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GAS - Yes, But Why..?


discreet

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13 minutes ago, bassjim said:

All of these basses would have been on my wish list. I was completely not taken aback with any of them. If anything I found them surprisingly uninspiring. I left there feeling quite good about it.

Yes. No matter how desirable a bass seems or how expensive it is, it never comes complete with great technique, feel, groove and tasteful note choices.

Bottom line is, it's always you, a plank of wood and some wires. That is all. The rest is entirely in your head. :)

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24 minutes ago, bassjim said:

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. 

 

 

 

Similar - ever since I started playing I wanted one of those Status T basses - I had the money and went to bass gallery where they had two in stock... and left with my money as they sounded uninspiring to me. 

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15 hours ago, stewblack said:

Yep. I had zero gas till I returned here now I can't stop it.

I had very little GAS.... until I discovered Basschat!
BTW. If you steer clear of BC for any considerable length of times - GAS returns, and is roughly double what it was before your leave of absence!  ;)

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18 minutes ago, discreet said:

......Bottom line is, it's always you, a plank of wood and some wires. That is all. The rest is entirely in your head. :)

Oh no, no, no, no Mr Discreet....
I'm fairly sure it's in YOUR head as well :)

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43 minutes ago, Marc S said:

Oh no, no, no, no Mr Discreet....
I'm fairly sure it's in YOUR head as well :)

Yes, I meant 'one's head'. It's true though, it's not the bass, it's what you do with it. No matter how many basses I play, at the end of the day me playing a bass sounds a lot like me playing a bass - regardless of what it is, or how much it cost.

Edited by discreet
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12 minutes ago, discreet said:

Yes, I meant 'one's head'. It true though, it's not the bass, it's what you do with it. No matter how many basses I play, at the end of the day me playing a bass sounds a lot like me playing a bass - regardless of what it is, or how much it cost.

Yes, that's why I play guitar more these days, where it is definitely all to do with the gear, more pedals, more instruments, more amps all make you better.

Definitely

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1 minute ago, Dave Vader said:

Yes, that's why I play guitar more these days, where it is definitely all to do with the gear, more pedals, more instruments, more amps all make you better. Definitely

Of course, that's different - guitarists have always been a lot more deluded than bass players. :biggrin:

Anyway, I've got a brand new car and it's made me a really good driver, so there!

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Best solution for GAS: bass bashes!

I was cleared of a lot of GAS and saved a lot of money through my meetings with a hand full of friends. Between all of us we tried almost every brand of high end bass and amplification you could think of. Liked some, hated some, was unispired by others. It's a great way of everybody getting to know different equipment and finding out what works for each other. And the truth is that no piece of gear is better than the other, each is more apropriate for each one of us. That's why me and my friends tried the same gear and ended with different equipment suited to each one's needs.
The total investment wasn't much as it was shared by all, each time everybody replaced a few bits of equipment a new meeting was scheduled. Great fun and great lunches with very nice people.

Edited by Ghost_Bass
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We like to collect stuff in pursuit of happiness; to fill voids in our lives; to recapture our childhoods; to construct the illusion of stability and security in an uncertain world and more:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology_of_collecting

We dress it up in other ways, sure. But ultimately, we're all just a little bit insecure and afraid.

Freud also thought it has something to do with potty training and pooing. I'm mentioning that purely for Mark's benefit :) 

Edited by Skol303
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45 minutes ago, discreet said:

Thanks! Most apt, as I'm just off for a big dump. :i-m_so_happy:

Aka "releasing repressed sexual feelings towards your mother", as Freud would have it :D

PS: GAS just forces me to collect stuff to prevent you guys from getting your buttery hands on it. But then I'm a psychopath.

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22 minutes ago, Skol303 said:

Aka "releasing repressed sexual feelings towards your mother", as Freud would have it :D

There's all that stuff about subconsciously liking your mum's boobs, as well. I think it's a load of rubbish, personally - my mum's tits are tiny.

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On 19/03/2018 at 14:45, SpondonBassed said:

It's when the voices in your head tell you that the sounds in your head are normal for everyone that you should seek help.

Whelp good conversation is hard to find where I am, anyway.  I'm glad of the company.  Aren't I?  Yes I am.

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