The curse of GAS...

Igital · #1 10-12-2009, 02:56 AM

In thirty years of playing I've never been a gear snob and I couldn't care less about other people's opinion of the name on my headstock or my rig. Most of the stuff I have owned through the years has been pretty ordinary, but I've played regularly on a lot of cool stuff as well, both at gigs and rehearsal. Everything from a really beautiful Wal fretless to a very nice Mesa rig to the classic SVT-CL ++. And of course I've tried out lots and lots of nice gear. But even if I sometimes have thought "Hey! It would be nice to own one of those!", I've never really had a serious attack of GAS. Not until I started hanging out on TB.

Now I have it really, really bad. So bad that in order to finance new gear I'm ready to do things I have previously stated publicly I would never do. Case is, together with three friends of mine I had sort of a "just for fun" cover project a few years back. Two acoustic gutars, bass, and three vocals, nothing more. We played only songs we wanted to play and in versions deliberately very far from the original. We did a few gigs, and even though they were really succesful we put the project on ice due to lack of time.

Then recently we were approached by this manager who has heard us previously and wants us to get the project up and running again. He said he could easily get us several gigs each month for a pay of about 3K per gig. I know the guy and know he is serious. That is quite some money and could for instance mean that the Duesenberg bass I'm currently drooling over could be mine after just a month or two.

Thing is it would require that we incorporate some songs we are not that fond of, that we dress really sharp for some of the gigs and put a little more emphasis on the "entertainment" part. For an old guy who started out in a punk band in 1977 and have always belonged to the "alternative" scene this doesn't come easy! I'm well aware that for many of you this would be no big deal at all. Only thing we are not compromising about is doing alternative versions, but that is IME no problem, in fact it is one of the reasons we can get paid that well.

Have anyone else done strange or stupid things due to GAS? Given up on principles? Sold stuff you deeply regretted? Robbed old ladies? Lied to your wife/husband abut what gear really cost? Saw this post about a guy that was led into GC by his wife to return some gear he couldn't really afford. I've recently been close to that...

**pringlw** · #2 10-12-2009, 03:23 AM

I guess it depends on what they mean by "entertainment". I mean, are they asking you to dress up in a chicken suit?

The way I look at it is, I don't have to be a huge fan of every song, or even every set I play. If you're pulling that kind of money you're a professional and that's what being a professional is all about.

If the music is offensive to you for some reason, then I suppose you shouldn't do it. If you're concerned about "selling out" - that's different. You have to be big, in order to have something to exploit before you can be guilty of selling out.

My point; if you can satisfy your GAS by earning some money I say do it. You can get paid and then decide you won't do those gigs anymore, but you still have your bass.

The part of GAS that I find most dangerous is selling stuff. I came really close to selling my Musicman Sterling once (even though its my main player). That would have been dumb.

putsia · #3 10-12-2009, 04:27 AM

From what i gather from the post the dressing up problem is more about dressing in a suit and tie than the chicken suit. I can understand that completely, wearing a suit would be way harder for me than wearing a chicken suit :<

Lenam909 · #4 10-12-2009, 04:53 AM

I told my mum that my Mexican Fender Jazz bass only cost me £240. Luckily for me I was telling the truth... (just thought i'd brag about my greatest gear bargain). But to answer your question; when dealing with mothers, it's best to soften the blow by knocking off the odd £100-£150 and making sure you are in the house when any items are delivered so you can quickly snag away the reciept. Thankfully this all ended when I got a degree and the money I now spend is no longer part of my student loan. I don't think i'm a gear snob either, but when you buy a few behringer pedals and amp, then try out Electro-harmonix or Ashdown, it's hard to go back to your budget gear. Although, I use a tiny little 30 watt bass amp in my diddy little room in my diddy little cottage, made by some company called 'Career', and the sound is actually fantastic. I can turn the gain right up and the sound is unaltered, so in terms of volume, it might aswell be a 90 watt amp cranked up until the sound starts to suffer. Perhaps this £40 practice bass amp is a better deal than my J Bass.

Our singer often talks about dressing for a gig in similar or matching clothing, which makes me cringe inside. Music=expression=individuality=good, but I suppose when you throw money into the equation, you have to play what people want to hear, even if that means the individualty goes out of the window, but fortunatly, the devil won't own your soul. I don't believe in 'selling out', a musician that treats the industry like a buisness is still more bohemian than a white-collar desk jockey. But even so, whether you work behind a desk, you write songs that will make you money, or you hug trees and sing about the cosmos, no one is better, we're stuck in a world that forces you to need dosh, so get out there and make some.

