Are you set for life (till death)?

[mambo4]

I'm set for life, But I wouldn't kick a decent 51 PBass out of bed

 

[Nedmundo]

I'm 58 and I voted "yes" because I'm generally in downsizing mode, but this assumes my playing situation won't require something new. Now that I have a lightweight five-string J, i.e., a Sandberg TT-5 Superlight, I think I'm set for basses.

However, one of my bands might start playing gigs that could require another cab. I also might end up playing guitar in a band, in which case I might get another guitar. Neither scenario is likely, but I might get a hardtail guitar anyway. That's my only GAS these days.

For the most part, however, I'm over the free-floating GAS that fueled lots of gear churn in the early 2000s. Since about 2010, I've mostly bought gear for specific, practical reasons, and around 2018, I realized I had much more than I needed. I began selling off gear during the pandemic, and other than an overdrive pedal, I've only bought gear that replaced something I sold. For example, I sold two guitars that I replaced with one, and my Sandberg replaced a G&L JB-5. I've also given away lots of gear to my brother. My G&L SB-2 is for sale locally, and I'm planning to get rid of my acoustic guitar.

After I began this downsizing, I helped my parents move out of their house, which highlighted the hassle and waste that comes from having too much stuff. This strengthened my desire to minimize. I don't want to be dealing with mountains of gear when my wife and I move to a smaller place.

When that happens, I see my gear dwindling down to two basses, one guitar, and small, lightweight bass and guitar combos.

 

[nonohmic]

There's a disturbing lack of photos of these 'set for life' setups in this thread.

 

[kmon]

55, I was a GAS lunatic for many years…a compulsive taste tester who's owned just about everything.

No more. I have a custom L2K, a US Geddy with Brantley's, a custom LB100, a Peavey Patriot and a Ray34CA, a cali76 bass comp, a vt bass DI, an m-audio interface and a laptop.

The good thing about the GAS years was learning what I liked and I have fantastic examples of what I like. I don't check the classifieds any more.

Now the focus is completely on lessons and learning to actually play. All the gear was fun but the little breakthroughs that I'm experiencing in my playing are the best

 

[jimmydean]

Truthfully , after the moves I have made the past three weeks , I should not need to buy anything from this point on . I sold my "Big Boy" gear and my new rig is a Headrush FRFR-12 cab and I use a Zoom MS-60B as my amp . I bought a Sadowsky Will Lee , Tokai 62 JB and a Indio Classic short scale bass that is one of the best sounding basses I have ever heard .

 

[BassicJazzy]

I'm 70 and still adding, though I think I have all the basses I need for foreseeable future. Stopped playing for 25 years, picked it back up less than 2 years ago with the two basses I had kept when I quit, an Ovation elite acoustic and a Fender '90 Jazz Plus. Added an Ibanez SR1350B to get a fast-playing bass with 24 fret range, then recently added a Sire P5 to get P-bass sound for jazz. Only bought one effects pedal, an EHX Lizard King, just on a whim, haven't really used it yet. Also a mini-2 Beatbuddy cause I hate metronomes. Pretty complete package, but if I am unable to fix my SWR Baby Blue 2 amp soon I might have to shell out for a new amp? If my music goes in a different direction, right now it's jazz, who knows what the future may bring.

You never know how long you'll be able to play, what you'll play, but equipment shouldn't hold you back, should it?

 

[bassfran]

I've been mostly set with instruments for a while now but I'm working regularly again and my 'needs' have shifted. Wants? Needs? Who knows? So I voted 'no'.

Everything I have/use is quite capable, sounds great and can get the job done. I'm not "tone questing" necessarily, I'm upgrading. I just want the best tools at my disposal to get the sounds I want to produce.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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'm 72 and musically things have slowed down dramatically over the last 10 years. Over my lifetime, I've only bought three basses since 1974, and two of those were 5 strings. Now amps, cabs, iPads, page turners stands are another story. Although, I'm pretty happy with my Eden gear and frankly haven't heard anything I like better in the last 13 years I owned it. Further most of it was hardly used when collected it and I know it's hasn't been abused since.

I did pick up a Mesa WD-800 a couple of years ago for a couple of reasons. The first is as much as I like my Eden heads, finding a tech that has repair parts could be an issue if an amp fries. The second is it's 50 lbs lighter than my amp rack. And finally, sound wise I can get as close to my favored Eden sound as possible.

