How does one get over bass / instrument hoarding?

[bongostealth]

This is a common problem. I've experienced it myself, even thought the most basses I ever owned at one time were seven. The thought of having to sell off any one of the basses will sometimes feel like breaking up with a really beautiful girlfriend... some say it's even harder than that! LOL!

My suggestion would be to first keep the basses which are most rare, valuable, hard to find, and which have the most resale value. (Although the argument could be made that keeping these types of basses is counter-intuitive if money is what you are after). Then sell the basses that don't provide the "must-have tones". For example, if you love a P-bass tone, then definitely keep the P-basses, or at least a reasonable number of them. If you are a burpy-tone type of guy, then keep anything with burpy tone...etc.

If this still doesn't help solve your dilemma, then get a wife. The nagging will get to you soon enough and you will have no other choice but to sell.

 

[Jim Carr]

...I wanted to have pretty much every wood and pickup type represented across the line-up. I think I've accomplished this...

From the Wiki article on Collecting:

...Collecting for most people is a choice, but for some it can be a compulsion, sharing characteristics with obsessive hoarding. When collecting is passed between generations, it might sometimes be that children have inherited symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Collecting can sometimes reflect a fear of scarcity, or of discarding something then later regretting it...

 

[TMARK]

From the Wiki article on Collecting:

...Collecting for most people is a choice, but for some it can be a compulsion, sharing characteristics with obsessive hoarding. When collecting is passed between generations, it might sometimes be that children have inherited symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Collecting can sometimes reflect a fear of scarcity, or of discarding something then later regretting it...

Yup.

The advice about wives putting a break on hoarding is bad advice. If someone is in the way of you satisfying an urge which is deeply rooted in brain chemistry or past trauma, you will end up hating that person. The root cause needs to be addressed or you can destroy a relationship.

 

[neddyrow]

My wife just started the Kon Mari method of tidying. the gist of it is to get rid of pretty much everything you own and what's left, find a home for it. the big question in the book is, "does it bring you joy?" you are supposed to hold every object you own and ask if this item brings you joy. I'm down to 2 uprights, a tenor guitar that i tuned as a bass, 1 house Martin guitar and one gig Martin guitar and 2 amps. they all bring me joy! got rid of guitars, basses, mics, preamps, cables galore!

it's nice to have a clutter free studio/practice space in my basement. plus i bought better gear with all the crappy stuff i had and never used.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Practice more. How much do you practice per week? Most gear guys buy more basses than they have time to actually log real hours on.

 

[Doner Designs]

Get married.

 

[GBassNorth]

The easiest way to get over instrument hoarding is to replace it with automobile hoarding. You'll quickly find that cars are so expensive to collect you won't have any money for basses.

 

[GBassNorth]

I got a bit out of control this year and managed to go from 4 instruments to 34. This is combined acoustics, electrics, and basses. I wanted to have pretty much every wood and pickup type represented across the line-up. I think I've accomplished this, but it's just too much. Problem is, whenever I think about selling one, it usually has something unique that makes me hesitate. Like I was thinking about selling my MM Sterling, but it's the only MM I have, so I didn't.

I've managed to sell some, but not enough...how do I overcome this?

Stardust - meet General Electric...
I think I've finally run out of GAS. | TalkBass.com

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

Instead of it being an issue of hoarding, I tend to see it in terms of, 'Where is the point of diminishing returns?' At what point do you have so many, that you don't have time to enjoy them all?
I have a few really nice basses that I'd never gig with, lest they be damaged or stolen. I have 4 others that I gig with, that I don't really have to worry about. I've never been happier.

 

[Dogbertday]

Step 1 start practicing difficult (compared to your level) material. Step2 you'll probably gravitate towards an instrument or two so just sell the rest.

 

[Ric5]

How does one get over bass / instrument hoarding?

Sell some ???

 

[GeneralElectric]

I had a similar problem. I had twenty something basses at once and that's not counting all the other string instruments I play.

I used to justify it in all sorts of ways. That it'd inspire me creatively, that I liked looking at them, or that I wouldn't lose money when I eventually flipped it. It didn't help that I was actually making money on reselling instruments either since I was always looking for a bargain.

But times came when I needed cash for things and I sold a bass here or there. Or I converted a bunch of cheaper basses into a more expensive instrument.

Eventually I ended up with lots of expensive and nice instruments and I'd rather have 4 really nice basses than a bunch of mid level stuff. With 34 basses I'm sure you have tons of overlap. If you have a bunch of jazz basses sell or trade up for a nicer jazz bass.

Once you've consolidated your instruments, I'd strongly suggest that you record yourself playing the same songs on different basses. You'll probably find some more overlap and can pare down again.

I had a bass teacher once who commented that I'd bring different basses to my lessons. He said that by shifting around instruments so much, that I'd be spending more time subconsciously acclimating myself to each one rather than using that brain power to absorb stuff. He pointed out that many great musicians usually played the same instrument most of the time as their number 1 and everything else was either a backup or a tool they used when their main instrument (tool) wasn't suitable for the song or gig. By having a main instrument, it's easier for that particular instrument to become an extension of your body and your skills will translate that much better when playing different basses.