Igital · #5 10-12-2009, 07:36 AM

I'm not sure what would be worse; suit and tie or chicken costume. But I know what I probably will feel worst about after thirty years of gigging and touring; playing for an indifferent audience, which I'm sure is going to happen sometimes. But yes, I'm going to do it. I'm too old to be very self-conscious anymore and I really need the money. Besides, I find doing on-the-spot requests for songs we haven't rehearsed both challenging and stimulating. We once did an improvised version of Staying Alive with acoustic guitar, 10-string lute and bass that actually turned out quite nice.

What I really was hoping for in this thread was stories about serious GAS and what it might have led you into doing... And if anyone has a good cure, I'd be grateful. Had a look at the Ritter Royal page yesterday and it almost cured me. That was over the top!

PJSShearer · #6 10-12-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igital

....Thing is it would require that we incorporate some songs we are not that fond of, that we dress really sharp for some of the gigs and put a little more emphasis on the "entertainment" part.

The whole point of the exercise - standing up in front of people and playing music at them, and getting paid for it - is to provide "entertainment" for your audience.

If you don't entertain your audience then, chances are, you won't be booked again!. This, unfortunately, means playing songs the audience want to hear - which are not necessarily ones you really want to play.

The idea of "dressing sharp" - well I was around in the punk days - and I dressed sharp in a punk way when I went to see the Tubeway army! - I drew the line at the mohecan, but I was pogoing with the best of them. But I wore jeans and a t-shirt for playing rock in the pubs, matching shirts and trousers in the working men's club band and a tux for the cabaret club - every genre has its dress code and I submit that being properly dressed is also part of providing the "entertainment". As I found out very quickly, if your "look" is wrong it don't matter how good you sound - the audience will be talking about your bad look, not how good (or even bad) you sound.

MrTAteMyBalls · #7 10-12-2009, 08:43 AM

I used to sell guitars in a decent sized mom and pop music store. We had a customer with a revolving credit account that bought LOTS of gear. Fender american deluxe, gibson, martin acoustics, pretty high dollar guitars and amps. Anyways, he had an understanding with the owner that the credit statements were NOT to be mailed to his house, so his wife wouldn't find out how much this stuff costs. When the statements printed we would just put it up on the bulletin board in the back. He was in every saturday, so we'd hand deliver him the statements. lol....sneaky.

Jason P Bass · #8 10-12-2009, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igital

Thing is it would require that we incorporate some songs we are not that fond of, that we dress really sharp for some of the gigs and put a little more emphasis on the "entertainment" part. For an old guy who started out in a punk band in 1977 and have always belonged to the "alternative" scene this doesn't come easy! I'm well aware that for many of you this would be no big deal at all. Only thing we are not compromising about is doing alternative versions, but that is IME no problem, in fact it is one of the reasons we can get paid that well.

Dang man, take stock of your situation. When you get that Duesenberg bass, will you step into your time machine, set the dials for 1977, and play it onstage with your punk band? Times change. People change. Music scenes change. Goals change. Michael Jackson's face changed (RIP). The Beastie Boys went from stadium rock to hip hop. Jimmy Page went from a legend of rock to P-Diddy's side kick. Fender changed ownership 3 (4? 5?) times.

Adapt or be stuck in a rut. How many gigs did the Sex Pistols play in 2009? None? Good for them.

I say you should try anything once, always change, always do something different. You guys shouldn't merely "dress sharp," you should overdress to the extreme! Wear tuxedos! Wear tear-away tuxedos OVER your regular tuxedos, and do a costume change halfway through the set. And in the meantime, make $3k a month and buy your Duesenberg.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Igital

Have anyone else done strange or stupid things due to GAS? Given up on principles? Sold stuff you deeply regretted? Robbed old ladies? Lied to your wife/husband abut what gear really cost? Saw this post about a guy that was led into GC by his wife to return some gear he couldn't really afford. I've recently been close to that...

It sounds like one of your new goals should be to make some more coin playing music. No shame in that - it's one of my goals.

