For me, there's a false hierarchy to say that playing an instrument in one setting (e.g. a gig) is more righteous than playing it another (e.g. at home). I think it's possible to get enormous pleasure from an instrument wherever it's played.
I've got a particular bass that seems to be my goto for gigging these days - it's a decently high-end bass (Elrick) which I bought a while back from @Sibob of this parish and am very much still loving it. It now has a few knocks to testify to the very many gigs it's faithfully done for me.
I do have one bass that I would hesitate to take out to a pub gig specifically, as that was a 'treat' bass and I suspect I'd be quite upset if it got damaged. Part of the joy of that bass, for me, is the craftsmanship that went into making it and I think it's possible to appreciate the design and craftsmanship in an instrument, as well as other objects in life, that can make it be worth something more than being just 'a tool', albeit an excellent one, to get a job done.
The rest of my basses yes, absolutely, would be happy to gig them at pubs as well as function venues.