I’ve got a new dream bass arriving in the next few days.
Poor thing is going to be way, way too nice for the likes of me, but it will just have to make the best of it.
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another quick note: wanted to try flatwounds on the ray4 - guitar center sold me EB slinky flatwounds 45-100 for only $27 instead of $40 last night. not sure if that’s a sale or what, but have never seen them cheaper in case you are looking. today: setup!
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Will be interesting to see what you think of this combo.
Ray’s are generally round string homes for the more agressive tones.
But breaking the rules is always fun to do!
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Mine would ask why it has taken so long to get three?
Probably want you to step it up to a bass a week.
Its for personal growth and mental health, I mean, how can they be wrong?
Kind of what my therapist would say. You probably need to get a different therapist, but on the other hand, if you need help convincing anybody else in the household why you need more basses, then PM me for the phone number. 
l
Is a sweet water rep not your musician friend?
Those are the only flats I have ever bought and put on a bass. the only other flats I have ever had are ones that I am pulling off a bass I just bought to put rounds on.
If you are a flat guy, then you will probably like those strings, they sound fine, I just could not stand the feel of flats under my fingers.
I put them on a beautiful bass, that had been placed, and then had those strings put on at time of post PLEK set up. So the bass was perfect, just didn’t like the strings.
I loved that bass so much, until I put those strings on it, and then I lost interest in the bass and traded it to Jesse @Reasonably_Happy for a Fender Road Worn 50’s P.
I like the Fender just fine, and I really wanted an actual Fender P bass at the time of the trade, so no regrets, but thinking back, I wonder if I had just put on a standard set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky’s instead of the flats if I would be sitting here paying it right now, and never put it up for sale or trade.
Its fine that I traded it, and it was more then fair swap, I just wonder if those strings killed the radio star? Or really killed my vision of the perfect Ray34.
If I am being 100% honest, I think they did.
I am not saying those strings are not for you, and this is not a flat / round debate I am trying to start.
IDK if you are a flat string person or not. If this is your first set of flats, and you are putting them on a stingray, and you don’t like it, I recommend changing back to the stock rounds (perfectly good set of EB Slinky’s if you ask me, but I like Slinky’s myself) and see if you like it better.
Again, not a string debate, just want to warn you from personal experience, don’t let those strings ruin your new bass. If you find that you are just not FEELING the Ray4, and still prefer your Yamaha over it, I am just saying, put the rounds back on and give it a chance before you dump it and later regret it. Regret is the wrong word, I mean later WONDER, “What IF?”
What if I left the rounds on, would I have liked that bass better?
only time will tell, and I hope you love your new stingray. ray4 with the EB cobalt flats, I really do. If you don’t, try the stock slinky rounds and see if you like it any better. If you don’t, maybe a Ray 4 is not for ideal bass.
Don’t settle for a bass you have to force yourself to play. Get one that excites you to play it. I hope the Ray 4 does at least as much as your Yamaha, but if it doesn’t, try something else, life it too short to stare at basses you can’t bond with.
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Some of those bass collections I see here are impressive.
I am always wondering how you justify having so many instruments?
What triggers you to buy the next one? How often do you buy them?
Do you play them all or just collect them? ( nothing wrong with collecting, just trying to understand your reasons )
I am constantly tempted, but I don’t like when things are not being used. This means that I usually sell them when they sit not being used.
In other words, the next instrument would be an upgrade of the current one in most cases. Unless, of course, I have a pragmatic justification for having more than one. Which I don’t, as I am still at the very beginning of my journey and I wouldn’t benefit in any way from having wider tonal options.
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This is totally me too. I am definitely not a collector. Gear I am not using tends to get sold immediately.
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I used to struggle with this. Then I just accepted that I have many and expensive hobbies and don’t really have to justify it 
It’s mostly a problem with me and synthesizers, though. I might only use a given synth “once in a while” but when I do, I really want it at that time. Hence my IKEA shelf storing some of them 
My basses are all a different thing. The most similar are my two purple Schecters. My SRC6 is its own instrument really. The Mikro 5 I have turned into a “tenor bass” or something, it’s tuned EADC atm and I love playing it; I’ve even considered tuning it ADGCF due to its scale length.
The Beast just sparks joy to look at, though I could probably sell it on and probably should; I’m not a 6-string player. I play the “money end” like a 5-string, and the “I’m not making any money right now” end like my little Mikro which has a better scale length for the high notes anyway. But there’s something about that matte bright green that I love to see on my stand or in my hands. I dunno what I will do with it eventually.
The basses on the chopping block are definitely my 4-string Schecter and my GWB35. I’m not a 4-string player anymore, nor am I a fretless player. I did consider adding frets to the Willis; there is an ultra-rare fretted version of the bass (GWB35D I think) and I love the simple controls/electronics and the plastic finger ramp. And that stealthy matte black finish. But I have plenty of 5-string basses for me, and I don’t plan to have a bunch of tunings which tbh seems silly to me.
