2025 Gear Abstinence Thread

[neepheid]

13 hours ago, SimonK said:

awesome to discover that stuff I already have can be used in a different way and I don't need to buy something new!

 

[SimonK]

37 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

 

...although currently my aspiration is only for a gear "dry" January as I may not make it much longer than that!

 

RE synth bass sounds - to avoid a thread highjack I've created a new one:

 

[SumOne]

I'm out! 

 

(Justification was my Laptop and MIDI effects setup is a bit big and complex so I wanted something small for band rehearsals and as backup....But it is mostly down to me having very poor will power!)

 

 

Do I at least get a wooden spoon?

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, SumOne said:

I'm out! 

 

(Justification was my Laptop and MIDI effects setup is a bit big and complex so I wanted something small for band rehearsals and as backup....But it is mostly down to me having very poor will power!)

 

Do I at least get a wooden spoon?

 

You can have @AndyTravis's one, he won it last year

 

[Quatschmacher]

Well, I didn’t last very long. Just bought @Grav’s Origin BassRig 64!

[grapefruitmoon]

OK I'm in for this. Tier 1 only as I'll need to get some PA kit this year. It was exactly a year ago I bought my last bass, even though I was intending not to buy any more. This year, external influences should dictate that I don't buy anything more - divorce, finding a new place to live, turning 50 and having a couple of holidays for the first time in years while I milk the milestone. I'm pretty happy with my gear in the main, so fingers crossed I manage this challenge!

[mikebass456]

11 minutes ago, grapefruitmoon said:

OK I'm in for this. Tier 1 only as I'll need to get some PA kit this year. It was exactly a year ago I bought my last bass, even though I was intending not to buy any more. This year, external influences should dictate that I don't buy anything more - divorce, finding a new place to live, turning 50 and having a couple of holidays for the first time in years while I milk the milestone. I'm pretty happy with my gear in the main, so fingers crossed I manage this challenge!

Hope you manage to navigate all the upcoming hurdles mate ( especially the turning 50!) you'll surely have earned a new bass after all that......👍

[AndyTravis]

Just priced up a new kitchen as part of the renovations.

 

Exactly ‘1 Wal’ expensive.

 

🤮

[Geek99]

I’m in, I don’t intend to buy anything 

[bass_dinger]

Just bought a new power supply for my Kurzweil SP76 piano.  The old one is playing up, failing to make consistent contact with the power input socket.  It works, but not reliably.  So, £4.94 worth of preemptive repair/ replacement (rather than new gear).

 

"Breakages. If something breaks through no unusual intervention of your own, and is unable to be repaired, you may replace it."

 

[bass_dinger]

13 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

I’m in, I don’t intend to buy anything 

That is what I thought in 2023, until two of my "unicorn" basses came up in the same Facebook advert.... 

[neepheid]

3 minutes ago, bass_dinger said:

Just bought a new power supply for my Kurzweil SP76 piano.  The old one is playing up, failing to make consistent contact with the power input socket.  It works, but not reliably.  So, £4.94 worth of preemptive repair/ replacement (rather than new gear).

 

"Breakages. If something breaks through no unusual intervention of your own, and is unable to be repaired, you may replace it."

 

 

Sounds ok to me, nothing to see here, carry on...

[ezbass]

46 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Just priced up a new kitchen as part of the renovations.

 

Exactly ‘1 Wal’ expensive.

 

🤮

Ah, but you can't cook food on a Wal. The family appreciate your sacrifice, I'm sure.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Five days in and I just went on ebay and snagged a four pole pickup for one of my musicmaster basses. I suppose this means I have failed the assignment.

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Five days in and I just went on ebay and snagged a four pole pickup for one of my musicmaster basses. I suppose this means I have failed the assignment.

 

Unless you're replacing a broken pickup, then aye, I think you're out.

 

Wow, three in a day, I don't think I've ever seen that before.

[Richard R]

Three out in one day, and one new starter. 

I hope the rest of the year quietens down a bit!

 

[Richard R]

I'll try to update the in list on p2 with the outdates.

 

[Suburban Man]

On 04/01/2025 at 17:58, mikebass456 said:

Nicely done! Which system, just out of interest? 🤔

Lekato WS-70  

I know that its UHF, which can be problematic for interference, but the small size and ease of operation swung it for me. 

[mikebass456]

18 minutes ago, Suburban Man said:

Lekato WS-70  

I know that its UHF, which can be problematic for interference, but the small size and ease of operation swung it for me. 

Our guitarist uses the same system, and has had no problems at all with interference so far. We have played on a couple of large stage setups outdoors last year, and had no issues 😁👍

[OliverBlackman]

13 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Just priced up a new kitchen as part of the renovations.

 

Exactly ‘1 Wal’ expensive.

 

🤮

Blimey, not bad for a kitchen! I’ve heard them be Stack knob slab board pre cbs jazz played by Pino expensive 😂

Edited 21 hours ago by OliverBlackman

[Richard R]

Pino only needed four cupboards....

[neepheid]

3 hours ago, Suburban Man said:

Lekato WS-70  

I know that its UHF, which can be problematic for interference, but the small size and ease of operation swung it for me. 

 

I dunno where you got the idea that UHF can be problematic for interference - I got the WS-70 *because* it was UHF to minimise interference by staying the hell out of the 2.4GHz band.  I've been using mine for almost a year now and had zero dropouts unless I go on a wander and go too far, like round a corner of a thick wall or something - but it'll handle your average pub no problem.

[Suburban Man]

20 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

I dunno where you got the idea that UHF can be problematic for interference - I got the WS-70 *because* it was UHF to minimise interference by staying the hell out of the 2.4GHz band.  I've been using mine for almost a year now and had zero dropouts unless I go on a wander and go too far, like round a corner of a thick wall or something - but it'll handle your average pub no problem.

The UHF band is pretty full (DTT TV, amateur radio, radio mic systems) and I can’t find which band of channels the Lekato uses. Therefore I’m slightly wary. Good to know that in a year’s use you haven’t had any problems.

If I can find the exact frequencies I’ll post them. 

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, Suburban Man said:

The UHF band is pretty full (DTT TV, amateur radio, radio mic systems) and I can’t find which band of channels the Lekato uses. Therefore I’m slightly wary. Good to know that in a year’s use you haven’t had any problems.

If I can find the exact frequencies I’ll post them. 

 

Managed to avoid upsetting some ham radio enthusiast down the pub thus far  - yes, I know I have a cavalier attitude towards this...

 

[Suburban Man]

19 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Managed to avoid upsetting some ham radio enthusiast down the pub thus far  - yes, I know I have a cavalier attitude towards this...

 

I was more worried that I'd start blasting out the audio from 'Love Island'... 🤔