I doubt I'd own an bass if I wasn't gigging.
IMO, I'm playing and sounding better than ever, but I don't play for fun. The "fun" is the satisfaction of doing a good job, playing with good players, in a good band and in front of an audience. That's always been the buzz.
I'm on for about 110 gigs this year, which is down on the last 5 years, but that seems to be the way things are going these days. I've got to improve my networking.