Dutifully, I nodded my head and took his advice to heart. I replaced all my bass necks with C width precision necks that had the same profile.

 

[Burwabit]

My cure for too many is to go with the BEST. That's the only end to my GAS. Once I have one that I know I can't beat with something else, GAS ends. To me this means Sadowsky, Bergantino, Roscoe fretless, etc. Unfortunately, now I want to trade my passive Ps for a Alleva Coppolo. So, it never ends.

 

[Ronbeast]

I'm in a similar place as you right now (34 is crazy though, I only have 16 ). I've basically come to terms with it by realizing that I can trade my cheaper impulse buys in and get some money to buy a single instrument that I really enjoy

I can trade in 5 Okay guitars and get one really amazing guitar, and I don't feel bad about it because I'm getting an instrument I will love and I'm thinning the herd at the same time.

 

[katalyzt13]

I'm trying to sell some basses because I have too many, but I've already decided I have to get a Schecter Model T Session as soon as I sell one...so, my plan to reduce the number of instruments I own isn't going great.

 

[fishdreams]

Unshakable Truth: One can play one bass at a time. Which one is that?

I was part of a music residency past Summer in upstate New York and one of the interesting side effects of playing 10 hours a day with all kinds of great musicians is that one gets down to the essentials real fast. Within half a day i had landed on the one bass (out of 3 I brought with me) I played for the full residency, and I had ditched half of my pedal board (all up for sale or going up for sale soon).

I just played better because of sticking with one instrument, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Now it is nice to own a bunch, but to play- nah. (and I have 7 at the moment...)

 

[Medicine Man]

Why would anyone want to get over bass hoarding? Seems like an ambition, not a problem.

 

[20db pad]

Play gigs. Learn songs. Take challenging lessons from a master. Worked for me.

 

[DavC]

check your definition of 'need' versus 'want' ... !?

hoarding leads to clutter ... being surrounded by clutter can mess with your head and clutter your mind , ...

or maybe it's that Hunter/Gatherer kinda thing .. ?

set boundaries somehow ... i have 3 hangers on my walls ... Period ... 2 basses , 1 gtr .... i have room for 2 keyboards ... Period ....

i now ' swap ' things out, instead of piling things up that i'd rarely use .. ! i still get to hunt for and buy things , ... but that is done to fill a dedicated slot ... so i also get to sell stuff .. !

 

[rtav]

Unshakable Truth: One can play one bass at a time. Which one is that?

I was part of a music residency past Summer in upstate New York and one of the interesting side effects of playing 10 hours a day with all kinds of great musicians is that one gets down to the essentials real fast. Within half a day i had landed on the one bass (out of 3 I brought with me) I played for the full residency, and I had ditched half of my pedal board (all up for sale or going up for sale soon).

I just played better because of sticking with one instrument, which makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Now it is nice to own a bunch, but to play- nah. (and I have 7 at the moment...)

THIS.

I have to admit that I have never had a lot of basses (at one time), but that was usually due to not having a lot of money at one time. Happily, that's not such a problem anymore, but I own only 2 basses (exact duplicates, one for my main band stored at our studio and one for practice at home/side projects), and might one day buy only one more - a fretless 6 - for the different tonal possibilities.

At one point I had 5 basses (p-basses, j-basses and a Jackson), and found myself only really playing and practicing with one of them. Moreover I had to MAKE myself pick up one of the other basses in order to play it. I'd feel guilty as hell walking by the cases, as if each bass was thumping and bumping around in their velveted prison cells begging to be set free. I found myself making excuses to use one bass for this song, and another for that one, just to feel like it was OK to own them (even when there wasn't really THAT much of a difference in tone or range justifying the use of multiple basses).

Then it hit me - if I'm not a collector (and I'm not, I don't collect anything except ex-wives and debt [yeah, they go fist-in-wallet]) - and I have to FIND ways to use these other 4 basses - I should sell them so that others can use them, as I can and generally do only play 1. So I sold them all to folks who could put them to use and went to playing one bass, my old p-bass, for years.

Eventually I switched to 6 string basses and, once again, found myself not playing my old p-bass - so I sold it. I now have duplicate 6 string basses, and play both of them exclusively. I might buy a 6 string fretless because it gives me tonal and technique options I can't get with my fretted 6's, but to be honest, I'm fine if I don't and I don't jones for any new guitars. Sure, I see a gorgeous Modulus 6 and think, "OH MY GOD THAT'S GORGEOUS" - but I never reach for my wallet or seriously think, ever, about adding more basses other than the one model I play every day. If I'm not using it, if I'm not practicing with it every single day, I don't need it, and consequently, I don't want it.

IME it was too stressful to have guitars lying around that didn't get played, and if I'm not practicing with a certain bass daily, I can't justify owning it. I guess I'm not a collector of bass guitars, but it's cool if you are and I get that, but it's not me, I'm not a collector, ask any of my ex's and they'll no doubt tell you that I'm a user.

YMMV - and happy collecting!