sssss...

[Plutonium244]

I don't buy my basses in cash, but I also never buy a bass that I can't pay off without interest. Musiciansfriend offers 24 and 36 month interest free. Makes things easy.

20 years ago, I desperately wanted a "real" bass, but could no way afford one. I had a Warwick catalog that I drooled over daily. As crazy as this is about to sound.... I read one of those affirmation books, I think it was Creative Visualizations. I actually did the things suggested (did them for my music career, too). Lo and behold, about 6 months later I had a Warwick in my hands. Not long after that I had a Warwick, a MM Sterling, and an American Fender. I continued to do as instructed in that book and landed a deal with Musicman, and then another company, and another. I also wound up touring in other countries, having my bass handed to me by roadies - pretty much as I was envisioning it through what I learned and practiced from that book.

Really need to start doing that stuff again .

Ya know, it's interesting to me how new age, magical thinking type things often get ridiculed, scorned and laughed at. I myself often roll my eyes at it, and question it's validity and practicality, yet when I'm open minded or desperate enough to actually do the things suggested - they work. 2 years ago in fact, I tested the principles while writing a journal one day. My POS car was giving me some issues, and I started envisioning a brand new car. Something that was entirely not doable at that time. I wasn't even making enough money to pay my bills, and had just lost about half my income from being laid off from an evening job I was doing. Again, just like with the basses - in less than a year I found myself driving my very first brand new car, and still being able to pay all my bills.

So - while I'd like to give a really practical response to "how do we do it?" the above is my honest response.

The only practical thing I can add is that I also learned to save money. I almost always have an envelope hidden somewhere labeled "bass" or "fun" that I contribute $10-$20 weekly to, and throw any unexpected earnings into. This is another thing people here have scoffed at in the past, and they can scoff all they want . It works. Years go by much quicker than they used to, and that money accumulates really quickly. Makes bass buying brainless and easy.

So now I am curious enough to ask, if you will share, what affirmation/positive thinking book got you started on your unexpected journeys? There are probably more than a few who might like to know.

People may call it "new age thinking" but Ghandi said something similar to what these "new age" philosophers say: "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."

I am a pragmatist and analytical at heart, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking. But, positivity needs to be kick-started now and again when one's internal supply runs low. Hence, knowing what daily reading helped you do that would be interesting to know. You might be able to spread the joy and pay it forward.

 

[EtoBb]

You forgot about dentists.

 

[Joe Nerve]

So now I am curious enough to ask, if you will share, what affirmation/positive thinking book got you started on your unexpected journeys? There are probably more than a few who might like to know.

People may call it "new age thinking" but Ghandi said something similar to what these "new age" philosophers say: "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."

I am a pragmatist and analytical at heart, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking. But, positivity needs to be kick-started now and again when one's internal supply runs low. Hence, knowing what daily reading helped you do that would be interesting to know. You might be able to spread the joy and pay it forward.

I'm pretty certain the first book I read on that was Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain. Another book that had a crazy effect on my life was the book Creating Money. While it hasn't made me a millionaire, truth be told... being a millionaire isn't at the top of my priority list.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

Perception. It's all about perception.

A family who lives down the road from my in-laws who has a brand new Lincoln Navigator, Harley Davidson, John Deere tractor with rear mowing deck and front loader, and several new model ATV's under the car port. The house is rundown. The roof is covered by several tarps to keep the weather out. Each year the Masonic Lodge delivers Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to the family and they frequently visit the church's food pantry.

There have also been a number of posts here on TB where someone has stated they spent more on their bass or amp than they did their car.

Concerning the doctors, lawyers, dentist, whatever comments, those professions don't always make the kinds of money people think they do. Let's pick on doctors for example. When you factor the cost of their education, insurance, offices, equipment, staff, utilities, their healthcare, continual training, etc. they really don't make that much money. But they are almost always required to dress a certain way and drive a certain prestige of car to give the perception that they made it. I used to finance annual malpractice premiums for doctors. A lot of them struggled to repay the $175k loan ($15k per month including interest) but they always maintained a nice vehicle.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

I'm pretty certain the first book I read on that was Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain. Another book that had a crazy effect on my life was the book Creating Money. While it hasn't made me a millionaire, truth be told... being a millionaire isn't at the top of my priority list.

A great book to read is "The Millionaire Next Door". You will be surprised how much in common an average person has with a majority of the self-made millionaires. Three examples. The author found that most self-made millionaires drive a Ford F-150, never paid more than $100 for a watch or $30 for a pair for jeans. It does a great job of putting the value of a dollar into perspective.

