I've tried long and hard to separate "gear needs" from "gear wants" (GAS driven). So much GAS is really around "want" rather than "need" and I'd like to get to the position where I'm concentrating on music (working on my reading and theory knowledge, learning tunes, writing & performing music). So this page is an attempt to capture my thoughts on this so I can refer back to it as GAS strikes and deflate attacks when they occur before any purchase are made.
At the most basic level "Need" can be defined as 1 bass and 1 amp. Anything more than that is gravy. But in reality I'm not comfortable with just one. IMO I need a backup bass so I can take two to gigs in case of emergency. I've had problems (bad solder joint, broken nut) that made a bass unusable and wouldn't be fixable with my current toolkit that I take to gigs.
I've found that I'm only comfortable playing 4-string basses with skinny necks (and only some of those) so there
aren't any 5-stringers on the "Need" side of things. And although I like my fretless a lot I could live without
it for my current gigs. So here's my list of stuff I Need and or Want:
| Basses | main fretted 4 | need |
My "everyday" player is going to be a fretted 4. This is the one that it makes the most sense to "invest" the most
in as it gets the most playing time. It has to sound good and be comfortable enough play as much as I want.
currently: black G&L SB2 ideally: custom semihollowbody w/dual Darkstars and G&L-like comfort | |
| backup/beater fretted | need |
I feel the need to have a second bass to carry to gigs for backup. It's best to be a less expensive bass that
I can feel better about taking to harsh condition gigs. It needs to be comfortable enough to play as much as
I'd like.
currently: G&L Trib SB2 (modified w/mudbucker) | ||
| semi-hollow 4 | want |
This is my favorite sound, a semihollow bass. But so far I haven't found one as comfortable as I'd like or a
semihollow could slide into my "main fretted 4" slot.
currently: Rumblefish PJ | ||
| fretless 4 | want |
I love the fretless sound & feel but I'm not satisfied with my intonation and don't have the time to improve it.
They are fun to play and can be an emergency backup as well to avoid too many "backup/unused" fretted fours. Needs to
be comfortable enough to play as much as I want.
currently: lake placid blue fretless G&L SB2 | ||
| change-of-pace fretted 4s | want |
It would be nice to have additional basses that give tones not provided by other owned basses. But there's absolutely
no "need" here at all. It's also the slot for trying different strings, tunings, etc.
| ||
| second semihollow | want |
My Rumblefish PJ is my favorite sounding bass but as a gift from my family there are lots of places I'm not
willing to take it. So I'd like to have an alternate semihollow that I would be willing to take to those places and
one that is as comfortable to play as skinny necked G&L is for me.
still looking . . . | ||
| EUB/Acoustic/??? | want |
I love the sound of an acoustic double bass. I've never played one and the investment in dollars and time to get a
decent one and learn how to play it is beyond my current means. But there are some good, affordable EUBs out there
these days and one of those would be a vehicle that would allow me to figure out if AUB is something I can strive for
in the future. The NS Wav is probably the most affordable and best value (and does arco) at this point in time. I have
concerns of whether my hands/wrists can take the strain/beating of playing even an electric upright so this is pretty
far down the list of things I would actually try out.
haven't found anything that works for me | ||
| Amps | micro rig | want |
A very easy to carry rig that can handle quiet things (acoustic/semi-acoustic rehearsals and small gigs).
currently: Modified Carvin BR12 combo | |
| small rig | want |
A small rig that can cover up through loud band rehearsals with a minimum carry weight.
currently: Modified Carvin BR12 combo (maybe plus Schroeder 12+L) | ||
| medium rig | want |
For when I want two cabs but don't care about maximum volume
currently: Modified Carvin BR12 combo plus Schroeder 15+L | ||
| big rig | need |
At a minimum I need a rig that can cover all my gigs including the outdoor-without-PA gigs we occasionally do. The
big rig can cover everything although it's more/bigger/heavier pieces than needed for smaller gigs.
currently: Carvin B800 and 2 Schroeder 15+Ls | ||
| mega rig | need |
I could actually take and drive all 3 cabs if I had to for some reason, although I'd need two amps to do it with
my current lineup.
currently: Carvin B800 plus BX500 or BBT500H with 2 Schroeder 15+Ls and Schroeder 12+L | ||
| portable micro rig | want |
A tiny combo that can handle "unplugged" type things - songwriting or practicing with a couple of acoustic guitars at
most, no PA, and at times no AC power.
currently: Pignose Hog 30 (rechargeable) and Peavey Microbass (requires AC) | ||
| backup components | need |
I need enough "stuff" to cover a broken piece of my rig and an emergency strategy for gigs that doesn't require
hauling a duplicate of everything.
currently: 3 heads, 2 cabs, ART Tube Channel & M80 DI (preamp backup/into PA gig backup) |