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Day jobs and pricey basses

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#101
I recover tissue from organ and tissue donors. You know, when you die and are an organ/tissue donor, someone comes and takes the parts from you. That's me. I make a decent wage and am not worried about job security at this point, although i am trying to make my way to nursing/PA school for more options. I used to be a firefighter/medic but that part of my life has passed. I made good money doing that as well. But i've never bought an "expensive" bass- my Ibanez was $600 in 1998 and it's still my one and only. But amps... now that's a different story, i've had quite a few. But i split my cash between my music stuff and my vintage motorcycles.
 
#104
The neighbors pay my 6 y.o. son to pick up dog poop, I take his money and buy basses.

(j/k :D)

As a high school student, I was the very proud owner of a Rickenbacker 4001. Played it in jazz band, jam sessions, house parties, etc. Back then ('85-'86), I bought it for $450. I earned the money by helping out on my parents' farm, working in the hayfields, feeding the cows, and by plowing snow for the neighbors.

Nowadays, I am a Union Steelworker (industrial equipment operator) and I bought my Pedulla Thunderbass ET5 on ebay for $1500. Used tax return money.
 
#105
Metallurgical Specialist. I do reasearch on the properties of metals (everything from Magnesium to Alloy steels) under specified conditions (welded, temperature changes etc.). I have always bought run of the mill, under $1000 basses when I was on the road (all I could afford), my Fender Jazz and my Peavey Cirrus are my two higher priced ones..I figure after playing for more than 20 years on those types of basses that I deserve to get a higher quaility bass. I am married, with a 2 year old, and one on the way (due in April).
 
#106
full time automotive tech,wife, 2 boys, house, cars, dog, 2 fulltime bands,not alot of sleep, price i pay to do what I love to do, use 4 basses none of them over 400bucks except my six (think i gave 8 for it 18 yrs ago) the rest i have pieced or traded for


(just saw the thread, thought i'd chime in)
 
#111
I do consulting in the IT world.

This year is tough (no surprise), but when I've bought my nicer basses, I've either had the money saved or I was doing very well that year. With custom pieces like a Rob Allen, they're made to order so they aren't impulse buys.

As others have said, buy the best gear you think sounds good at a price point you're able and willing to pay. If all I could afford was a $200 bass, I'd play as many as I could to find the one I loved.

A "boutique" bass isn't a bad thing, but I don't think any of us really see them as status symbols. I don't buy basses to put up on a wall; I buy them to play. If I'm not going to play it, I don't care how nice it looks.
 
#112
Never in a moo-lineum would I have thunk that there were 2 of us drug dealers in this party barge. I pharmacize in a hospital too!! I almost always by second hand. I've spent more than $2500 on one bass. All the others have been less. I also subscribe to the one $2500 bass instead of 10 $250 basses.
 
#113
My day job is in the relatively recession-proof health care industry: non-emergency medical transport. (er, for a "day" job I do a lot of driving at 3am in the night/morning :p). My 2 "main" side jobs are paid church musician. I also am in a cover band that works about once a month on average, and I play on various other side projects throughout the year. Not much in terms of overall pay, but it sure adds up over time. I live with my mother to help her around the house; I was already there with her and my dad so I could help both of them with all the health issues they had/have. My father passed away three years ago, but as one of eight boys not married, and the eldest at that, I felt someone should be there to help my mother. Any past SOs understood this and backed me on it. I sold my condo before moving in with the 'rents, so I have no mortgage to speak of (thankfully). I do help my mom with her bills (utilities, phone/TV/Internet, etc).

The tricks to getting all my music gear have already been noted throughout this thread. I have only bought three total instruments brand new; the vast majority of gear I have was bought used. Thus, my well-past-$2500-in-cost-new Modulus 6 string was bought for $1800. I buy relatively low-cost basses (ex., Lakland 55-01) and upgrade them with better components as I see fit (ex., 55-01 now has Nordstrand Dual Coils pickups, Nordstrand 3-band preamp and switch options galore). I always make sure that my budget allows for getting any new gear (all bills for the month are paid first), and that I will USE IT!! I tend to keep whatever I buy; only three of my instruments have ever been sold/traded in over 20 years of amassing what I have to this day. Between my two church music gigs and band/side gigs there's plenty of opportunity to rotate instruments in and out for playing time. I'm happy for the variety, and my guitars and basses don't get jealous of each other for lack of playing time. :) Having said all this, I don't think I will ever have more than 30 or so total instruments (guitars/basses/amps/etc) in my herd. Unless I was uber-wealthy, I can't justify more than that. Well, maybe not even if I was that uber-wealthy...collecting just to collect ain't me.

Summary: make sure I can afford it, make sure that I will USE IT!!, buy used/cheap and upgrade selected components when it makes sense.


Joe Hilgeman
 
#114
I work in the addiction treatment field, which means I'm poor these days but only in a monetary sense. I've bought, traded and sold a good deal of basses over the years. I always buy used and at times have gotten in over my head with credit card debt doing it. NOT a good idea in any economy. I currently own 4 basses with the most expensive being a Fender CS Jazz. My needs are met with what I have, but I always look at the classifieds when I'm on here (daily). I'm definitely in the " I have to sell one to buy one mode or I'll do a trade" The days of running up my debt to satisfy my need for a material fix are over.
 
#115
48 here, free-lance cameraman, no kids, soon no wife.

I bought my first bass to learn on, a new Mexi-P fourbanger and a small Hartke practice cabinet, and that's going to be it for the forseeable future, with my jobs disappearing. It's fine, I am not good enough for anything more advanced right now.

If I were to buy 'fancy', I'd stop at $1000 or less. I like good things, but ultimately I am just a home-reccer and casual player, so a Sadowsky or similar would be against the laws of man and nature, the way I see it :D

CC.
 
#116
I work part time in a college admissions office doing paperwork and I also go to school.

I used to buy basses in the $500-$1000 dollar range. At one point I had 5 basses that I wasn't really crazy about anymore. Sold them all and used the proceeds to buy my Sadowsky Metro and now I couldn't be happier.

I decided I'll be better off saving up and buying a bass I love even if it takes me a year to save up for it, rather than buying a cheaper bass thats only going to last me a few months until I get sick of it.

Boutique basses are definately a luxury, but if you end up keeping it for years then its a perfectly good investment.
 
#117
College student about to graduate and enter the semi-working world of graduate studies which pays me a stipend. My first nice bass (not to say MIA Fender Js aren't) won't be for a while.

That being said, I would not mind trading the J for a Lakland or MM Stingray.
 
#119
I'm a full-time college student with only a part time job right now, but i only work about 3-4 hours a week.

...but I'm not exactly sure how I got the gear that I did. just accumulated over time from saving/trading.

Modulus Quantum 5
Markbass LMII
Epifani UL410
...and about a grand worth of pedals.

i guess i consider myself blessed/fortunate.
 
#120
I was able to come up with my "budget rig" from an 8.5 an hour full-time job...it's an LMII and an Avatar 4X10, and it sounds incredible. I'm kind of glad I had to go with those pieces of equipment, or I would have spent more money on something that probably wouldn't have been as good. My bass ('vette) was a combination of high-school grad money and trading an ibanez eda905 and a gibson sg.
 
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