How does one get over bass / instrument hoarding?

[1954bassman]

Since you mentioned it - keep the EBMM Sterling and sell the rest. After I got my EBMM I sold 10 of my 11 basses. I am back up to six, but three are up for sale.

I also subscribe to the before-mentioned plan, if I buy - or want to buy new/different gear, then another piece of gear of equivalent value must be sold. Hard yet simple, and it works.

 

[Slevage]

Meetings!

 

[Wolfhound32]

I got a bit out of control this year and managed to go from 4 instruments to 34... I've managed to sell some, but not enough...how do I overcome this?

Ahhh-- been there, though I didn't have the funds to rack up 34, I did end up with 14 over the span of a few years.

You ask how to overcome the situation... here's what I did:
- Answer truthfully, why you are buying all these instruments. The possible answers are endless and range from the shallow, to the very deep. For me, it was the "hunt." The newness of the instruments wore off quickly. That was a symptom of something else in my life that needed fixing.

- Are you buying them to build a collection?
- Are you actually using them to make music?

How you answer these questions will determine what to do next. If you are building a collection, then you've just begun(!). Asking how to overcome the situation indicates that you're motivation is likely something else.

Once you identify your motivation, ways to overcome the instrument hoarding will present themselves.

Keep in mind, there's nothing inherently wrong with having a large collection.

Personally, I like to make music and having more than one bass helps to keep things fresh. I could do just fine with one, or two... but I'd be happy with a few more, as long as each is being used regularly, and I'm not focusing on "more."

A good question helps me keep perspective: Do you have things, or do things have you?

Good luck!

 

[npbassman]

Step one - get the hell off of Talkbass. You probably never even knew you wanted all that crap before you came here.

You ain't kidding, brother! When I returned from a long layoff I had one Modulus bass, an Ashdown ABM500 and two Eden Cabs 2x10x15 from the early 2000's.

Then I learned about 5 lb Class D amps, Neo cabs, how 12's bridge the gap between 10 vs 15's, stacking neo 12 cabs, how having two mismatched cabs that were so in vogue when I bought em are now the scourge of the earth, and learned that my life is sad and empty without a Pbass with flats and a tort guard. I have acquired just about everything on that list thanks to my TB browsing and the only thing that has eluded me is the best bass for metal. I don't even play metal but the power of TB has me gassing for one really bad!

 

[pingvuiini]

Have gone through 70+ basses in over 20 years, it came down to a simple formula. My wife and I apply this to all our possesions. If you don't use it in a years time, there no need to keep it.

This has been pretty much what I've been doing. Not just with basses, but everything: amps, computers, cameras, guns, scale models, airbrushes, compressors, exercise equipment, CDs & DVDs, bikes, suitcases/backpacks/travel gear and clothes. It's amazing how much simpler life becomes and how little you miss the things you got rid of. I cringe when I see some of my friend's garages stacked to the ceiling with junk that they just don't want to let go of.

 

[Liam Wald]

It's like ripping off a band aid... You think about it for awhile, but then you just do it!
I just shipped out a Stingray I liked a lot... It was tough packin' it up, but I'm already starting to get over it.

Yes.
I went through a hoarding phase. I was up to 9 instruments. Then I thought about it and realized I played 2 of them 99% of the time.
So I sold all but my 2 favorites, a 1981 Aria ProII SB-R80 and a 2008 Lakland DJ-4. I honestly don't miss any of the others and have no desire to buy more.
If I saw something that was a screaming deal I might be tempted. But other than that no gas and no desire to start another collection.

 

[Mastermold]

It's a 12 step process--

Start in your closet:
1. Sell all your shirts, except one.
2. Sell all your pants, except one.
3. Sell all your shoes, except one (pair).
4. Sell all your underwear briefs, except one.
5. Sell all your sox, except one.
6. Sell all extras of any other clothes you have.

Next, your garage:
7. If you own more than one vehicle, sell.
8. If you own more than one bicycle, sell.
9. If you own more than one of any tool, sell.
10. If you own more than one of anything else, sell.

Last, your relations:
11. If you have more than one child, they're out.
12. If you have more than one girlfriend, she's out too.

Complete this 12 step purge and you'll be able to live thereafter with one bass.

 

[boristhespider9]

I'm headed in that direction since I got a significant pay increase last year. Slightly off topic: if I do decide to sell some; where do I get bass sized boxes?

From the new basses you buy!

 

[boristhespider9]

It's like ripping off a band aid... You think about it for awhile, but then you just do it!

I just shipped out a Stingray I liked a lot... It was tough packin' it up, but I'm already starting to get over it.

