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How to raise cash for a better bass? Is it even possible?


cgull

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1 hour ago, Lozz196 said:

I’m going to go against the trend here and say do all you can to get the best instrument that’s achievable within your means, nothing like playing on an instrument that you really love and gel with. 

Nail on head I think. 😁 Don't rush into getting credit......for me the initial pleasure of getting the bass would be severely dampned by the knowledge that it would only become mine fully after 3 years of monthly payments 😧 If you don't have the cash then save. If you can't save then you wouldn't be able to pay off a loan. If the bass sells before you get the funds together, no problem, Mayones will make one specifically for YOU. Good luck. 👍

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Lots of sage advice above!  Trouble is; when you set your heart on a bass, it's an itch that has to be scratched.  It took me over 20 years to afford the fretless Wal MK 1 I wanted at the start of my bass playing career; when I finally got one I realised that I actually preferred the old Ovation Magnum 1 fretless that I already had (and had cost me peanuts)

As we all know, GAS is an unreasonable mistress....... :|

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I'd have thought just saving the money from gigs, sales of recordings, session payments or whatever it is that you're using your current bass for would be the best way of saving for a new bass if the day job won't cover it. 

If you're not getting revenue from any of the above type of avenues then I can't really see why you'd be needing a 2.5k bass. 

Of course there's no reason why you shouldn't have a 2.5k bass for home noodling if your funds allow, but it appears they don't and asking others to pay for it is, to me, out of order. 

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16 minutes ago, Maude said:

Of course there's no reason why you shouldn't have a 2.5k bass for home noodling if your funds allow, but it appears they don't and asking others to pay for it is, to me, out of order. 

DOn't get me started on gofundme campains. We have a friend that is always doing them for getting holidays for herself and the like. She has more money than most of her friends and I don't think any have been successful, but it just winds me up disproportionally.

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2 hours ago, chris_b said:

I've never joined a band because of my gear or sound. Only because they thought my playing would be a good fit. From my experience I know it's easier to play better when your confidence is pumped up because you bought the "right" gear.

As long as I know my gear is reliable, that is all I need for gigging. I rarely take my expensive basses gigging, but when I do, it makes virtually no difference to the audience whether I have that or my aliexpress special. My confidence comes down to knowing I can do what I need to do, and the bass doesn't take much of that.

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3 hours ago, tedmanzie said:

Lego set lottery... I thought you might be 12 years old in which case I was about to admire your entrepreneurial spirit but the other link says you are 50. So in that case I'll be honest with you - that idea is truly ridiculous 😂 Do you honestly think 2000 people are going to enter a raffle at £2 a pop with the grand prize being a lego set that is worth £63 new?!  And the raffle doesn't end until all 2000 tickets are sold? Which is likely to be in the next decade. 😬

 

I’m not even sure that the terms of that lottery are legal under the Gambling Act 2014 which states that, unless for a charitable cause and various other stipulations of the act are fulfilled,  a formal lottery licence from the Gambling Commission is required.

Genuinely the only way to save money is, as others have said, spend less and save it or earn more and squirrel it away before it gets frittered.

 

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12 minutes ago, TrevorR said:

I’m not even sure that the terms of that lottery are legal under the Gambling Act 2014 which states that, unless for a charitable cause and various other stipulations of the act are fulfilled,  a formal lottery licence from the Gambling Commission is required.

Genuinely the only way to save money is, as others have said, spend less and save it or earn more and squirrel it away before it gets frittered.

 

Good question! - I had a look here:
https://raffall.com/faq/hosting

Do I need a license to host a raffle on your platform?
No. All competitions on our platform are legally classed as 'prize competitions' which do not require a license.

Seems extremely susceptible to scammers or chancers, or maybe it is actually a good business idea?! 

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3 minutes ago, mikel said:

I dont even bother. I worked out a long time ago that its the player not instrument. Obviously if there is a fault with the instrument then that is a different matter. Get the verybest out of what you have.