 

[XrisThaBassman]

A great book to read is "The Millionaire Next Door". You will be surprised how much in common an average person has with a majority of the self-made millionaires. Three examples. The author found that most self-made millionaires drive a Ford F-150, never paid more than $100 for a watch or $30 for a pair for jeans. It does a great job of putting the value of a dollar into perspective.

On the flip side of that, I grew up poor, and now that I'm older and have some money (48, work for a software company), and my kids are all grown and out of the house, I buy the gear I want. The way I look at it is, I pay my bills, I have some money socked away, I help out others where I can, I don't ever plan on retiring, so I enjoy as much of my money now while I'm still (relatively) young. I have had a lot of good fortune and opportunity, but as well I have worked really hard to get to where I can do these things. I don't care about ever being a millionaire, as long as I can continue not to have to worry about money I'm as wealthy as I need to be. I DO try to buy used where possible, and be smart about how I spend, but if that new bass/amp/pedal is something I really need or want then I'll make it happen.

 

[Bassmann79]

Perception. It's all about perception.

This is mostly an American thing and due to the credit system in the US people love to display wealth when in reality they are barley getting by and living check to check so I agree!

Dallas for instance (I am not from here originally) is infamous for its "$30k Millionaires" and again with the credit system, people are allowed to get into such massive debt its unreal.

DO NOT LET THE CREDIT SYSTEM BURY YOU!!! If you cannot pay cash, you cannot afford it. The only thing that should ever be on credit IMO are a home and perhaps a car. The worst mentality in the world (suckers mentality) is to say "I can afford this because the payment is only $50 month"...they got you if that is your mentality...then it becomes "I can also afford this other thing because its only $50 month payment...so I can afford $100 month to pay both"....meanwhile 30% interest rate and paying minimum equals SOL.

 

[brianrost]

Finding the money is easy. I play gigs and that money can go back into gear. One benefit of having a day job, I guess.

I don't gig as much as I used to, but I still gross about $5000 a year...that buys a lot of toys.

 

[IronLung1986]

Work full time and don't have kids for the most part. Also live in a cheap apartment with roommates and don't have costly habits like smoking. The money just sort of piles up over time. Sure I could save it, but having instruments that I love and which enable me to express myself is more valuable to me than hordes of cash. I keep a decent amount in savings and spend the rest on cool stuff.

 

[69Jazz]

Well now, that didn't turn out like I expected.

 

[Bob Coldwell]

What an enlightening thread! I don't think the OP really wanted to know how TO afford boutique gear ("What am I doing wrong?") as he wanted to know if others really CAN ("Are you that rich? Did you rob a bank?")

But there lots of excellent responses about perspective and priorities. OP, maybe you CAN afford all that gear and you don't know it. Or maybe others can't, and THEY don't know it. Or maybe they can and you can't.​

 

[Bassmann79]

At a certain age one should learn the differences between the following:

A Want
A Need
Can I Buy (e.g. Have big enough credit line)
Can I Afford (e.g. Can I actually purchase/own this outright without affecting finances)

Anyways..this thread can go in many directions and I have provided my 2 cents worth.

 

[rob2966]

There are a lot of expensive hobbies out there, in the grand scheme playing bass is pretty cheap so if you prioritize it and have a good source of income, it is pretty easy.

I think one of the main reasons playing expensive instruments garners this type of response is because there are so many good options in the $500 or less range that get the job done too. So, when someone sees a high-end bass here they don't look at the value in an absolute way, they look at it relatively. I think that price discrepancy between cheap and expensive equipment that both does the job also makes people verbalize as "how can they afford it" when they really mean "how can they justify it".

For example, look to our DB friends. Do we think that all those people are wealthy individuals? A cheap upright is probably about the same as a Sadowsky (maybe more?). Again, everything is relative.

Later
Rob

 

[awilkie84]

Higher value gear often holds value better. Scarcity is frequently a factor. Once you've got in with a few pieces, you start flipping to buy the next. I've got a pair of Dunwich pedals that I can basically sell for what I paid for them because you can't buy them on the regular from the builder. Greenboy, Jule, Barefaced, Spector, and other similar brands seem to hold value between their reputation and scarcity. Often gear like Noble or Dingwall can involve long wait times, so the used market has people willing to pay for having the product now.

Personally, I also have a good job, a vasectomy, no girlfriend, no mortgage, no student debt, and a lifetime of disciplined spending habits. I recognize what I can afford, and stay within my means. If new gear comes in, and old piece has to go, unless there is a good reason to keep it.

Used Spectors hold their value, but you will rarely come close to getting what you paid for a new one.

 

[monsterthompson]

Used Spectors hold their value, but you will rarely come close to getting what you paid for a new one.

True. I've generally bought Spectors used but in good condition. There's a whole secondary market out there. It's a nice benefit of the TB community. Lots of gear turnover with people you can generally trust. I've swapped quite a few bits of gear with a local member. We know each other and how we use gear and our taste.

