Justify your Gear!

[paul h]

SX 75JB LTD: Legendary SX bass with the "lawsuit" headstock. Looks great, sounds great. Cheap enough to not need justification.

Probass Retrovibe Aero2: Fender Aerodyne copy/killer. Set neck PJ bass gives me a P option.

Bitsa P with a J neck: Can't really justify this one...but cheap as chips and looks nice.

Barefaced gen1 Compact: Six badly eroded lower back discs make lightweight a top priority.

TC BH550: Fits in a laptop bag, sounds awesome, built in tuner. More weight/gear reduction.

Tonk Bros Parlour guitar: Star player in my quest for country music duo. Hard to justify really. Indonesian made birch plywood guitar, hand finished (ok, stained) in the UK. Bought mainly for it's looks. Plays ok after giving the nut some attention and adding a compensating saddle. I Like "different" stuff.

Harley Benton Deko 4 string fretless bass, Squier Affinity Strat, Westfield LP Jr copy. Cheap enough not to worry about.

[Bobthedog]

[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1455880245' post='2983195']
Justify my gear. Easy.


I like nice things. 'Want' and 'need' are two totally different concepts. Sometimes they align.
[/quote]

I don't feel I ever need to justify anything but if I did, this.

[Graham]

G&L L2500 Tribute
G&L SB2 USA
EBS HD350
EBS NEO 2X12

the only onw I struggle to justify is the SB2, as it gets very little use now I've gone back to five strings, I've been thinking about putting it up for trade, but I do like the idea of having a Precision shaped four string incase I run into one of those band leaders who don't like five strings.

[Rich]

All my basses do very different jobs, i.e. individual sounds or tasks. I have a contemporary hi-fi sounding bass (Shuker), a Jazz (Sire), a P bass (bitsa), a 'Ray (OLP), fretless (Yamaha), 6-string (Ibanez), and acoustic (Tanglewood). I also have my first ever bass (Höfner) and my beloved Wal.
Dr Dave once complimented my collection as "workmanlike" and I think he was bang on the money.

[Roger2611]

I took up playing guitar / bass whilst my mates were out nicking cars, they have criminal records, I don't....justified!

I also have a spare room and no children so as long as it fits in the room again it is justified.

Finally to justify 26 guitars, various amps, many effects, most of a full PA system, a huge recording rack...and some synths to my good lady wife, one day I am going to have to open a music shop which will pay for our retirement...possibly!

[Roger2611]

Looking at the above would OCD be justified?

[timmo]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1455903218' post='2983543']
Looking at the above would OCD be justified?
[/quote]Only if you keep them all clean

[RhysP]

All I've got left is a secondhand CIJ Precision & I can't even justify owning that.

[Telebass]

I have a bitsa P and a BB414. That's really all the instrumental variety I can handle. For making it louder, I have a Markbass CMD121H, and a Markbass Traveler 151P if I need the full 500W. As far as I am concerned, that's all I can justify, and it's all I want. I WILL get a more expensive BB at some point, but then the 414 will go.
I had several more basses and amps not too long ago. They were just taking up space and money for no reason, so off they went. If I can ever justify more, then I'll have more. Just nothing right now...

Edited February 19, 2016 by Telebass

[lurksalot]

I have a few cheap basses that look quite good hung on the wall , SWMBO likes the look of them so thats OK , but my regular gigging basses are Spector and they serve me well and they pay for themselves .
TC electronic amp and cabs now , lightweight , great sound and I gig them and they pay for themselves
That does me I think ....for now

[blue]

Good topic.

I guess I could justify it because I do this rock band thing for a living.

I also think, " Why do I need all this
sh*t."

Basses

1991 Gibson Thunderbird with ebony fret board.

1952 reissue MIJ Fender P bass with Tele headstock

1954 reissue MIJ Fender P bass with Tele Headstock

1991 G&L ASAT bass, still don't know how to use the pre-amp

2013 Made in Germany Hofner Limited Edition Club Bass with Cavern Club PU spacing

2013 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top bass

2013 Gibson ES-335 bass in vintage faded.cherry

Amps

2 GK 1001 RB 750 watt heads
2 GK 2 10" RBX cabs
1 GK 1 15" RBX cab
1 GK 1 15" combo amp

Pedals

Fully loaded board with 3 prong Voodoo Lab power.

