Coming to terms with gear vs reality

[MicG]

Good day all;

This is as much a journal entry to remind myself of where I have been and where I am going. It took several hours to reflect on and write. If you care to read through it all know that I appreciate it. TLDR is at the bottom. The events that follow happen to correspond roughly with my time since joining this site although I do not directly blame this site for anything. It's fun to joke about GAS, but seriously...
I'm sure this story could apply to the 'Basses' section as well. Perhaps a cautionary tale of just how successful company marketing departments can be? Know that I accept responsibility for my actions.

I guess I'm looking to get something off my chest. In November my wife and I welcomed our first child into the world. He was 5 weeks early but she and him are both doing OK now. We're in our mid 30's and have full time jobs, etc. There were complications in the pregnancy which (to make a long story short) means this was an expen$ive experience for us. This whole situation has caused me to do some soul searching when it comes to gear.

Rewind 10 years ago and I was getting ready to graduate from college and was gigging with some buddy's in a cover band about once a week. In terms of amps I had a Mesa MPulse 600 running thru a Mesa PH410. It was gloriously powerful and, to be honest, probably way overkill for any gig I ever did. I was responsible with it and didn't pi$$ off any neighbors or sound guys. The gear was bulletproof and the experience of being out gigging was something I'll never forget. Perhaps this is what leads to the next section.

Just as we started to get a small following and a steady flow of gigs my guitar player (an old friend from High School) got a promotion at work and I graduated as an elementary teacher soon to find work of my own. Nether of us could commit to the band any longer and the group dissolved. Being a new teacher with very little free time I decided to sell off my rig and pick up a small Behringer Thunderbird amp for practice. Over time I would still get together with my guitar buddy and former band mate at his apartment for an impromptu jam. Soon I traded in the Behringer for a USA Ampeg 1x12 combo (which he still has at his place to this day). Eventually we both get busier with work and he ends up moving into an 11th floor high rise down-town. No more jamming. Eventually I get better work-life balance and start GASing for an actual practice amp with good tone (I had been DI'ing straight into a Focusrite interface for headphone practice). So I go to GC and find one of the last Mesa Walkabouts on Clearance and end up buying it at a great price. That amp was inspiring! Enough so, in fact, that I started looking for another group to play out with. There's a wedding and the purchase of a house sometime in this period of time but I never end up joining another band.

Putting the cart ahead of the horse I end up selling that Walkabout for my 'dream Rig'; the one to end all GAS: an SVT-CL Heritage head and brand new Heritage 810 from Sweetwater because, hey - I have a house/garage now and figure I'll be finding another band playing out again soon -right?

Wrong. I change careers from teaching to data analysis. Budget cuts at work lead to lateral movement within the company to avoid unemployment. I end up working Help Desk as a contractor (under-employed?). Need to manage my income better. I stop my search for a band to join and realize - "HEY! This stuff is heavy! I can't manage this much gear without additional help" -meaning that if I started looking for a band again I would absolutely need help moving gear in order to play out. Suddenly my confidence wains in my ability to ask/trust complete strangers for muscle with this kind of gear. In my mind: the gear became a hurdle to rejoining a band! Plus, Am I even good enough to deserve this level of equipment? Thanks to TB I end up selling the whole rig (read: rent an F150, ask friends/wife for help moving it, transport and deliver to shipping office or buyer, take a bath). I tell myself + wife never again will I be in that type of position with gear.

Still wanting to join a group and play out, I take to researching lighter weight, gig-worthy gear. I remember my experience with Mesa and find Mesa's WD800 along with 2 Mesa Traditional PH 2x10 cabs for a modular 410 rig. Sweetwater sells me these two cabs for a deal just as Mesa completely switches over to the Subway series of cabs. Great! I can split the rig up between a potential band/practice spot and home and combine it together when playing out as necessary. I can lift this gear with relative ease on my own! Now, let's see about a band..

Suddenly, we're pregnant! Same job as mentioned above. Same house. Same friend "let's jam again soon!", still no band. Things come to pass as mentioned in the beginning which is where I currently find myself and, to be clear: family comes first.

