Are you set for life (till death)?

[logdrum]

Sorry for the morbid thread title. In over a year not quite 2 I will be in my sixth decade. Unless something breaks ( like an amp or a powered speaker) I don't see myself ever needing any more bass or any instrument for that matter, Just consumables like strings, drum heads.

For those of you that have crossed that milestone, have you stopped GAS? I am asking specifically folks that have been playing for a while at lest 20 years or more and not those that just picked up based recently. I think other factors too, like living on retirement income would make one stop,

I played with folks over 64 and even though these cats have money, I haven't seen them acquire more instruments and those in the 70's or more are even giving or selling stuff away, They are still playing their asses off.

I hope that it happens to me. And motivated inside, not because of external factors.

 

[Church-Bass]

For those of you that have crossed that milestone, have you stopped GAS?

Yes.

I have my 1960 Fender Jazz for vintage needs.

I have my 2004 Yamaha TRB6PII for modern needs.

A couple of other basses to fill the gaps.

I'm set to pass these on to the kids as heirlooms.

 

[J Wilson]

I just turned 70 and I'd say I'm still interested, though I must admit after being obsessed most of my life with the darn things, it doesn't keep up nights any more. I owned two Alembics for ten years, and those broke me of GAS right quick: WTH was I going to go look at it music stores or on the web that was better than what I had? Nothing. Two Alembics in the barn made anything else I looked at as just lacking.

Today I play Squiers: The buy-in is right, and plenty good enough for me to play around the house. I'd never pay big money for a bass ever again. I have zero interest in ever gigging or playing with others again.

And at this age, again after living and breathing it for close to 40 years, I have other interests that luckily have NOTHING to do with music. I needed broadening, all bass/all the time had made JW a dull boy.

I'd simply say I outgrew GAS: It's a dead end, as human beings are never satisfied with what they have. I have learned to embrace sufficiency, how much is enough and no more. Anything past that, I'm not interested, I got better things to do.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I'm so not over acquiring or questing at 60:
That I'm building and selling at a slowly accelerating pace.
Getting down with the CNC and designing by hand on paper and in CAD.
Modifying almost everything: with intent or experiment.

Nowhere close to being "done "

Still playing out 3or more times a month.
Still writing and recording.

Still desire to create functional art from wood and wire. Aspire to create objects that will still make music long after I’m gone and bring joy, and inspire those that possess them to create music born from the love I put into creating those objects.

 

[JRA]

i voted "yes" despite recently assembling some parts for yet another EB that i don't need:

fact is, i'll be sharing my stash post-mortem via my will/wishes, so i get the fun of assembling and playing them "till death" do us part, knowing that some of the musicians i know and love will get a trinket that they can put to good use (by playing/gifting the ax themselves).

edit: i'm 75.

 

[Geepers]

My father is 94 and has played clarinet in orchestras and bands since he was a teenager. He is still playing the original one he started on and only has one backup that he bought in 1966 and has basically never used. I specifically asked him about GAS a couple years ago and he looked at me as if I was nuts. The instrument has never been the thing for him, only the music. My GAS - admittedly only mild anyway - pretty much disappeared altogether after that. It’s good to be free.

 

[Rdore2000]

My father is 94 and has played clarinet in orchestras and bands since he was a teenager. He is still playing the original one he started on and only has one backup that he bought in 1966 and has basically never used. I specifically asked him about GAS a couple years ago and he looked at me as if I was nuts. The instrument has never been the thing for him, only the music. My GAS - admittedly only mild anyway - pretty much disappeared altogether after that. It's good to be free.

Was he ever on Talk Clarinet though where people were posting about New Clarinet Days?

 

[A Bass And Its Boy]

In over a year not quite 2 I will be in my sixth decade

I'm so not over acquiring or questing at 60

Let’s remember, folks, when you turn 60 you’re actually starting your SEVENTH decade.

 

[Shawn Luckman]

Glad I found this thread I've been having the same, thoughts myself now for a while now. I turn 58 in August & have been infatuated with the bass guitar since 1987 the love is still there but, that craving to want the basses I couldn't afford or lusted over back in the day seems to have gone
I'm down to 5 basses now & one of them has been in the loft for a few years now. And as the old story goes "which 1 bass would you grab in a fire" then, hand on heart I only really want & need one bass and I know that myself.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Feeling pretty good about my own gear now. Made an effort to get some good pieces.

 

[el murdoque]

I have enough basses (three), amps, cabinets, pedals and stuff so I could stop buying anything right now and probably be set until my hands give out (or my brain).
I do like to buy stuff that has the potential of lasting me a lifetime, but I actually hope that I will progress some more as a musician and maybe require something different in the future.

 

[sikamikanico]

sorry, I didn’t get the thread fully before I voted… I don’t qualify on age, tho I have been playing > 20 years.

By the time I’m 60, I sure think I’ll be done with GAS. Indeed, I’m almost there with bass - the only real question left is whether to get a hollowbody or not. Then there’s the question of getting something custom made, but rather than spending thousands, I might turn it into a new hobby in a few years (woodworking/lutherie). I’ve learned to reign in my GAS by focusing on my wants/preferences (not needs*), pinpointing the key factors, and then modding/trial and error to figure it out. Making my own bass would be just the next step on the journey.