This^^^^^^ I have tried all sorts in the pursuit of perfection, my go to bass is now a Squier with a few sensible upgrades. It owes me a couple of hundred quid max, and would be less than £700 if everything on it was bought brand new. It also means I don’t worry if it gets a ding or two and I am not paranoid about using it at gigs.

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3 hours ago, Paul S said:

Start a sideline as a sex worker?  There is always a market for sex - always has been, always will be.  If you're young and god looking you'll soon gather funds.  If you're old and ugly you'll still gather the funds, just might take longer.  :) 

I couldn't buy a Harley Benton using that plan. 

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5 hours ago, cgull said:

Ok, so I'm trying to scrimp and save for a better bass (a Mayones Viking I tried at the awesome bassdirect.co.uk) , but that final figure is just so out of reach.  I don't want to wait years so I'm trying to think up novel ways to raise what I need before my savings shrink with time.

I created  a lottery where people can win a cool Lego set ( my bass lego lottery ) and then I created  web fund-raising site ( my bass fundraising site ).  But after setting those up I discovered I had no idea how to get people to find my sites as I am clueless about marketing and social media and maybe they are deluded pursuits.  I hope it's ok to even post about it here within rules and such, but the main point of this posting is this:

Do any of you people have some better ideas on how I can get a step closer to my goal ?  I'm looking for some creative ideas.  What do you think of the two ideas I had above - worthwhile or a waste of time?

😆

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I have always been the cheapskate yet wise and smug adopter of basses never costing more than £250.  Then a couple of years back I unexpectedly GASSED over a single cut Ibanez costing nearer £700.  I have never had an attack of green like it, lasting weeks.  In the end I cut out one of my kidneys myself with a table knife and flogged it, so funding my dream bass.  I bought it.  I played it.  I sold it.  My three basses currently are worth £195, £120 and £120.  Listen to your old Dad when he says...     

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@cgull I have to say I'm really not a fan of your money making techniques... Asking random strangers to donate to you so you can buy a new bass seems like poor form to me. Particularly when your funding page says 'He (meaning you) would be happy to donate £2 to your cause' which clearly isn't the case as if you dontated £2 for every £2 donated to you, you'd be permanently at square one. 

Not to be ferociously blunt, but do what we all do and either sell something or work hard, earn money and buy your bass, don't ask others to fund it for you.

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I haven't read the whole thread in detail, but if it helps to make you feel even worse about your situation (sorry) I can tell you that out of hundreds(?) of basses I have played and reviewed, the Viking is up there in the top ten easily. Superb instrument. I also really love the BE 5 models too.

Are you really responsible when its comes to money? My 'go to' in the past is to hunt around until really long interest free credit card deals come up. The last one I snagged was a massive 42 Months! Get the card, make the purchase and HIDE that damn card. DO NOT touch it. Give it to a family member or even just cut it up. As an example, £2500 / 42 comes in at a much more comfortable £60 per month and you have the option of paying off a larger chunk when you do the lego lottery / do some dip gigs for a year or two / sell some kit etc etc. Good luck! I too wish I had some spare cash as there's a few second hand things I wouldn't mind off of BC right now!!

Edited by Dood
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3 hours ago, tedmanzie said:

Good question! - I had a look here:
https://raffall.com/faq/hosting

Do I need a license to host a raffle on your platform?
No. All competitions on our platform are legally classed as 'prize competitions' which do not require a license.

Seems extremely susceptible to scammers or chancers, or maybe it is actually a good business idea?! 

I think that Raffall need a better (or more honest) lawyer. Prize competitions should be free entry NOT by paid ticket. That’s by definition a raffle or lottery. Hence the old “no purchase necessary” disclaimer on magazine comps - to show you didn’t have to buy the magazine as an entry ticket.

Edited by TrevorR
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Getting other people to pitch in to buy you an expensive bass is still fairly low in my opinion. I sincerely hope people choose to spend their money on a more worthwhile cause and you do the reasonable thing and save up like a grown up and buy your own bass. That is just one mans opinion of course.

Edited by binky_bass
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