It's been 10 years now since I've played out or even, for that matter, really jammed with anyone. I have a 3 month old baby boy. Medical debt sucks. I have relatively light 2x210 killer Mesa Rig w/ Mesa WD800. I don't know guys, I just don't see playing out as an attainable goal anymore? Not even thinking about those threads where people are talking about "is it worth it to gig" and so on. I mean, for my personal situation, man, it has literally been a hotdog dangling on a stick. Maybe someday again in the next 10 years once my son is a little older? But, that line of thinking sounds vaguely familiar...

So, this is my reality. I appreciate and respect the gear I have/had but I don't think I can justify this much firepower for just home practice anymore -especially with a wife, kid, and bills. The WD800 has great tone and a headphone jack and can DI to record with but so can many other options for several hundy cheaper and with cash back in my pocket - I'm having a hard time justifying it to myself. As for the cabs - forget it I guess and let them go? Way too much. Again, cash is king. Could just sock them in a corner and say the same "some day" thing over and over again or use them with the WD800 and barely touch the volume. Seems a waste of power and money though to do that - I don't even care about having that much overhead Gain, especially at home.

I recently saw someone comment on a thread that really made me reflect on things. It read something like this: " It is amazing what you can afford when you stop being a professional."
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TLDR; kids/life can be a lot of work. I am an average dude who happens to have professional/studio grade gig-ready equipment right now but haven't played out in 10 years and don't see being able to again for minimum another 2-3 if ever?. I'm lucky to practice/play in my home office once a week; probably too much cash tied up in gear. If I record it is for home practice/self betterment only. Leaning towards selling off likely never to rebuy this much unless a situation actually presents itself where this type of gear would be justified. Famous last words?

Anyone ever been through this? Am I nuts to part with this gear? I would like to keep playing. See poll for options I am considering and if you made it this far, thank you for reading.

 

[Element Zero]

Brotha. First of all, take 10 seconds, close your eyes, and FEEL your breathing. Literally. Feel the air flowing through your nose and into your lungs. 10 seconds.

I totally get where your at. I’ve got pro gear ready to go. Now with our 20 month old son, a working wife, and a rotating shift job, I also have ZERO time for regular gigging or any full time bass position. So I make the best of it. Play at church every now and then, play at home with headphones A LOT, and have contacts that know to call me when they need a sub. I’ll check and see if it works out with my work schedule and boom. They have been few and far between, but the 5 gigs I played in the last 2 years were a blast. I also get together with some old friends and rock some 90s covers and are looking to play a few gigs this year.

Family takes WORK as you’ve undoubtedly discovered But don’t be discouraged. You’ll be able to find those little bits of time to fit your passions in as the weeks and months go by.

 

[Element Zero]

Also I’ll add that I have the WD800 and Subway 112 and 115 cabs and a GREAT set of headphones and the Backbeat which helps immensely.

 

[mexicant]

I've been in your situation, sell the mesa stuff and resign yourself to the fact you won't be gigging in the near future. The wife and kids are gonna need you for the next couple of years.
I tried to juggle both band and family. I couldn't stand the guilt of leaving my wife home with a sick crying infant while I was out playing with the guys.
Fast foward 20 years later, kids are grown,I can gig all I want.
I think you already know the answer. ....family first.

 

[Jim C]

First off, congrats on having a kid! Not everybody gets to have this honor.

Secondly, many have been down a similar road and survived and prospered.
I stopped playing for a period of time when I started a business. Thankfully money was not a huge issue and I was able to hold onto my gear.
These days I'm playing twice a month; really nice to be able to choose only the gigs you want although I'd welcome another slot or two per month.

Here's how I do the math and I'm assuming that you will one day eventually want/need an amp:
The WD800 is a blue chip stock; the resale is really strong (as with most if not all Mesa amps).
The cabinets are great sounding but heavy by today's standards and I don't think will command all that much on the used market. Your local used shop or CL adds will give you an idea of the value. TB classifieds and Reverb will tell you what the amp is worth.

