Can't afford to be in a band

[Bassnut62]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1407774925' post='2523880']
imho conspicuous consumption is a bad thing despite what the government is telling us about 'growth' and what advertising tells us about how insecure and inferior we will be if we don't aspire to greatness and buy the latest crap... which of course is so much better than the previous crap...
[/quote]

+1 to that

[Bassnut62]

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1407778578' post='2523948']
Most of todays second hand gear was yesterdays must have equipment and it will sound / play as well as it did then.
[/quote]

Too true. I have bought all my gear (except one Sandberg bass) on that exact principle over the last 30 years of playing. I now have what many would consider a primo collection of vintage gear that would cost maybe more than £20k to replace. It has probably cost me more like £5k over 30 years, i.e. av. £167 pa. I have done this by reacting fast and buying and selling at the right moment; i.e.only buying when a good piece of kit that I reckon I would like has been in the small ads for a bottom-dollar price and mostly only selling when someone really wants to buy something I have and will pay top-dollar. I am not a dealer or a collector, just applying a bit of common sense, time, patience and diligent observation to the market, as well as surpressing the false urge created by the advertiser/consumer relationship described in the Bertbass's comment that I quoted above.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Bassnut62

[fumps]

I supose the thing we are missing here is the weekly/monthly payout of practice etc.
I dont think gear is that bad because once you have it you can always improve on what you have.

I live on a shoestring budget & could not afford to be in a band that practices loads simply because i could not afford fuel & cash to pay for a practice session every week.
I recently jammed with guys who I really enjoyed playing with but had to drop out because I was too embarrassed to tell them that I couldnt afford to pay for sessions, fuel & the obligitory few pints afterwards, every week. It does burn into your pocket if your on a tight budget.

[CamdenRob]

I've seen many a player with considerably cheaper gear than me sound twice as good as I ever could....

[Bassman Steve]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1407828457' post='2524289']
I recently jammed with guys who I really enjoyed playing with but had to drop out because I was too embarrassed to tell them that I couldnt afford to pay for sessions, fuel & the obligitory few pints afterwards, every week. It does burn into your pocket if your on a tight budget.
[/quote]

That's a real shame. I have been in bands where I've covered another guy because of his circs because they've been a nice guy/good player and I don't imagine I'm remotely unique. Never be embarrassed by your situation. Remember this (I don't know who said it) "those who mind don't matter, those that matter don't mind".

[bonzodog]

There is nothing wrong with my gear (apart from amp failing) and I didnt mean that I should expect to have better gear. My point is that all my gear bas been bought because thats all I could afford. I really like my JHS vintage but I didnt buy it because I liked the sound, I bought it because it was the cheapest I could find. The same goes for my amp and cab. I think it would be nice to be able to go into a shop and by a bass or amp after liking the sound.

I agree on rehearsal fees too. I try to get a gig every week which means we rarely have to pay for a rehearsal to learn new covers

[BigRedX]

More expensive gear does not necessarily mean that it's more suitable for you and will make you play/sound/look better.

If you are playing in a covers band it should be entirely self supporting and the there should be enough money to also pay for any band rehearsals (including transport to and from said rehearsal) that are required. If it's not then there's something wrong with the band and/or the way it is organised.

[ahpook]

[quote name='fumps' timestamp='1407828457' post='2524289']
I supose the thing we are missing here is the weekly/monthly payout of practice etc.

....It does burn into your pocket if your on a tight budget.
[/quote]

Very true.

Edited August 12, 2014 by ahpook

[fumps]

[quote name='Bassman Steve' timestamp='1407830605' post='2524318']
That's a real shame. I have been in bands where I've covered another guy because of his circs because they've been a nice guy/good player and I don't imagine I'm remotely unique. Never be embarrassed by your situation. Remember this (I don't know who said it) "those who mind don't matter, those that matter don't mind".
[/quote]
Yeh I know what you mean, Maybe i'm a bit too proud because I always pay my way. I wanted to stay in the band but felt a right git. after most sessions when they were all heading to the pub I made my excuses and went home.
In the end it just got me down so decided to back out. I was gutted at the time.