As for my Eden two 210 cabs (@ 50+lbs each), as much as I love these things I realize there will be a day when I will not be able to move them. But, as for now, with the way the handles were placed and the way the cab balances against your stomach, they really are easy to haul around…..once you get them off the ground. But until then, since we rarely play gigs where I need a second can as we have FOH support, moving a 50 lbs cab is not a problem… for now…..

All of which means I don't have gas…but I could in a hurry If my back blows up! Lol!!!p

 

[MrAB4003]

I voted no only because I'm in the early part of my fourth decade.

Am I set for life? Maybe. I'm a minimalist who only likes to replace basses and gear if something is wrong with them. I have been doing great the last few years with my two Ric 4003s and my Squier piccolo bass. But the latter was causing me hand pain when playing it, so I bought a short scale Gretsch bass to replace it.

Who knows what might happen in the future?

 

[Mustang Surly]

76 and done for the duration.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I thought I was, until my wife stepped into the room and saw me watching a BassTheWorld video of a Harley Benton multi-scale bass being demoed and thought I should get it. I was somewhat interested but no more than any other bass in passing. The multi-scale thing intrigued me though. Once I saw the price I was more interested

Cat giving it the once over…

This will probably be it, maybe

 

[red_rhino]

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

70 in 2 months. As others have pointed out, I guess that means entering my 8th decade. (NOT making me feel any better about this! )

I voted No. I'm old (I guess) but I still enjoy buying gear. Not GASing so much as targeted/strategic buying, with a few exceptions where I want to try something new.

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

They probably resolved the "What's the best clarinet for metal?" question long ago.

 

[Federighi]

"...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…"

Wise words and I completely agree with the sentiment. Learn to appreciate what you have and not what you want. I have one double bass and one EGB.

My old college double bass prof always made this analogy when referencing the ownership or purchase of a high-end / historic instrument: "you can drive to the store in a vw bug or a Ferrari. Both will get you to the same place."

Point being that any instrument has the potential to make music and the cost of entry is entirely subjective. Unless you're a world class player constantly traveling, teaching, etc I don't see the need for more than one instrument. Especially if we're talking about EBG.

 

[Gervais Cote]

There's a disturbing lack of photos of these 'set for life' setups in this thread.

Agree !

Here's my amp/cab kit, really can't see ever needing more than that :

 

[logdrum]

Thanks for the responses. I guess it's not over for a lot of us and probably for me as well. I did have a profound experience when I coded when I was in a non total anesthesia procedure so I was lucidly aware of me going there. Letting go is not so bad, I discovered but alas the mind in day to day is too fickle and material things do matter and enticing.

I will tell you guys in a year or so if I got here. The GAS less state

 

[Polfuste]

Before Namm 2025 i would have say "yeah for sure". And i already have said that before. But since i've seen the Sire M6 headless, i can't wait to try one..

 

[Wasnex]

The one thing I feel my collection is actually lacking is a double bass.

I have way more amps, cabs, basses, etc than I need. I have a bucket list for amps and mild interest in cabs. My collecting has slowed significantly as it is feeling more and more gratuitous. Another factor is space it getting tight. Still there is probably a good chance I will add another amp or two to the collection before the estate sale. I may also buy a spare Yamaha TRB6P, since the fingerboard and truss rod are hinky on my mine. It's my #1.

My amp desires are a bit irrational as I am really a solid state guy. Here is the bucket list: Sunn 2000S, Ashdown BTA, Peavey VB-MA. The one solid state on my list is a Trace Elliot AH1200-12. My amps number around 60 and very few are current models. I am more interested in absurd and rare than the latest/greatest.

 

[VeryTallBassist]

I'll be 50 next year. I have 15 basses at the moment, 2 gigging amps and cabinets, and a vintage 15" combo. I don't "need" any more gear, but I would probably offload some of my Spectors for one USA custom shop. I'd also like to get my hands on a Warwick Thumb 5 NT. Honestly, I get more lately out of building killer basses out of cheaper instruments. I don't have the patience or space to set up a wood shop to do scratch builds, but modifying basses to make them exactly what I want gives me all the rewards with not as many headaches.

 

[hondo4life]

I have enough quantity of gear for life, but I like trying new things too much to stop GASsing. I'm only in my 40s, so give me a decade or two.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

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.

