Should it stay or should it go?

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Rodgre
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Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Wed Apr 28, 2021 3:53 am

I'm going through a lot of unused gear that I've had in storage for a long time and planning to sell a bunch of it.

Two pieces that I'm undecided about, I'd like to get your advice on whether I should keep them or pass them on. I have a pair of Ashly SC-50 compressors and a Symetrix 501 compressor/limiter, which I've loved for years, but haven't been using as much outboard gear to track with in the last 5+ years. These units were really good sounding workhorses for me and really useful for specific tasks when tracking. The thing is that I'm not sure if my workflow is ever going to change at this point. I've been using external preamps to get into ProTools but just haven't been using outboard compression.

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While these units were pretty well-known in the 2000s for being pretty cool, they aren't coveted enough to make them worth ten times what I paid for them. If they were LA2As or 1176s, that would be a no-brainer, but theses are basically the kinds of things you saw in old school live sound racks in the 70s-90s. If I sold them, I might not miss them, and I would probably be able to buy replacements online pretty easily. On the other hand, unlike a lot of other gear I would like to purge, they don't take up that much room to keep.

Also, I am planning on building a brand new studio space in a barn on my property in the next year. Once that is set up, I might change my workflow and start tracking through compressors again for certain things. It might be worth it to save them at least until I now how I will be setting up the space.

So here I am. I could talk myself into keeping them or selling them and I'm torn.

Does anyone have a similar experience that they could discuss? Does anyone have any strong feelings about those particular units?

Thank you
Roger

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:04 am

I've got that Ashley in my rack as well. Same deal for me too. I use way less outboard than I used to and when I track with compression it's usually my LA3A on a vocal and even that is occasional. Still, I love the Ashely and keep it in place. I like what it does on bass and guitars enough that even if i only use it a few times a year it's worth the rack space.
I get feeling torn about selling certain pieces. There are some things I can purge without a second thought and others I agonize over. I've got a '59 Supro Super short scale guitar that's been that thing for a few years now. It's affectionately named Pinky because some previous owner was kind enough to carve that into the back. I rarely play it. The scale is so odd for me that I never really took to it and I don't really enjoy playing it. Still, it sounds so good and is so god damn cool that I back down every time I'm about to purge it. Pinky and I will likely be together for many more years. I can't bring myself to break up.

One other factor in favour of hanging on to certain things and likely a sign that I'm becoming an old man, used stuff costs way more than I think it should now. Even things that I paid too much for a few years ago seem like a good deal now.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by losthighway » Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:25 am

My 501 is still a loved box in my control room. However, it is more often used as a color/effect than as a transparent gain reduction device. Sure you can set it at 2:1, or 3:1 and knock off 3-4 db and it's pretty smooth, but I like what happens to this box when pushed. The kind of grain and saturation you can get out of it is awesome. I've never loved the sound of something blown up through a plugin, this box is one part of my palette for making things gnarly.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by digitaldrummer » Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:17 am

5 years? :D I usually make this evaluation about every 1-2 years. did I use it last year? Do I plan to use it this year? Is it just so cool that it doesn't matter and I'm going to keep it anyway? Or do I have some other sentimental attachment to it?

and although I have never owned those particular pieces, I've gone through a lot of outboard gear phases and then always sold almost all of it off again when I realize (again) that in my workflow I just prefer the convenience of plugins and doing things in the box. the things I have left typically fit the criteria above, or they end up on the chopping block. oh, and drums? don't even get me started...
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Rodgre
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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:24 am

losthighway wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 5:25 am
My 501 is still a loved box in my control room...... I've never loved the sound of something blown up through a plugin.
This is the best reason to keep this stuff. I like the Symetrix for the same reason. I love the limiter in it. It can crush a bass and you don't even hear it breathing heavy. That's why I bought it. I have a bunch of other Symetrix stuff that I always liked as well, but have no real connection to them like I do the 501.