As for the wife - she has spent WAY more money on kitchen equipment than I will ever spend on instruments. That keeps me out of the crosshairs if we argue, and I get to eat some delicious food.

Lenam909 · #9 10-12-2009, 09:39 AM

As for my GAS stories and what it might have led me into doing... I prefer to think of what I might NOT have done if it wasn't for GAS. If I didn't have the urge to expand my stock pile of equipment I wouldn't have a beautiful Fender Jazz Bass and a stylish looking backup instrument that is essentially a 1993 Taiwanese Squier P Bass with new electronics, neck, pots and an added bridge cover. I'd instead be stuck with a rather unknown instrument (Adams Black Titan Bass), which looks good, but is more headstock-heavy than an Epiphone Thunderbird. I'd also be stuck with my Behringer gear. If it wasn't for my desire to get newer, better gear, I don't think my band would be getting asked back to play anywhere. In addition to my instruments, effects and amps, I wouldn't be the proud owner of an SM57 and M-Audio interface, which would mean that those hours of playing around recording random jams and odd ideas wouldn't result in the creation of so much original music.

My experience is more about the aftermath of gathering gear, whereas I think you are talking about the desire of a piece of gear and what you are willing to do to attain it. I think that is easy to cure; of course it depends on your nature, but the way I would look at it is this:

If I don't have the money to pay for it out right, save up. Once you have the money, ask yourself if you still want it and if you can afford to spend that money. Another solution is to treat your music as a hobby that pays for itself, use gig money and old gear to pay for new gear.

M0ses · #10 10-12-2009, 09:52 AM

To keep it short and to the point:

Several gigs each month bringing in 1k each for you? And all you have to do is a play a few songs you're "not fond of" but mostly what you want and in your own very creative way?

Seems like a small price to pay indeed.

Archaeobass · #11 10-12-2009, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

To keep it short and to the point:

Several gigs each month bringing in 1k each for you? And all you have to do is a play a few songs you're "not fond of" but mostly what you want and in your own very creative way?

Seems like a small price to pay indeed.

Yeah, can't say that I'm weeping for the OP's sacrifice...

Hell, care to trade gigs? Mine is coming off pretty punk rock right now. Not my scene. I like getting paid.

Igital · #12 10-12-2009, 12:32 PM

Ok, your comments are well deserved. I see my original post didn't come out quite as intended, english isn't my native tongue. $3K is very good pay indeed for doing something you like and I would probably have jumped on the opportunity anyway. Lots of reasons to do so. What I tried to convey was that my mostly TB-aquired GAS is the most important factor getting me into this. So I will gladly dress up in a tuxedo, tell my best stage-jokes and keep a picture of the beautiful Duesenberg in my mind as we play Mustang Sally with lute, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass. And I'm sure I will enjoy it!

rutty24 · #13 10-13-2009, 06:02 AM

actually sounds like a proper good gig to me!

my band plays covers songs i can't say i'd listen to otherwise. but the crowd likes it and i get money for it... one day i'll have enough for the american jazz V i want. if a few songs i'm not fond of are going to stop me from getting that then i'll be damned

jmccain · #14 10-13-2009, 06:39 AM

Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do:

Lester4string · #15 10-13-2009, 07:34 AM

I play in a show band that has a sequence bass line which is always louder than my bass playing, and it never makes a mistake nor has any soul, but is the best paycheck ive ever had as a musician. I can suck it up and pretend to play bass for 2k worth of GAS per year

INTP · #16 10-13-2009, 08:43 AM

The only really foolish thing I did involving GAS involved running up my credit card balance.

But yes, this place does feed GAS, in a big way.

R. Laevinus · #17 10-13-2009, 09:28 AM

I've done lots of silly things - sold stuff too low, bought stuff too high, ran uop my credit balance, and neglected to pay rent (on more than one occasion) in favour of a new axe.

But I've beaten GAS now - and how, you ask?

By simply realizing that the lust for more and better was actually a lust for an instrument/pedal/amp/cab/cable/strap/adaptor/pedalboard/case/strings/nut/bridge/pickup/EQ/mixer/etc ad infinitum was actually a lust for a piece of gear that simply did not have the drawbacks of my current gear.

I.E., I did not want a new Precision 'just because' - I wanted a new Precision because the new ones have nice slim necks while still packing all the P-bass tone and mojo - I wanted a P that was easier to play than the one I had.