It's hard when your on such a tight budget, for instance I'm already putting money aside for xmas this year. otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford the season. It's not just being generous for Xmas it's just affording the meet ups, taxi's as well as gifts for each other. I dont live a expensive lifestyle....far from it but it's the odd £1 that adds up to a lot of money.

My heart goes out to the Op. It really is hard work living like this, you have the compulsion to make & play music but you cant afford to actually be in a band. For instance I saved up to buy a pedal that I've wanted for years......the cash was sat in my account & I was waiting for one to come up for sale. Then I get the bill for my sons new school uniform & I have now had to spend the cash......I go on the "Effects for sale" section & there is three of the pedal I wanted that was up for sale ......It's torture to watch them when you were so close.

[Truckstop]

Yeah I feel that way too.

I love my gear but really really really want to be able to go into a shop or browse online and buy something that catches my fancy.

I look on GAK etc and feel that a lot of the pricing of stuff is just completely out of reach for me. Even mid-range stuff! I could really do with a more powerful combo but literally don't have a penny to put towards one. I could also do with a decent back-up bass.

I try to save but I have a wife and a child and I have priorities! New gear is really expensive. A £200 Squier is a lot of money if you don't have £200 to hand.

Truckstop

[mcnach]

[quote name='gadgie' timestamp='1407800543' post='2524228']
Yes, I suppose you're right FF. I was sort of refering to his ealrier post in this thread. See below. But, to label a new car as a wan*kers car just because he chooses to drive about in an old car is IMO not right.
[/quote]

I suspect it was (partly) in jest, prompted by another thread that discreet and I have participated on, where he got rather excited about waxing, but let's not go there

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/242392-choosing-cars-vw-golf-or-audi-a3-a3-14-tfsi/"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/242392-choosing-cars-vw-golf-or-audi-a3-a3-14-tfsi/[/url]

PS: in that case it was a 14 year old Golf and a 6.5 years old Audi A3, not a new Audi, so maybe it's less of a wan*er's car then

[kerley]

w*nkers drive Audi's does not mean all Audi drivers are w*ankers of course.

There did seem to be a shift where a lot of the w*nkers moved from BMW to Audi once they heard that BMW's were driven by w*nkers. They didn't realise they in fact were the w*nkers due to their massive lack of self awareness - w*nkers

[ash]

There is great budget gear out there these days. The Vintage Icon series are superb basses and there are cheaper derivatives of big brands such as Markbass' Blackline series, Eden Nemesis, etc. for amps. Also names that have fallen out of fashion such as SWR and Trace can be bought fairly cheaply on here and eBay.
I used a Carlsboro Cobra 90 combo for years and a Squier Precision. That amp was lent out to many players in my locality and even became our rehearsal studio's in house bass amp - as a result I got free rehearsals! OK it was a revelation when I first played through a Trace Elliot however it did the job and I dare say it's still out there. I held on to my Precision and it sounds and plays as good as ever. I do a lot of buying and selling because I like a bargain but my two keepers are my Squier and my Gibson Grabber and though prices are rising these were essentially budget versions of top brands when first sold.
I do think the best investment is a good amp. I can make a reasonable attempt at playing most basses and I've gigged with bashed in Kay's, Hondos, and also some very posh instruments that I've regretted buying because of their complex circuitry or shininess having a good amp ( and I include my old workhorse Cobra in this as it was 100% reliable ) can make all the difference.

[discreet]

Which begs the question: Do w*nkers buy Audis and BMWs as a matter of course - OR, does the [i]ownership[/i] of an Audi or BMW somehow make the owner [i]become[/i] a w*nker??
And now, back on topic.

Edited August 12, 2014 by discreet

[ash]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1407842139' post='2524488']
Which begs the question: Do w*nkers buy Audis and BMWs as a matter of course - OR, does the [i]ownership[/i] of an Audi or BMW somehow make the owner [i]become[/i] a w*nker??
And now, back on topic.
[/quote]

I did try to steer it back

[Norris]

Buy this [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peavey-Databass-450W-Bass-Combo-Amplifier-/221516069526?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item339362fa96"]Peavey Databass on ebay[/url]

Under £200 and it's a compact monster! It comfortably fits in my car boot, yet can deliver a LOUD 450W on stage.

