• 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 free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

purging extra basses and gear

jamestown94west

jamestown94west

Guest
Jul 16, 2011
1,416
14
the ozarks
thegiveup.bandcamp.com
#1
I've always been really good about letting go of gear I don't use. I always have a lot of money wrapped up in my music equipment. I always sell off anything that starts collecting dust. I'm usually always real quick to sell/trade stuff when a new interest or need arises. Lately I've been dipping my toe into the pool of paid professional gigs. As soon as the opportunity showed itself I was cruising the tb classifieds trying to trade off my beloved vintage p bass for a fancier bass to play in theaters and what have you. I stopped myself when I realized how attached I was to my bass, and how much my family didn't want me to get rid of it as well. It seems I've hit a turning point. I've got 4 basses now, and I can't really justify owning anymore. But, I have a use for them if I have them. I've never hung onto this many extra instruments, but if I buy the basses I've been eyeballing, ill have several more thousand wrapped up in 4 more basses, Bringing me to 8. I don't know if I can feel right about myself having $8-$10k in basses hanging on the wall when I have a family to take care of. I don't know what to do. I realize this is a topic that gets beat into the ground around here, I just needed to vent to some like minded individuals.
 
#4
When I made the decision to quit guitar and move on to bass I sold off a very nice collection of Gibson's, one really nice Fender, and an irreplaceable vintage epiphone. I also got rid of my amps. I felt such a huge relief when all that stuff was gone.

But now I don't feel like that. Bass is my muse, and all of my basses were very carefully picked out, sometimes part by part. So I think thats making me feel like I have more than just a monetary attachment to them.

It may also have something to do with the fact that my sons nursery is also my gear/rehearsal room. I feel like if I sell or trade something, then I just took that item away from my family.
 
#5
I had stopped playing a few years ago altogether but kept my basses and guitars, which then were staring at me from the wall for years gathering dust (all 7 of them). A major decision in getting myself back to playing again was first sell off everything (except my Guild acoustic guitar), which was indeed a huge relief.

Then I started playing bass again with a cheapo yamaha. Do i miss certain basses? yes, and a nice Mocha 76' Precision in particular. But i am much happier while I play now, and that is worth more to me in the end. it had to be done.

If your instruments have vintage value there is certainly a good argument to hold on to them (maybe put them in storage); while i never bought instruments for collector reasons, I did pretty well on a few ones when I sold mine off; it never hurts to have some items tucked away for a rainy day that will at least hold value well if not approeciate. With a fancy bass for theatres and such I would want just 1 that serves all purposes; imo that is the whole point of, say , a high quality 6 string bass.
 
#7
Hmm i dont think i could just own 4 instruments since I play guitar as well I at leat need 1 guitar , currently have 2-As for basses I always have at minimum 4 but only 1 suppose cost over a grand the rest are under 300$.

The way I look at gear is if you cant break even on it or make money and it doesnt take food off the table , buy it.
 
#8
Guys I ain't gonna lie, my family thinks its pretty cool that I play.

Our oldest boy jams with me in the nursery all the time.

Any time I get a hankerin for a shiny new jazz bass or a EBMM sterling, I get reminded by the old lady that I need to wait and buy a Warwick thumb 5, since its what ive been wanting the most, and what I want to use if I can start playing paid gigs.

Its not really a bad problem to have.

I guess I just feel guilty for wanting to acquire more basses.
 
#9
Not purging, but I am doing a slow & steady thinning of the herd.
I'm almost 50 years old, and I just don't gig as often as I used to. In the past 4 years I gone from 22 basses down to ten; from twelve guitars down to seven, and from six synthesizers down to three.
When my band days finally come to an end, I plan on keeping just two or three basses, one or two guitars, one keyboard, my Taurus pedals and my drum kit.
 
#10
If its not stressing your families income I wouldn't worry about it. I had about 10 basses 2 amps when I got married 10 months ago. My wife got let go and my hours dropped so I sold 8 basses and 1 amp. You do what you need to for your family. At the same time recently has been a really stressful time and I had no basses at all and no form of stress release. I bought a used 88 thumb and play as much as I can now and I mentally much more clear.

Music feeds the soul and it sounds like your family appreciates you as a musician and your love for bass.
 
#13
waynobass said:
Basses first, family (a distant) second.

I'm not joking.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's how we roll at my house.

I don't actually plan to buy any basses in the near future. Trading would be my only option for a new instrument. I don't want to trade anything I have, thus my dilema.

Its all good though, I can probably put back some money this fall for a new bass if I was really motivated to do so.
 
#14
Dr. Cheese said:
What's stopping you from using your P-bass for the gigs? Needless to say, a whole lot of people use them. You should just keep your basses, remember what some big time pros say: you will better on the bass you know best!
Click to expand...

I was worried that my gear wouldnt make a good first impression at auditions or that I may be turned down for gigs because of my instruments. Its happened before, so I've become sort of hyper sensitive to making sure I make good impression personally, musically, and visually. I'm probably worrying over nothing, but I don't have any basses with a nice paint job, or that aren't beat up real bad. I have one bass that's decent but none of the parts match and it looks cobbled together even though its an expensive, and very nice playing bass. My vintage p bass is awesome but its fretless and I'm not confident enough to audition with it, and am barely confident enough with it to gig in my current band.
 