 

[moshspeggeti]

Most of my gear is from the craigslist classifieds, I'm only 19 and make chump change working at Jimmy John's but yet I still have a USA G&L L2K, a vintage Fender Jazz Bass Special, a vintage Aria Mach 1 among others... I just try to buy 2nd hand, because otherwise I would never be able to afford it.

 

[joebar]

most of my stuff is paid for with some nice profits over the last five or six years. I was forty before I considered upgrading.
I have nice stuff but not a lot.

for me, honestly, I couldn't justify five nice basses unless I could play them well-I can do a fair amount of justice to them but not as much as I'd like to.

 

[bassbenj]

So now I am curious enough to ask, if you will share, what affirmation/positive thinking book got you started on your unexpected journeys? There are probably more than a few who might like to know.

People may call it "new age thinking" but Ghandi said something similar to what these "new age" philosophers say: "A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes."

I am a pragmatist and analytical at heart, but I do believe in the power of positive thinking. But, positivity needs to be kick-started now and again when one's internal supply runs low. Hence, knowing what daily reading helped you do that would be interesting to know. You might be able to spread the joy and pay it forward.

As someone with plenty of GAS and plenty of high-end gear, I can say that from my experience, positive thinking isn't quite like you think. You don't just think positive thoughts and then boutique basses come raining down from the sky with you doing nothing. No. Positive thinking is more like always keeping what you want in your mind and always be on the look out for it. In other words, you need to learn to shop like a woman. Guys hate to shop. They want something, they go to a store that sells it. Plunk em down no questions asked and leave with it. Brrrr. No woman would EVER do that! They look. They circle. They compare. They check sales. The collect coupons. They learn it all and when they see the buy they want, BAM! they strike. This is what you need to learn to do too. circle TB classifieds, Music go Round, even GC. Don't go in there trying to tell the higher forces how to do it! just circle through with an open mind. Maybe there is nothing. Most often that is the case. No matter. There will be another day and another. And then often when you least expect it, there it will be; THE bass with your name on it. Yes it happens. It's happened to me MANY times. Things like my Ken Smith I got for $300. Sure it was high mileage. The tuners were actually worn out! But I knew I could easily pick up a set of gold tuners from the Carvin catalog. Sure they say, Carvin on them rather than KS, but what? I'm going to be that picky when the higher forces have just given me a dream bass for next to free. And it took $80 more to get a level and crown of the frets. I thought it needed refinished but once I gave it a good D&C (Dusting and Cleaning) it was fine. But as dirty Harry says, A man has to know his limitations. You need to know what you can fix and what you can't fix. And another point in shopping like a woman. Ya snooze ya lose! Don't think when you see THE deal that you can come back tomorrow after you think about it. It will be GONE. Trust me. I was looking at this Fender at GC about closing time trying to make up my mind, but couldn't. Overnight I came to my senses and blasted back to GC the next morning. Got here FIVE MINUTES after they opened and was was still too late! SOLD!

 

[Matt Dean]

Higher value gear often holds value better. Scarcity is frequently a factor. Once you've got in with a few pieces, you start flipping to buy the next. I've got a pair of Dunwich pedals that I can basically sell for what I paid for them because you can't buy them on the regular from the builder. Greenboy, Jule, Barefaced, Spector, and other similar brands seem to hold value between their reputation and scarcity. Often gear like Noble or Dingwall can involve long wait times, so the used market has people willing to pay for having the product now.

Personally, I also have a good job, a vasectomy, no girlfriend, no mortgage, no student debt, and a lifetime of disciplined spending habits. I recognize what I can afford, and stay within my means. If new gear comes in, and old piece has to go, unless there is a good reason to keep it.

We prioritize. I don't have a $40K+ car, I don't have a rolex, I don't wear $1000 suits or $200 running shoes, I don't have cable TV. I'd rather put my spare money into a nice musical gear every day of the week than any of stuff.

What these guys said... In my case, my kids are grown, I have a decent job and I'm divorced. I have one nice amp and speaker cabs, one nice bass (but it did cost <$2k). I do tend to buy expensive effects pedals, which is really my only vice. But, I have a rule: if I don't use it in a band, I don't keep it; however, I am in 3.5 bands. I guess my other vice is playing in bands.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

I once had a bartender (who said he was a musician) ask me about my gear. I told him and he reacted as you might expect - "how can you afford that stuff?" - He was bartender who had the absolute latest cell phone with the max package, brand new fashion-running shoes, a fairly new car, latest game console(s) and games, the maximum cable package yet was always broke. Hmmmmm.

So yeah - priorities.