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Do you buy duplicates of things?
- Thread starter Alexis Duntov
- Start date
If the exact BG I have became available in yellow, I would buy it. I would have no good reason to buy it, I just would.
The only thing that I have a duplicate of is my Beatbuddy drum pedal because it is an important part of my live acoustic shows and not readily available to buy in person. If my main pedal ever went down I'd be in trouble. Have a backup ready to go with an updated memory card on hand too.
Not a delusion. It's responsible thinking.
I've been alive for six decades, and playing bass for over four of them. I have never been hit by lighting, but I have had things go wrong with a bass... including during the show! Best example was with a new Music Man: in the middle of the song, the nut broke and the E string went flopping off the side of the neck. Music Man is NOT a crap quality builder, and that bass was not abused in any way. File it under "freak stuff happens". This was not a field-repairable malfunction, but it did not kill the gig because I just switched over to my backup bass.
Hell, I rarely break strings, but it has happened to me a half-dozen times over 40 years. Sure, this is a field-repairable malfunction, but it would be unprofessional to bring the show to a halt while I changed a string, or even limp along with a missing string.
Having said all of that: I own some similar basses, and even a pair of fraternal twins, but I do not need a clone as a backup! When the nut on my Music Man broke, I switched over to my Fender. Didn't make a whit of difference to me, my bandmates, or the audience.
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I have about a dozen Guldan XL t shirts in navy or black. They fit well, don't shrink, and cost 4 or 5 bucks at the dollar store. I have 6 pairs of Steve Madden chukkah boots, size 17EEEE. They fit well, don't shrink, and cost more than 4 or 5 bucks.
I only have one 63 Precision bass.
I only have one 63 Precision bass.
I bought 10 pair of my favorite keen shoes that became discontinued. One of my best moves ever... Also did with my favorite Revo sunglasses, found a seller that had 8 pair, and i got a great deal on the lot. Am on pair number 4 right now, am cruising along great on those... Also found a particular torch pipe lighter that was just perfect for me about 15 years ago. Would buy one a year as they would break. Found they had become discontinued, and found a seller that had 14 of them, bought the lot, 2nd greatest move ever on my part... yes i'm a buyer of many when i love something....do the same with a few particular tools. I'm a carpenter of 26 years now, and certain nail guns, jig saws and toolbelts, i've purchased 2 or 3 of, and they became discontinued too....
For me, it's about redundancy and not about duplicates.
Since I'm playing paid gigs with other musicians and stuff usually breaks at the most inconvenient time, I need something that will serve as a usable backup, should something happen to the thing I wanted to use. My bass roster has been shrinking recently. I have three 'serious' basses. One 4, one 5 and one 6 string. The five is quite redundant, but it can serve well as a backup to both the four and the six, should either develop a problem two hours before I leave to play a gig.
I have at least two of every piece you need to play a gig, but apart from cables, no 100% duplicates.
Since I'm playing paid gigs with other musicians and stuff usually breaks at the most inconvenient time, I need something that will serve as a usable backup, should something happen to the thing I wanted to use. My bass roster has been shrinking recently. I have three 'serious' basses. One 4, one 5 and one 6 string. The five is quite redundant, but it can serve well as a backup to both the four and the six, should either develop a problem two hours before I leave to play a gig.
I have at least two of every piece you need to play a gig, but apart from cables, no 100% duplicates.
- Aug 21, 2003
- 11,621
- 18,706
- Disclosures
- A-Designs Mike Lull GK Tsunami Cables GHS Strings RMI Basswitch Nordstrand Pickups Darkglass
My wife just bought her 5th....fifth....Ovation guitar. Go figure.
I think GAS comes in many guises and that's one of them. Having the same dilemma but I could opt for an Ultra Jazz to go with my P as they have exactly the same neck. The reason - the neck is so good I don't like plying anything else. Good reason for a spare. That said, I won't buy until I find one with the same mojo as mine.
I suspect I do have some pathology as a collector. Also, I have one near duplication and two full duplications in my amp collection. None of these duplications were really driven by the desire to have a backup as all of the amps are basement queens. Each duplication was actually driven by totally different forces.
My #1 bass is an old Yamaha TRB6P. I actually do consider getting a second TRB6P but there are extenuating circumstances that I think justify this. I bought this bass used in the early 90s because I had started playing a brand new TRB6P in my military band job. You can't use military gear in support of private gigs, so I needed/wanted my own bass so I could have a consistent instrument for private gigs and to practice on at home. At the time my only personal bass was a modified Ric 4001 (my first bass).
The TRB6P I bought was much older than the military bass, and it had a cracked fretboard that had been sealed. The repair held until a few years ago after I moved to my current location. The relative humidity in my house swings from a low in the teens during winter to somewhere over 60% in the summer; so I have been having to adjust the truss rod approximately four times a year as the seasons change. Last winter the crack opened up quite a bit, and I think the fretboard may eventually fail.
If I buy another TRB6P, the old bass will most likely become the spare and essentially be retired. If the old bass was 100% healthy, I would consider buying another 6-string, but not a duplicate.
I became an adult in the Navy. Additionally, cutting down on the number of decisions I have to make frees up time for the decisions I need/want to make. All of my socks are black from the same maker except for the white socks I only wear for exercise. All 4 pair of pants are the same style from the same maker. 2 pair are blue and 2 pair are greenish. If I wore a blue pair today, I'll wear green tomorrow. Sometimes you need multiples of the same tools. I have at least 2 9/16 inch wrenches for example. Which bass to play is a decision I enjoy. I have 5 and all of them are different except that they all have 4 strings.
