artisan Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 [quote name='thedontcarebear' post='387621' date='Jan 21 2009, 04:34 PM']I just like new things basically, I will admit I buy to make myself happy for 5 minutes before the remorse kicks in.[/quote] +1 hammer----nail----head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnSlade07 Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I had a brief spell of buying a few basses (none of them very expensive). The way I looked at it it was more fun browsing the internet for new gear than having to contemplate playing Daydream Believer for the 200th time at my next function gig. Now I try to spend my spare time actually learning to play something more challenging and useful than looking at gear. I still don't play that well, but my bank balance and relationship with my wife have both improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 [quote name='artisan' post='387640' date='Jan 21 2009, 04:00 PM']hammer----nail----head [/quote] that sounds painful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='387670' date='Jan 21 2009, 05:15 PM']that sounds painful [/quote] it is but ooooohhhhh its nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 Do people buy Ferrari's because they think it will make them as good as the drivers in F1? Or do they buy them because they like them and they can? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 [quote name='thedontcarebear' post='387621' date='Jan 21 2009, 03:34 PM']I just like new things basically...[/quote] I think that's why I'm fairly GAS-free nowadays, I'm just not that keen on new things. I get rather irritable when I have to replace anything that has many years of good service behind it. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinman Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 The trouble with getting addicted to buying bass gear is there must be a point where the law of diminishing returns kicks in - a bit like hi-fi. You get everything to a point where it's all pretty good but beyond that does, say, spending an amp that cost twice as much as the current "decent" one you already own mean it's twice as good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 [quote name='artisan' post='387639' date='Jan 21 2009, 03:59 PM']there's no better feeling than getting a new bass home for the first time,for me anyhow,coupled to the fact i just love looking at basses. also i'm very impulsive,i can be reading a book which has a photo of say a really nice Jazz/Precision & i just have to have one like it,can't help myself. i know it won't make me a better player but what the hell I NEED IT.[/quote] Haveyou read "Classic 90's Randall Bass Heads" and "Bits from a '62 Precision" by Jaco Geddy-Mingus? Lovely pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozbass Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 I suspect drivers for me are a little different to those of many others. I buy gear because I want it. I like basses. I have very little time to play them and I'm not very good. I just like having nice basses and amps etc. around. High end basses certainly don't make me a better player - I'm sure I could improve with a lot more (structured and directed) practice but I've been playing for 30 years plus and know that I have no real talent. However, high-end basses are much easier to play (subjective I know) and tend to sound better (again, subjective). In essence, I buy stuff because I want it and have a passion for bass guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='387948' date='Jan 21 2009, 10:09 PM']Haveyou read "Classic 90's Randall Bass Heads" and "Bits from a '62 Precision" by Jaco Geddy-Mingus? Lovely pictures [/quote] if you email me some photos i'll get me visa card out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 [quote name='artisan' post='388734' date='Jan 22 2009, 04:55 PM'] if you email me some photos i'll get me visa card out [/quote] How can you resist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7string Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) I used to be really happy gigging with my 4 string Jackson basses and Boogie/Trace rig. Looking back, it was the band I was in that shaped my bass choices. It was a progressive rock thing where I sang lead and also had some spots to duel with the guitar player as well. I heard some 6 string fretless rock playing and the guys in that band liked the sound and so I bought a Yamaha TRB6 II and had it de-fretted. Same thing with the 7 string. I had a use for all the strings, so getting the bass made great sense. I still had my 4 strings as well though. I'm not the greatest bass player in the world, but I enjoy the freedom of the 7 string. I can play 'normal' bass lines, chords and solo stuff if I want to. A couple of years ago I had the great fortune to be in a position to order my Sei and nowadays 7 strings is where I feel at home So the music has always dictated the bass that I play and/or the bass that I want to buy. There is one exception...to that though....the 9. It took me a lot of time to actually decide on going for the 9 and it's a leap of faith. Not in the luthier (Alan at ACG) but in myself. I have thoughts on how I can use the 9 and I can imagine how it could sound and how great it would be. But can I turn the ideas I have into musical reality?? So the 9 string is the reverse of how I got my other basses. Before, the music I was actually playing dictated the bass. Now, I only have a concept of what things might sound like and I now have to prove to myself that I can turn concept into music that makes me smile. Edited January 23, 2009 by 7string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='386688' date='Jan 20 2009, 08:33 PM']I think there's a lot of wisdom in that approach. Using one instrument helps develop muscle memory and I've found that also allows me to think less about adjusting to the instrument and more about choosing how to play it. I just need one that can cover a wide number of basses.