A dose of perspective on GAS

[Dr. Cheese]

I've fallen into this rut too; new gear scratches that itch for immediate gratification because it almost always gives you a different sound/feel/vibe. And rather than focus on our playing, the practice routine turns into time to turn knobs, experiment with settings, change strings, etc.

So that was me: focused on my sound and my gear more than on my playing...but a few recent experiences told me it was time to return my focus to playing.

The first was the Chicago-area TalkBass get-together last month.
There was an insane quantity of amazing gear there - and none of it resonated with me like the stuff I already have. It made me realize there's no realistic chance that I'd just stumble upon something better, either at a shop or online. Other players can be completely honest when they describe gear as "amazing" but that's no guarantee it will appeal to me.

The other thing at the GTG was the players - hearing them, I realized that I've gotten complacent and rely on the same patterns way too much.

Galvanized by that experience, I brought my bass with me last week when I was visiting my mom.
While there, I looked up the guy I took lessons with many years ago and signed up for a lesson.
That lesson brought me full-circle and cracked open a lot of those ruts I've been relying on.

It gave me something better to do in my practice time than turn knobs and change strings...

 

[Evilheim]

This reminds me about the case of the guitar player I'm recording music with in one of the online projects I am, she has just enought little money to change strings at least once a year (guitar strings), she doesn't even have a good amp and her guitar is kind of like a rusty unplayablr toy but she've managed to get the basics she needs to record herself.

IDK how but with that little she manage to write incredible songs like crazy and even makes her guitar tone more than decent, quite good in deed.