If you need cash for a better family life sell the WD800 ASAP before some other model comes along.
The value of the cabs will determine what to do with them and it will be a local sale as they are much to heavy to ship.
If they are worth less than $200 each, keep one and buy a cheap head to play with now (Hartke 3500 in the classifieds right now for $150 and used GK 400RB's sell for $200 regularly).
Or, dump it all if you think it will be awhile before you play out.

If you sell it all, get the Ampeg back for practice / acoustic jams. It's free and a decent little amp!
If the Ampeg is NLA, buy a used Fender Rumble 100 as this model is the bargain IMO for anything but playing out.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[David Jayne]

If you need the money, sell it before it loses more value. Down the road a piece you will likely get back into it and by then there will be even better stuff. No brainer.

 

[bwildt]

It appears that you have put a lot of thought into this. Here's my 2 cents.

I would never want to be without some kind of amp to allow me to play live, even if I weren't currently playing out. However, such equipment wouldn't need to be new, or big. It would just need to be adequate. As a reminder, if any gig is big enough to need a large amp, there will probably be PA support. You only really need something big enough for you and your bandmates to hear yourself on stage.

Selling equipment and then repurchasing later will almost always cost more money than just keeping what you have. I don't know what your current rig is worth, but would selling it for $4-5-600 really put you ahead very much, especially considering that the sales money would be gone in a month, but that amp will be available for years? I'd look for some other kind of belt tightening to come up with that relatively small amount of money. Now, if you are still making payments on the current rig, I would say get out from under it and maybe try to purchase something else cheaper to get by with.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Tekkers]

Get rid of it, get a decent practice/headphone rig for playing at home and bank the change.

You want a good tone at home to encourage you to keep practicing or you’ll have to play catch up if you get involved in a future project.

But scrap the overkill rig, right now it’s just cash tied up in useless assets. And realistically you can gig with a preamp and a DI if needs be.

 

[Jack]

In times of stress I find it useful to have a hobby. Don't stop playing. Do you need the cash from selling the rig? Then sell it! If you don't, then don't.

I'd just like to mention that I really, really find the idea of 'expensive pregnancies' and 'medical debt' abhorrent and entirely weird. However, with the way we're going over here we may not be far behind you.

Chin up.

 

[MicG]

Brotha. First of all, take 10 seconds, close your eyes, and FEEL your breathing. Literally. Feel the air flowing through your nose and into your lungs. 10 seconds.

I totally get where your at. I’ve got pro gear ready to go. Now with our 20 month old son, a working wife, and a rotating shift job, I also have ZERO time for regular gigging or any full time bass position. So I make the best of it. Play at church every now and then, play at home with headphones A LOT, and have contacts that know to call me when they need a sub. I’ll check and see if it works out with my work schedule and boom. They have been few and far between, but the 5 gigs I played in the last 2 years were a blast. I also get together with some old friends and rock some 90s covers and are looking to play a few gigs this year.

Family takes WORK as you’ve undoubtedly discovered But don’t be discouraged. You’ll be able to find those little bits of time to fit your passions in as the weeks and months go by.

Thank you for the kind words. I used to meditate. Perhaps I should carve out some time soon.

 

[MicG]

I've been in your situation, sell the mesa stuff and resign yourself to the fact you won't be gigging in the near future. The wife and kids are gonna need you for the next couple of years.
I tried to juggle both band and family. I couldn't stand the guilt of leaving my wife home with a sick crying infant while I was out playing with the guys.
Fast foward 20 years later, kids are grown,I can gig all I want.
I think you already know the answer. ....family first.

Thank you for sharing. I do believe I would have some regrets that would cancel out any feelings of satisfaction from gigging/playing out were I to actually find a group and so forth. In that case the decision regarding gear becomes apparent.

 

[MicG]

Get rid of it, get a decent practice/headphone rig for playing at home and bank the change.

You want a good tone at home to encourage you to keep practicing or you’ll have to play catch up if you get involved in a future project.

But scrap the overkill rig, right now it’s just cash tied up in useless assets. And realistically you can gig with a preamp and a DI if needs be.

Glad to hear someone else values good tone at home. It is something that can inspire or drive you away, especially if you have an ear for tone. Assets are an interesting thing. It's kind of like: "Do you own the gear or does the gear own you?" Is it really an asset then?

