2025 Gear Abstinence Thread

[Richard R]

2025 Gear Abstinence Thread - updated with "Rules"

 

I spent New Years' Eve in the company of a good friend who has just retired from teaching recent law graduates how to actually practice law (teaching them soliciting). We were talking about how English Law develops over time and is set more by what the judges decide than is written in statute, though it is always worth looking at the letter of the law. With that in mind I went back over a few years' worth of these threads to see if what I remembered as the rules were actually written down anywhere definitively and how they evolved.  With that in mind, these are the 2025 rules as I understand them 😁:

 

Tier 1 Challenge
During the calendar year of 2025 (01/01/25 - 31/12/25):
- No bass gear purchases/trades whatsoever, be that amps, pedals, basses, accessories.

 

Tier 2 challenge (should you play other instruments, engage in music production etc)
- As above, but extended to your other musical gear

 

Allowances in both tiers:
- Consumables such as Strings (sticks, skins, reeds, batteries etc) Buying a set of new strings that happen to be attached to a bass is out.
- Maintenance/setups that only involve work on existing aspects of your bass (ie no purchasing a preamp to add to it)
- Breakages. If something breaks through no unusual intervention of your own, and is unable to be repaired, you may replace it.
- Already committed purchases. If you have purchased something in 2024, you are able to take delivery of it within 2025.  If you have put down a deposit on something before committing to this, which then requires a final payment within 2025, that single payment permitted.
- Genuinely unsolicited presents, which you had no involvement in choosing.  (So going out with your partner to play a bunch of bases, choosing one, and then them buying it for you would be a fail. But we would all applaud and cheer you and your partner and want to know what you got and why!)
- Educational purchases, ie tutorial books, lessons, anything that furthers your playing is permitted. Buying a proper usb sound card so your on-line lessons work better would probably be OK.  Buying one because you might have on-line lessons but haven’t boked any is definitely out.  (A bit like the cops overlooking you speeding to take your wife to hospital to give birth, but they wouldn’t overlook you speeding to a date where you might get her pregnant!)

 

Grey areas:

 - PA equipment has been a Tier 2 fail, but if it’s for a band you don’t play in but do sound for then we can probably argue it’s OK.
- There used to be a convention that things not in the signal path didn’t count. So straps, stands and the like were allowed. I'm cool with that - what do others think?

- Parts for bitsas I think are out.

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY

This is a bit of fun.  

The idea is just to make us think "Do I really need it?" before buying something, and to maybe focus on playing more than purchasing.  Nobody will get punished for buying another Fender, or even a Ric, it's your time and money to do what you wish with.  So see how long you last, enjoy seeing how far you and others get, and let's try to keep the economy flatlined for as long as possible.

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 17:59 by Richard R
Updated with Rules

[neepheid]

Well, I'd like to be first to sign up. 2025, no gear, go!

[SimonK]

This may not last long but I'm in... can I just check that this is bass gear abstinence so guitar/drums/studio kit doesn't count?

[Franticsmurf]

I'd just like to register my thanks to @neepheid for his sterling work last year, and to @Richard R for stepping up this year. And to sign up for a bass gear free 2025. (That funny noise in the background is the rest of my band sniggering 😀).

[barkin]

In. As per last year, I've not bought anything since 2014 IIRC, and I'm OK for strings so don't see that changing any time soon. 

[Velarian]

I’m in too. In fact I’ll be likely offloading some gear this year (to possibly temp anyone who might be wavering 😂)

[Phill]

I'm in! Gonna give it a proper go this time haha

[lozkerr]

I'm in too. A house move has all but wiped out my gear fund, so it'll be consumables and repairs/like-for-like replacements only this year.

[AndyTravis]

Absolutely going to pretend I’m going to give it a go…

 

but there’s zero chance I’ll be in by March 😂

[prowla]

Well, I've got more than I need and several projects which need completing, but there are some things I'd still pick up at the right price.

[ezbass]

3 minutes ago, prowla said:

I've got more than I need

 

3 minutes ago, prowla said:

but there are some things I'd still pick up

GAS is relentless!  

[bass_dinger]

I am in - a too-small house ensures that I won't buy anything more, oh yes.

[Jono Bolton]

I'm getting a bass refinished in March; is that allowed?

[SumOne]

I'll give it a go. 

 

(Better get buying today!)

[Lozz196]

I’m in, I have a bass on way but it was purchased early December. I really need to move some gear on this year rather than buy more.

[bassbiscuits]

Good grief. I’ll sign up with the best of intentions and see what happens. 

[Mudpup]

I'm in too. Sold a load of stuff off in the last week and am on the way back from Bass Direct with my new cab and amp in the car. I just made the deadline ☺️

[miles'tone]

I'm in. 

[tauzero]

I'm in, not sure how long I'll last though.

[tauzero]

15 hours ago, SimonK said:

This may not last long but I'm in... can I just check that this is bass gear abstinence so guitar/drums/studio kit doesn't count?

 

Two tiers - tier 1 is bass gear, tier 2 is any other musical gear.

[SumOne]

If you need motivation to consume less: 

 

[Suburban Man]

I'm in (although I didn't last long last year 😞)

2025 is definitely a year to sell rather than buy and NOT be tempted by 'bargains' that aren't actually going to help the business of playing  

[bass_dinger]

36 minutes ago, Suburban Man said:

that aren't actually going to help the business of playing  

Spot On!

 

For me, the biggest win of this Challenge is realising that a new effects pedal, or amplifier or bass won't necessarily help me play better. 

 

I am more focused on improving my skills, thanks to these yearly challenges.

 

In which case, why do I have five bass guitars, but only two hands...

 

[fretmeister]

Strings and repair items are allowed I presume?

[SimonK]

3 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

Spot On!

 

For me, the biggest win of this Challenge is realising that a new effects pedal, or amplifier or bass won't necessarily help me play better. 

 

I am more focused on improving my skills, thanks to these yearly challenges.

 

In which case, why do I have five bass guitars, but only two hands...

 

 

Although I have a fraction of the gear that some people here seem to, I know I'm bloody lucky to be able to buy pretty much whatever I want, when I want it. Thus said I do feel guilty when things go unplayed or unused. I think, however, I should make the year without any bass purchases as I have a level of redundancy in my current collection - two basses, two heads, two compressors & multiple cabs, so don't think I "need" anything this coming year.... but a birth year bass and a five string would be nice...