If you think it’s a problem, it’s a problem. You were very smart about it (sold stuff, broke even), but the opportunity cost of time is real. So what to do?
first, don’t listen to the enablers on TB
second, spend some time thinking about what you’ve learned with these purchases. Indeed, that’s what I call this kind of thing - learning. So, hopefully you now know better what you like and dislike etc… it wasn’t a waste of time!!
after the analysis above, you can be more picky going forward. Many use the policy “one in one out” so we don’t grow the herd in the process. But you will learn more as you go, and replacing what doesn’t serve you well is perfectly fine. You just gotta be brutally honest with yourself - what is it that you want/like?
note that I emphasize “want”. Like many here, I used to fool myself that I needed a variety of basses/gear, different tools for different jobs, etc. BS. You determine what you “need” via what you want and like. Very few session musicians have a legit claim to need more than one bass.
The “want” perspective also focuses you on you and your preferences. The problem with reading forums and what others like is that, well, you learn what worked for them. For me, it turned out that I have a very narrow set of preferences (and, obviously, they’re different from others’ preferences)
Which brings me to my last point: be very picky going forward. I’m picky to the point of running another risk (ie, getting into custom builds), but 99% of TB threads and ads don’t tempt me. Most basses have a critical flaw given my preferences (eg too heavy, wrong pickups, nut too narrow, etc.), but they’re great for someone else…
So I’m mostly “just looking at the menu” these days. Occasionally I “sample” stuff at a store, but mostly I just quickly find that critical flaw and move on. Oh, and I forgot to add: my current gear is the benchmark. With one in one out policy, I’m simply looking to find a bass that works better than one of the current ones.
hope any of that helps you. And again, don’t listen to the enablers here
first, don’t listen to the enablers on TB
second, spend some time thinking about what you’ve learned with these purchases. Indeed, that’s what I call this kind of thing - learning. So, hopefully you now know better what you like and dislike etc… it wasn’t a waste of time!!
after the analysis above, you can be more picky going forward. Many use the policy “one in one out” so we don’t grow the herd in the process. But you will learn more as you go, and replacing what doesn’t serve you well is perfectly fine. You just gotta be brutally honest with yourself - what is it that you want/like?
note that I emphasize “want”. Like many here, I used to fool myself that I needed a variety of basses/gear, different tools for different jobs, etc. BS. You determine what you “need” via what you want and like. Very few session musicians have a legit claim to need more than one bass.
The “want” perspective also focuses you on you and your preferences. The problem with reading forums and what others like is that, well, you learn what worked for them. For me, it turned out that I have a very narrow set of preferences (and, obviously, they’re different from others’ preferences)
Which brings me to my last point: be very picky going forward. I’m picky to the point of running another risk (ie, getting into custom builds), but 99% of TB threads and ads don’t tempt me. Most basses have a critical flaw given my preferences (eg too heavy, wrong pickups, nut too narrow, etc.), but they’re great for someone else…
So I’m mostly “just looking at the menu” these days. Occasionally I “sample” stuff at a store, but mostly I just quickly find that critical flaw and move on. Oh, and I forgot to add: my current gear is the benchmark. With one in one out policy, I’m simply looking to find a bass that works better than one of the current ones.
hope any of that helps you. And again, don’t listen to the enablers here
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