Got to think about retirement. It's all about numbers. Nothing more profound - that is my main reason to severely slow or stop Gear Acquisition. Plus no gear will make me play better or even motivate me.
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Why I slowed down gear acquisition.
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I used to buy expensive gear like I was changing my underwear
I suffah" with that too. It's wanting what I have vs. wanting what I need. A Rolex and a $100 Timex keep the same time.
I will never lightly sell a bass I've bought accidentally or on purpose knowing that my first bass I ever got, a 1984 Aria ProII RSB standard, started to grow back on me after not having played it regularly for about 20 years.
Bass wise, I've been happily gigging the same bass since 1972.
I've a high-end cabinet and high-end amp head.
I'd like to have another/more cabs and possibly another high-end head, but with the recent price increases they've simply went beyond what I'm willing to pay.
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Yep. I'm still 15-20 years away but I'm def conscious that $1k sitting in an index fund is way better than invested in a bass I seldom play.
Also retire sooner = play more music.
All too often the mantra of TalkBass is to "Buy the Bass!" when it ought to be "Show some sense." (And this coming from someone who has far too many basses he will have to find homes for.)
Yeah, I get it...but, you can always do both. My time thinking about gear is when I am away from my instrument...work, driving, etc.
I've certainly bought instruments that I didn't need or ones that I flipped pretty quickly. But, I don't think that got in the way of my development. And I never bought a bass thinking it would make me a better player. More relaxed, more comfortable, sure. But, not more skilled. I've even gone an entire month without purchasing a new bass.
My gear acquisition has (mostly) slowed down as I've learned to accept my preferences...then shop accordingly.
Years ago, purchases were just based on: #1 availability and #2 word of mouth.
That led to a lot of gear that wasn't right for me and got flipped quickly.
For example, plenty of my favorite records have been recorded by bassists using Jazz Basses and Rickenbackers - and I owned several J-Basses and Ricks based on the near-universal reverence those basses receive.
But I've learned that for various reasons, those basses just don't work for me...
It's only in the last 10 years or so that I've been able to figure out what item is most likely to fit my needs, find comparative reviews and video demos, and search a global marketplace to find that unicorn.
Years ago, purchases were just based on: #1 availability and #2 word of mouth.
That led to a lot of gear that wasn't right for me and got flipped quickly.
For example, plenty of my favorite records have been recorded by bassists using Jazz Basses and Rickenbackers - and I owned several J-Basses and Ricks based on the near-universal reverence those basses receive.
But I've learned that for various reasons, those basses just don't work for me...
It's only in the last 10 years or so that I've been able to figure out what item is most likely to fit my needs, find comparative reviews and video demos, and search a global marketplace to find that unicorn.
Currently I'm retired. Don't know if it'll stay that way, but if it does its paid for. Of my 7 basses one needs new tuners and 2 need a kiss from the soldering iron.
But instead of that I'm teaching myself keyboards and 3 finger plucking. And there's not enough time in the day. The keys are one long revelation, which makes me want to play all day so I make more progress. And 3 fingers is like back to day one. New habit got to be built from the ground up. Never going anywhere till a constant 3 2 1 is second nature, up and down the neck.
I could buy a new toy. I could fix an old toy. But I'm having way too much fun expanding my horizons. I don't have time for GAS.
And still I read and post here
But instead of that I'm teaching myself keyboards and 3 finger plucking. And there's not enough time in the day. The keys are one long revelation, which makes me want to play all day so I make more progress. And 3 fingers is like back to day one. New habit got to be built from the ground up. Never going anywhere till a constant 3 2 1 is second nature, up and down the neck.
I could buy a new toy. I could fix an old toy. But I'm having way too much fun expanding my horizons. I don't have time for GAS.
And still I read and post here
I GAS bought a Guild Starfire recently and it quickly became #1. I'm also waiting on a new Schroeder cab. If that works out, the selloff is on. I won't be getting rid of everything, but getting down to the essentials is the goal.
Look at the majority of the best professional bassists in the world. They usually have the one or two basses they play. Just saying.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
Been there, did the flipping thing a LOT when I was younger. Coming from the double bass side of things, I never got too obsessed with amps - I made do with what I had and concentrated on getting the sound I wanted out of the bass itself, and making the amp work. I've had the same double bass now for 21 years. I flipped electrics a lot because I never was happy with every aspect of an instrument - until I got my first Lakland. I do have a stable of basses (several Laklands), but my gear acquisition slowed down well over a decade ago. My oldest electric is 21 years, and my Laklands are 15+ years old at this point. I stick with what works. I think it's healthy to experiment, find what you like and what you don't like, but after a while you just have to get on with it and play. The basses I will forever regret selling are the MusicMan USA SUB fretlesses I had in the mid 2000s. Those, like the SUB Sterling in the video, were amazing instruments for the price.... and rare as hen's teeth to find now.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
One or 2 that you see regularly.... but prolly a lot more at home or in a studio somewhere. Even Pino Palladino has talked about his instrument collection, though he usually relies only on 2 or 3 main ones live.
Good post Doc. I think I have a slightly different perspective.
Long ago I made a conscious (and painful) decision NOT to pursue a career in music, largely because I wanted to be able to afford a stable and comfortable life (for my family and also for my music). Music has always been a major focus though, and I've striven to have a "professional" attitude as far as the music goes. However, I've never bought into looking at how many professionals have fancy instruments or a large arsenal. Some of them play cheapo instruments and sound great. Some have rooms full of Alembics and Wals. But, so what? Their life is not mine. They made different choices.
I'm looking at retirement within the next couple of years, and I'm planning to spend my time playing music as much as I can, at the highest level that I can. So I'm looking for the couple of forever basses and amps while I have an active income. I'm lazy about selling, so I have about 12 nice basses. I'll be doing some major divestiture in the near future. But in the short term, this all means that I've been on a major GAS explosion.
Long ago I made a conscious (and painful) decision NOT to pursue a career in music, largely because I wanted to be able to afford a stable and comfortable life (for my family and also for my music). Music has always been a major focus though, and I've striven to have a "professional" attitude as far as the music goes. However, I've never bought into looking at how many professionals have fancy instruments or a large arsenal. Some of them play cheapo instruments and sound great. Some have rooms full of Alembics and Wals. But, so what? Their life is not mine. They made different choices.
I'm looking at retirement within the next couple of years, and I'm planning to spend my time playing music as much as I can, at the highest level that I can. So I'm looking for the couple of forever basses and amps while I have an active income. I'm lazy about selling, so I have about 12 nice basses. I'll be doing some major divestiture in the near future. But in the short term, this all means that I've been on a major GAS explosion.
I found one that is so *right* for me that I'm selling off most of the rest, but I had to go through the others to get to the one.
Yeah, I get it...but, you can always do both. My time thinking about gear is when I am away from my instrument...work, driving, etc.
I've certainly bought instruments that I didn't need or ones that I flipped pretty quickly. But, I don't think that got in the way of my development. And I never bought a bass thinking it would make me a better player. More relaxed, more comfortable, sure. But, not more skilled. I've even gone an entire month without purchasing a new bass.
Keep doing what works for you.
