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I need and/or want more.

#21
Ian Tarbox said:
Is there any advice the community can offer to help me scale down/calm down and focus on what I really want for a bass and what I really want out of one?
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The #1 thing that helped me tame down gear lust over the years was lack of money...seriously. But when I started gigging a lot I started buying more gear because I had more money coming in to pay for it (my day job was paying the bills). It didn't help that the rise of internet dealers and forums like this one made it easier for me to justify my gear lust.

To focus you have to really think hard about why you want a particular bass (or any piece oif gear). Ask yourself this:

1. Will I be able to replace something with this new purchase?

2. Will I be willing to immediately sell what I am replacing?

3. Will this solve a particular problem I have with my current gear?

4. Will I actually use this for gigs and/or recordings?

If the answer to more than one of those is NO, then it's just a gratification impulse, not a need.
 
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#22
Ian Tarbox said:
I am very conflicted with wanting more basses that I don't need but want them simply to have them. For example, I'd say green is my favorite color. Someone recently told me I should get a green bass. There aren't a lot, and if they are around or above 1,000 dollars. It's a Hofner Violin Bass. It's an HH hollow body. I already have one like it, and based on demos they sound very similar. Therefore, I don't need it (and don't want the bass because I already have one just like it), but I feel like I should get it for the simple reason of having a green bass. Same thing with bigsby guitars. I like bigsbys, but I'm never ever going to use it, but I want it just so I can have one. There are several other examples similar. Is there any advice the community can offer to help me scale down/calm down and focus on what I really want for a bass and what I really want out of one?
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Welcome to TB!

First, as pedantic as this sounds, you must learn the difference between "want" and "need". From what you've posted it sounds like you're "getting there".

There is a great thread: What is Your Bass-Owning Philosophy that you could check out regarding what we lunatics here think about the matter.
Is Your Stable Stabilized? is another good one to read as well.

These are First-World problems threads and are a fun read. Maybe you'll find a "Happy Place" afterward, maybe you'll keep on buying. That's on you.

Once again, welcome! and have fun!
 
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#24
As a long term sufferer of chronic gas, I've come to realize a couple of things.

1. Gas is a form of dopamine addiction. The little anxiety relieving rush that I get when I push the buy it now button will quickly dissipate. The little anxiety relieving rush that I get when the box finally shows up will also quickly dissipate. After a month or two, I will feel the same as I did before I bought the thing in question. It's a cycle...wash, rinse, repeat.

2. When it comes purely to meeting a need, one bass is enough for the majority of the bass owning public. I have gone back-and-forth but currently what I WANT to own is a good J, a good P, a 5 string, and a fretless. And considering the amount of playing I've done over the last 2 years, I could convincingly argue that in reality, I probably only really NEED one of those (and one amp).

3. Gas is a distraction. I'm pretty sure few of us started out on day one with the intention of being bass guitar collectors, and yet here we are. When dealing with gas, I have found it helpful to reconsider why I picked up the bass in the first place (to play great music with great musicians). It's also helpful for me to consider what my current musical responsibilities are and how thoroughly I am meeting them. When I am being honest with myself, I realize there is always room for improvement, and another bass is not what is going to make that improvement happen.

4. Dealing with gas is an ongoing battle. No matter how successful I am at finding my center and passing up on the shiny new object, I realize that at some point in the future my gas will return. I have resigned myself to the fact. With time and practice, I will get better at resisting temptation. It doesn't mean the temptation goes away completely.
 
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#25
Clearly, the only solution is to purchase a bass with a Bigsby. Sorry I don’t have a pic of a green one. :laugh::p
0DF75EDD-242B-4F4D-BA36-C2E9C4DB8311.png
 
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#26
BASSDROID said:
As a long term sufferer of chronic gas, I've come to realize a couple of things.

1. Gas is a form of dopamine addiction. The little anxiety relieving rush that I get when I push the buy it now button will quickly dissipate. The little anxiety relieving rush that I get when the box finally shows up will also quickly dissipate. After a month or two, I will feel the same as I did before I bought the thing in question. It's a cycle...wash, rinse, repeat.

2. When it comes purely to meeting a need, one bass is enough for the majority of the bass owning public. I have gone back-and-forth but currently what I WANT to own is a good J, a good P, a 5 string, and a fretless. And considering the amount of playing I've done over the last 2 years, I could convincingly argue that in reality, I probably only really NEED one of those (and one amp).

3. Gas is a distraction. I'm pretty sure few of us started out on day one with the intention of being bass guitar collectors, and yet here we are. When dealing with gas, I have found it helpful to reconsider why I picked up the bass in the first place (to play great music with great musicians). It's also helpful for me to consider what my current musical responsibilities are and how thoroughly I am meeting them. When I am being honest with myself, I realize there is always room for improvement, and another bass is not what is going to make that improvement happen.

4. Dealing with gas is an ongoing battle. No matter how successful I am at finding my center and passing up on the shiny new object, I realize that at some point in the future my gas will return. I have resigned myself to the fact. With time and practice, I will get better at resisting temptation. It doesn't mean the temptation goes away completely.
Click to expand...


Yup, yup, yup! This, right here, is truth.
 
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#33
guitarflinger said:
Then I got a new band shirt, which perfectly matched the seaform green one, and I bought that.
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Then there's my daughter:

"Dad, I need to use your purple bass, it fits my outfit better for the school concert than my bass does."

Me: "But you're wearing black."

Her: "But can I use it?"

Me: "But you use only TI flats, now I would have to buy a set of those, and at that price, never take them off that bass."

.
.
.
.
.
.

Her: "So can I use it?"
 
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