But GAS has recently “metastasized” and I’m now experimenting with guitars, so I know I’m not done with it yet, lol, and at this point I’m all but certain drums and keys are next But, given my experience/journey with basses, I’m confident it won’t take another 20+ years and buying/selling gear.

*for me, focusing on needs turned out to be the root of GAS. It was my brain rationalizing my GAS. You know, stuff like “everybody needs a P, a J, a Ray, and a Rick” mantra. Or considering basses as tools for specific jobs, like “60 P with flats for the Motown sound” and “a 70s J with rounds for funk/slap”, and an ”active 5-string with soapbars for modern sounds” etc. This all turned out to be GAS/BS for me…

 

[SJan3]

So, I'm good with my basses but always hot for new amps and cabinets. I buy/sell them pretty often.

 

[tvbop]

Yep sure. Im 65 and evn tho Ive got a few bucks, sold all my vintage basses and play a CV 70 P bass and a real beat up VM P bass. After 45 years I finally realise it really is all in the fingers/string choice and having an instrument that your simply comfortable with.

 

[ardgedee]

In over a year not quite 2 I will be in my sixth decade.

You're going to be 50 soon? That's too young for thinking like this. (hint: Your first decade covered the years 0-9.)

To answer the question, though: I think my desire for gear has always been exceeded by my interest in gear. I always love seeing new and interesting things but very little of it triggers that "I must have" urge. As I get older I still want to see what's out there, though I'm even less interested in buying any of it now.

 

[H K]

Sorry for the morbid thread title. In over a year not quite 2 I will be in my sixth decade. Unless something breaks ( like an amp or a powered speaker) I don't see myself ever needing any more bass or any instrument for that matter, Just consumables like strings, drum heads.

For those of you that have crossed that milestone, have you stopped GAS? I am asking specifically folks that have been playing for a while at lest 20 years or more and not those that just picked up based recently. I think other factors too, like living on retirement income would make one stop,

I played with folks over 64 and even though these cats have money, I haven't seen them acquire more instruments and those in the 70's or more are even giving or selling stuff away, They are still playing their asses off.

I hope that it happens to me. And motivated inside, not because of external factors.

I could easily make 10 more lifetimes with the gear I have per now.

Does that mean I will stop getting new gear?

Abso-fkn-lutely NOT.

 

[dmt]

I voted "no" (not done), but my real answer is more "yes and no". "Yes", I don't need any more total gear (in fact, despite somewhat of a sell off last year, I definitely still need to sell some further excess off). However, "No", I'm not necessarily done buying for optimizing.

In particular, I'd like an all-tube bass amp, which I've never had, and I would also like a tube-based DI. Also, I could see selling my two P basses to get (or put together?) one perfect-for-me P bass — I don’t have an exact plan there yet, but something like that will probably eventually happen.

Guitar-wise, I could sell my long-beloved 1x12 Tone King amp and spend the resulting money on a Deluxe Reverb RI, and then maybe take on rebuilding it with point-to-point wiring as a project.

There's two microphones (pretty affordable ones, too) that I've wanted for years but which I never did buy. Due to since-changed circumstances, I no longer really need them, but sometimes the itch to complete my original dream mic shopping list comes back.

I have a pretty extensive Vdrums setup that I'd like to sell for a decent price and get a Gretsch bop kit instead. My wife is even onboard with that one

There's lots of other musical toys I'd like too (a cello? A Sousaphone I could easily go on…), but the reality is I'm not using half the stuff I have now, and haven't been for quite a while. That kinda kills the appetite for adding more, especially as I'm also dealing with limited physical setup and storage space. Probably the biggest thing though is that my body has broken down a bit (nothing major in a way, but I'm definitely a bit dinged up anymore) and I can't put in endless hours on music before one old injury or another will come back and eventually grind things to halt. Which brings me back to that I currently have more than enough. But, some tweaks to the lineup are still in store, for sure

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I'll turn 65 in a few weeks, yet I still pour over FB Marketplace, GC's Used and Reverb's basses. I haven't purchased a bass since 2022 when I bought 3 basses - ALL of them were impulse purchases. I still have chronic GAS (I'm eying a local bass on FB right now), but I'm trying desperately to chill out as I have enough gear to last the rest of my life and then some.

I've been battling GAS of various types for around 20 years now. Maybe longer. As I understand it, GAS like mine is related somehow to childhood trauma and family traits. IOW, if your parents were hoarders or thrifty bargain hunters, chances are you'll be one too. My parents were depression era kids so they filled their house with tons of crap I ended up throwing away. I don't want to be like them. They were also abusive so I have additional personality traits that lend themselves to episodes of HIGH GAS.

I really need to get off my derrière and start selling off quite a bit of merch (not just basses). However, I hate dealing with people in such situations. I literally find it almost painful and it takes a lot out of me, so I end up sitting on things I should be parting with.

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[900se]

I'm 58 - and until last year, I've been a one bass guy - plugged straight into an amp. Since then, I've sold a bass, bought two, built a pedal board - with quite a few pedals (Empress, C4, Neptunium, MIDi controller, Jive), new amp, got an audio interface and started learning to use a DAW. Last hurrah maybe, but I'm having fun and don't plan to stop.

 

[SpiderBass1965]

No. I am 59 years young. The gas is still there but my tolerance is stronger than it was many years ago.