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Taking Stock And Just Playing What I Have

Dr. Cheese

Dr. Cheese

Supporting Member
Mar 3, 2004
57,357
120,789
Metro St. Louis
#1
I have spent more time talking about motorcycles in Off Topic than I have talked about basses. I think life has burned me out on bass GAS. There have simply been a bunch of things this summer that have sucked up money, so working towards any sort of boutique purchase has ground to a halt. The funny thing is that I could have my Carvin SB5000 or my Sire V7 and my Pedulla Pentabuzz and be happy just playing in the choir and home alone.

The funny thing is that I have some other things that I love to collect, and I have sort of burned out on that too (no specifics because of TB rules.) I think the idea of always wanting the new thing has just gotten old for me. I want to enjoy what I have, and not worry about what else I can buy. This may just be a phase, but playing music, instead of worrying about buying another bass is a nice change of pace for me.:)
 
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#3
Dr. Cheese said:
I have spent more time talking about motorcycles in Off Topic than I have talked about basses. I think life has burned me out on bass GAS. There have simply been a bunch of things this summer that have sucked up money, so working towards any sort of boutique purchase has ground to a halt. The funny thing is that I could have my Carvin SB5000 or my Sire V7 and my Pedulla Pentabuzz and be happy just playing in the choir and home alone.

The funny thing is that I have some other things that I love to collect, and I have sort of burned out on that too (no specifics because of TB rules.) I think the idea of always wanting the new thing has just gotten old for me. I want to enjoy what I have, and not worry about what else I can buy. This may just be a phase, but playing music, instead of worrying about buying another bass is a nice change of pace for me.:)
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I know what you mean.
I tried out a dozen basses today, quite a few of them good basses, but not one came close to moving me.
 
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#5
I have learned to embrace sufficiency. I went from two Alembics to two Squiers . . . . . and although admittedly a little less hi-fi, I still sound like me. This was a life lesson I never imagined wrapping my head around, it almost seems un-American to appreciate 'less', but I really do. And truthfully, after living, sleeping, worrying, practicing myself to a bloody pulp for those many years, I find there are many other things I missed that I enjoy now. The Alembics broke me of going bass shopping (what the hell was I going to find at GC or Corner Music that sounded or was built better?), and now the Squiers are just for fun. And for a long time, fun and music . . . . . were mutually exclusive.
 
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#6
jd56hawk said:
I know what you mean.
I tried out a dozen basses today, quite a few of them good basses, but not one came close to moving me.
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It's not that there aren't cool new basses out there, I already have decent basses, and I should never have sold my DJ5 because in hindsight, I sort of conjured up a reason to want something else. My Carvin and V7 are fine, and I am not trying to get another DJ5, I am just ready move on to another phase of bass. Of course, I don't see me ever topping my Pedulla fretless. In other words, my gear is great, but it took a series of surplus income sapping events to make me see that there is no need to always be looking for the next thing.
 
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#7
I too, am at that stage in life where I have the few basses, and guitars (all acoustics) that I am quite content with. I still go to SA and GC to play around with what they have, but nothing is going to be coming home with me, It is, literally, "Come In And Play!" SA's slogan. I'm even done in the amps & cabs world. Thrilled with what I've got, these days - Tone Hammer 500 with two custom LDS cabs, and a Markbass Minimark.

My money (what's left of it :smug:) has, in the past several years, been going into antique lighting (Bradley & Hubbard, and generic pieces), Arts & Crafts furniture (primarily, Gustav Stickley), and art from regional art shows or shops such as The Roycrofters Gift Shop where we recently bought a Yoshiko Yamamoto block print (no relation to Tsuneyuki Yamamoto, that I know of, who makes fabulous acoustic guitars; I own two of his guitars).
 
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#8
Jeff Scott said:
I too, am at that stage in life where I have the few basses, and guitars (all acoustics) that I am quite content with. I still go to SA and GC to play around with what they have, but nothing is going to be coming home with me, It is, literally, "Come In And Play!" SA's slogan. I'm even done in the amps & cabs world. Thrilled with what I've got, these days - Tone Hammer 500 with two custom LDS cabs, and a Markbass Minimark.

My money (what's left of it :smug:) has, in the past several years, been going into antique lighting (Bradley & Hubbard, and generic pieces), Arts & Crafts furniture (primarily, Gustav Stickley), and art from regional art shows or shops such as The Roycrofters Gift Shop where we recently bought a Yoshiko Yamamoto block print (no relation to Tsuneyuki Yamamoto, that I know of, who makes fabulous acoustic guitars; I own two of his guitars).
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Sounds like a fantastic interior deco but your Rics might stick out a bit? :D
 
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#13
Felt this way for a while now. Still love the bass guitar but I just wanted to simplify it down to what I really needed.I even cancelled my bass guitar magazine subscription,as it has ceased to excite me to read it.
So I am down to a 2014 Am.Std Precision with flatwounds a 1986 Peavey Foundation with roundwounds , & my favorite bass of all my 1964 Hofner Violin 500/1 with flatwounds.
Amp wise it's a Fender Rumble 200 combo & pedal wise a Boss TU-3 chromatic tuner :).
 
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#16
I agree with the OP. I've got a bass and rig that go so well together, and will do it all, and more, that there is no "better". I even got a lightweight combo for smaller gigs, and it too overachieves and more. I really like my upright and how its setup, and I've tweeked the pickup system to be powerful and realistic. I've got a EUB that I did the same. All work better than good with my rigs. There's not much left, except to learn new music and just play.
 
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