I've had one for over 10 years. I've replaced the speaker cone twice in that time - which isn't too expensive now that black widow speakers have a bolt-on magnet (simple task to swap it onto the new cone). Peavey will still service the amp at a very reasonable cost & spares are still available.

[mcnach]

[quote name='kerley' timestamp='1407841433' post='2524479']
w*nkers drive Audi's does not mean all Audi drivers are w*ankers of course.

There did seem to be a shift where a lot of the w*nkers moved from BMW to Audi once they heard that BMW's were driven by w*nkers. They didn't realise they in fact were the w*nkers due to their massive lack of self awareness - w*nkers
[/quote]

[mcnach]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1407842139' post='2524488']
Which begs the question: Do w*nkers buy Audis and BMWs as a matter of course - OR, does the [i]ownership[/i] of an Audi or BMW somehow make the owner [i]become[/i] a w*nker??
And now, back on topic.
[/quote]

I'll PM you in 6 months. But I don't guarantee any waxing content

[RockfordStone]

i used to gig with a 50 quid squier, 150 quid behringer head and a 100 quid harley benton cab.... the head and the guitar are still around to this day, might also add that altho my gig rig is now fender and ampeg, non of this is new...
a lot is said about this gear and that gear, but if your gear runs and does the job the fun is in the playing surely?
if the amp has died, rather than buy a new one find a local amp repairer and get him to do it. my ampeg blew on me a couple of years ago cost me 40 quid to get repaired locally

Edited August 12, 2014 by RockfordStone

[Count Bassy]

Just a +1 to all those saying "It's not about the gear". As long as you have something that works and is loud enough for what you want to do, then that's enough -- As a general rule audiences won't know (or care about) the difference.

As has been said, there are some real bargains out there at the moment (particularly with amps and cabs). As long as you're not desperate for the latest thing (e.g. light weight cabs and amps), and don't care too much what name is on it you can pick up decent second hand gear for not very much.
[size=4] [/size]

[Marvin]

I questioned my want for 'better' gear recently when I borrowed the headline bands gear.

Behringer amp and the most roadworn 112 I've seen . It sounded good and the band are booked to be on Jules Holland next year.

Gear is a means of playing, doesn't matter what it is as long as it does the job

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1407847905' post='2524584']
I questioned my want for 'better' gear recently when I borrowed the headline bands gear.

Behringer amp and the most roadworn 112 I've seen . It sounded good and the band are booked to be on Jules Holland next year.

Gear is a means of playing, doesn't matter what it is as long as it does the job
[/quote]

And remember OP, that people go on about Behringer's poor reliability, but a certain amount of that reputation is undoubtedly (IMO) due to the fact that they sell so much stuff. If you sell 10000 units a year with a 1% failure rate that is 100 "Behringer are crap" posts on the net. If you sell 1000 units a year with the same failure rate then that's 10 "XYZ" are crap postings.
Unfortunately people who have no problem with their gear tend not to post about it.

[brensabre79]

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1407847905' post='2524584'] Gear is a means of playing, doesn't matter what it is as long as it does the job [/quote]

THIS x 1,000

I couldn't afford a bass when i started, so i made one. It took me 10 gigs to pay for my first amp, a secondhand Acoustic 301 and Laney ProBass 150w head. Since then I have maintained a situation whereby any bit of gear must pay for itself either by being gigged, or by being sold.

[eightbitraptor]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1407848805' post='2524604']
Unfortunately people who have no problem with their gear tend not to post about it.
[/quote]

I used to work as a developer for an online reviews engine and price comparison site, and this totally holds true. People only ever post reviews when they've had an absolute disaster or when they've got cognitive dissonance and are looking for positive reinforcement of a purchasing decision.

The 95% of people who buy a thing, enjoy it and just get on with using it don't write about it on the internet IME.

[DaveFry]

A good artist can produce equally stunning work with a piece of charcoal or the latest graphics software .