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Am I the Gear 1%?

DagoMaino

DagoMaino

Feb 1, 2013
612
156
#1
This is my confession. I am the 1%... for music gear at least.

I say that because I live a life of notable gear luxury. Yes, I have a day job that provides a reasonable salary, and I still pride myself in making frugal-minded purchasing decisions, working the sales, buying used, and waiting for the deals. My music room has a decent studio set-up of PA, monitors, mics, and intermediate recording tools, I have a handful of guitar rig options to cover most of the spectrum of tones, I have a few bass rigs and just about every variation of basses (fretless, 6 string, piccalo, acoustic...etc.). I currently have a few pedalboards, synthesizers, basic DJ gear...etc.

I don't own any crazy expensive Dingwall basses or Duesenberg guitars, but I have the variety of options that cover all the ground appropriate for the skill level I am at (and mostly comfortable with). Most of what I own is mid-level, and aside from a couple high-end wants (I'd love to own a John Kallas bass someday), I have it all.

I guess the point is that I don't feel like I have let GAS run my life, but I do acknowledge that I genuinely consider my gear itself a hobby/interest that stands on its own, aside from musicianship. I don't feel bad at all about owning so much gear. If I were a car guy, I could easily spend more money on one (even midrange) fancy vehicle. My thing is gear and I have a lot of it.

Fess up you 1%ers! For you is it more about quality or quantity? Do you feel your gear interest is directly proportional to your musician skill level? Do you see your gear interest as a separate hobby from being a musician?
 
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#2
I think I have a good balance of quality equipment that's appropriate to my skill level and performance needs. But I'm a practical person. If I have some possession that is a bit posh it's because it has some function to it other than being fancy.

I do enjoy knowing the details of various gear though.
("Ooo, look ! He's using a REDDI tube direct box !")
I am a total geek about what's on the backline.
 
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#4
A one-percenter is a biker who doesn't follow the rules.

I definitely haven't followed the rules when building my gear collection.
This last one I built out of parts, three circa $100 USD instruments to build ONE.

For reference:

"
The AMA (American Motorcycle Association) stated that 99% of the people at their events were god fearing and family oriented. The other 1%er were hard riding, hard partying, non mainstream type people. Thus the term 1%er was born. Some of the early bikers embraced the term and decided to call themselves 1%ers.
"

I was going to to paste the URL that I copied this from, but it's being censored.
 
#5
In my life I have swayed from passion/hobby to passion/hobby and whichever way the wind blows, gets my disposable free time and income. I have very nice Basses and equipment which I have been procuring for almost 25+ years and I love the sounds that I get out of them. They bring me incredible joy and creative release. Some people feel the need to justify sinking their energy and resources into gear with gigs or skill level or <insert your why>...I say hogwash! Get it to play, get it to look at, get it to burn...who cares, just get it and send me pictures and tell me if I should get it :drool:

...it could be worse, I could be into fancy watches or vintage cars.
 
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#6
Killed_by_Death said:
A one-percenter is a biker who doesn't follow the rules.

I definitely haven't followed the rules when building my gear collection.
This last one I built out of parts, three circa $100 USD instruments to build ONE.

For reference:

"
The AMA (American Motorcycle Association) stated that 99% of the people at their events were god fearing and family oriented. The other 1%er were hard riding, hard partying, non mainstream type people. Thus the term 1%er was born. Some of the early bikers embraced the term and decided to call themselves 1%ers.
"

I was going to to paste the URL that I copied this from, but it's being censored.
Click to expand...
I had forgotten entirely about the biker connection. I was definitely speaking more in terms of the 99% vs 1% wealth distribution angle. Where most musicians it seems only have a enough to get by, some of us thoroughly enjoy what most would deem as excess.
 
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#11
I own three basses and four guitars. Definitely need one more bass to make things “even.” :D

That said, I own everything I want and could need. I could easily want more, but all my bases are covered.

I own:

Basses - StingRay, Precision, and a Jazz
Guitars - Les Paul, Strat, PRS, and an acoustic

I could go for a Rickenbacker bass, but that’s another 1.5k spend that isn’t needed. I have nice amps and I have a nice space to learn and record. Not much else needed for me :)
 
#12
rickster4003 said:
Pics or no 1%!
Click to expand...