I really believe this is the answer. If you're feeling uncomfortable or overwhelmed with the number of instruments you have, you simply must disabuse yourself of the thought that: "I shouldn't sell this bass because ____." Rather than finding a reason why you should keep a bass (e.g., Music Man discontinued Honeyburst and I'll never find another one), focus on the issue that doesn't make that bass the right one for you (love this Honeyburst Stingray, but it just weighs too darn much).

Once you rip off the band-aid by packing and shipping it, it's usually water under the bridge. You feel the weight of one more instrument off your shoulders and can move on to the next one, especially in a collection as large as yours. I find that having too many basses makes me unfocused. Thinning the herd ultimately brings me back to the joy of playing music. Good luck!

 

[Muddslide]

Eh, I used to have a TON of musical equipment. Could have started my own store.

For me, it got to be way more of a chore than a pleasure. Storing things, maintaining instruments, choosing what to play, keeping things strung, playing rotation, etc.

Never again. Got rid of nearly everything and couldn't be happier. I feel much more free. I have become something of a minimalist and am of the "possessions own YOU" school of thought.

I have one bass and one in layaway. When I get the one out of layaway, I'll be selling the one I'm currently using. I have a decent amp, a pedal or two, and a bit of recording equipment. I do plan to get another guitar soon.

For me, less is more. Other people like to be swimming in dozens of basses and other instruments and gear, and are constantly looking to buy and own more. That's great. Nothing wrong with that at all. I like seeing pics of people's big stables of basses. Basses are cool!

I just have no interest in going down that road ever again. If I can't pack pretty much everything I own (aside from appliances) into my car, I don't need it, don't want it.

 

[Sandman64]

You don't lol. However a while back I told my better half that I'd keep it at 10. So far its worked for the most part. You see, if I really want one, I have to sell another and that helps with the instant gas issues as you really have to think about which one you want to give up. In the end, this helps prevent impulse buying to a certain extent anyway lol.

 

[Son of Wobble]

Interesting article here in The Atlantic: "The Opposite of Hoarding"

Basically, the contention is that decluttering can become just as much an obsession as hoarding.
One OCD-driven declutterer, who controls her environment by limiting her possessions, speaks of owning but "one pair of heels, one pair of flats, and one pair of tennis shoes" in a way that made me think, "Ah, I've heard this before in the form of 'one Precision, one Jazz, one Ric.'"

Compulsive Decluttering: The Opposite of Hoarding - The Atlantic

 

[Canadian APII]

Yes.
I went through a hoarding phase. I was up to 9 instruments. Then I thought about it and realized I played 2 of them 99% of the time.
So I sold all but my 2 favorites, a 1981 Aria ProII SB-R80 and a 2008 Lakland DJ-4. I honestly don't miss any of the others and have no desire to buy more.
If I saw something that was a screaming deal I might be tempted. But other than that no gas and no desire to start another collection.

So is fifteen a bad thing???

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

lose your job
get divorced

etc.

 

[Liam Wald]

So is fifteen a bad thing???

No, not at all. It is a good thing if that's what you want. The wonderful thing about free will is everyone gets to choose for themselves. And then change their mind and choose differently next week. The OP's question implies that he would like to own fewer, not more, instruments.
To me that means that he is looking for strategies toward reduction not justification to continue the trend of acquisition.

 

[Liam Wald]

get divorced

Or you could just put all of your money in a big pile and then light it on fire...
That would be very similar to Harry's suggestion.

 

[electracoyote]

Here's what worked for me:

Start playing out, or playing out more. Gig regularly with a band. Take sub gigs. This of course assumes you are up for the performance thing. And in the process, take all your basses out and see how they do in the real world.

I'm a guitar and bass player. I had more instruments than I knew what to do with, a real collector/hoarder mentality (I'm talking +/- 100 guitars and basses). But I wasn't really buying many vintage or collectible instruments, it was more about variety, cool finishes and vibes, stuff like that.

As I began rehearsing/performing/recording with my collection, digging deeper and deeper, suddenly, in the live or studio environment, these "cool guitars" weren't so cool in a utilitarian, practical role. Some of them sounded mediocre, some horrible at stage/performance volumes. There is something very humbling and even embarrassing about playing a guitar that looks beautiful but sounds like dump, in a style-over-substance way. That was where I decided to draw the line and start unloading guitars that weren't useful in real-world applications.

Not only did I pick up some much-needed coin by down-sizing, but I have stopped hoarding guitars and basses, and I make sure everything in my (still sizable) collection could actually be used and sound great in a live or studio application.

 

[Kukulkan61]

And I thought I had a problem owning 5 P Basses...

 

[Geekydad]

How to get over bass hording? Have a kid. You'll find you no longer have time, space, or money for buying new basses.

 

[000_Unknown]