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gear shopping - it's a sickness

#21
Jeff Scott said:
There must be something wrong with me. I was at my local big box music emporium (the one based in So Cal, not Eastern PA) this afternoon and played a few instruments:

Stonebridge 00 model of some sort
Taylor GS Mini Koa
Martin 12 string of some inexpensive sort
A couple of Alvarez Yairi guitars from 1986 and 1987
Ramirez FC classical guitar
Martin 000-28EC
Martin OMJM
Martin 000-18E Retro

And I walked out of there without buying anything! :confused:

Does that mean I'm cured? :roflmao:

There was one other guitar there, that I didn't play but I may go back tomorrow and do so.

One of these:

Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Award Archtop
Click to expand...
Send us some pics when you get it home. :woot:
 
#22
Funny you would mention this because this is the 2nd day in a row I've talked myself out of going to GC or one of the others. Actually picking up my bass and playing it was the cure, but how long will that last. For no reason at all I want a new amplifier.

There should be a 12 step program for us...
  1. We admitted we were powerless over gear—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than gear could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to appreciating the gear we already own.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of the gear we already have.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being that we really don't need any more gear... we just want it.

6. Were entirely ready to have God replace all defective gear with vintage gear.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shorted cables and gear we don't use but can't seem get rid of.

8. Made a list of all persons we told they should buy only Fender Precision basses, and became willing to make amends to them all... (modders excluded).

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or make them berate or humiliate us on the Talk Bass forum for bringing up P basses again, and again, and again...

10. Continued to take gear inventory, and when we are finished, promptly do it again. It is, for you, penance.

11. Sought through Invalid Link Removedlaying scales and arpeggios to improve our conscious contact with our Inner Bass as we understood it, playing only for enjoyment and entertainment through tubed power amps and matched speaker cabinets.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all individuals (guitarist included) that suffer from G.A.S., and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
 
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#23
In order to keep my GAS in check, I do a couple of things:

I've been picking up and putting down Hal Leonard Bass Method ever since I bought it but never made any progress. I decided to take what is in my shopping cart, write it down on paper and then put that piece of paper at the end the book. I told myself I will not buy anything until I've reached my goal.

I've lost enough weight that I require a new track suit. After trying on a few, I realized that I'm in between sizes (one size too baggy, the other size can't fit). Since my weight hasn't stabilized yet (still losing), I decided to hold off until right before I hit the track in a couple of months.

While I think it would be nice to add a new bass and amp to my goals, I want to replace my city motorcycle with something with a more power while retaining the size. I know that I will get more use out of the motorcycle than the gear (already have 2 basses and an amp), every time I look at the bass and/or amp I want, I tell myself "that eats up ___% of the motorcycle money" and my GAS goes away.
 
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#27
58kites said:
...
Like Catcauphonic, we have lived above our means our whole adult lives by being careful with money and not wasteful.
Click to expand...
Oh I'm quite capable of wasting money in several ways :D and an above average tipper, but my bass gear (and record collection) are the only somewhat valuable things i own. I'm even a proud member of the 'My Bass is Worth More than My Car' club :p
 
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#28
Grumry said:
I have a wife. That helps the GAS.
Click to expand...

i have a husband, but since he's a guitar player who also feels my life will be greatly improved with each new piece of gear, that hasn't helped at all :D

Jeff Scott said:
There must be something wrong with me. I was at my local big box music emporium (the one based in So Cal, not Eastern PA) this afternoon and played a few instruments:

Stonebridge 00 model of some sort
Taylor GS Mini Koa
Martin 12 string of some inexpensive sort
A couple of Alvarez Yairi guitars from 1986 and 1987
Ramirez FC classical guitar
Martin 000-28EC
Martin OMJM
Martin 000-18E Retro

And I walked out of there without buying anything! :confused:

Does that mean I'm cured? :roflmao:

There was one other guitar there, that I didn't play but I may go back tomorrow and do so.

One of these:

Guild Benedetto Johnny Smith Award Archtop
Click to expand...

let us know when you get it :D
 
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#29
Yango said:
Funny, I tried to mention this very phenomenon on a pedal thread recently, and I had my face chewed from my skull. I was quickly and unceremoniously banned.