#15
I'm the opposite. I hardly ever sell ANYTHING music related. I've sold two basses- my first, a Squier P junker, to a friend for $50 because I knew he'd fix it up and play it, and he did. My second, David Hungate's Stingray 5, because I never played it anymore and it paid for a $2000 mic that I had a chance to get brand new for a grand. Other than that I sold an AKG D112, an E-MU audio interface, and 2 pairs of M-Audio studio monitors that sounded so bad I couldn't stand to have them in the house. I have a box of broken pedals that I keep around in case I need a part. I just feel like you never know when something might come in handy. I've probably given away more gear than I've sold.
 
#16
jamestown94west said:
I was worried that my gear wouldnt make a good first impression at auditions ... I don't have any basses with a nice paint job, or that aren't beat up real bad.
Click to expand...

People are paying big $$$ to get brand new instruments that look like that ;)

Go to your audition, play your road-worn instruments like you mean it, and if you play well and you don't get the gig because they don't like the look of your bass, go find some musicians who are interested in music :bassist:

jamestown94west said:
My vintage p bass is awesome but its fretless and I'm not confident enough to audition with it, and am barely confident enough with it to gig in my current band.
Click to expand...

If I had an awesome fretless vintage p bass, I wouldn't let it go either. I think you already know what to do: play the bass you're attached to, you don't need any more.

If you're gigging with your fretless, you can audition with it. What's the worst that can happen? You don't get that gig. Even then, you'll get some experience, and maybe make some new musical contacts. Trust yourself, trust your bass.
 
#17
I've got 20 basses, 12 speaker cabs, and 6 amps. I am fortunate to play in a busy and successful band that gigs almost weekly. If and when the time finally comes that I slow down, I am certain to end up selling some stuff. If it is justifiable, then it is justified. If your priorities in life are squared away, the universe will show you the way. In the mean time, enjoy and don't let it bring you down.
 
#18
jamestown94west said:
I've got 4 basses now, and I can't really justify owning anymore. But, I have a use for them if I have them. I've never hung onto this many extra instruments, but if I buy the basses I've been eyeballing, ill have several more thousand wrapped up in 4 more basses, Bringing me to 8. I don't know if I can feel right about myself having $8-$10k in basses hanging on the wall when I have a family to take care of. I don't know what to do. I realize this is a topic that gets beat into the ground around here, I just needed to vent to some like minded individuals.
Click to expand...

I really don't get the idea that 4 basses is "too many"? Sure if all you play is one kind of music with THE traditional bass for that style, then that's all you need. But most of us have musical interests that go beyond what we are currently playing.

Look at it this way. If you simply go a basic bass in 4,5, and 6 string, fretted and fretless that's already 6 basses! And if you play music that needs "old school" and music that needs "modern" now you are up to 12. Then add to that odd things like my 8 string or my Carvin acoustic, my Stingray, and my Pj 5er and things add up quite rapidly.

Now what I've found is that, sure at any given time I'm really not playing some of my basses. Right now, for example, I'm not playing the 6ers. Previously it was the 5ers that sat in the cases. And I almost never play my 8 string. But should I sell all the stuff I don't "need" right now?

I don't think so. If I did and what I "needed" suddenly changed, I'd be in a panic to replace what I just sold and I'd probably take a big beating on it IF I could find one as cool as the one I got rid of! So my rule is not "do I "need" this bass?", but rather "Do I still have an interest in this bass?" If that sort of thing still interests me and I'm still giving it some woodshed time so that IF the "need" comes along, I can use it, then I see no reason to dump it, short of financial disaster.

I really don't get worries about $8K -$10k hanging on the wall. Cripes I've got a car and a truck out in the drive way. I can only drive one at a time. Any ideas what cars and trucks cost these days? The whole bass collection is chump change.
 
#19
I look at wood as an investment. Before the fecal debris of reality and the rotating inclined plane of destiny collided a few years back with the melt down of the market etc it was s real solid investment.

Even now which has done better during the last few years, my house or my wood? I would say the wood.

You're thinking of selling a vintage P bass that you know and love to get a pretty one? No. I can't be certain but I'll bet that P Bass has done better than most of your other investments.

Or better yet which has a better ROI ( Return on Investment) your P-Bass or your wifes shoes? Just opening up the door to thinking logically.

And you get to play it.



jamestown94west said:
I've always been really good about letting go of gear I don't use. I always have a lot of money wrapped up in my music equipment. I always sell off anything that starts collecting dust. I'm usually always real quick to sell/trade stuff when a new interest or need arises. Lately I've been dipping my toe into the pool of paid professional gigs. As soon as the opportunity showed itself I was cruising the tb classifieds trying to trade off my beloved vintage p bass for a fancier bass to play in theaters and what have you. I stopped myself when I realized how attached I was to my bass, and how much my family didn't want me to get rid of it as well. It seems I've hit a turning point. I've got 4 basses now, and I can't really justify owning anymore. But, I have a use for them if I have them. I've never hung onto this many extra instruments, but if I buy the basses I've been eyeballing, ill have several more thousand wrapped up in 4 more basses, Bringing me to 8. I don't know if I can feel right about myself having $8-$10k in basses hanging on the wall when I have a family to take care of. I don't know what to do. I realize this is a topic that gets beat into the ground around here, I just needed to vent to some like minded individuals.
Click to expand...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back