bitflipper Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 I've just returned from what will undoubtedly by my last visit with a longtime friend, business partner and musical collaborator. He's in hospice and seriously sedated, so there was no conversation, just an eye blink to let me know he recognized me. I've known this guy since 1975, when he was my booking agent. In 1993 we started a software company that's still going, even if my heart's not really in it anymore. That enterprise bought my house, so I'll always be grateful that he came up with the initial idea. I've spent the last three nights sitting around the dining table with his wife and daughter, telling stories. The dude was a player back in the day, but I was careful to include only tales suitable for a mixed audience. I was delighted that all of my stories were new to them. We did have some adventures. Then his wife led me to the garage and begged me to identify all the stuff he had in there. A lifetime of never throwing anything away has resulted an incredible collection of musical instruments and electronics, some valuable, some not. Thousands of dollars' worth of lighting and video editing gear. I suggested Craigslist, since they live in a small town out on the coast and it's unlikely she'd find a buyer there who could appreciate such treasure. But I did bring home five microphones with me, four of which are Beyerdynamic ribbons, two of them a rare matched pair. The fifth one I've yet to identify. It looks like an SM-58 but doesn't say that, just that it's "dual impedance" - but I don't know what that means. I'll try to post a photo in case somebody here can identify it. Plus I snagged a box full of XLR cables, which I always need more of thanks to my mic-cable-eating pup. I think she'd hoped I'd load the whole mess into my van, but I'd only be transferring all that stuff from his garage to mine. Just goes to show that you can spend a lifetime accumulating cool stuff but in the end it's just stuff. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Joad Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) Sorry to hear that, my brother was in hospice in Yakima (Cottage in the meadow) such a nice name. he left a lot of stuff to sort through. Edited March 12, 2023 by Old Joad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rain Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Sorry to hear that, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Unfortunately, I've lost several over the last three to four years, most well before they should have gone! That's just part of this game called Life that kinda sucks. Very awesome that you were able to give something to his family though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) 11 hours ago, bitflipper said: I think she'd hoped I'd load the whole mess into my van, but I'd only be transferring all that stuff from his garage to mine. Had the same experience a week ago Saturday at a “celebration of life” (although he and I had nowhere near the same relationship as in your case). Suggested she try Reverb.com. Boxing and shipping amps and guitars is a pain (why I passed on helping). there’s a message here for all us “hoarders”! Just sayin’…. ”loss”; is it something we ever get used to? t Edited March 12, 2023 by DeeringAmps 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InstrEd Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 It was good you got to go see him even if he couldn't talk to you. Just being there was good for both of you. Sometimes you don't have to say anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henkejs Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Sorry to hear about your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bapu Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Sad news about your friend, collaborator and business partner Dave. Of all the musicians I ever played with about the only that has more "stuff" than me (musically speaking) is Chas Sandford. As long as my son is around when I press on to the other side, he'll know what to do with everything in my studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwal³ Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 sorry to hear this x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookie Jarvis Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Sorry to hear Dave, friends are hard to come by and old friends even more so! Bill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 I've been thinking about how to dispose of my musical stuff when I die. It would be quite the treasure trove to the right person, but my family wouldn't know what was valuable and what wasn't, or in some cases even what to call it in a Craigslist ad. The last time I gifted a family member some gear, it went straight to the pawn shop. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Joad Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Gift it to the goodwill, some luck dog will be grateful.🤩 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Walton Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 22 minutes ago, Old Joad said: Gift it to the goodwill, some luck dog will be grateful.🤩 I shop at thrift stores every week, but a large portion of that kind of stuff will never make it to the floor. It gets sorted and sent to eBay auction or other outlet where someone is buying it for closer to used market value instead of making someone's day with a find. And the stuff that does make it to the floor, way more than half the time is going to be snatched up by a reseller not a musician. If someone doesn't have family that wants it and doesn't need the reale value of the items, I'd go with donate to school, church, music lesson studio/teacher, etc those are options where equipment can be valued and actually used not just making someone else money. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Smith Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 Sorry to hear of your loss. I haven't been back here for a long time and decided to pop in. This is a stark reminder of my own situation which I won't go into. I have lots of gear, probably nothing compared to what you have. I plan to sort it all and just keep the stuff I know I will use. Hopefully I'll still be around for awhile yet, but at this point there are no guarantees. I have found it really doesn't take huge piles of gear to make decent music. It's all mostly the musician. Recording tech is great if one knows how to use it, but that can be overkill as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 14 hours ago, bitflipper said: been thinking about how to dispose of my musical stuff when I die Prepare the ads now (if you have someone that can handle it. In my case my daughter). Cull the stuff you really don’t need (I’ve been working at that some). My biggest concern is the four Amazon parrots that will surely outlive myself and my wife. A parrot is basically like a case of herpes, they never go away…. t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Joad Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 14 hours ago, Brian Walton said: I shop at thrift stores every week, but a large portion of that kind of stuff will never make it to the floor. It gets sorted and sent to eBay auction or other outlet where someone is buying it for closer to used market value instead of making someone's day with a find. And the stuff that does make it to the floor, way more than half the time is going to be snatched up by a reseller not a musician. If someone doesn't have family that wants it and doesn't need the reale value of the items, I'd go with donate to school, church, music lesson studio/teacher, etc those are options where equipment can be valued and actually used not just making someone else money. Good point. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bitflipper Posted March 13, 2023 Author Share Posted March 13, 2023 I've met many people before who have a parrot. But no one with FOUR of them. Sheesh. Do they all talk at once? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 1 hour ago, bitflipper said: I've met many people before who have a parrot. But no one with FOUR of them. Sheesh. Do they all talk at once? Barbershop quartet??? 🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bapu Posted March 13, 2023 Share Posted March 13, 2023 2 hours ago, bitflipper said: I've met many people before who have a parrot. But no one with FOUR of them. Sheesh. Do they all talk at once? In my previous life (marriage) we had three parrots: an African Grey, a Yellowhead Amazon and a Yellow Crested Cockatoo. It was pure chaos (hell) when they all three started talking (and /or screeching too). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted March 14, 2023 Share Posted March 14, 2023 The parrots live in what I call “The Birdie Condo”. It’s a free standing shed, 10’ x 12’ with a 16’ x 16’ roof. There are cages indoor and out, (about half the outdoor cage is covered by the roof) with a crawl thru so they can come and go as they like. It was built because I had 2 blue and gold macaws and one of the yellow nape Amazon living in the front room. Chaos, just as Baps described. t Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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