I gig alot, and pay for my gear that way - why should I feel bad about that???
- georgestrings
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How many basses
- Thread starter Scoly
- Start date
I gig alot, and pay for my gear that way - why should I feel bad about that???
- georgestrings
8 basses, 4 rigs, 5 Hammonds a couple of Leslie speakers, 5 keyboards, 3 drum sets, a set of congas, mics and all of my studio gear I have. Every time I sell a bass or something to purchase something new my wife gets mad. She suggest that I keep all of my gear and don't by anything until I can pay for it and I can prevent sellers remorse.
Tell her she is right and that you are being silly. Then apologize and tell her you are being selfish and on second thought will quit collecting basses and instead start collecting exotic sports cars. Tell her you should only need one or two of those to make you happy....
or start gassing over super expensive vintage or boutique basses... Then settle on the lower priced one you really want....Well, the only way to heal that issue, as I see it, is that people remind themselves of how much of an ******* they are every dayI've had tons of gear, all given out or sold, I cannot rationalize it/live with the fact I am a terrible *******.
Yeah, good luck with that...
- georgestrings
Never more than five at a time and had more then twenty five. Down to just three and one of those is up for sale. Realize I can only play one at a time so I keep a practice bass and one to gig with.
Oh and I own 4 basses two fretless jazz 4 strings a v jazz and a 86 p bass I bought new. All have their specific uses as I play in cover bands ranging from country, classic rock, jazz trio, and occasionally a hard rock gig. I do lots of fill in work and need the versatility these tools provide. I say tools because they make me money the same way a mechanic makes wages off his tools. I've never met an auto mechanic that had one tool.... I will add a Musicman classic day 4 string and a electric double bass soon to round out my tool box. Oh then there is that vintage jazz and birth year p bass that always sounded good too. Hmm I sure like the way those thumb basses sound as well ..... Oh nevermind, who am I fooling.
Bassist4Eris
Frat-Pack Sympathizer
Well, I've been known to find a bargain, get very tempted to grab it, and then realize that I don't really need another bass, and somebody who really needs a bargain like this won't get it, and that convinces me to leave it for someone else.
I do sympathize with where you're coming from. But I was poor most of my adult life, playing the same entry-level gear I started on as a teenager. A few years ago I got myself to a point financially where I could afford to do something about it. So I've made a few (mostly well-considered) purchases in the past few years. By some standards, I have a lot of gear, and by some, not so much. It's all in my profile if you're interested. And yeah, I am looking to add a 5-string J-style bass to the arsenal soon. And no, I don't really need it, but I want it, and now I'm at a point in life where I'm lucky enough that I can have it. And maybe that's not right. I don't know. I'm only human, though.
Earning the money =/= deserving. However, if you can rationalize having a lot of nice gear by getting money for it through playing, that is understandable. Guys, there are street musicians who deserve far more than they have, and there are ******** on stage who don't deserve the clothes they wear (Axl Rose?) but let's not get that far. The point being is, I can understand someone has 5 bass guitars if they play 5 different styles. Or even 10 if they are really active at it. But I have no understanding for people who have really nice instruments just lying out there. The capitalist mindset of "I worked, I got money for this and I bought this therefore I deserve this" obviously doesn't hold water in any real moral sense, since in most cases people simply lucked out. We humans are completely incapable of truly deserving much, considering the circumstances. I won't go for pathos, but a child in Africa isn't starving because it didn't deserve to live, the same way pretty much none of us have truly deserved what we have, it's mostly the matter of circumstances, having the chance to work your hobby professionally, etc.
I would like to point out, in the friendliest way possible, that it's not up to you to decide who "deserves" anything. If street musicians want better gear, then they should get off their rear ends and get a day job.
...considering they can actually get a job. A lot of people here seem to think that there's job for everyone who wants to work. Also, it is not me who decides who deserves what. But let's be real and realize it is all a matter of circumstance. If anything, in many ways, appreciation for what you have is not hoarding more stuff you won't use, and if you don't appreciate what you have, you most likely don't deserve it.
No doubt - it's pretty dumb to say that a person doesn't "deserve" something that they earned thru their own efforts...
- georgestrings
Well, sometimes people put in a lot of effort and they starve to death, is your point that they don't deserve to live? You putting a lot of effort might be compared to nothing in comparison to someone who works 18 hours a day to barely feed his wife and son. Are you saying you deserve more than that person? This is why people should be humble and understanding of others, and that is something I don't see in people who hoard a bunch of instruments... I even feel bad about having three.
"Deserve's got nothing to do with it."
-Will Munny, "Unforgiven"
I've been playing for 27 years. I deserve much more, but see quote above.
I am actually saying some of you people are narrow minded enough not to see the larger picture. I am deciding who deserves what because I am saying most of us don't deserve what we have? Aren't you doing the same thing and not even noticing? Except for, I am seeing through classes and seeing some moral fallacies we're faced with, but MOST OFTEN decide to ignore them.
DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING I SAY BELOW IS MY OPINION AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE OFFENSIVE
Are you God/other deity of choice? What gives you the right to say what people deserve/don't deserve? If someone earns money by working (as a musician or otherwise) they can buy whatever they want; there's a difference between wanting, needing, and deserving as well. No one needs fifteen basses exactly (at least not from a stripped down "all we need is food, water, and shelter" perspective) but people are allowed to want whatever. If you earn money to buy something through legal, moral means (i.e. not stealing etc.) you deserve anything and everything you can purchase.
Also: saying you need to be a musician to buy gear is like saying you need to be a chef to buy pots and pans. I work part-time at a large chain that sells bread and soup...doesn't mean I only buy bread and soup with my earnings.
I'm only a teenager, so I don't gig professionally, but I do have a job and earn money...if I want to spend that money on basses who are you to tell me I'm not deserving or worthy?
Just my two cents.