There is truth in that I never love the sound of "pushing" plugins, meanwhile certain pieces of analog gear have a way of not really distorting, but getting "bigger" when pushed. Sure, I can use saturation plugins to get a bit of that color, but when I was tracking with outboard gear, I wasn't necessarily thinking "oh, I need to use this device to add saturation to this sound." I just used whatever it was to do it's thing and it would just sound "better" and I didn't think about it. Now it feels like I have to THINK about it. I'm veering off course here, though.

I'm glad others can see where I'm coming from. These are not compressors that are going to get me any gigs and they're not worth multiple times what I paid for them 20 years ago, but they're like having a couple of extra solid screwdrivers in your toolbox. You're never going to look in there and say "Hmm, well, I can only screw one thing at a time. Why do I need 4 screwdrivers?" Still, you just don't know, and it won't kill you to just keep them. So I will rack them up together and hold onto them for when the time is right.

I don't have as much affinity for my, also great sounding, but inexpensive, ART Pro-VLA, other Symetrix boxes, etc....Those will be on the yard sale table in a couple weeks.

Thanks
Roger

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Rodgre
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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:36 am

digitaldrummer wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:17 am
5 years? :D I usually make this evaluation about every 1-2 years. did I use it last year? Do I plan to use it this year? Is it just so cool that it doesn't matter and I'm going to keep it anyway? Or do I have some other sentimental attachment to it?

and although I have never owned those particular pieces, I've gone through a lot of outboard gear phases and then always sold almost all of it off again when I realize (again) that in my workflow I just prefer the convenience of plugins and doing things in the box. the things I have left typically fit the criteria above, or they end up on the chopping block. oh, and drums? don't even get me started...
I wish I had that personality/mentality. I have been collecting gear since I was a teenager and have purged very little of it over the years. Since I've been a lifer in this business, I can look at certain pieces of gear and say that I might have used such and such twice in 20 years, but those two times I used it, it was the perfect thing.

If I can be honest with y'all, when my last studio that I ran for 20 years closed in 2012, I bought all the gear and put it into storage. Most of it has been there since then. 6 units pared down to 3 at this point. Back then, I thought I would need everything when I started a new studio, but instead I started working at an existing place that already had gear and so I only brought out the really special pieces of gear and left the rest in storage. Not to mention that the whole industry changed and one no longer needs as much physical gear to make a great record. We no longer need to process all this stuff at mixdown, so having 20 compressors of varying quality from valuable vintage units to consumer units that just do their job (Alesis, Behringer, Aphex, lower end DBX, etc) but aren't anything special, is just not necessary anymore.

So here I am paying over $7K a year to store gear that I just don't need to do what I need to do. You don't have to tell me how ridiculous and stupid that is. Multiply that by 9 years and I could have bought all that gear four times over by now. Sometimes out of sight/out of mind is just how it goes.

I've never been one to use something for awhile and then flip it. It's just not in my DNA. I totally get the mindset of "if you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it" but for me, a year is not a long period of time. I have so many specific tools that I haven't used in years, but I still believe could make or break a recording based on inspiration, more than just sonically. I have no problem parting with gear that is utilitarian and not special to me, but stuff that's unique and unusual, I have a very hard time parting with. Want to talk about my hundreds of guitar pedals? Do I really need two AC30s? Yes. They sound totally different!

There is a lot of psychology happening here.

Help me my friends!

Roger

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Recycled_Brains » Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:02 am

When I had a 501, I paid $60 for it. Totally worth it.

I just checked reverb and they're anywhere from 200-400$ now. I wouldn't pay $200 for one. Only reason I bring it up, is because you mentioned easily buying another down the line if you decide you want one again.
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Rodgre
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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:32 am

Recycled_Brains wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:02 am
When I had a 501, I paid $60 for it. Totally worth it.

I just checked reverb and they're anywhere from 200-400$ now. I wouldn't pay $200 for one. Only reason I bring it up, is because you mentioned easily buying another down the line if you decide you want one again.
I'm seeing them (sold listings) between $120 and $200 for the most part. I believe I paid $150 for mine about 15 years ago. Since it's probably worth more to me to keep than it is to sell, I will probably keep it.