[/quote] Buy a Fleeting bass,it worked for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 [quote name='7string' post='389190' date='Jan 23 2009, 12:29 AM']So the 9 string is the reverse of how I got my other basses. Before, the music I was actually playing dictated the bass. Now, I only have a concept of what things might sound like and I now have to prove to myself that I can turn concept into music that makes me smile.[/quote] Yep...Same here,kinda...hmmmm....How far out can I go.... Freaks the sh*t out of people when you strap it on at a gig by the way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 [quote name='lozbass' post='388633' date='Jan 22 2009, 03:36 PM']I suspect drivers for me are a little different to those of many others. I buy gear because I want it. I like basses. I have very little time to play them and I'm not very good. I just like having nice basses and amps etc. around. High end basses certainly don't make me a better player - I'm sure I could improve with a lot more (structured and directed) practice but I've been playing for 30 years plus and know that I have no real talent. However, high-end basses are much easier to play (subjective I know) and tend to sound better (again, subjective). In essence, I buy stuff because I want it and have a passion for bass guitars.[/quote] Me too. All of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urb Posted January 23, 2009 Share Posted January 23, 2009 I'm with you on this one Bilbo - I see a lot people really GASing about gear but not talking about a desire to improve their playing. Personally I had the same bass - my old Warwick 1990 Thumb for 18 years... it was a slightly frustrating bass for a number of reasons (i.e. I couldn't achieve the tone I wanted that I can now with the Sei) - but it did play beautifully and have a kick ass sound of its own. It was like OG says a £1500-ish bass that was good enough to dpo pretty much anyting on - so I spent my time practicing and playing gigs instead of GASing. I did however change my amp a few times but over a long long time - I've ended up with Epifani and for me it's the best thing I've ever owned (I'm sure there are equally good alternatives but I'm not going to worryabout that!). I acquired the Epi gear all second hand and saved about £1K in the process.... My vaguely controversial point is that I don't think a lot of people know what they want to sound like - albeit they hear someone else play and think 'oh, I like the sound of that' - when basically you create all the major stylistic and timbral differences in your playing with your fingers. A good sounding bass and amp will help you achieve this more effectively but at the end of the day it's down to you to know what you want to sound like - and this only comes over time - a little more self discovery and a shed load of practice IMO are the best ways to go about doing this. My 0.02p anyway... Peace Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) I need three things from my gear:- Reliability (its GOT to keep working) Functionality (It has to give me what I require in terms of what it can do for me) Tone (I have to like how it sounds) Its also really handy if I can afford it (ever the realist eh!) Seems pretty obvious but it means I have played the same bass since '94, although I did swap out the pickups to improve the tone. And thats a Vester; which many people look down their nose at - but the neck just works for me better than anything else I've ever played yet.... My amp and cabs stayed the same for years, but I recently upgraded very significantly, mainly because my old gear was literally worn out. You know the best thing about that? The advances in technology wrt bass gear over the past 14 years have been enormous! So much more noticeable for not having bothered with it for ages. My only piece of equiptment I wish to upgrade now is my trusty old Vester - again because I ahve worn it out - which is the universes way of telling me to upgrade. [b]Now upgraded - see sig [/b] In truth you only need one bass and one amp and one cable to play bass (and power) and you can play in any style, with a huge range of perfectly useable tones. But all that lovely stuff just keeps calling doesnt it Edited February 2, 2009 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artisan Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='OldGit' post='388771' date='Jan 22 2009, 07:23 PM'] How can you resist [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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