 

[MicG]

In times of stress I find it useful to have a hobby. Don't stop playing. Do you need the cash from selling the rig? Then sell it! If you don't, then don't.

I'd just like to mention that I really, really find the idea of 'expensive pregnancies' and 'medical debt' abhorrent and entirely weird. However, with the way we're going over here we may not be far behind you.

Chin up.

Thanks mate, number one goal aside from my commitment to family quality of life is emotional wellness. For me that means still having the ability to play. My wife knows this and supports it as well. Regretfully, yes -the cash is needed more at this particular time. At the risk of turning political here and going off the rails a bit: I agree with your statement regarding pregnancy. My job provides benefits for my family and even with private insurance we are looking at a bill close to 10K thanks to advanced medical procedures and NICU care for my son. There was a story that broke a few months ago by the New York Times telling of how hospitals in America are beginning to bring lawsuits to patients who aren't paying the 'required' monthly amount back set by the hospital. In some cases these folks are paying something but just not enough; the hospital demands the required payment. It has my wife and I concerned as the monthly payment we are looking at is as much as one of our student loan payments. Anyhow, I digress.

 

[mexicant]

Thank you for sharing. I do believe I would have some regrets that would cancel out any feelings of satisfaction from gigging/playing out were I to actually find a group and so forth. In that case the decision regarding gear becomes apparent.

Your very welcome ☺
By coincidence, I now rock a mesa subway d800 and subway 2x10 cabinet, great equipment.
And both my children grew to be successful, hardworking,loving adults!
Good luck

 

[bonin in the boneyard]

Anyone ever been through this? Am I nuts to part with this gear? I would like to keep playing. See poll for options I am considering and if you made it this far, thank you for reading.

Look at it this way: think of how much fun it's going to be to start collecting new equipment when you ramp up your playing again in a few years.

On the other hand, I'm in a similar spot and could sell 2/3rds of what I own and not lose the ability to do anything. But you know what? I'm busy as hell, make decent money, and this is my only hobby right now (besides the gym). So I'm not selling anything unless I want to trade for something else.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Sell the amp and one of the cabs,get a cheaper amp for the cab left.Maybe sell all and get a decent combo.
Try to trade and dont go through a shop if you can.
That way you free up some money and still have good gear.IMO The money difference between selling all or downgrading to ok gear wont be great.

 

[jblock]

I voted for a smaller cab. Or sell the lot and just get a small combo. You need an outlet; everyone does. Even 5 minutes of plugging in and jamming around will do wonders.

 

[Nobis17]

Dude, I've been there. I went from a regularly gigging musician in college to joining the Navy, and selling off almost everything I owned. Now 20+ years later, I'm in a position where I have been purchasing and playing again (and the occasional gig ). There were MANY times I regretted selling everything off, but at the end of the day I did what I had to do. If money is an issue and you need to pay bills/cloth your family/put food on the table, don't ever hesitate to make sacrifices. But, if that isn't the issue, take a step back and ask yourself, "does this thing truly bring me joy". If the answer is no, you should look into downgrading. I hope you come to a good accord.

 

[mattj1stc]

To the OP.

While I was never a high level bassist when I was younger, I did put music aside for many years - first, I focused on building a career, I got married so I focused on being a husband, then I focused on being a dad when we became parents. Eventually, all the big changes will stop being big changes, and fun pursuits that only benefit you will return - you just have to put first things first.

Once I was more established and I regained some personal time, I was able to pickup music again. The good news is that even after a long time off, it wasn't too hard to get back into it. Also, because I didn't have an immediate band/gig situation, I was actually able to improve on a few things (reading music, intonation, music theory, ear training). Best of all, when I started playing again, I had a much improved financial situation, so I even spent some time indulging in GAS before getting back to just one bass and one amp.

Music is wonderful, but anything family related would be the most important to prioritize.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Life will always get in the way of other desires. That’s normal. It costs a lot more to replace something tomorrow that you sell today. Keep your gear if you can but do what you have to do for your family.