I had been in the market for two new basses. Then i happened to see a video of Anthony Wellington and another video of Victor Wooten and i began to realize what a waste of money it would be to buy new (or even used) basses when i haven't mastered the very nice bass i already own. I'm not a collector. I truly want to learn to play at a higher level than i do. Why splurge on new basses when i really need to improve before i can justify the expense. Those videos were both inspiring and depressing. But they cured my GAS.
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Does seeing and hearing an elite bassist cure your GAS?
- Thread starter Markent17
- Start date
Reported!
You can't just come in here and post stuff like this.
Now go buy something. Preferably new and expensive
You can't just come in here and post stuff like this.
Now go buy something. Preferably new and expensive
I've experienced this same effect. My basses are more than good enough for everything I need, but the allure of the new always comes around from time to time. I've experienced a similar effect when, after getting neck-deep in considering something new and expensive, I look over and handle everything I already have, and feel grateful, and feel like I was just gifted the cost of whatever new bass I was looking at.
Another method I've used before is to think, "if anything ever happens to my basses - theft, house fire, etc. - I'll just use the insurance payment to get that shiny new one I was ogling." That way I'm content with what I have and content that if there was a tragic loss, I could assuage it with such a treat.
Another method I've used before is to think, "if anything ever happens to my basses - theft, house fire, etc. - I'll just use the insurance payment to get that shiny new one I was ogling." That way I'm content with what I have and content that if there was a tragic loss, I could assuage it with such a treat.
I have said It before that most players aren't good enough to truly maximize the potential of their instruments.
I have a different type of gas cure experience. I hear Victor Wooton playing all this amazing stuff on a bass that sounds toneless and it cures my gas for that bass. I love Les Claypool but his sound never inspired me to want his bass. I got a Rick because I love Chris Squires tone but my Rick doesn't sound like his. In fact, he can play a J bass and it'll get a better Rick sound than I ever will. lol
All one has to do to "justify" owning a bass or piece of gear is enjoy it and be able to afford it. There is no moral imperative involved. Having said that, a bass or gear upgrade will (almost never) make a player better, so using that as a personal justification is usually a misguided rationalization.
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Nope. Seeing a great bassist play just gets me p!$$ed off at my lack of skills
and makes me want to practice harder.
I have seen great bassists play everything from Squiers to Foderas. I do own both, but wouldn't buy one (or avoid buying one) just because I saw a player ripping it up with one.
and makes me want to practice harder.
I have seen great bassists play everything from Squiers to Foderas. I do own both, but wouldn't buy one (or avoid buying one) just because I saw a player ripping it up with one.
- Jul 3, 2004
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- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball MusicMan Guitars
No- and with so many great bassists playing so many different brands- it allows me to keep rationalizing that if I get "that" bass - ill play better.
I suck just as much on a Sadowsky as I do on a Ric-Fender-Your Fave Here.
I suck just as much on a Sadowsky as I do on a Ric-Fender-Your Fave Here.
Yes, if they're really good I veer into contemplating selling all of the gear I have. Fortunately that wears off pretty soon.
I've never felt the need to master an instrument before buying another.
All it takes to justify the purchase is that i feel like i can get something out of the new one that i don't get from my basses.
If you buy a better bass, you're not going to become a better bassplayer - unless of course you have a really bad bass to begin with and a new one with better sound and lower action lets you play stuff you could not play on the old one.
Victor Wooten would slap the $h*t out of a cheap SX with a warped neck - but it'll probably sound worse than on one of his foderas.
All it takes to justify the purchase is that i feel like i can get something out of the new one that i don't get from my basses.
If you buy a better bass, you're not going to become a better bassplayer - unless of course you have a really bad bass to begin with and a new one with better sound and lower action lets you play stuff you could not play on the old one.
Victor Wooten would slap the $h*t out of a cheap SX with a warped neck - but it'll probably sound worse than on one of his foderas.
When I hear something good, I get motivated to practice/study more, but when i hear mindblowing stuff, it just doesn't feel tangible at my level, so I get discouraged.
Once I realized, I won't be able to get the most out of expensive basses as a hobbyist, I stopped caring about wanting more gear.
Once I realized, I won't be able to get the most out of expensive basses as a hobbyist, I stopped caring about wanting more gear.
No. It does not.
Also because usually I'm interested in doing something different than elite bassists are doing.
Also because usually I'm interested in doing something different than elite bassists are doing.
I separate gear acquisition and practice/improvement as a player. I see them as two different issues. I started too late in life to be a virtuoso, and indeed, my favorite players aren't what most people would call virtuosos anyway. I believe people should buy things if they want to buy them and have the financial ability to do so. I also believe that everyone should be working to get better, from the beginner to the seasoned pro. There is no end point in progression as a musician. I know that the two things don't have to be mutually exclusive. I know great players who are even bigger gear heads than me and I also know great players who couldn't care less about gear.
I can echo a lot of the above. I liked the adventure of buying and selling for a long time. I kind of lost the thrill. I realized what I currently have is 100% adequate and satisfying, it's not about need. Nothing I have ever played at any price point has been earth shatteringly superior in its own right. That part's up to me.
As to my aspirations as a bassist, I am what I am, and nobody has ever found me inadequate in any band or genre I have played. I don't aspire to be a virtuoso like Vic, Jaco , or Ed Friedland. I know my niche and am pretty content. It's a good feeling, music and bass playing is so broad vast and evolutionary I'll never do it all. I'm fine with that.
Not saying I'll never give in to GAS again, though. Just less likely now.
As to my aspirations as a bassist, I am what I am, and nobody has ever found me inadequate in any band or genre I have played. I don't aspire to be a virtuoso like Vic, Jaco , or Ed Friedland. I know my niche and am pretty content. It's a good feeling, music and bass playing is so broad vast and evolutionary I'll never do it all. I'm fine with that.
Not saying I'll never give in to GAS again, though. Just less likely now.
