It's like this, every bass I own has appreciated in value much more than having it sitting in a bank plus I'm enjoying the hell out of it. It not like pissing the money away on a designer pocketbook, these can be redeemed for cash when you decide to buy another bass. Once you get to 4-5 basses they loose track of what you have anyway unless you keep making a fuss over it. You cant have too many!
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My Wife Poses the Ultimate Question
- Thread starter BigAlBass69
- Start date
This will be no help at all unless your wife is a keen Shakespearean scholar or a theatre buff.
Whenever I mention I am about to feed my MIAS (Musical Instrument Acquisition Syndrome) .... I quote King Lear at the point where he is asked why he needs so many hangers on: "Reason me not the need!"
However, as I work from home and she doesn't, I can usually accept delivery and get rid of the packaging before she comes home. Before she gets home, I slip the instrument in among the collection.
Then, of course, I live in fear of the second most dreaded question. "I don't remember seeing that one. When did you get it?"
Whenever I mention I am about to feed my MIAS (Musical Instrument Acquisition Syndrome) .... I quote King Lear at the point where he is asked why he needs so many hangers on: "Reason me not the need!"
However, as I work from home and she doesn't, I can usually accept delivery and get rid of the packaging before she comes home. Before she gets home, I slip the instrument in among the collection.
Then, of course, I live in fear of the second most dreaded question. "I don't remember seeing that one. When did you get it?"
I only just started learning to play the bass but this approach is working for me...
Buy a couple of cheap ($50) guitars on Craigslist and turn around and sell them even if you're only breaking even on the deal. Tear one down for a repaint so that there's always random guitar parts laying around. Get her used to seeing guitars coming and going and soon she doesn't even notice when a new one shows up. Act like you're making a little profit doing all this. Keep everything in cases or gig bags in a dedicated closet and don't hang anything on the wall or leave it out on a stand. Wait until she leaves for work to pull out your latest purchase. When you do finally get caught say "Oh, that one? I've had that one for quite a while. Haven't you seen it before?" Act like you bought it for less than it was really worth and you're thinking about flipping it.
Before the bass bug bit me this approach was working for golf clubs. I wound up with so many clubs in the garage that she never noticed them coming and going as long as she had her nice clubs to play. I sold off a couple of sets of crappy old clubs that I pieced together from thrift store buys to pay for my first bass.
Only talk about buying and selling when you sell something. When you buy something keep your big mouth shut!
Another tip is to pay cash so that that bass you just bought that you didn't need doesn't show up on your credit card bill. And never, ever question how much she spends on her hair stylist, manicures or shoes.
Buy a couple of cheap ($50) guitars on Craigslist and turn around and sell them even if you're only breaking even on the deal. Tear one down for a repaint so that there's always random guitar parts laying around. Get her used to seeing guitars coming and going and soon she doesn't even notice when a new one shows up. Act like you're making a little profit doing all this. Keep everything in cases or gig bags in a dedicated closet and don't hang anything on the wall or leave it out on a stand. Wait until she leaves for work to pull out your latest purchase. When you do finally get caught say "Oh, that one? I've had that one for quite a while. Haven't you seen it before?" Act like you bought it for less than it was really worth and you're thinking about flipping it.
Before the bass bug bit me this approach was working for golf clubs. I wound up with so many clubs in the garage that she never noticed them coming and going as long as she had her nice clubs to play. I sold off a couple of sets of crappy old clubs that I pieced together from thrift store buys to pay for my first bass.
Only talk about buying and selling when you sell something. When you buy something keep your big mouth shut!
Another tip is to pay cash so that that bass you just bought that you didn't need doesn't show up on your credit card bill. And never, ever question how much she spends on her hair stylist, manicures or shoes.
Yeah, exactly. I have too many guitars (I have for several years been trying to move some without being skinned) and given that I cannot get gigs, two basses are probably too much as well, esp. the big upright electric that I love but is too big to move around. I got into bass when an acquaintance suggest I get a "short scale and gig out." Well, I got not a short scale, but a standard scale; it has been 17 years and I am waiting for the gigs. Still, a short scale would be handy for some things and a long scale with frets and a long scale without frets for the jazz stuff that I cannot get.
one can never have too many tools, motorcycles or basses/amps. ask any mechanic, biker or bass player.
I don't have any great verbal response for the wife.
But - I did eventually discover what worked with her. Buy even More basses.
If you buy and sell enough times, she will simply decide it's something you Do, and she will not comment any more. Maybe.
Me and my wife have a non verbal agreement. She pretends to not notice, and I pretend that I'm not actually doing anything unusual.
