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Ever feel guilty owning the gear you do?

#41
We play a gig at a homeless shelter a couple times a year. I do feel a couple twinges of guilt loading in a few thousand $ of equipment... but then I need to realize (One of my bandmates works at the shelter) that a lot of the folks there CHOOSE that life (Yes, there are some genuine heart breakers too), so don't feel guilty.

He met a guy there who used to be a crazy good guitarist. But instead he opted to hit the bottle. He had no interest in playing and even offered my bandmate some gear for trying to help him out (we're talking early 60s fender gear). All he wanted was to just get drunk, and that made him happy. Go figure.
 
#42
jomahu said:
the way i see it: if the gigs can pay for it, i don't feel guilty to play it.

i play an sx, btw. :p
Click to expand...

Considering I am pretty much "pay to play", no gig has ever payed for any piece of equipment I've ever owned :hmm:

As far as the car analogy goes... a lot of us play our basses like we would drive a Toyota. We don't hug the turns like they were meant to be.

I've got another question (or the same question rephrased): has anyone felt like they were faking the funk when they look at the equipment they own and compare that to their skill level. (this is mostly directed to those of us who consider themselves to be at an intermediate or below playing level)
 
#43
bwsailer79 said:
Considering I am pretty much "pay to play", no gig has ever payed for any piece of equipment I've ever owned :hmm:

As far as the car analogy goes... a lot of us play our basses like we would drive a Toyota. We don't hug the turns like they were meant to be.

I've got another question (or the same question rephrased): has anyone felt like they were faking the funk when they look at the equipment they own and compare that to their skill level. (this is mostly directed to those of us who consider themselves to be at an intermediate or below playing level)
Click to expand...

I still feel that way at times.
 
#44
If you have a paying gig once a week, and take $50 of what you make (and if you're not getting $50 then you've got bigger problems) and put it in a jar, then next summer you can go out and buy whatever bass you want (almost) totally guilt free - you've earned the cash playing, so you're good enough to play that instrument.

Maybe you don't actually keep track of the cash that closely, but if you're a competent player, gigging regularly there's no reason to not have whatever bass you want. Of course there will always be dentists with Fodera's and the like, who can't play a note but to them it's not a big deal... they can afford it - their accountant probably wrote it of against tax.

If you have a nice bass and aren't gigging regularly, feel bad for not gigging, not for having the bass.
 
#45
Why would or should anyone feel guilty about the gear they own? I have a big rig, plus a smaller rig at home with a drum kit, guitar and marshall amp. These are my toys. I know a lot of people who own Harley's plus snowmobiles plus boats etc. Those are their toys. We have chosen to spend our money on different hobbies. And yes I donate to soup kitchens, United Way etc. So ya can't get me there either lol :)
 
#46
For an active player, there are only 2 situations I can see as being guilt worthy:

A) You buy expensive gear when your family is in dire straits (I've seen this happen:mad:)
B) You don't ever use the gear

Sure, there'll be better bassists with less expensive gear. Part of that maybe financial issues, but it could also be a case of a musician preferring the cheap instrument. If the expensive gear works for you, then enjoy it. To each his own...
 
#47
I don't even think about it ....

I love my stuff, all of it, I really do. But to me they're all just tools that I use. When I was a little kid, my Dad told me "Buy the best tool for the job that you can afford and then use it 'til it falls apart." So it doesn't matter to me if it's a $150 Squier or a $4K custom, they all get treated the same.

But guilty .... never ... :cool:
 
#49
Why do carpenters feel guilty about owning a saw? or a Dr a scalpel? what would motivate such a question.Unless you take grocery money from your starving kids this is not the way we should feel.If you are feeling a touch of guilt do a few charity gigs this will ease your feelings of guilt
 
#50
No. My philosophy has always been that even though a good bass isn't going to give you more talent, a bad bass can inhibit you. You will play best on whatever bass you feel most comfortable iwth. So that's what I got. doesn't mattter to me how much it costs, these are what I feel most comfortable on. Case in point, my Lull and a Ric are probably about the same price. Phalex says I can use his at a benefit if my band play it, but I'm going to politiely turn him down since i do not like painted, high gloss necks and it would be very uncomfortable for me.
 
#51
Perhaps a little. The stuff that I own isn't particularly great. Currently my only bass is my six string Cort Curbow. I'm far from brilliant in my music ability, at best I'd say shy of intermediate but I've received many compliments me being able to play a 6string bass even before actually playing it which is obviously beyond silly but it makes me feel as if I have to live up to it in some way. And on the flip side, I also feel as if when pulling it out that it gets a reaction of something similar to "uh, look at this ostentatious guy with a six string bass, whoopy another les claypool/john myung wanna be getting ready for the wank fest".

So in short yes, and it wont get any better when I upgrade to either a 2nd hand Cirrus6 or worse a 2nd hand Warwick thumb 6 BO/BN! haha

I'd like to add. Being someone with less then boutique equipment I LOVE seeing people play nice stuff even if tone isn't an issue(lets be honest here, we dont buy the fancy instruments for the listening pleasure of others ;) ). In fact, I applaud all of you guys who buy brand new nice gear because I know if it wasn't for you cool cats I wouldn't be able to find them on the used market! Thanks :D
 
#52
It seems as though we are really talking about two possible types of guilt...one is having gear that is better than our skill level warrants...the second is having tons of nice gear while so many have so little.

One way to address the latter is giving some good gear now and then to someone who really needs it, like someone starting up a ministry of music, or a young player with tons of potential but no means to buy a decent instrument.
 
#57
No, I don't feel guilty at all. I worked hard to have what I have. I also don't have a problem owning more. In fact, I have been shopping for another bass for a few weeks now. Not that I need one, I just want another toy.

I used to feel guilty about owning things others could not afford. I don't anymore. I'm 33 years old. I work my butt off to have a nice truck, house, SUV, bike, gear, etc. I'm not saying this to show off anything, but you should never hold yourself back because of the thoughts others may have. At the same time, be humble.
 
#58
i sure dont. im 17, and ive worked for every piece of equiptment i own. ive spent around 10 grand on my full rig. all paid for working (just about) minimum wage at a supermarket.

if anything im very proud to own the exact equiptment i want.
 

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