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Do we chase gear too much ?


Marcus
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Guilty M'lord!

Too much time on my hands, a bit of disposable income and here comes that next upgrade!

I am honest enough to know that any of the basses/rigs that I've owned over the last 'x' years have been good enough but I keep wanting better/more. A wise man (well he's a fellow Geordie BCer so he must be wise) recently pointed out to me... better or just different. So true!

On reflection it's absolutely true that when I'm gigging regular and focused on that side of things I never give a second thought to changing my gear but as soon as things get slack... GAS attack

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I'm in agreement with warwickhunt...

Any time when I'm gigging regularly + recording + actually WORKING with my gear, I don't think twice about using it and being happy. It's only during periods of inactivity when you start wanting to buy new stuff/upgrade.

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IMHO, GAS attacks are always brought about by something in your gear not being quite right! So, you keep looking for something better until you find it.

In the end, the stuff you really care about is the stuff you keep... Except for those rare moments of absolute madness or when personal cicumstances force you to have to get rid of gear - both of which I've experienced unfortunately.

I agree that long periods of inactivity creates opportunities to become 'dissatisfied' with what you've got. And Forums such as Basschat, Talkbass etc are like having permanent shop windows in your home!! Not good for curing the GAS!

Nik

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Sehr interessant!

I agree with loads of points so far. My approach has always been to first of all find a bass that you like, and then get another. Sell the one you find yourself using least, then get another. Repeat. In the end you will end up with a bass you really like and that has stood the test of time against the opposition. You have to be pretty hard lined though!

Recently I suffered a bad bout of GAS and after being fully settled with my fretted/fretless pair aquired through my method mentioned previously, I decided that I could afford to do some 'exploring' and check out some exotica. It paid off - the basses were superb and gread additions to a collection, but really just that - I was happy with my 'actual' basses. Unfortunately things changed and I was forced to move them on. It was a close shave, and made me wise up to the fact that I am blody lucky to have what I have got and shouldn't forget it! With that in mind I think I will settle down for a bit and spend some time doing the more important things in life such as playing the things!

ped

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[quote name='ped' post='50683' date='Aug 25 2007, 08:11 PM']Sehr interessant!

I agree with loads of points so far. My approach has always been to first of all find a bass that you like, and then get another. Sell the one you find yourself using least, then get another. Repeat. In the end you will end up with a bass you really like and that has stood the test of time against the opposition. You have to be pretty hard lined though!

Recently I suffered a bad bout of GAS and after being fully settled with my fretted/fretless pair aquired through my method mentioned previously, I decided that I could afford to do some 'exploring' and check out some exotica. It paid off - the basses were superb and gread additions to a collection, but really just that - I was happy with my 'actual' basses. Unfortunately things changed and I was forced to move them on. It was a close shave, and made me wise up to the fact that I am blody lucky to have what I have got and shouldn't forget it! With that in mind I think I will settle down for a bit and spend some time doing the more important things in life such as playing the things!

ped[/quote]

It's the same with most hobbies/obsessions. I've been collecting flying jackets for ten years, you get the urge for a particular one, you buy it, you're happy for a while, then the urge comes back again for something else. You're never happy with what you've got. I'll say 'when I get the so-and-so that'll be it, I won't need any more.' Cobblers! There's always another one you just have to have. Same with basses and amps. I probably don't need a new amp, doesn't stop me spending hours poring over internet forums trying to work out which one I want next, or selling anything I can think of to pay for it. One thing, I really am happy with my USA P-bass, and cannot think of another bass I have to have. A few that look nice, but nothing I can't live without....so far.

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Guilty.

It's all part of the fun of playing as a hobby though. I try to spend only gig money that I stash away, meaning it's funded by playing and I sort of work on a "1-in, 1-out" rule (I've just broken it - see below). Trouble is, like most people, I can't resist a bargain or the thrill of the chase. This site is fatal for that.

ps Talking of which, will be posting up pics of my new G&L Trib L2000 soon. Fresh in from the States. It's a beauty!

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I sometimes worry that some of the behaviour i've exhibited towards owning instruments is bordering on addiction, some of the comments and opinions i've read in this thread comforts me that i'm not alone in that....... but also worries me that it may "normalise" my insanity !!

I've just read "Scar Tissue" which is Anthony Keildis's (RHCP Singer) Autobiography, a lot of the content relates to his crazed drug addictions and his overwhelming compulsions to get high, to get that next fix.....

I've never done drugs of any sort (apart from the odd bottle of bud) but I could really identify with some of his feelings !

Don't get me wrong..... i've never been "under the (Tyne) bridge" with an Alembic looking pale and amaciated ! I've never spent more than I can afford to spend, and i've not really lost much on any instrument i've bought and sold. I just can't think it's a particularly healthy thing to put the persuit of instruments before playing music.

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I always kid myself that my latest purchase is my last but I know that I'm just lying to myself.
There is always another bass/amp/gadget that makes me belive that only that item can fulfill me.
How come I was as happy with my first bass(a marlin sidewinder in red sparkle!)as I am with my current one(Warwick $$)?

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[quote name='lee4' post='50732' date='Aug 25 2007, 11:22 PM']I always kid myself that my latest purchase is my last but I know that I'm just lying to myself.
There is always another bass/amp/gadget that makes me belive that only that item can fulfill me.
How come I was as happy with my first bass(a marlin sidewinder in red sparkle!)as I am with my current one(Warwick $$)?[/quote]


Yep.... sounds like a junkie mentality to me....

"I'm quitting after this last hit"

"need more and more drugs to get high"

Ron Wickersham
John Diggins
Roger Sadowsky
Dan Lakin
Stuart Spector
Rob Green
Chris May

They're all pushers !! :)

Ofcourse they're not they're all great guys but you know what I mean.......

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I'm now pretty good at resisting GAS, usually for financial reasons. I tell myself I can't afford stuff, even when I can. The prices in the few Irish music stores are a good disincentive, so I've made nearly all my purchases on visits to London. The last straw was in 2001-2, when I bought a 2nd-hand Chapman Stick, followed by a rare keyboard synth (Kawai K5000S). I really don't get on with the Stick at all, but there's not much of a market for a Stick in Ireland, so I may try and trade it on my next visit to the UK.

Another reason is space: I share a small rented flat, with neighbours below me, so I don't have an amp at all, and play through a preamp and headphones. If I buy anything, it's one more thing that I have to schlep around with me, and I have too much of that already.

I'm about to start university - a pre-emptive strike on the midlife crisis - so there's no let-up on the budgetary constraints any time soon. There, I hope to get involved in a band or two, even if it's just the "battle of the bands", so I may need a new bass, because my main Hohner headless is not remotely fashionable. However, I've just recently discovered the NS WAV 4 bass, the budget version of their upright, which is not helping. I'll have to travel to the UK before I even see one, though, so I can resist.

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[quote name='Marcus' post='50679' date='Aug 25 2007, 07:54 PM']......... As my wife points out......... "You can only lay one at a time"[/quote]
You've been going to the wrong parties, mate.............

+1 on GAS sneaking up on you during periods of non-gigging, and this forum being the sweetie shop to my inner kid - just bought my 3rd bass within a year on this site! Having said that, always a more pleasurable experiece here than the dreaded fleabay. :)

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