But - I did eventually discover what worked with her. Buy even More basses.
If you buy and sell enough times, she will simply decide it's something you Do, and she will not comment any more. Maybe.
Me and my wife have a non verbal agreement. She pretends to not notice, and I pretend that I'm not actually doing anything unusual.
I don't have any great verbal response for the wife.
But - I did eventually discover what worked with her. Buy even More basses.
If you buy and sell enough times, she will simply decide it's something you Do, and she will not comment any more. Maybe.
Me and my wife have a non verbal agreement. She pretends to not notice, and I pretend that I'm not actually doing anything unusual.
Oh, I also have one other trick.
Never have more than one bass out of the case at any given time. If you keep them all in cases, and only have one appearing at a time, it is less likely that a spousal commentary will be triggered.
You're welcome.
Never have more than one bass out of the case at any given time. If you keep them all in cases, and only have one appearing at a time, it is less likely that a spousal commentary will be triggered.
You're welcome.
a guitarist friend of mine does this if she see a new guitar he will tell her it belongs to meOh, I also have one other trick.
Never have more than one bass out of the case at any given time. If you keep them all in cases, and only have one appearing at a time, it is less likely that a spousal commentary will be triggered.
You're welcome.
I have to say that I married a saint. I am a blessed guy.
She used to comment a little earlier in our lives. But, we are "settled", pals, and she knows this little stuff makes me happy. So she's happy to just ignore it and let her pal have some fun now and then.
When your spouse gets in the way of your music or toy fun, just remind the spouse - to try to not sweat the small stuff. Life is much better when nobody in the household is sweating the small stuff.
She used to comment a little earlier in our lives. But, we are "settled", pals, and she knows this little stuff makes me happy. So she's happy to just ignore it and let her pal have some fun now and then.
When your spouse gets in the way of your music or toy fun, just remind the spouse - to try to not sweat the small stuff. Life is much better when nobody in the household is sweating the small stuff.
I agree. Basses are like ammo. When you have cases of ammo in the garage and closet, under your bed, and on the sofa, and you tell your spouse that you need to go to store because ammo is on sale, they begin to worry. Keep it organized or out of sight, it helps.Oh, I also have one other trick.
Never have more than one bass out of the case at any given time. If you keep them all in cases, and only have one appearing at a time, it is less likely that a spousal commentary will be triggered.
You're welcome.
The rest of us thank you. In the late seventies I worked at a music store a few blocks away from a large honky tonk; one that had a half dozen sister clubs around the region. A number of bands would just play the circuit. There was one guitarist who was alway chasing the guitar dream. He would show up every couple of months with a guitar to sell. I gave hime my number so I was always the first he called when he came through town. Thanks to him, I bought a '63 Strat for $350, a '63 345 for $300, a '68 pink paisley Tele for $350, and others.
My budget was not stable so I eventually sold the 345 and the Tele, but kept the Strat for 25 years -until I blew some tendons and was out of the game for five eyrs. (If I still had it, it would be worth somewhere around $10K-$15K.) Regardless, guitars and basses change hands regularly. As for me, I only owned four brand new guitars / basses in my life - a '72 Strat, a '78 Yairi, a '81 Rick 4001, and my current 2018 Strat Elite. All the others - around 25 or so - were used. My current collection include the Strat Elite for most anything, a MIM Strat for world and synth, a '79 LP Custom for classic rock, the Yairi, a D-28 for CSN / Kottke downtuned stuff, an Ibanez SR505 bass, and an Ibanez SRH500F fretless. I've got all the bases covered and have no reason to buy anything else. Of course, if glam ever comes back, I saw an neon green bass and purple glitter guitar at the store the other day....
I'm blessed. My wife tells me that if I want one, to get it! haha We've been married nearly 5 years, and she's bought me 3, asked if I needed 'that' one. ha I can't say I like one, or it's got. Sweet woman. haha I've sold a couple so down to 7 playable. Like I say, Blessed.
"Do you really need another bass?" is just another way of saying "Do you really think you're going to find a better bass than your Hondo with the rattlecan flake red paint job and geezer pups?"
This past weekend, there was a T-40 for $150 listed 2 hours before I saw it in the classified ad. I immediately contacted the seller and was informed it was sold. Now I don't know which one of you guys bought that bass, but I think you're suffering an obsessive compulsive disorder and you need to have your therapist call me so I can explain how you screwed me out of that bass.
[EDIT: Just so you know, I really needed that bass because it was green.]
[EDIT: Just so you know, I really needed that bass because it was green.]
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