But, yeah, I agree with y'all. And that Spoc quote? PRICELESS.
Click to expand...

There are some very sensitive people in the Effects forum.

I saw a thread titled: Do you ever buy a pedal just for it's aesthetics? After a bunch of people showing off their cool looking pedals that I never heard of, my reply was "I would base all of my purchases on how everything sounds to my eyes if I were deaf."

One other person disagreed with the OP and the title of the thread was changed to make it seem like we just clicked on the thread to stir things up.
 
#30
Oh man i fee ya. i attempt to deal with my gas madness by trying to delay pulling the trigger as long as possible. sometimes the gas will go away. if i keep obsessing long enough, i figure i really do want it, and will sometimes pull the trigger. delaying at least helps spread the expenditures out over time a bit.
 
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#32
i read a book a few years ago where the author says our ego needs to constantly attach itself to things to recreate itself ie: survive....most of us have obsessions over things we want and even if it's amazing you'll see it for sale here every once in a while while the guy has gone chasing after the next holy grail.....this can also be true of political ideologies...I am (this) or (that)....sports teams......your mind attaches a huge value to the outcome of some team which really doesn't amount to a hill of beans...oh I'm a HUGE fan....

I used to buy great deals at the thrift and now pass on almost everything, i might grab some cd's but it's a good mental exercise to see stuff and realize that at one time everything in there was new and someone paid good money for it and now it means nothing to them. At one point I was obsessed with 70s-80s hifi speakers and rehabbing them and had 28 pairs in my house, my wife was disgusted. They're very hard to sell nowdays because they're big. A good deal is meaningless when you can't sell it. I am now down to 4 pairs and do not look anymore. Once you have to sort through someone's possessions who has passed away it hits you, you cannot take all this stuff with you and you don't want to burden your family with cleaning the stuff. This bedroom set was owned by my dad's dad, this piano was owned by my mom's mom.....we don't have room in our house for more stuff, and at some point I will die and I can't have their stuff and my stuff. I picked just a few small personal things of my parents and had to mentally let everything else go. Man, that was uplifting for a Thursday morning, sorry gents.
 
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#34
In 35 years, I've owned 6 basses (7 counting the upright). I still have 5 of them. I've owned 2 combos. I still own 1. I owned one amp and 2 cab rig... its gone. I have an extra cab and a few pedals, one acoustic and one electric guitar with a cheap combo amp. I've kept the GAS mostly in control.

Now when it comes to power tools and woodworking equipment, the GAS overwhelmed me about a decade ago. Eventually it faded and I have lots of cool stationary tools that are very seldom used these days.

Music is more important to me by far, but tooling up the woodshop was waaaayyyy addictive.
 
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#35
Back in the day I was a notorious gear shopper... I can remember the night it just stopped!

I was hauling my gear back to my truck after a gig, and like flpping off a light switch it just came to me, "I'm done" ... sold off almost half of what I had, and have never been happier. In all of 2016 I picked up one pedal to replace one, and one head, total investment maybe $200.00. It's kinda like putting down cigarettes or any other addiction, you just decide and do it.

Now back to the usual TB fun and GAS games ... carry on.
 
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#36
I feel ya man!!

My problem is that I do some amateur luthier stuff on the side also. I don't buy too many basses, because that phase has passed. The problem now is, that if I'm not happy with a bass. (feel, pickups, Electronics, etc.) I start upgrading and working on them. As it might be a bit cheaper, it still cost me a fortune on buying new pickups, preamps, materials, lacquer etc.
In the end, it's almost as expensive as buying mid-end basses. I'm just hoping that my last project I'm doing now, will leave me satisfied. Also I'm very picky when it comes to Electronics and the feel of the bass, which in most cases makes me spend a lot of Money changing the bass, which is something that evolved in my later years.
When I was younger, I would just play a bass without really thinking too much about how it felt and the sound. It shows that I evolved, but in the same time it's also a curse :p
 
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#39
Much like catcauphonic and 58kites I mostly had to consider hard and long what to get, and for what reason.
I grew up that way, and am thankful for that. Really increases my appreciation for my gear, the joy with it - and for the fact, that I may save some money; others aren't allowed even that due to inhumane income.
 
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