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Can't substantiate this with data, but...

Mustang Surly

Mustang Surly

Jul 10, 2013
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3,600
#1
...I've gotten the impression that bass players flip gear faster than guitar players.

Have only been seriously trying to learn to play bass for a year or so after many years on the guitar, but that's the impression I get from watching the classifieds here.

Do you think that's a valid assessment, or total bunk? If you think it's true, why do you suppose that is?

I certainly don't think that guitar players obsess any less about "finding their tone". And, of course, many may fall prey to the "if I buy what ____________plays, I'll sound as good as he does" trap, regardless of whether they play bass or guitar. Maybe it takes some guitar players longer to exhaust interest in a given instrument because they may have a zillion pedals to try running it through.

Or maybe I'm just spinning my wheels and should go practice instead.

Any thoughts?
 
#4
From what I've seen, most bassists seem to keep just a couple basses and will buy and sell more often while keeping the number the same, while guitarists will flip less often but keep more guitars. Hardly a rule, but something that is fairly common.
 
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#5
I doubt there's much difference overall, but of the musicians I've met, the biggest gearheads, flippers, and collectors have all been guitarists. That might be because there are simply more guitarists, and because as a bassist I don't actually play with other bassists, but I've met loads of musicians and that's what I've seen.
 
#6
Nedmundo said:
I doubt there's much difference overall, but of the musicians I've met, the biggest gearheads, flippers, and collectors have all been guitarists. That might be because there are simply more guitarists, and because as a bassist I don't actually play with other bassists, but I've met loads of musicians and that's what I've seen.
Click to expand...

This has also been my experience over 30+ years. Any band I've ever been in that had two or more guitarists, at least one of them went out and bought or traded for something similar to the other guy's gear, be it guitar, amp, or pedals.

The gap has been closing the past 15 years or so with a lot more quality / affordable options for bassists, but still seeing more guitar flips than bass flips. And let's not get started on pedalboard reconfigs.....
 
#11
It's interesting because I know more guitarists than bassists who feel that a particular guitar is THEIR'S and they'll play that one forever. This is as opposed to bassists who I feel get less emotionally attached and think of their instruments as tools.

I usually play with guys who are as broke as me so in my world nobody flips much gear at all.
 
#13
Now compare to horn players. I've known horn players who found their horn and played it for 50 years. Personally I have a Yamaha YTS-61 Tenor sax I bought new in 1977 along with an Otto link mouthpiece. I have no desire for another sax but I have 18 guitars and 3 basses, soon to be 4.
 
#14
Mustang Surly said:
"Many guitarists are brutal with flipping pedals though."

No argument from me on that assertion!

And many guitarists and bass players are compulsive pickup swappers, as well.
Click to expand...

Actually I have roughly an equal number of guitars and basses. I'm not big on pedals for bass or guitar, but a lot of guitarists I know have a huge pedal fetish. [Hendrix: ruined a whole generation of guitar players] I will admit to having quite a stock of pickups, however... both bass and guitar.
 
#15
IMHO, it is all individual preference. Guitarists I know that are trained musicians do not change guitars. They keep the same one for many many years. Bassists I know who are trained bassists usually have the same bass for a couple of years and get a different one. Myself, 35 years of playing, I love playing many different basses. I could play a different bass every show and be extremely happy. In the last 14 years, I have played about 30 basses regularly. I have kept about 15 of them.
 
#16
It's hard to understand how a bass amp or cab sounds in a store. Usually you're standing really close to the cab... but it takes some distance for the sound to travel and develop. I've listened to cabs in the store that sound horrible when I get them to the venue.

I think I've flipped more cabinets than anything...

As far as basses go... The used market it incredible here. Every flip for me has been an upgrade that was just too good to pass up!
 
#18
..it certainly looks like it based on what happens on TalkBass, but we often forget that despite the popularity of TB, there is a whole other world out there that I do not think is anywhere near the frequency in which they turn bass gear over (as on here) ... many of the bass players I know (other than TB'ers) have a comparatively limited knowledge of what is available, or the differences and specifics... some are even relatively un(or mis)informed about what they have ... not that it is a bad thing, it would make life simpler at times ... ;)

JMHO ...
 
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