I will not create and entry for every guitar, bass, or drum kit that I have had over the past five years. That would be a way too depressing endeavor. I will only be moving instruments here that I have sold or traded since May of 2025.
Yamaha TRBX304 (2025) in Mist Green
G.A.S. hit me and it hit me hard! Then I folded like a cheap suit. That’s all there is to it. So I ended up selling it.
Last month, I bought the above-mentioned TRBX174EW in Tobacco Sunburst at my local Guitar Center. I was forced to endure more than half of the 30-day waiting period that they have for used items and was finally able to pick it up on May 6th.
During my wait, I found myself jonesing hard for a “Modern” bass. I investigated the Ibanez SR300 and the Yamaha. From what I could find online and having looked at both in my local GC, it seemed to me to be mainly a matter of aesthetics. Both are quality builds given their price range with, in my opinion, the Yamaha having a definite edge there.
Years ago (mid-90s if I recall correctly), I had a Yamaha that at the time I thought was “too light” and favored whatever Fender I may have owned. However, given the quality of the used TRBX174EW, I instantly warmed to the Yamaha brand, thus my decision.
The condition of the shipping box that it arrived in was moderately alarming. Fortunately for me, Yamaha knows how to pack an instrument at the factory. I was very impressed that they shipped the bass with additional cardboard padding in strategic places and a nice protective wrapper for the D’Addario XLs that it comes with, keeping the bass safe on its long journey.
Epiphone Sheraton II Pro (2019) in Midnight Sapphire
Over the past three years I have bought and sold two Epiphone ES-335s and I continue to regret selling both of them. The first ES-335 had the “Cherry” finish, the second was “Raspberry Burst”. Those 335s were, in my opinion, the most beautiful, versatile guitars I have ever had the pleasure of owning.
John Lee Hooker is said to have described the Epiphone Sheraton as an “Out-Did 335”. And I think Epiphone’s modern take on the Sheraton captures that sentiment. Its Mother-of-Pearl and Abalone fretboard inlay, the 5-ply binding on the body, neck, headstock, and pickguard are beautiful, classy details not found on ES-335s. The Midnight Sapphire color was what initially drew me to the guitar when I saw it online.
Part of my latest “Gear Purge” I sold it to a family that was really appreciative.
Epiphone Les Paul Modern Figured (2021) in Caffe Latte Fade
A surprisingly excellent impulse buy, I was not in the market for a Les Paul. I never considered myself a “Les Paul Guy”. In the past, I have had two of them. The first one, over twenty years ago. It was an Epiphone Les Paul Standard in Ebony. It was a great guitar that I never used. My second was an Ultra Pro that I picked up in December of 2024 for a really good price.
The Ultra Pro needed to be cleaned up, have some bits and bobs added but overall it was a very nice guitar, just not my style.
Then for some bizarre reason that I still have not figured out, I got an itch. So, I started looking online for a reasonably priced Les Paul.
I found this particular one on American Musical Supply (AMS). It was listed as a “Minor Blemish” product and priced way below retail ($799) for only $447. Well, that destroyed any resolve that I had left.
Epiphone has been absolutely crushing it in terms of build quality, finish, and sound.
Photographs do not do this guitar justice. The Caffe Latte Fade finish is gorgeous, the Ebony fretboard is vastly superior to that miserable Pau Ferro that plagues a lot of guitars, and the quality of the build is perfect.
Initially, I left off the black three-ply pickguard. However, the more I looked at it, the mroe I thought it looked incomplete. So I installed the guard that was included. I think it looks much better this way.
In one of the most bizarre twists, I traded the LP for my Pearl White Swingster and then bought back the Les Paul. I missed it more than I thought I would. And now it’s sold.
Epiphone Swingster Royale (2019) in Pearl White
I picked this up in a trade on June 9th, 2025. I swapped my Les Paul Modern for it. This is the least sure I have been on a trade in a while. The Les Paul was a beautiful guitar, but it did not give me anything different than my Sheraton II. So, there was no point in hanging onto it no matter how nice it was.
Despite my itching for a Jazz Box, I am still undecided on this one. Primarily because of an issue with the neck binding that I did not detect when I made the trip to Sebastian, Florida to do the deal.
The finish on the neck binding seems to have worn off for whatever reason. I cannot figure it out. Maybe the poly was applied too thin, but the binding feels rough to the touch rather than smooth.
To remedy this, I think I will apply several coats of thin poly to the existing binding and see if that helps.
What I do like about the Swingster is how Baroque it is in appearance. With the gold binding on the body, neck and headstock as well as the sparkle of the White Pearl paint. It does sound fabulous through the Fender Princeton Chorus, and I am hoping that as my playing improves the Jazz Box will grow on me. I liked it but needed to be rid of it.
Ibanez Artcore AGB140-TBR (2006) in Transparent Brown
I bought this bass on a whim. I was looking for a semi-hollow bass and (as much as I dig them) did not want to pay $800 for the Epiphone Jack Casady so when it came up in the Facebook Marketplace, I decided to check it out and it came home with me.
In the past, I tried an Epi Viola bass but found the tight string spacing terribly uncomfortable and too awkward to play. The string spacing on this Ibanez is much better but the longer scale (34″) and the neck position relative to the body takes some getting used to.
This AGB140 was an odd duck of a bass. First, it had a single-cut body which I love and you just don’t see many semi-hollow single-cuts. It was also (I’m guessing, anyway) moderately rare. I am basing that opinion on the fact that you can’t find many offered for sale online. Check out Reverb and see for yourself. Ibanez’s current iterations of the Artcore bass are all short scale models. This is a full-scale 34-inch bass.
One of the previous owners for reasons that will forever remain shrouded in mystery, decided to first super-glue a CLIP-ON tuner to the upper bout of the bass. Then, when that failed miserably, they glued it to the back of the headstock. This was a weird bass that seemed to have garnered weird ownership over its 19-year existence.
For weeks after I bought it, I wasn’t sure about keeping it. I cleaned it up, put new flat wound strings on, and listed it in several online marketplaces. There was next to ZERO interest. I received a single DM asking about a trade for a more modern Ibanez.
I do not know if it was the shape, or the color, or the fact that it only had one pickup, but it seemed to be a bass no one wants.
Subsequently, I decided to keep this strange bass and make it my own. It was a One-Trick Pony, but I really liked the trick!
Not too long after creating this particular entry, a gal from Savannah, Georgia DMed me asking about the condition of the bass. She ended up driving the five hours from Georgia to Port Saint Lucie and bought it.
Yamaha TRBX174EW Mango Wood (2022) in Tobacco Sunburst
On May 6th, 2025, I was (FINALLY!) be able to pick up a bass that I bought in April. Guitar Center has a 30 day hold policy for the used equipment they purchase. It was a long two-and-a-half weeks.
I haven’t put round-wounds on a bass for several years now, so this particular Yamaha is a bit of a “test bed” for different ideas. It currenly sports RotoSound Swing Bass 66 strings.
The quality of the build is excellent, the Mango Wood top is stellar and the Tobacco Burst paint job with matching headstock is gorgeous. I am a little unsure about the pickups and electronics so I might swap them out.
Overall, a very decent instrument for an entry-level bass.