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=sy ... _sold=true

Roger

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by drumsound » Wed Apr 28, 2021 10:28 am

I never sell anything, even though I should. I have an Orban EQ I never use, and an SPX900 that sometimes gets used as predelay to the plate. I bought on of those mic robots, and never use it. Its sitting in the box...

That said, I think the Ashley is super cool, and I'm keeping mine even if its only used once in a blue moon.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by markjazzbassist » Wed Apr 28, 2021 12:38 pm

due to everyone getting COVID stimulus checks and the ususally used gear market place jump, prices on vintage (anything pre 2000) is at an all time high. you could likely liquidate those units (even if the gear is working or not) and buy yourself a luxury sedan. you should think about listing it all, or hiring someone to list it all and let them have a cut. if i lived closer i would totally do it (i sell on reverb all the time), but alas i do not.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by winky dinglehoffer » Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:27 pm

Rodgre wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:24 am
other Symetrix boxes, etc....
Roger
If you're getting rid of a Symetrix 606, let me know. I might be interested.

On another note, I am totally pro winnowing down the gear flock. It seems like for many (most?) of us, there will always be pieces that don't see much use but are either hard to replace or are perfect for that one thing they do. But I also understand the burden of storing all that stuff--the pain of cutting it down to a manageable menagerie will be offset by the relief of not having to pay quite so much in storage fees.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by standup » Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:39 pm

I have a Symetrix 501, it's on an input channel I might use for tracking bass or a room mic. Or guitar. Or something else.

Not getting rid of it.

I did get rid of an Orban EQ, I wasn't using that.

But simple gear that's useful when tracking I'll keep.

Oh, and the Orban 111b spring reverb I'm probably keeping forever.

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:44 am

standup wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:39 pm
Oh, and the Orban 111b spring reverb I'm probably keeping forever.
I have one as well. Things like that are obvious keepers to me. I have a small collection of spring reverb units that I haven't been able to replace with plugins. Those are the sorts of things that can be inspirational and not just "tools" to get a good sound. That said, do I need three? I have the Orban 111b, 2 mono Furmans that I really love and a stereo MicMix Master Room unit. I debate on parting with the MicMix, as the Orban seems to cover the same territory.

Roger

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by Rodgre » Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:52 am

winky dinglehoffer wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 7:27 pm
Rodgre wrote:
Wed Apr 28, 2021 6:24 am
other Symetrix boxes, etc....
Roger
If you're getting rid of a Symetrix 606, let me know. I might be interested.

On another note, I am totally pro winnowing down the gear flock. It seems like for many (most?) of us, there will always be pieces that don't see much use but are either hard to replace or are perfect for that one thing they do. But I also understand the burden of storing all that stuff--the pain of cutting it down to a manageable menagerie will be offset by the relief of not having to pay quite so much in storage fees.
I wish I had a 606. Nope. Just some 202 preamps, a few 528 channel strips, possibly a 525 compressor and a 201 preamp/EQ. I love the 202s. Real sleeper workhorse preamps, but at this point, I have more high-end preamps for tracking and just don't need all the "workhorse" units I did 20 years ago. Digitech VTP-1, Aphex 107, Gaines MP-1, M-Audio DMP-3, DBX 760X, etc.

I love that you used the word "winnowing." Also the word "menagerie" If I can save that $7200 (and rising every year, because, if you didn't know this, storage facilities keep raising your monthly rate every year because they know that many customers are lifers and are just going to store stuff there until they die and then it becomes someone else's problem. I got several units at different times and they've all increased in rent separately every year, with some bullshit notice they'll send me about an increase in overhead, inflation, blah blah blah. It's just how they "getcha".) I can certainly invest that into something more useful like a nice comfy control room chair!

Roger

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Re: Should it stay or should it go?

Post by winky dinglehoffer » Thu Apr 29, 2021 6:00 am

Rodgre wrote:
Thu Apr 29, 2021 4:44 am
. I debate on parting with the MicMix,
Roger
I sold mine years ago & still regret it. Never had an Orban, but it's definitely in a different category than the Furmans--more mannered & controlled than most spring verbs.

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