Dedicated;

Compression
Overdrive
Distortion
Bass Octave
Delay
Chorus
Reverb
Synth
Phase Shifter
Line 6 Geo Wireless Relay

Blue

PS, Any of you come from humble beginnings and remember when you had to borrow amps from friends? I do.

Edited February 20, 2016 by blue

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='amnesia' timestamp='1455880245' post='2983195']
I like nice things. 'Want' and 'need' are two totally different concepts. Sometimes they align.
[/quote]

I honestly couldn't have put this better.

My gear isn't a vanity project; i like the Thunderbird shape, so have pursued that course. I don't need five or six of them, but it's nice to have a choice.

[steve-bbb]

why and to whom?

i know camdenrob is probably having a bit of lighthearted fun but ... I'm happy with my purchases and feel no need for further justification

hope this helps

have a nice day y'all

[Doctor J]

I don't play slappa-da-bippa-boink-boink. In fact, I run a sanctuary where abused basses can spend the rest of their lives peacefully, without the threat of shameful thumb abuse hanging over them. They're kept clean and well set-up with good, fresh strings and get played frequently in a non-violent way. Society frowns on slapping children or pets, yet slapping a bass is still flagrantly popular, especially on youtube. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye. You're welcome to donate to Thumbs Down. I'm determined to make a better life for [i]every[/i] bass.

[Guest bassman7755]

I own 4 different lightweight amps - rh450, shuttle 6, ibanez promethean and a puma 900. Justification ? none, I just have some irrational compulsion to keep buying them. I also own 6 bases and only ever use 2 of them. Speaker wise I've exercised some degree of restraint owning only 3 (barefaced) cabs having actually managed to bring myself to sell 2 of them (used to be 5 including an epifani).

Edited February 20, 2016 by bassman7755

[Chaos Daveo]

I cannot,I will not and I still have no idea...

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1455942758' post='2983844']

PS, Any of you come from humble beginnings and remember when you had to borrow amps from friends? I do.
[/quote]

Does three (and vocals) of us playing though an HH PA an done 15" home made cab count as humble?

[JohnFitzgerald]

Status Energy 4 - spotted this on someone's post on a Facebook group. Not yet advertised, he said it might be for sale. I PM'd him and got it for £150. Justified.

Fender Jazz bass fretless. For the singing lyrical style I get to play in my acoustic gigs, a fretless jazz is all you need. Mine is a Mex. Does all I could ever need. Cost me £350 second hand. Justified.

Markbass JB Player's School. - All I need for my acoustic gigs with no PA support. All I need for my big gigs where there is PA support. I don't need anything in between, sounds beautiful. Justified.

AKG WMS 40 wireless - I stand on my leads and get them snarled up around my ankles. This stops that and makes me marginally less static. Cost me £70 - well justified.

Korg AX3000G. £50 second hand. It's a tuner, it has a Jaco tone (chorus, 'verb, delay). It has a couple of generic tones. It's not high end. It's all I need.
Justified.

All of the above has done great things for me.


(I also have a pair of Thomann PA 202 PA cabs. These cost a very modest £87 each new. I bought mine SH for £20, the pair. They sound gorgeous, and I sometimes use them as PA tops for stand ins with another band. These have more than earned their keep. Justified, I'd certainly say.)


I've just realised. My gear really is very modest compared to many.

[blue]

[quote name='Mykesbass' timestamp='1455963311' post='2983957']


Does three (and vocals) of us playing though an HH PA an done 15" home made cab count as humble?[/quote]

Yes,

Blue

[colgraff]

When young and poor (as opposed to late middle-aged and poor) a guitarist in my band left his HH amp in my parents' garage while he went off to become better acquainted with heroin. After a couple of months the band voted to sell it and buy me a bass amp so my knackered generic speaker could be used as part of the PA.

[Rich]

First bass outfit = 1964 Höfner Artist blagged off my metalwork teacher for 20 quid + bizarre 30w solid state amp built by me and my physics teacher (mostly my physics teacher ) + 1x15 cab homemade by persons unknown from the heaviest chipboard in the world.

I hereby apply to join the Humble Beginnings Club.

