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GAS - Yes, But Why..?


discreet

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I have "my bass", and then another bass (or two) which I can swap to try out all the things I want to try out. I've mostly tried everything I want to now. Recently I sold a bass I wasn't playing much and with the money picked up a bass (L1000) that I wanted to try. I had tried one out for 5 min while buying a acoustic guitar years and years ago and it had stuck in my mind based on the way it sounded and felt. It's now probably my number one... along with the old one. 
So I'm not moving anything on to try new things any more. TBH the "I want to try one of these" left on my list are all more money that I care enough about trying them out. Back a few years back when it was free to stick sale posts up I probably would have floated some of my current ones, but it's too much effort, just want to play the things!

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28 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

TBH the "I want to try one of these" left on my list are all more money that I care enough about trying them out. 

Yes. I'd love a 1960 P Bass, but at the end of the day it's just a P Bass - wood and wire. I know I'd worry about taking it to gigs, and to me there's little point in keeping it for home use. And to be frank I can't afford to have that much cash tied up in a bass guitar.

Same goes for Ritter. I admire the designs but I'd look like even more of a tool playing one than I already do playing a P Bass...

Edited by discreet
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On 16/03/2018 at 12:38, discreet said:

Why not? Who goes to church? Most people prefer the supermarket of a Sunday.

Understandable, but more likely clever marketing and branding. After many decades I'm coming to realise that the best bass (for me) could well be one that cost £100 (with £100-worth of mods). :)

46 minutes ago, Tobe said:
No worries :drinks:  When you quoted half a sentence out context, I thought you was a member of the shadow cabinet :biggrin: 
 

@Rich oh dear, someone's mentioned something to do with religion and a subsequent post that touched on politics. Better get the tippex out again quick? :D

Or maybe we can be a bit more relaxed about these things and let grown ups have free speech (as long as it's not offensive)? Either way, mods, it would be good to be consistent.

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11 minutes ago, discreet said:

What things? I said 'church' and someone else said 'shadow cabinet'. Where's the problem?

Believe me, I'm with you on this one! It's a wider point that came up recently elsewhere that I'm picking up on. 

Edited by Al Krow
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3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

@Rich oh dear, someone's mentioned something to do with religion and a subsequent post that touched on politics. Better get the tippex out again quick? :D

Or maybe we can be a bit more relaxed about these things and let grown ups have free speech (as long as it's not offensive)? Either way, mods, it would be good to be consistent.

Grown ups? Where? ;)

Edited by Rich
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GAS, for me has always been a distraction thing. Constantly looking for something to do up and improve and find that "great sound" that will make me a great bassist. This journey has ment I've had over 45 basses in 8 years.

The fact is, the more I stick to the same old favourites, and play that same few basses, the more the love for those grows. I'd love to get down to 1 bass and really love that 1 sound. (With a stand-by, of course!)

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In blokey terms I'd have thought that GAS is preferable to having a roving eye.

Whatever gender you are any partner who complains that you have too many basses should be reminded of that.  If you have that strong lust for living and you are deprived of one of your objects of desire, say a bass, another must be sought.  It's usually better to allow one's partner to be unfaithful with a bass than with a lover.

Then of course you hear of partners who get jealous of inanimate objects that they think come between them and their beloved.  File those under Bunny Boiler.

 

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7 hours ago, SpondonBassed said:

Then of course you hear of partners who get jealous of inanimate objects that they think come between them and their beloved.  File those under Bunny Boiler.

Blimey, I hope I never come across a Bass Boiler !

Still, at least the strings would sound brighter afterwards.......................

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Because I like shiny new things? Thank Heavens gold rings are not a hobby of mine.

For me it is due to chasing an ever elusive thing / things  that will leave me with the "best" (as defined by me at the time) I can realistically get. My life mantra is the same; never satisfied.

I also push myself into hobbies with a complete obsession that lasts approx 5 years. When I get involved with any hobby (which bass playing is for me) I buy so much kit so I only have myself to blame if I cannot get good at it. After five years I sell it all / give it away for a tremendous loss (or in bank speak; I mentally write off the capex right away or amortise it to zero in a five year plan!) and move onto the next hobby and do the same again. Thankfully this has not happened with wives. No kids, no mortgage, a self funding wife, no debt, an income and only the dogs to leave anything to also helps.

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On 3/18/2018 at 11:12, SpondonBassed said:

In blokey terms I'd have thought that GAS is preferable to having a roving eye.

Whatever gender you are any partner who complains that you have too many basses should be reminded of that.  If you have that strong lust for living and you are deprived of one of your objects of desire, say a bass, another must be sought.  It's usually better to allow one's partner to be unfaithful with a bass than with a lover.

Then of course you hear of partners who get jealous of inanimate objects that they think come between them and their beloved.  File those under Bunny Boiler.

 

An old girlfriend of mine openly admitted to being jealous of my basses. O.o

I tend to agree with the roving eye thing. I haven't been looking for something better for many, many years (since 1993 to be exact). For me, there is nothing better. It's the fact that something is different, that's what interests me. Unless it's another version of what I know works for me, say in a different colour. xD

In fact, I'm currently wrestling with the awful conundrum of whether to get nice, shiny 'different' bass (a), or yet another - rather lovely - version of my main squeeze, bass (b). Unfortunately there can be only one......or so my bank balance tells me. 

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For me GAS : 

1: Its the hope that the next thing is better than the existing thing and might make me play and sound better than the last thing with less effort on my behalf to make that so,  because the new thing is that much better.

Some things I see in the basses and bass equipment for sale ads instigate an instance " Maybe if I get that I could get, or at least close to, that sound that ........ gets. " 

Like watching Tal Wilkenfield and wanting a Sadowsky or Marcus and wanting a MM Jazz and so on.

Its like there could be some instant fix to bass tone problems that the regular gig throws up due to the room ect ect.

2:  Its purley being inquisitive. You don't know till you try so you must try.

3: Nostalgia

That's my take on it.    

A story....true story. ( Sorry its one of my essays)

A few weeks ago I went to check out a Status I'd seen advertised. I was curious to see what it would be like more than anything and the price was well within reach.

The GAS for it was probably because I've seen and heard many a good player use one to great effect so there was a bit of "if it works for all those guys..." 

Anyway it turned out it wasn't for me and my GAS for that particular model has been satisfied. Whilst I was there the seller casually mentions he has a few Wals, an Alembic and few other top shelf basses hanging around and would I like to check em out?

I'm now fearful of a GAS overload and maybe I'd better not. It could be depressing going home to my trusty Jazz having played these. But the result was I actually didnt like the 4 or 5 string Wals, the Alembic or the 4 string Status. I liked the 5 string Status from a certain  point of view but not enough that I really needed one in my life any time soon. 

All of these basses would have up to that point been on my wish list and any bassporn pictures of them would have me drooling. I was completely not taken aback with any of them. If anything I found them surprisingly uninspiring. All these years wanting any one of these. I left there feeling quite good about it.

I am not suggesting in any way  these are bad basses,  just not what I personally expected them to be. They could be sonic Nirvana and the bass of a life time for some or most but TBH I prefer my Fender over them. Maybe when I was younger I wouldn't have known the difference because I didn't have the experience or knowledge about what works for me best.  Neck width, balance, string height, weight ect...  probably wouldn't have bothered me back then.

I would have in my early days of bassingdom , fuelled by GAS,  usually because its the latest thing in bass fashion, taken an instrument and struggled to get it to sound like I thought it would sound and moved it on when it didn't.  I wouldn't of known about how the width of a neck can help or hinder me or that active is not really my thing back then.  Same thing with amps and cabs. 

 

 

 

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