Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith
What's the rush? What does it look like? What are the measurements? Can you afford to buy things like this just to collect?
Wanna buy a 200+ year old Bass Guitar? |
That's probably a little out of range. The Storioni bass guitar, I mean. It's really cool, though. I'd have to "sell the back 40" to pick that one up. What's up with the English mystery bass?
I'll get you some photos of the violone, soon. If I put down a deposit, there is no rush. I guess that indicates I'm rushing it. Probably not another buyer in the wings, but who knows, the owner could check out any day and then I'd have to bid for it in some estate / business auction. He's an older fellow. Can I afford to buy things like this just to collect? Well, no, I'd have to find some way to play it at gigs and depreciate it on the ACRS form and write it off. I'd probably end up playing some Vivaldi or Bach or something at weddings with it, once or twice a year. And I could rent it out to the same folks that have been using it. I think there are two Baroque ensembles in Atlanta. I'll be baroque temporarily if I do the deal!
I have 3 bass guitars and one double bass (the Kremonas are now endorsed by Xavier Padilla, BTW). What luck. It's not the greatest bass, but I have to have an instrument that I can play in compromised environments. It's perfect for my DB purposes. My "collection" all of which I play for pay, is not only short by a violone, but also by a nice pair of Smith basses. If I live long enough, maybe these will pay for themselves. If this stuff goes the direction of my '73 Fender, I'll be OK. Or I'll just hold them, use them, and by the time I sell them someone will be asking, "$24,000 for a Pollmann instrument excessive?"
Trust me, I never know what I'm doing. I'm horrible at managing money. I only have hunches. I live on the grace of my luck. I have a bunch of real estate yet to unload, too. Luck, foresight, whatever. I borrowed the $$ to buy the real estate and made 1200% in 6 years. I'm still holding the biggest part of that and it is still going up in value. It has skyline views. I bought a little Apple stock in 2000. Not enough to matter really. But it paid for my new Macbook. And I'm single now with no children. Well, I have a dog, so I have to watch anything with gut strings real close. My worst problem is that I get bored easily and I don't have a day job. Probably have to do something about that soon;- take digital catalog shots or something.
So is the one of a kind Pollmann a good deal or what? I'll get some photos. It's already about 35 years old. According to my thermodynamics theory or whatever, it should be getting sweet about now even if no one has played it much.