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Bass Player: "I've used the same stuff for 20 years"


stingrayfan
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Saw a really good blues/rock band the other night. Bass player had a Stingray 4 and an old Peavey rig, connected with a curly lead. Went and spoke to him afterwards and asked him about his gear and he said he'd not changed it for 20 years.

I was gobsmacked. I can't go more than a couple of months without replacing some of my stuff!

I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

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I can only but aspire to that level of contentment :huh:

The point is (and I'm speaking for myself here) that gear becomes an end in itself...

And I kind of hate that, it seems so daft; but basses [b][i]are[/i][/b] beautiful and I love buying them.

I just feel a bit foolish when I hear a player with crummy gear who's playing better than I ever will :)

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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='158358' date='Mar 16 2008, 11:45 AM']Saw a really good blues/rock band the other night. Bass player had a Stingray 4 and an old Peavey rig, connected with a curly lead. Went and spoke to him afterwards and asked him about his gear and he said he'd not changed it for 20 years.

I was gobsmacked. I can't go more than a couple of months without replacing some of my stuff!

I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it...[/quote]
Very impressive but he's probably been married and divorced 5 times in that time though! It all comes out somewhere in the wash... :)

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Up until last summer I had used the same bass (my Wal) for 20+ years. Amp wise I had had the Trace 122H for 8 years (ish) and before that a 4x10 Trace Combo for probably another 8-10 years.

The reason? I had never found anything bass wise that beat it and amp wise that I could afford or wanted to upgrade to.

After all - If it ain't broke, don't fix it :)

Of course since then I've had two 5 strings, sold the Trace and acquired the MarkBass combo so my claim to longevity on gear use has taken a bit of a battering.

Still got the same missus as well - no one else will put up with me

Edited by WalMan
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When I started basschat I was pretty shocked at how quickly some people got through gear. In the 28 years I have been playing I have used 6 basses and for 20 of those 28 years I have used a fretted and fretless. If was not for the weight of the basses I used when I was young I would have changed less.

I have had a few more rigs in the same time but some of that has been to keep up with increased stage volume. I have had two very expensive divorces mind but neither of my ex wives would have let me hang a brace of GB's in the front room!

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I've had the Thumb for around 20 years and have no desire to change it. I've had the GK 200MB for about 15 years and have sometimes been on the verge of selling it but never have, and after attaining lucidity, I've decided it would be a bad idea to.

I do buy other basses though - I play both fretted and fretless so needed to find a fretless I felt as comfortable with, then wanted 5-string fretted and fretless (one objective attained, the position of 5-string fretless is still unsecured), and I wanted a headless 5-string fretted too, for pragmatic reasons, so I bought one. Basically, anything I don't develop an attachment to gets thrown back into the pool, anything I do stays.

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Am in the process of selling my Fender P Copy that was my first bass and have had for coming up to a year and a half.....

the weight of it has really started effecting my back and shoulders......

but all is not lost i have tried and tested and am now in the process of buying a Ibanez GSR200...

and i hope i will have it for years and gigs to come....

:)

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You can't sell your first bass!!!!

I've still got my Squier P-Special in the cupboard, and I've finally made good on my threats to mod it into a serious weapon. I couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion when I took the neck off, and the date stamped on the end was March 1998... my little baby is ten years old!

Seems appropriate that this is the month for it's long awaited renaissance!

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Wal Cusom Fretless 4-string bought 25/4/86 from Monkey Business. Still keeps me [i]very[/i] happy.

4 basses ever - my first Hondo II Precsion copy (1980), replaced fairly quickly by an Aria SB700 (1981) followed by the Wal. Since had a Status 6-string but its on the wall most of teh time and only comes out if an MD demands a low B (2/3 times a year).

Amps - Sound City to Frunt (remember them!!) to Trace Eliot AH250 to GK MB150S (stoeln) to SWR Electric Blue head to Eden Metro (2001). Amps are more likely to get changed due to improvements in technology/differing needs in terms of playing situations but the bass stays put.

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I inherited my Dad's gear when he died 3 years ago. I remember him buying a new Bassman 135 head and matching 2x15 cab in the 70's (which replaced his Bassman Blackface setup which he bought in '65 beige tolex and creame knobs) and a Jazz bass. He used them until 2004 so I guess thats about 30 years with the same gear. He reckoned that changing his gear would not make him play any better! I however do not have the same fortitude and can't stop swapping my rig! Help Dad! :)

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I've only owned 4 basses since I started playing in 1982 and still have 2 of them. Having kept the bass I bought new in 1985, I can understand where that guy is coming from. I'm still happy enough with it to feel that I'd have to spend more than I can comfortably afford to improve on it. Doesn't stop me window-shopping though! :)

Could be that my weakness is more directed at amps - I've been through 7 of those, but then that's not much either, seeing as it's spread across 28 years.

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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='158358' date='Mar 16 2008, 11:45 AM'].... Bass player had a Stingray 4 and an old Peavey rig, connected with a curly lead. Went and spoke to him afterwards and asked him about his gear and he said he'd not changed it for 20 years....[/quote]
A sensible man! This gear is perfect for a semi pro Blues/Rock bass player.
I only stopped playing my Precision after 25 years to go 5 string. If you've got the best why change it?

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[quote name='coasterbass' post='158884' date='Mar 17 2008, 12:55 PM']I think there's someting to be said for your GAS increasing proportionately to the time spent on this site!

Whilst I've always been keen to pick up a 'bargain'; I've spent more on gear in the two months I've been a member here than I had in the past 4 years!![/quote]
Amen to that :)

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I hope you didn't give him a basschat card :)

I was perfectly happy with my '62 Precision which I got in about '72... Sadly in about '84 it was stolen and the GAS attacks have happened every few years since.
I'm very happy with my basses now though and I can't see myself needing to replace either Shuker.
The Markbass Amp is fine but I want to have two Schroeder 1212L's rather than one... and my effects are in flux too but that doesn't count :huh:

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I've been playing the same bass since '98 and just replaced my amp after the last one started to get unreliable - it had been giging weekly for about 13 years.

I do GAS and buy the odd bit of equipment but it rarely makes it into my live set up.

It's good to know your equiomet, not only sound and feel but particular quirks etc. that will help you irn out anr little creases in your tone etc.

We all spend a lot of time looking for new kit to get 'that' sound, but acctually it's all about the way you play it.

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