear. It’s either gear or guns and ammo…
1 Like
That’s a tough choice
1 Like
Even having grown up an avid shooter, giving up guns and ammo was super easy for me (and frankly they had become more of a hassle than anything towards the end). Giving up music… no.
I did have a nice M1A, Kimber, and H&K too. Selling the M1A was a little tough but it felt good to liquidate it all, to be honest.
So, I came across this beauty…
…and wanted it REALLY badly. But I came back to this thread to remind myself that I can’t get it.
See? It’s working.
5 Likes
I’m not a “gun person”; nothing against them, they’re just not “my thing”. So…
…I had NO idea they created such an explosion when they were fired. I mean, I knew there was AN explosion - gunpowder and all that - I just didn’t know it looked like that.
Wow.
1 Like
That’s a Smith & Wesson Model 500. Its 50 caliber beast! Sara took that photo at precisely the right time. The human eye rarely catches such things, but the camera misses nothing.
3 Likes
No shame there. I did it for years but it feels much better without them, to be honest. They are a lot of responsibility to own, when you think about them for what they actually are anyway.
Revolvers also “leak” gases between the cylinder and the barrel when fired and so look a bit more flashy like that. Semi-autos, it all comes from the muzzle.
1 Like
It’s how forensic scientists can determine whether you recently fired a gun - microscopic residue from the gun powder will stick to your hands (which is partly why some people wear gloves when firing a gun; but the residue can even be on your clothes…)
2 Likes
Gunshot residue (GSR) from a wheel gun (revolver) spreads like crazy. But semi-automatics like Glocks and the like also issue GSR.
There are specific products that clean GSR from a shooter’s hands. They help remove the toxic powder residue so it’s not accidentally ingested or rubbed into eyes.
1 Like
You can sometimes literally smell it without even needing a forensic lab, yeah.
2 Likes
Big time, you can smell it. I’ve done competitive handgun shooting (USPSA and Steel Challenge). Afterwards, even with hands washed with D-Wipes, the smell of GSR is heavy in an enclosed space, like a car.
1 Like
I was reading through this thread and my mind immediately went to guns and fishing rods as items which I collected and sold at a loss for a period of time, until I reached a stage of feeling bloated with the collections and the frantic mindset. I collected WWII-era rifles for a long time and the money wrapped up there was massive. After two decades of spending far too much discretionary income on rods and rifles, and then settling on the handful of each that I truly had legitimate use for, I felt fortunate to delve back into guitar playing at a stage in my life where I had gotten past the “shiny object syndrome” tendency. I have one bass and three electric guitars (a hollow body, a solid body, and a baritone); that’s going to be it. I doubt that I’ll ever be able to outperform any of them.
Tim - I wish you the best with keeping your resolution!
2 Likes
Thanks. It’s already been a challenge. After a couple of months of nothing, Reverb suddenly has 1 Kiesel, and 2 pre-Kiesel Carvin, 4-strings that I’m drooling over. What’s making it worse is I only have access to one of my 2 keepers right now, as one is in the shop.
But I’m holding tight! 
2 Likes
Have you considered entering the business of buying and selling the instruments that you love so much, even as a side gig? When I say “business”, I mean “for profit”.
2 Likes
I did!
In fact, my current Carvin was purchased solely for me to flip. Unfortunately, I started playing it and got attached. So, I’m keeping it and selling another.
That’s a problem for me, bringing the basses in and not getting attached to them. The other is that to sell for a profit, I need to buy them cheap, or buy them reasonably priced and attach some value to them (clean up, testing, case, yadda yadda), which requires time I don’t have.
Eventually, though, if I ever retire from my career, that’s definitely a retirement option.
1 Like
You’d need to open an LLC or something equivalent and get a direct line to the instruments through distribution (if this is how instruments are sold; that business model is dying in a number of markets as manufacturers move more towards selling directly to retailers and consumers). If you’re able to go directly to the manufacturer as a dealer, then you have some margin to work with. Of course, you need to know whether the market is there to support another retailer.
You probably know all of this.
2 Likes
So, tangentially related to this thread, I just wanted to give a nod, a tip o’ the hat as it were, to Charvel for the San Dimas Pro-Mod IV bass. It’s become my “go-to” bass, and because I’m seeing it not as something that could be sold or traded away at a moment’s notice, but as something that is “mine” and will be here a while, I’m developing a higher comfort level and appreciation level for it.
Anyway, if anyone’s looking for a nice PJ bass, I’d recommend it.
For whatever that’s worth, I mean.
2 Likes