[leftybassman392]

Well if we're doing humble beginnings, my very first 'guitar' (I'm calling it a 'guitar' but it could just as easily been a 'bass') was a plank of wood roughly the size & shape of a neck with the body and headstock shapes cut from an old cornflakes packet, and with a piece of stretched rubber banding nailed in place at each end. The bridge was a pencil IIRC.

Bingo! Fretless neckthrough bass.

It worked but it was crap...

Edited February 21, 2016 by leftybassman392

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455872159' post='2983066'] Wal Fretted 6 Wal Fretless 6 - Incoming Moollon Classic P - incoming Peterbuilt Fretless Jazz Modern 4 - not yet bought Glockenklang Blue Soul Berg CN210 Berg CN112 - not yet bought OK so after a recent flurry of buying, selling and ordering I've decided to try and justify to myself why I have/want the gear I've got already / the gear I have incoming... No real reason it just makes me feel better to pretend there is some reasoning behind it, rather than just buying shiny new bass gear to fill the void in my soul created by the hours I have to spend doing my unfalteringly s**t job. Wal fretted and fretless 6ers cover all my original band needs. I have the tone I want and the range I need for my various projects. I also however have need of traditional looking and sounding instruments for projects where I am a sideman to singer / songwriter types. I also may at some point be looking to escape the daily grind of my work and go part time and maybe earn a little bit on the side from music, pub covers, teaching etc. and the traditional looking and sounding P would stand me in good stead for this. I would also have the fretless Jazz should the need arise. This leaves me outstanding a modern sounding 4 for slappity tappity nonsense... I would like to get a G&L tribute L2000 to tide me over for the time being, but I will eventually get a luthier built modern fretted four... probably ACG. Amplification wise, I have settled on Glockenklang... It does everything I need at more volume than I could ever use... I have used the berg cn210 on it's own for rehearsals with a loud rock drummer and it was more than enough volume wise. I love the tone of this combination and I would like to add a cn112 (especially after the recent price drop) to give me the option of just using that for smaller acoustic type situations and adding it to the 210 if I ever need to gig without PA support. So there we go, that's me... and yes I am aware that all I really need is a Squier CV and a Fender rumble What's your excuse? [/quote]

Could you post some pics of your basses. WAL basses are always nice but i've never heard of Peterbuilt basses. Know they make trucks tho. ?
Dave

[dmccombe7]

BASSES
Jazz Bass :- its my goto bass and can be used for most styles. It was in a sale and love the sound.

Warwick Thumb :- was doing well both at work and in bands at the time in 1989 and this was my dream bass. (big Jack Bruce fan too)

Overwater Custom 6er fretless :- 50th birthday present from my wife and my return to playing in bands again. Wanted to improve my technique and went the full hog with 6er and fretless.

Overwater J4 Custom :- needed a modern back up for my jazz and got a great deal from Overwater on this one. Again another birthday pressie from my wfe.

Jaydee fretless :- just wanted another 4 string fretless and Jaydee was always on my list over the years.

Dingwall NG2 :- needed a good quality lightweight 5er for Prog project and this fitte all the boxes. My 2nd goto bass after Jazz.

Peavey Cirrus 5 :- bought as a cheaper introduction to 5 strings for gigging.

Epi Thunderbird :- got the chance of it for £100 and was a bargain. Like the shape but not for everyone tho.

AMPS
Markbass combo and ext cab :- portable, lightweight and great tone for most things.

Gallien Krueger 1001RBii :- wanted a reliable quality amp for gigging. This was bought before my Markbass and just kept it. Using it at the moment.

Gallien Krueger MB200 :- wanted a small portable back up amp for emergencies but liked so much i uesd it regularly for rehearsals.

Ampeg SVT4 Pro :- Always wanted one and got it for £450 (US version @ 110V) had it converted for £200 and just love the sound from this with my Berg HT322.

Bergantino HT322 cab :- This is a monstrous sounding cab that sounds great with any amp but the Ampeg using my Dingwall is just a wall of bassiness sound that can't be beaten.

Did think of selling some of the amps but i like the variation i can get depending on what style of band or gig you do.
Having nice basses is a bit of a hobby and justified because i don't generally waste money on alcohol, smoking or socialising nights out. Basses is my one and only vice

Dave

[4stringslow]

He who dies with the most toys, wins. What more justification is needed? (and I'm not just talking about bass gear!)