Never say never on acquiring new and better gear. I'll start in April of 2015 when I had 4-months left at age 64. It's mostly cabs until 2018 when I did buy a "new to me" used amp. The amp I used to run these cabs was an Eden WT500/800, that was the specific amp that David Nordschow (aka: "David Eden"). used to design all the Eden cabs from 1999 when the amp was made, until 2009 when he left Eden to found DNA. It is a dual-powerblock amp with two separate power channels. He had upgraded it from 500-watts rms bridged to 800-watts bridged.

April 2015 - Bought a DNS-410 cab (by DNA) thinking I would never have to buy another cab. Clearest, cleanest, most articulate and LOUDEST pointer settingcab I'd ever heard, able to replicate the fundamentals down to 37Hz...thought I was done.

February 2018 - Bought an Eden EX-112 cab because brewpubs here in Washington state wouldn't let me use my 410 - "too much for here". Bought a second one to use for medium-sized venues because it sounded so good and two of those 112's weight less than my 410. I do have to use my big Eden amp with it and plug each of those 4Ω cabs into each side.

March 2018 - Bought an Eden TN-226 class D amp (225-watts rms into 4Ω, weighs 4.7-lbs). Bought this used from a friend who needed a higher power amp. I was looking for a lower powered and lighter amp. This was perfect for our standing gig at local brewpub hosting open mic nights on Fridays. I only use it at small venues because that amp won't go down to 2Ω and my 112 cabs are both 4Ω cabs. Plus I can load in or out everything in one trip at small venues.

December 2019 - was accepted into the DNA Endorsing Artist group and bought a DNS-210 because nobody looks twice at a bass player bringing in a 210 cab and it has the same sonic characteristics as my 410. It does however go a little lower, replicating the fundamental down to 34Hz. PLUS - got a decent Artist Discount on the price. It ended up being a far better cab than I expected. It is such a loud cab that I use it for all my indoor medium and large venues. I reserve my DNS-410 for outdoor venues and Music Festivals now.

May 2021 - Bought a DNA-800 class D amp that weighs all of 4.8-lbs and puts out 400-watts rms into 8Ω or 800-watts rms into either 4Ω or 2Ω. It also has an on-board compressor with adjustable threshold and ratio controls. This might have been the last DNA-800 that DNA made. Covid played havoc with electronic parts and everyone was running out of the parts they needed to make their gear. I ordered this through my artist rep in April and heard back a few days later that the factory didn't have any completed ones left - they were waiting on parts. However, David Nordschow said he had enough parts at his place to build one for me if I could wait for a couple of weeks. I said "no problem". So he built one for me and I received it in mid-May. Unfortunately the parts supply not only didn't improve for DNA, but the company that made one of the integral parts of their amps went out of business and no one else makes that part. So in January of 2023 DNA closed its doors.

This DNA-800 ended up being my most commonly used amp. With just a couple of small EQ tweaks, I make it sound like my big Eden amp. It only puts out 400-watts into 8Ω, but I've found that is generally enough in any indoor venue with my DNS-210 cab. Long rooms can be a challenge and I'll either bring out my Big Eden amp bridging into my 210 or I'll roll my DNS-410 using it with my DNA-800. The 410 with the DNA-800 is about 6-lbs lighter than bringing in my big Eden amp (weighs 37.5-lbs in its rack), but that 210 w/big amp is easier to transport.

Good news is that with the exception of the DNS-410 and my DNA-800 all the rest have been totally paid for using gig money. I was saving up for the DNS-410 when my Godmother passed away and she had put aside about $200 in savings bonds back in the 70's that converted to $1400 in 2014 upon her passing. So that put me well over the top by adding it to my savings. The DNA-800 was actually bought by adding some of that Covid-19 $1200 check to money I'd put aside for it. So far I haven't made any more purchases. But i turned 65 in 2015 and I'm 74 now, so I bought a LOT over that time period. I am still thinking about getting a stage monitor, but both groups I play with supply monitors so I don't really need one right now and I'm not feeling Gassy for the moment.

Of course I really do like the Dingwall Lee Sklar signature 5-string in blue, but even at an endorsed price it's very expensive and would only be used when I need to pull out a 5'er. My '82 Jazz would remain my primary bass even if I bought a Dingwall 5-string. Still...that's perhaps a little bit of GAS.