Is everyone on TB loaded?

[tgriley62]

I buy used & what I can afford. Have 2 Peavey's right now a Millineum BXP & 89 Foundation. To me they sound great. Saving up for a used head/cab rig

[MarTONEbass]

I've been reading this thread and watching it develop over the last few days and I have to say: no surprise that no very well-off people are chiming in. I know that some of us TB'ers ARE well-off. Especially in an economy like this, the people who are well off enough to buy whatever they want whenever they want, are not willing to "out" themselves. It is not a popular thing to be rich, as the rest of us struggle to make ends meet let alone drool over bass gear and suffer from unending GAS.

I WILL say that I am not well off. I have 2 young kids and I'm a public high school teacher. I have 4 basses, 2 amps and 2 112 cabs and a small, modest pedal board. I feel lucky to have what I have and I buy used more often than not. Do I have GAS? HELL YES. Do I let it control me: HELL NO. Basses and amps are tools to me. If they are not getting used, they get sold and the funds appropriated where necessary. If I have the right tools for my bands, my GAS is under control. I WANT more gear, I don't NEED it.

[Gaius46]

Not loaded. I have a well paying job but with a mortgage and two kids in college we don't have alot of disposable income.

Right now I own 4 basses, 1 guitar and an electric piano. Most were
purchased used, over the course of several years (except one bass I bought in 1976), and none (new or used) cost me more than $800 and were paid for with gig money and have more than paid for themselves.

I am looking at buying an upright and a nice classical guitar (those are both probably $3-4,000 purchases) but I'll save for them over the next couple of years.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by bluewine

All good points, as usual it's probably me.

Blue

I'm in the same boat. My wife never watches "Cops" with me. Fortunately, my daughter does.

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by MarTONEbass

I've been reading this thread and watching it develop over the last few days and I have to say: no surprise that no very well-off people are chiming in. I know that some of us TB'ers ARE well-off. Especially in an economy like this, the people who are well off enough to buy whatever they want whenever they want, are not willing to "out" themselves. It is not a popular thing to be rich, as the rest of us struggle to make ends meet let alone drool over bass gear and suffer from unending GAS.

Fair point. I can point to about $2500 worth of gear accumulated over a few years, I don't have half a dozen Fedoras and Moduluses (Moduli?) stuffed in the closet, as some seem to do. Some TBers definitely are more "loaded" than me! But hey, it's their money, more power to 'em if they can afford it.

[Ezmar]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

I don't have half a dozen Fedoras and Moduluses (Moduli?) stuffed in the closet.

Although the closet would be a good place for a fedora.

[ntenny]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

Fair point. I can point to about $2500 worth of gear accumulated over a few years, I don't have half a dozen Fedoras and Moduluses (Moduli?) stuffed in the closet, as some seem to do. Some TBers definitely are more "loaded" than me! But hey, it's their money, more power to 'em if they can afford it.

And all those Foderae and Moduli together, even in some of the fairly extreme cases we see here, don't add up to cost as much as, say, a nice new car.

If your neighbor buys a nice but not absurd car new---a little Audi or a higher-end Nissan or something---you probably don't think "those folks must be loaded" (or "must be spending too much money on toys"). Well, for the same price they could have bought a Civic and about four Foderata, right?---and the basses don't need oil changes or annual registration stickers.

Maybe being in Southern California distorts my perception, but it seems to me like a lot of people buy *way* more stuff than they need, for any reasonable definition of "need". TB is just full of the people for whom those toys are basses and amps rather than nice cars, spiffy golf-club memberships, 768-inch thermonuclear-plasma TVs, stupid-huge houses, and other such artifacts of the modern consumer classes.

-NT

[catcauphonic]

As I look around our 600sf apartment, I realize that about 80% of everything in here has been bought used or passed on from family or friends: computer, laptops, furniture, TVs, stereo components, kitchen furnishings, car, cat trees, rugs, plenty of clothes, etc. Even my collection of 1,200 LPs have mostly been bought for $1-$5 each over years & years. Most things are in really good - like new condition too. I keep a mental list of things we would like to have around the house, & I stop in at different Goodwills & ValueVillages around town at least once a week, & eventually I usually come across those items. I find there's plenty of people who are either generous or just plain wasteful with material goods, & it works to our benefit.

Fortunately, my Wife thinks buying flowers is silly, prefers unique cheap silver to real gold, & hates most fancy name brand things that are overpriced & splashed with their stupid logos all over them - essentially making you shell out big bucks to advertise for them. We don't have or ever want any children - little wallet drainers that they are. Yes, she has her 1 or 2 indulgences, & bass is mine. Combined we don't make a lot of money by any stretch, & I've pretty much resigned to probably having to work until the day I die, but my point is that it's possible to live within your means & have cool stuff as long as your 'want list' is realistic.

edit: not to mention we were married in Las Vegas for next to nothing compared to the average cost of a wedding. And NO, she doesn't have a sister!

