I know this is kind of weird but I almost feel bad when I put gear away for long periods of time.
I recently put my Maschine MK3 away because of software issues from the latest update (Plus NI has really just been royally pissing me off for the last two years) and even though I know I’ll eventually use it again, I feel guilty for having such an expensive item not being used and just taking up space.
I only do it if it fails repeatedly/becomes unreliable. It breaks my soul into tiny, charred bits. I can’t sell it or give it away, so it ends up collecting dust. I never have the heart to trash it, so it stays around as a reminder of what I’d once had or hoped would be. There are too many to mention and probably more to come. 
That’s how I’m starting to feel about the MK3. The last few updates have been troublesome and have ultimately made Maschine unreliable for me. I don’t feel right selling it, especially because it’s pretty worn in from heavy use already, but it hurts a little to see something I used to enjoy so much just pushed to the wayside.
I only feel bad about having spent $$ on something not being used. Offloading it on ebay tends to help with that though.
Ask NI support how you can rollback till you feel comfortable with the newer versions of Maschine
I was going to initially but ultimately I found it easier just to put Maschine aside for the moment. I haven’t had the easiest time with their customer support in the past.
I feel bad shelving gear just because I know that its $$ just sitting on the shelf but I think its worse if you try to forcefully integrate everything into your music.
shelving gear is a part of gear rotation.
there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. (unless you have 6 hands or so 
)
I regret not using my bass, amp and pedals as much as when I had an actual gigging band. They only make it out of the cupboard every few months or so for a bit of practice, though the bass itself stays out permanently as it looks lovely.
All the electronic gear stays more or less ready to play at a few moments’ notice, except the odd broken thing that it’s way to expensive to get repaired.
The worst for that is the Prophet 600 currently living in another country and in need of fixing. That’s my current major instrument regret, but has been for 20 years or so anyway. At least I got the SH-1 and Juno-60 back from storage a few years back and play both regularly, even if the SH-1 had its foibles and major malfunctions.
I tend to sell too fast to have money for new stuff.
Sometimes I miss some gear that’s not available anymore.
Same here. Always been selling stuff I don’t use frequently.
Although getting my first credit card after years of fighting against having one has changed my attitude a bit. No longer forced to sell anything to be able to afford something new. It’s slowly starting to pile up. I have a drawer filled with pedals that won’t fit anywhere else and some of them are my most recent acquisitions.
Buy a pedal just to shelve it. That’s very wise.
…i constantly put gear out of sight or pick it back from the storage mode…
helps me focus…
it’s a good thing to have not everything in use at all times…and it’s great to rediscover longer forgotten gear and blow the dust away again…
well, there is an issue with shelving gear: dust.
so, i prefer closeting gear. (for the great joy of skeletons 
)
I never feel bad about shelving gear. I bought it to use it whenever and wherever the context calls for it. They are all tools in the end. Does a carpenter feel bad about the tools around his workbench if they sit there unused? Probably no.
Yeah, I’m also in the camp of not minding that gear gets wrapped in bubble-wrap and kept in a drawer for months on end. I tend to use a limited set of gear for each album/ep/whatever that I do and then when it’s time to move onto something new I can see what I’m in the mood to use. I’d rather do that than sell and re-buy leaving myself open to the vagaries of the second hand market.
I’ve also got to the point now where I have pretty much all the bases covered for types of synths that I enjoy and there isn’t so really anything I’m aware of coming out that I would prefer over what I’ve got already.
Got a foot in both camps on this one. I’ve felt bad for shelving gear on a £ “wasted” sort of mentality. Got to the point it that it became a drag even when I was away from the studio. So I sold most of it all with only a handful of regrets. On the other side, I’ve got an A4 and OPZ sitting on the shelf largely untouched for a few months now. The A4 probably hasn’t been turned on this year. But I’m in a bit of a music funk right now and recognise that I just need time before the bug bites again! And if not, I’ll just get rid and only keep a midi keyboard, Push and the OT.
Only advice would be to try and not be flippant when thinking of selling. I don’t regret selling things like the Voyager RME that I bought for peanuts but I do regret not sticking with the OP1 (I got one in as new for about £375 ffs!) as I’m now priced out of getting one again wallet wise and mentally. So shelf and give yourself some breathing space.
Anyone else seeing the double ententre in the subject title?
Anyhow I have learned to appreciate having things unplugged for years, then rediscover them at some point. Having issues in life like kids, ill relatives and crazy ex’s does tend to keep things in a particular perspective.
My last rediscovery was a crusty battle scarred Boss DS1 that was so dusty the orange had turned brown. Thankfully hadn’t left a battery in it.
I don’t feel bad shelving gear, I sell it. I can only own a few things at a time before my OCD or whatever it is kicks in. Started getting into electric guitar and pedals a few years back, that lasted a month before I eBayed the lot. It’s a me thing, I’ve moved so much that I’ve come accustomed to living small.
There’s a real pleasure to take back a gear you left in the corner for a long time. Better : if you had packed it and store for a long time, it’s like a new gear you just bought. Unpack it, look at it as if it was new, remember it’s weight, form and be impatitent to plug it and fonaly happy to make it growl again. If not… sell it 
