In the past 24 months I’ve bought and sold between 15 and 20 instruments. I did this for several reasons. First off was the hunt. To find that magical perfect instrument. The second reason was a hobby Ive had for years, flipping basses.
The gamut of instruments that have passed across my bench has been very wide. Four strings, five strings, six strings, headless, single cut, Bolt on, neck through, active, passive, vintage, and recent.
I don’t know what has exactly caused me to have this sudden affirmation to stop purchasing anymore instruments for the next 14 months or more. I suspect it’s that I have found what I’m looking for. Or at least I think so right now. And I find myself saying to myself, “ you don’t need that”. I’m then able to walk away from something that would have been reacted to in the past. For example, a severely underpriced instrument, that would be prime to flip and make a few hundred dollars on, while being able to try it out. Or commonly, you’d see that instrument That would make you think you would sound that much better using it.
On occasion, that assumption would be correct. You would find yourself playing an instrument that you simply sounded better on. But more often than not that feeling wouldn’t last, or the next shiny object made itself known. I’m not one to keep more than one or two types of basses on hand. If an instrument isn’t used for several months, I question why I even have it. I’ve given away basses to friends and family that has sat unused. Normally they were lower cost instruments. But sometimes not. I have a 1970 Rickenbacker that I’ve traded back-and-forth with a life long friend for many years. He will have it for three or four years, then I will take it back for a time. Eventually, I land on his front porch with it, so he may take possession again.
And then, of course, there is the modification hobby I have. Where I will take an inexpensive bass would normally sell for more, upgrade it, modify it, and improve the aesthetics, then sell it for a tidy profit. I’m very proud of some of the instruments. I’ve worked on.
I think I’ve also opted to concentrate more on practicing learning new solo pieces, Bach cello Concerto, solo bass pieces, like tears in heaven, or increasing my vocabulary for improvisation. For a period in the spring of this year, I took lessons from a local instructor. I’ve been playing bass for 45 years. Yet the material he introduced me to pretty much stopped me in my tracks. It became apparent that the curriculum he was looking to teach me was not the avenue. I wanted to take. He was a fine teacher, but sometimes the direction I Teacher wants to take you will not inspire you to want to follow his lessons. Nevertheless, I intend to improve as a player as I always have tried to, but I will focus more on increasing my vocabulary on the instrument versus increasing my stable in the rack.
Hoping my meandering thoughts provided some entertainment.
The gamut of instruments that have passed across my bench has been very wide. Four strings, five strings, six strings, headless, single cut, Bolt on, neck through, active, passive, vintage, and recent.
I don’t know what has exactly caused me to have this sudden affirmation to stop purchasing anymore instruments for the next 14 months or more. I suspect it’s that I have found what I’m looking for. Or at least I think so right now. And I find myself saying to myself, “ you don’t need that”. I’m then able to walk away from something that would have been reacted to in the past. For example, a severely underpriced instrument, that would be prime to flip and make a few hundred dollars on, while being able to try it out. Or commonly, you’d see that instrument That would make you think you would sound that much better using it.
On occasion, that assumption would be correct. You would find yourself playing an instrument that you simply sounded better on. But more often than not that feeling wouldn’t last, or the next shiny object made itself known. I’m not one to keep more than one or two types of basses on hand. If an instrument isn’t used for several months, I question why I even have it. I’ve given away basses to friends and family that has sat unused. Normally they were lower cost instruments. But sometimes not. I have a 1970 Rickenbacker that I’ve traded back-and-forth with a life long friend for many years. He will have it for three or four years, then I will take it back for a time. Eventually, I land on his front porch with it, so he may take possession again.
And then, of course, there is the modification hobby I have. Where I will take an inexpensive bass would normally sell for more, upgrade it, modify it, and improve the aesthetics, then sell it for a tidy profit. I’m very proud of some of the instruments. I’ve worked on.
I think I’ve also opted to concentrate more on practicing learning new solo pieces, Bach cello Concerto, solo bass pieces, like tears in heaven, or increasing my vocabulary for improvisation. For a period in the spring of this year, I took lessons from a local instructor. I’ve been playing bass for 45 years. Yet the material he introduced me to pretty much stopped me in my tracks. It became apparent that the curriculum he was looking to teach me was not the avenue. I wanted to take. He was a fine teacher, but sometimes the direction I Teacher wants to take you will not inspire you to want to follow his lessons. Nevertheless, I intend to improve as a player as I always have tried to, but I will focus more on increasing my vocabulary on the instrument versus increasing my stable in the rack.
Hoping my meandering thoughts provided some entertainment.