I recently bought a nice (overpriced) 5 position stand and put my most-used instruments on it. I also have two nice single stands. My 9 position stand is cheap and in the other room, not where I spend most of my time. I also am less and less interested in playing guitar these days, so I’m just going to keep the SC-607, Strat Plus, and SIX28FDBG 8-string (though I would consider trading it straight up for a SIX27FDBG; I don’t care for 8-strings tbh but fuck me is it a pretty guitar). I’m selling an Ibanez 6 from 2012, a Carvin 6 from 2005 or so, and the aforementioned basses. I’ve since decided I am probably not getting the Daniel Firth Hellraiser 5 I wanted…
This will leave me with:
Basses:
The Beast
C-5 GT
Stiletto Studio 5
SRC6
GSRM25
Baba Yaga/Svetlana/Soviet Space Bass/Zelensky’s Revenge (may or may not ever be playable again)
Guitars:
SC-607
'95 Strat Plus
SIX28FDBG
Mostly even keeping the Strat because I “want a Strat sound sometimes” but I could also sell it and buy another SC-607 and pickups for it to differentiate it and get close enough “Strat sounds” lol. Maybe I’ll even do that. I just like it because it’s old… or sell it and the SIX and really, just keep the SC-607. I don’t play guitar enough for more than one, and I am absolutely a fan of 27" 7-strings, now.
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- First question - For the most part I can sell most all for as much as I’ve paid or more. Whatever doesn’t equal or exceed purchase cost is the cost of the hobby. I don’t really buy anything to resell or make money on, but at the end of the day, that’s what’s going to happen, so its like money in a bank that I can actually do something with and mitigates the hobby costs. Also different pickups / strings different tones/sounds/feel.
- Second question - when I find a deal or want a specific bass (like a Rick or Hofner or Music Man) or part of a collection pops up (MIJ Aerodyne), or if I find a really good deal I might just buy to flip, but this is not the norm for me.
- Third question - yes to both. I play them all at different times.
All of the above also goes for saxes, which I have around 14 or so, from sopranino to baritone. All are fairly liquid assets I can liquidate at a later date if so needed. On the sax side, these will all bring more than what I have paid. I am contemplating selling one baritone that I bought for $1,100 and now go for $2,000, but it goes to low A and my other bari doesn’t, which means I would limit what I could play so more than likely it stays until I find a replacement I like better.
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I’m always looking at new gear ( that id buy used ) and then i typically think better of it.
I don’t need new gear, i bought high quality gear that i love to play, and it’s in fine shape.
There are 3 basses available to me-frank n. Fretless, my grandsons ibby es300 and mine.
As much as I’d love to have shiny new gear, there are considerations that affect it. Availability of discretionary funds, Available space and actual need come to mind.
Nothing would make me happier than having a lot of gear, but i can only play one at a time-and I’m a realist. I’m never going to be in a band or a recording studio. Fact is, I’m just a guy who loves to play.
I did get a line 6 pod-go, starting to learn to use that. For an old guy who’s killing time and making noise in the garage, I’ve got it pretty good. That’s enough for me.
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For me, most of the ones I buy are relatively cheap. I bought my first, a PJ knockoff, for $100, and I’ve bought 2 from Guitar Junkyard under $200. The most expensive is my Steinberger and that was $420, but I bought it because I was listening to The Outfield a lot and loved Tony Lewis’ Steinberger Spirit XT1 that he used for the Voices of Babylon tour. The Gretsch and the Jaguar were both around $240, and both basses that I made (Poison Apple J and the Turquoise Waters P) were relatively inexpensive because I found the parts I wanted cheap. I’ve got 12 now and although I’m collecting more than I’m playing, they all have a different sound and I’ll switch off every day and play a different one.
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All great questions, and even better answers. My answer is shorter…
I have a self control problem and delusions of grandeur. There I said it.
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LOL yeah, there’s that too
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I was going to respond “cause I wanna” or “cause I got problems” but went a little deeper. Lol
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I’ve got three: two short scales and a long scale. A very special long scale is on its way to me now, which will bring the grand total to four.
I dig the ones I’ve got, although I suspect the new one might displace them all.
All together, my basses will cost less than just one of my custom handmade steel string acoustic guitars, so I’m OK with my low end arsenal.
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I have nothing against it when people want to collect things… to each their own, you do you 
For me, something about not collecting, and keeping my gear pared down to what I use, and funding new or improved gear by selling gear I don’t use… it just feels clean.
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To collect or not to collect? That is the question.
Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer the straps and pedals of outrageous fortunes (spent)…
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Yeah exactly, to each their own. I try to have a healthy balance in gear.
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First rule of GASsing is what are you buying for, collection or flip?
Like @John_E said, most things I buy are highly desirable or great deal. I rarely break even usually I make some money, sometimes more, it usually goes toward the next bass. Sometimes it’s not selling either, it’s trading.
Trading is awesome I usually gets a better deal out of it I traded my Steve Harris build to a practically brand new Sterling 5H USA, I just had to pay for the shipping. The best part the guy I traded with so the listing on Reverb 6-8 months later and bought it back.
The month of April I bought/trade 10 basses one guitar and sold 10 basses, almost even. Doing this I quickly find what I like and they are staying in my stable. It’s a fun hobby but 10 is pretty much a max I would do in a month, anymore it become a business and it just sucks the fun out of it. I find that once a week is a good number for me. When you buy it’s instant gratification and when you sell it doubles the feeling.
The profit from selling sometimes I just buy tools, just bought the StewMac workstation (well the stand is not available yet), it’s very convenient and can’t wait to start working on my next instrument on it. Their tools are quite expensive but last longer and more important almost single function and idiot prove, perfect for me.
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It’s especially fun when you play one song 10 times with 10 different basses. You’ll quickly learn what you like and prefer when it comes to tone, action and accessibility.
You have the unbelievable collection of the Imports Aerodyne, I’m very inspired. I’m trying to add another soon. I saw a walnut one with gold hardware but it has more damage than I want to live with, lol.
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Very cool. Love me some tools.
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