I'll start this picture party off. Disclaimer...I am NOT rich (but established middle class professional), but the things I care about...I scrimp and save and get the best that I can. I've been playing bass since I was 13 and am 40 now so it has been a long road of playing the best I could afford and then upgrading as I went along. I may play Carl Thompson basses, but I drive a Honda Accord.

The Basses (2 Carl Thompson full frills and a Rob Allen custom - got another one in the works with Carl, but I probably won't see that for at LEAST a year if I'm lucky):
Invalid Link Removed

My current at home setup (when I go out, I take either just the big board or pull together a smaller board of what I need):

***edit - looking at this picture, the setup is actually changed quite a bit since this was taken. More pedals and a few are not around anymore - and a Rob Allen is about to be hung on the wall where the electric panel is.
tAsIF6s.jpg
 
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#13
I'd say my bass life breaks down like this:

80% musician
15% collector
5% flipper

It's mostly about playing, but there's also an appreciation of bass history and all of the cool gear that's out there that stands on its own. I've had great experiences with certain basses and brands, and I also tend to maintain a list of gear that I want to try. If I see a killer deal on something that falls into those categories I'll typically grab it. At some point though, if it's not getting played it goes back on the block.

If you're happy with how your interests break down then you're good. If the gear interest is interfering with your musical development in a way that frustrates you, it's time to reevaluate things. Cruising the web for deals can be a massive time suck...
 
#14
cosmicevan said:
I'll start this picture party off. Disclaimer...I am NOT rich (but established middle class professional), but the things I care about...I scrimp and save and get the best that I can. I've been playing bass since I was 13 and am 40 now so it has been a long road of playing the best I could afford and then upgrading as I went along. I may play Carl Thompson basses, but I drive a Honda Accord.

The Basses (2 Carl Thompson full frills and a Rob Allen custom - got another one in the works with Carl, but I probably won't see that for at LEAST a year if I'm lucky):


My current at home setup (when I go out, I take either just the big board or pull together a smaller board of what I need):

***edit - looking at this picture, the setup is actually changed quite a bit since this was taken. More pedals and a few are not around anymore - and a Rob Allen is about to be hung on the wall where the electric panel is.
Click to expand...

I fall in a similar boat, started playing when I was about 14 and am now a 39 year old with a typical corporate gig, but while most of my work peers spend $50k+ on their vehicles, my vehicle choice is simply "will it fit an 8x10 cab, and will it not cost me an arm and a leg to maintain and/or fix?"
 
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#15
OP...

I really couldn't have said it better myself. I told my wife one day as I looked at the basses winding around the walls in my man cave that I was pretty lucky. I have a bunch of basses and guitars, amps, and assorted other gear. I've probably went on splurges of buying in the past, but it's been spread out over a thirty year or so span. I'm pretty happy with what I own. A friend offered a bass rig to me a few days ago. Said he'd sell or trade. I really dont need it so I declined. I'd love a BC Rick Warlock bass, just because I always wanted one, but to get one now I'd force myself to sell something. Overall, I'm happy and satisfied!

BnB
 
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#16
I think a lot of my collecting really stems from my identity as a musician. I throughly enjoy the experimental component of creativity. I am the guy that is much more engaged with wondering if I run this old 80s synth through this particular sequence of pedals, can I make something interesting and usable. Last night I was trying to figure out how I can DJ and play drums at the same time.

The basses I own, 6 string to pretend I'm good, 5 string for the downtuned stuff, 4 string MM for growly hard music, vintage P with flatwounds for motown groove, bass VI and piccolo bass to get weird, acoustic for firesides, fretless in case I ever get a jazz ensemble gig... Does this lend itself to being a jack of all and master of none... sure, but my aspirations of being a great bass player went away almost 20 years ago and were traded for aspirations of being a good enough player to create what he wants. I will never fly with the Pattitucci's but hopefully do some unique things with some weird combo of gear.

Wormhole? Possibly, but it is kind of just who I am as an artist (artist as the common form, not arteest in the pretentious form).
 
#18
I forced myself to keep it real for a long time but lately I had to fill a huge existential void somehow
So now I have far better gear than I deserve, but at least I only have the gear I use (and the gear I haven't been able to sell, yet :atoz:).
 

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