• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Is your gear irreplaceable?

How irreplaceable is your gear?

  • I could replace it all easily

    Votes: 88 25.1%
  • I have a rare item or two, but the rest would be easily replaced

    Votes: 172 49.0%
  • Most of my gear would be difficult to replace

    Votes: 76 21.7%
  • I have carefully curated a collection of the rarest gear

    Votes: 15 4.3%

  • Total voters
    351
My rig would be easily replaceable, my bass not so much. Not because it's super rare (well, the neck would be pretty tough to replace) or vintage, but I have modified and invested enough time into tweaking it that it brings me much joy and every bass I have ever owned and my experiences with them have all lead to this one bass that I own, so in a way I'd be starting from scratch. That's really what is lost when people lose possessions like these. Sure, you can always buy another bass, but the bond one forms with certain instruments can be irreplaceable.
 
i have some sentiment for my instruments and would not want to lose them = they are replaceable!

i have some audio equipment which would be difficult to replace = but i would (or not).

;)

it's a hassle to replace stuff we are used to --- but it's stuff.
 
Most of my gear could be replaced, but it would take some time searching, and in some cases, paying more than I originally paid for certain pieces. One or two basses are indeed irreplaceable...
IMG_0795.JPG
IMG_0846.JPG
IMG_0870.JPG
Columbine Lounge 006.JPG
IMG_0764.JPG
IMG_0239.JPG
 
"I have carefully curated a collection of the rarest gear"

Not that any of it is particularly valuable, but I can't just go out and buy replacements ...

-If I could even find another Hondo like mine, there is no telling if would be any good, and it wouldn't have the sentimental value.
-I heavily modified my SX, and Rondo isn't even selling my particular model anymore.
-I built my Boomstick from a kit.
-I built my fEarful 15 sub from a kit
-I built my 8" midrange cabinet from scrap plywood left from cabinetry
 
Yamaha no longer makes my bass. Luckily, they were inexpensive, and mass produced. Modeled similarly to an active Fender Jazz, I assume. The BB604s I see go up for sale don't seem last long. They are one of the few basses that were offered with sweepable midrange stock. As time goes on though, trying to find one could get worse with the lack of production. I might not see that in my lifetime though.

Replacing everything else wouldn't be a problem since they are current production. Overall, I'd say my gear is uncommon but replaceable.

Cool topic for a thread, OP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: InhumanResource
Reading the tale @Mantis Tobaggan related about his hurricane experience last weekend got me thinking a bit. It's unlikely I'll need to flee a hurricane in Missouri, but my gear could be damaged, lost or destroyed in other ways. And reflecting on how I'd have to go about replacing all of it made me curious about how other TB folks stack up: if you lost your gear but got insurance money for it, could you easily replace it with stuff that would be the same or better?

Personally, my basses wouldn't be that hard to replace. The Rickenbacker 4003 and the Rick Turner Ren4FL would be pretty easy, though I'd miss the discontinued ruby red color on the 4003. My 4004Ci would be a bit harder to replace, but a 4004Cii could do the job (I would miss the 4004Ci neck profile). As far as amps and cabs go, the Verellen Meatsmoke preamp is still produced and the Mesa Powerhouse 112 cab has a close equivalent in the Mesa Subway 12. The difficult part would be replacing my Mesa Buster 15 combo. There aren't many of them out there, and the combo of the amp and cab really is special, at least to my ears. So other than the glorious-sounding boat anchor tube combo, I could get my setup back pretty easily if insurance paid up. What about you?
I have one of first Warmoth J bass made S/N 50 and she can't be replaced.
IF I lost Mona I would give up playing.
 
Short answer - no, other than for the three basses my GF gave me as gifts.

Most of what I play has been out of production for years. And three quarters of it has taken me more years than I'd like to admit to acquiring because most weren't super popular even when they were in production. I've got fairly eclectic tastes when it comes to buying a bass.

So it would be difficult (and probably more than I could afford) to attempt to replace most of it. I don't really own anything would be considered "rare" by a collector. But I'm fairly fussy about an instrument's condition and prefer it to be all original. So locating a replacement I'd consider in acceptable condition at a price I could afford is fairly slim.

What would I do if I lost it all?

Just buy another bass and amp and keep playing. As long as I've got something to play - and I'm still alive to play it - I'll be fine.
 
Last edited:
My basses are all fairly cheap, ranging from £250-£400, my pedalboard adds up to over £800 (it's not all wacky effects, I also use a volume pedal, a buffer and a compressor), and my main amp is £279. Most can be replaced easily, some aren't made anymore. But to me, price doesn't matter, all my stuff has senitimental value, some more than others, and that can't be bought back. If someone said to me, we have exactly the same bass, same colour, same year, etc. Can we swap? I wouldn't want too. But that's just me.

I'm not a guy who polishes his basses everyday or anything. I do let my band mates play it if they want to, sometimes we have a fun swap, or if we're taking stuff from the car. But I don't like random bands touching my stuff and playing with it, it's happened before, and they annoy me. I saw a guy break another guy's amp at a gig that he used without permission and didn't even apologise, let alone offer to replace it, so I don't trust people I don't know.
 
Haven't seen this take on the question posted so ... most of my instruments are ones that I've made. So with that in mind, they would be hard to replace as I'd need to buy all the necessary tools and then take the time to make them. Funny how instruments with so little value to the world have so much value to me :rollno: