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I find my less expensive basses get played more.

All my basses are out on stands, and I rotate through them every day, though typically if I'm working on specific things I'll tend to grab the instrument that "fits" that the best. But all 5 instruments get played every day. 2 basses go to every gig, which one depends on the band/etc. But I don't make that choice based on price tag. If the gig is safe for me, it is safe for my bass.

+1
 
Whats even the point of buying an expensive awesome boutique bass if your gonna leave it at home cause gigs are "not safe". The whole point of a good instrument is playing it, I bring my Sadowsky too every kind of gig, it even got dents in it which i have made banging it into things on stage(even tough i am careful with it) I mean if it looks abused in 40 years from now on thats just part of the cool factor for me :D
 
Whats even the point of buying an expensive awesome boutique bass if your gonna leave it at home cause gigs are "not safe". The whole point of a good instrument is playing it, I bring my Sadowsky too every kind of gig, it even got dents in it which i have made banging it into things on stage(even tough i am careful with it) I mean if it looks abused in 40 years from now on thats just part of the cool factor for me :D

Guess I would just like to avoid said dents.I'm Ocd that way.
 
So get rid of the more expensive basses. If you spend a lot on something you should enjoy it a lot, or what's the point? Are you a bass player or a collector? Either answer is ok, but it's something to think about.

If you're worried about damaging the nice instruments, just take good care of them. I play all my instruments, primarily the more expensive ones, wherever I play, as that's why I bought them. They all look almost exactly as they did the day I got them, whether that was one or 20 years ago.
 
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I'm a one bass kinda guy. I don't collect them. I play one until it needs to be retired from the road. I have owned many, but If they don't get played, they go by by. There are a few basses I would like to have for studio use, but that will likely happen down the road when I have more space and time (hopefully lol)

As far as price point, I could care less. If it's doing the job for me, then I use it......until it needs to be fixed. Then I use it some more. I am completely utilitarian in that nature.

I'm sure when I can afford to be a collector, I will:)
 
So get rid of the more expensive basses. If you spend a lot on something you should enjoy it a lot, or what's the point? Are you a bass player or a collector? Either answer is ok, but it's something to think about.

I do play my expensive basses alot and I enjoy them very much.I just usually end up playing my cheaper basses alot more.
 
in my case I really only play the musicmans. my cheaper fenders never get played. one is in its case the other stays at the bands practice spot just so if I'm too lazy to bring the mm I have a bass there... I used to be all about the cheaper beater basses but ever since I got my 3 band mm I haven't really played anything else. it even got sprayed with beer at our last show.
 
Why? And why does it bother you?

At home I only keep one bass out at a time just due to lack of space.I don't like to have my expensive stuff just sitting with my kids running around.So therefore 90% of the time either my Epi Goth or my Squier get left out on the stand.

Before gigs my whole band will sit down and figure out how the gigs are gonna go and how we think thing will go and what the playing situation will be.

An on stage gig we bring the good stuff and on floor bar gigs we don't but it just depends on the place.

I am the kind of person who wants my basses to remain in immaculate condition for as long as I can keep them that way.Its just how I am.
 
I have my basses to play and adore rather than look at and adore.

I wouldn't care to tell people I had a 1960's Jazz that sat in a locked case in my attic. I would care to have a 1960's Jazz bass that sat on a stand, getting played and living with the consequences such as dropping it or it getting dusty. So what!?
 
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Nice things are nice to have. People collect mint condition, totally drivable classic cars and never, ever drive them. Some call that a 'crime.' Whatever. It's just stuff. Do with it as you please.
Exactly. But be honest with yourself about what you want to do, and why you do it. If what are doing is bothering you, you should first figure out what you want, then make changes to either your expectations or your actions so they match up better.
 
Title says it all.I find myself playing and getting more use out of my less expensive basses than I do my expensive ones.

When I'm just sitting around the house I keep everything in a case with the exception of my Epi Goth.It always sits out on a stand in case I just wanna play around some.I do most of my practicing on it.Unless I just get the urge to get out one of my others.

At gigs it really depends on the situation as to which basses I bring.If I'm gonna be on a stage or somewhere with a defined and marked off area.I'll bring my more expensive stuff to play.

If its just at a bar where I'm out basically on the floor with the masses I take my less expensive.That way I don't really worry as much about random drunk guy/gal dropping beer on it or falling into it and what not.

Which is really making me think that if I don't get as much use out of my expensive basses,why do I have expensive basses in the first place?
My Ricky 4003 is all I play. Maybe when I find that vintage lefty jazz bass I will behave differently, but us lefties usually don't have the luxury of owning a bunch of instruments.
 
...so just try and sell them. You'll find the reasons then.

Yeah; tell me. Once I learned how to make a marginal bass into a good bass and a good bass into a great bass, I'm having trouble selling even Danelectros. Since I almost never pay an "expensive" price for even an expensive bass, expense as an absolute criterion has no influence with me. It's more like, "Which is the most appropriate bass for the gig?" (For at home practice, what is on the stand is usually an ABG.)

For me the litmus test is, "If I take this bass to a gig and it gets stolen or destroyed (and I do not have another), how difficult will it be for me to replace it?" The real gut-wrencher is when I get a bass and find out years later that only two hundred fifty -- or fifty -- were made. THOSE are the ones I dread gigging out.
 
I had this problem with my guitars but I just received a hercules multi-rack for them and there's been much more love going around the past few days.


X2 here:
I'm with you! I have a lot of instruments, but they get rotated constantly. They all get played and if they're not getting played they get moved on. They're all out and easy to grab for a gig, a rehearsal or just practicing at home. No bass left behind....
 
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If you store basses in cases that aren't readily accessible, I find they don't get played regularly.

All of my basses (except my ABG which I rarely play) are out on racks or hangers all the time at my house. I play my Foderas, Fenders, FBass and Squiers ALL literally almost every day.

One of my Foderas comes to every rehearsal and I usually gig with a Fodera and my fretless Squier or FBass. Squiers always get the outdoor and dumpy bar gigs.

No point having higher end gear if it doesn't get played IMO. I don't want to have my expensive guitars stolen, knocked over or rained on, but I am careful and play them all the time at home and out.
 
I just play for me, don't gig, and have 5 basses out all the time -- two on stands, three in a rack. I alternate thru al least four every two days, and all five every week. I would not hesitate to take any of them 'out to play' as that's what they're meant for...
 

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