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gear shopping - it's a sickness
- Thread starter Killed_by_Death
- Start date
The Buddhists call it the Wheel of Becoming with all due respect to Spock and Gene Roddenberry. It's what drives Christmas. Waiting for the brown truck ( I buy online) almost always trumps whatever the thing delivers.Multiple times I've realized that my GAS was driven by WANT.
Spock said this:
"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but is often true."
(from my fave episode of Star Trek, BTW)
It was definitely true for me, but I still find myself wanting to go shopping for another bass, another amp, that I don't need, and ultimately will not even want.
Thankfully I don't shop online for gear when I get loaded anymore. I cut that out after making a $1,500 purchase after 9 beers.
Every time I get the feeling to shop for gear, I remind myself that I'll probably play it all of 10 minute/week & otherwise it will hang on the wall & collect dust.
Surely I'm not the only person who buys stuff & then doesn't use it to its full potential... & maybe even lament a little
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...Does that mean I'm cured?
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
Do not return to the store! Or take money. I don't even play guitar and i want it.
Multiple times I've realized that my GAS was driven by WANT.
Spock said this:
"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but is often true."
(from my fave episode of Star Trek, BTW)
It was definitely true for me, but I still find myself wanting to go shopping for another bass, another amp, that I don't need, and ultimately will not even want.
Thankfully I don't shop online for gear when I get loaded anymore. I cut that out after making a $1,500 purchase after 9 beers.
Every time I get the feeling to shop for gear, I remind myself that I'll probably play it all of 10 minute/week & otherwise it will hang on the wall & collect dust.
Surely I'm not the only person who buys stuff & then doesn't use it to its full potential... & maybe even lament a little
Too bad we don't have replicators and holodecks
In general I'm getting better about impulse purchases the older I get. I still buy stuff but now I find myself buying utilitarian things like this:
Invalid Link Removed
Not sexy like a new bass but handy as all get out.
Invalid Link Removed
Not sexy like a new bass but handy as all get out.
Drunk online shopping is the devil. I have a few boxes of text books I'll never read... I agree with you OP. I like to think once I've ironed out my amp, I'm done. I like my current one but I would like to end up with a tube amp and I'm already working to replace my huge heavy cab with two 8 ohm neo's. I'm satisfied with my basses and could see myself replacing one Squier eventually, but there's no rush at all. At least I've hit the stage of saving first rather than charging whatever it is to a credit card!
I've caught a few TOS episodes here and there when I was a kid. A few months ago, I watched the whole series and good gawd it could be tough to get through. I don't know if I would've been able to get through it without Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley. Those two were great.
I started TNG about a month ago and even season 1 was a lot better than the whole TOS. And season 1 of TNG is supposed to be pretty bad.
I just pretend I want to buy the 5 or 6 basses I never gig with anymore that are lined up against my wall. It works.
I always wonder when do you cross the line from collecting gear, to becoming a hoarder? I have gear in damn near every room in my house except the bathroom. I fear the line has been crossed in my case I am sure my family has thought about and intervention ha ha ha the other day I was in the kitchen looking for something in the I will call junk drawer and I found a guitar cable a patch cord, a tuner, and a few picks in there, so yeah even in the kitchen 
I always enjoy seeing a talented and skilled bassist playing the heck out of a budget instrument.
The best gear in the world is no substitute for talent, skill, dedication and practice. IMO, seeking that gear is a sorry excuse for our shortcomings. I'd much rather spend my cash on lessons and learning.
The best gear in the world is no substitute for talent, skill, dedication and practice. IMO, seeking that gear is a sorry excuse for our shortcomings. I'd much rather spend my cash on lessons and learning.
IMO, even if sometimes true, kind of a douchey and self-righteous thing to say...
It's also myopic, as it assumes that no one's musical goals could possibly be different, or that everyone should be as musically stagnant. GAS is not always about the noob buying stuff to sound better--although it has certainly been a motivation for me! (no, it didn't work...
)But it's not just about being new. The occasional bout of GAS can be about discovery. It can be about growth. Or sometimes about change. It can also just be about variety. And as many others have mentioned, it can be way easier to sustain these days with little or no financial impact.
@Killed_by_Death, I gotta say, I am not sure why you are still on TB. You brag about selling all your gear, never to play again. And now only post threads like this, saying something negative about playing, or folks who still like playing. I hope this constant trolling brings you some kind of joy...
I'll agree there's a certain amount of truth in what you said. But, on the other hand, I'd say that's it's also kind of a cynical generalization. What's wrong with a player who's not at the level of a first-call session player playing a non-budget instrument as long as he/she enjoys it and can afford it? Should the price of a bass correspond only to the "level" of the player?
There's no shortage of players here on TB who can outplay me but I have a few nice basses I like the sound of and are quality instruments that will never inhibit my progress as a player, however slow it may be. And, for someone who started playing as late in life as I have and has family and career responsibilities that limit my practicing time, progress will simply be slow. But those basses were never substitutes for the talent I may not have. They're just nice basses I enjoy playing - and they help me keep working toward to being more "worthy" of them over time (check the tag line under my avatar and my signature to better understand what I meant there
)
I don't even know what you're talking about. Where did I say anything negative about folks who still like to play?
My comments weren't meant to be cynical or self-righteous. I'm also guilty of spending waaaay too much time on gear... and wasting excessive time on forums, too! And there's obviously nothing wrong with owning quality gear, irrespective of your skill level.
My point is that money/time could perhaps be better spent on education for improvement, especially if one's goal is to be a better player.
My point is that money/time could perhaps be better spent on education for improvement, especially if one's goal is to be a better player.
now that i'm actually playing out regularly again i'm back to playing the the super dark vintage L2000 a lot more, but i would like to get a jazz that's affordable, sweet sounding, and not heavy
You are not alone. LOL
When you not secure about buy, drink some beers and push the Button
..... works for me.
When you not secure about buy, drink some beers and push the Button
..... works for me.