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by One Bad Monkey

I just have to ask, was there any communication from your woman (verbal, body language, etc) that indicated that you needed to go to bed too? Because if not, that's your problem for going to bed and you shouldn't hold any resentment to her for your choice.

"I'd rather watch The Stones"

Blue

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by Ezmar

Although the closet would be a good place for a fedora.

Darn it, and I prided myself on spelling... !

[Gaius46]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

Darn it, and I prided myself on spelling... !

And you can still pride yourself on your spelling. Vocabulary may be another matter

[slobake]

Originally Posted by catcauphonic

edit: not to mention we were married in Las Vegas for next to nothing compared to the average cost of a wedding. And NO, she doesn't have a sister!

We're you married by Elvis?

[6jase5]

Originally Posted by MarTONEbass

I've been reading this thread and watching it develop over the last few days and I have to say: no surprise that no very well-off people are chiming in......

Well, can you be sure? I've asked this before..."what is loaded, or specifically what is loaded in the US and to TB standards based on annual salary?" Is it making 100K per year, 300K, 1mil? One man's loaded salary is another man's vehicle maintenance fee.

People with money AND class are usually smart enough to keep quiet about it. It wouldn't exactly be very classy to brag about having money to burn, especially with so many unemployed and scratching away at life.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by 6jase5

Well, can you be sure? I've asked this before..."what is loaded, or specifically what is loaded in the US and to TB standards based on annual salary?" Is it making 100K per year, 300K, 1mil? One man's loaded salary is another man's vehicle maintenance fee.

People with money AND class are usually smart enough to keep quiet about it. It wouldn't exactly be very classy to brag about having money to burn, especially with so many unemployed and scratching away at life.

I think I agree, what does loaded mean? It's relative to whatever.

I probably look pretty good to some and low end to others. I have a professional career ( that I have no passion for) a mortgage, decent payed for wheels, and no dept.

Blue

[catcauphonic]

Originally Posted by slobake

We're you married by Elvis?

No, the Elvis package would have cost extra: http://www.alittlewhitechapel.com/ou...llac-packages/

[DeadHeadSF]

Originally Posted by KissThaRing

Is anyone here a "hobby" bassist? I'm not in a band, nor do I do this for a living...

Well, that's pretty much my current situation due to complete lack of time/energy to dedicate to a band. That's life in the corporate/capitalist/greed-driven world - they'll suck your soul out (and any money they can get), then spit you out so worn out and tired at the end of every day that there's nothing left.

So yes, for the time being, I'm a "hobby bassist". That may change soon, but we'll see...

As for being loaded, well... not. I make good money, but by the time I get my paycheck, the last one's mostly gone. That's my own fault. But... over the years, I've invested about $7000 into just bass gear alone. Not too bad, really, and that amounts to 4 basses, 3 amps, 3 cabs, lots and lots of strings, cables, a couple effects and various other accessories. For the foreseeable future, that's about all I need, even in a band.

Trouble is, I'm multi-instrumental, so I literally have a room full of instruments - some of which I *must* sell (*psst*, anybody want to buy a couple sitars? How about a didgeridoo? Djembe? Banjo? A few miscellaneous guitars? ...the list goes on)

[CamMcIntyre]

Edit: I went from being a weekend warrior to it being my full time job.

I'm making more money now than I have ever before, with the exception of a few crazy busy months in the past.

I saved, scrimped, and figured out ways to pay for gear when i wanted it bad enough. E.g. my StingRay5 back in 2002 (ordered last week of Dec 2002-arrived Feb-ish 2003). I played that thing from 2003-2010. The main gear items that I bought in that time frame (2003-2010) were under $300.

Even though I'm making more money (military compared to retail...yeah), I still have to make an effort to save, but it is a bit easier/faster now. If I'm willing to eat ramen for most meals, not go out, not drive to the city, and that kind of fun stuff-I can save very fast. However, I don't particularly like eating ramen for every meal...and if I stay in my place/the immediate area for too long, I get stir crazy.

The other thing that helps is, if I don't have an attachment to a piece of gear, and I don't see a need for it-I sell it or donate it. I've bought 2 bass guitars that cost over $1k in the last nearly ten years (StingRay5 in 2003 and a Sadowsky Metro in 2010). I sold several cabs, preamps, etc over the years.

I want quite a bit more, I'd love to pickup another Sadowsky, commision a JP USA Bass c/o Skjold, and all these other things...however, I know that I don't need them, and probably wouldn't use them much. I like what I have-I love the sound of my Sadowsky live as well as in the studio. I want a backup, but more than likely it won't be much different-some flavor of Sadowsky Metro 5, I flip flop on specifics by the week.

My next major gear purchase will be a road case/trunk for my double bass. I'm doing a lot more touring where the gear goes in a box truck, and I'd like to have my own case vs. borrowing one.

All that being said, I drive an eighteen year old van that I paid less for than I paid for the StingRay5. It fit my needs (gear mover, reliable), and with basic upkeep-it'll run far longer than I will own it.