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How do you afford to have so much GAS?

How much do you make annually?

  • Under 20,000

    Votes: 3 15.8%

  • 20,000-40,000

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • 41,000-60,000

    Votes: 5 26.3%

  • 60,000-80,000

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 80,000-99,000

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 100,000+

    Votes: 7 36.8%
  • Total voters
    19
powmetalbassist

powmetalbassist

Supporting Member
Oct 16, 2010
1,206
327
44
Deep River, Ontario, Canada
#1
I figured this belongs here because it is a question for TBers (bassists).

I see alot of movement of gear on here. I used to be bad for it; I still am to a lesser degree now. I'm just wondering what people do outside of talking on TB (if there is such a lifestyle) to be able to make so many purchases?

In lament terms: Career and est. salary that you have to live the Talkbass lifestyle.

Me: I'm a Librarian and work as a Cabbie on the side. I don't make nearly enough.
 
#2
Not that I live the TB lifestyle mind...

But I may have figured out how to kill my GAS, YMMV.

One of the things on my GAS list was a Brad Lowe Chromasonic, just appeals to me on many levels. So I started hanging in Luthiers corner for awhile, then started looking at Warmoth, then some kits, etc. etc. Now I'm gassing for one of the kits... Much cheaper, and maybe it's the start of my own path to building...

On the flipside of the GAS list was a Black Sheep Preamp, I've met the owner of Wounded Paw many times and it's been a sore trial at times not to drop a bunch of money on his head and get the bloody thing. So I subscribed to the DIY tube pre-amp thread, started poking around at the DIY kits on the market, etc. etc.

Same thing in cab territory, damn Genzler bass arrays are intriguing, so I started looking for a Canadian supplier of fEARful flat packs.

So apparently for me, GAS can be combated with another acronym - DIY!

Hardly surprising though, I've spent my entire musical career as a punk musician, and the DIY ethos is strong in most punk scenes.
 
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#3
I'm a youth counselor and I work as an amateur astrophysicist until I get my degree
I make meh money but I save every extra cent to shuffle gear around
Keep in mind the law of diminishing returns and keeping the value in the gear you buy should you ever decide to hustle it
 
#5
Instrumentation & controls engineer at a multi-plant facility for 27+ years, was bandless from 1989 to 2006 to be a fulltime Dad and have a career.

Prior to getting the chance to go back to college for electrical engineering at 28(IIRC), 3 jobs + being in a working band barely made ends meet with 2 sons and 2 ex-wives. I did sneak in night school for electronic technician to learn enough to maintain my SVT and modify guitarists' rigs on the side in the 70's(prior to master volume controls from the factory one had to do it as a modification). At 61, only close friends' gear and stuff at home gets worked on. Helps when you can change sensors, motherboards, etc in appliances when they need it(i.e. $100 worth of parts + 4 hours = $1500 side-by-side fridge is back in action, $60 mainboard on dishwasher + 20 minutes = wifey is happy again, etc). 80 to 90 gigs per year & good nutrition keep me in decent shape.
 
#7
I install tile and stone for the princely sum of 21 bucks an hour. It works out though, because I like a lot of the cheaper stuff out there. Sure a Fodera is going to sound better than a Mexican J Bass but a good player can make either sound great
 
#11
I put a large portion of each paycheck into my Savings acct, I consider that to be "untouchable" money, only for stuff like medical emergency, buying a car or putting a down payment for a house one day (about a year away!).

I currently rock a $199 Squier and a $179 SBMM. They get the job done just fine, and I can gig the SBMM with no stigma.

I've been ridiculed by some TB members because they think I can't afford a high-end Fender or Sadowsky. If only they knew!
 
#16
Being Canadian, I got most of my gear when the dollar was around par. I tend to amass more budget-friendly gear, which I then purge to have cash available for a higher-end purchase. It's kind of like a saving account that I can still use in my playing until I have enough put away to get what I really want.

I've since changed directions and am now happier with fewer, mid-tier items which better fits my playing situation. Now I've freed up some cash to use for other things!

Job wise, I'm an engineer / product manager with a small tech company.
 
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#17
I work a couple different jobs (both with very flexible schedules) and have gig income. I don't have a huge stable of instruments like some folks do though I've been blessed with the opportunity to own a few good-to-boutique basses as well as some pretty nice amps, but every gear purchase or sale has to give me more options and tools of the trade as a bassist nowadays (no more buying guitar stuff).
 
#19
I have absolutely no GAS money, so I try to kill the GAS even before it comes out of the egg. I'm getting pretty good at GASslayin', but alas! I'm not invincible...

Edit: Your poll's not clear enough. Is it gross or net? Household or personal income?
 

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