Thinning The Herd. But Why?

It's a term many use to describe a major change in their collection of instruments.   But what causes people to take an otherwise great collection and totally change things up?   

In my case, the reasoning is two-fold:  

Different, but the same

First, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed trying to keep each of my many basses in top working order; bass strings are expensive, especially when multiplied over a collection.  Then I asked myself why so many of the same kind of bass?  It's nice having a bunch of P-basses, but I really only play one or two while the others simply serve as wall art.

Second, While I had was exploring basses other than Fender, Music Man released their updated version of the venerable StingRay Bass; the "StingRay Special".  So the logical question becomes, "why not sell those which I don't play often, to fund a new StingRay Special?"  That line of thinking resulted in a total re-evaluation of my collection, and the selling off of any redundancy.  Not only did I have enough money to fund the new Ray, but also to finally buy my dream bass... but that's a story for a different post...

Redundancy

While there's nothing wrong with having half a dozen versions of the same bass, I like to keep things simple.  For me, if something is not being used, why keep it around?  

With simplification in mind, I selected two of my favorite P-basses; a Steve Harris signature which has a maple neck & maple body, and a "parts" P-bass that features an alder body & rosewood fingerboard.  All others were sold, with the exception of two sentimental favorites-- both of which see a lot of use.

Trying something new

Firmly anchored in the world of passive Fender tones, I wanted to try something different.  The second bass I ever bought was a standard Music Man Stingray-- an active bass.  Having lived with the instrument for many years, it didn't get played much as the tone was pretty harsh, but I really loved the look and feel of the neck.  

Thankfully, as I was reevaluating my collection, the newly revised Stingray "Special" was beginning to hit the stores.  Excited by the possibilities of a different style of bass (active vs passive), the new Stingray really grabbed my attention.  Exploring options beyond my old passive bass perspective was inspiring!  It fueled a new excitement for getting back in the shed to practice, while exploring the new tones and enjoying the noise-free pickups; something that always bugged me with the old basses.  

Change in perspective

Changing things around can be fun and inspirational.  If something is always done with the same tool, in the same way, day after day... it's easy to become bored and disillusioned.  Changing your perspective can be achieved in may different ways-- either with a different instrument, a different location, a different method of playing (i.e. pick vs. finger style), etc.  Changing your perspective can inject new life into an old routine.  Simplifying and diversifying the basses on hand by thinning the herd is another great way of changing your perspective-- and having fun!

If you're not having fun,
you're doing it wrong!

Naturally, thinning the herd can be a means of simply generating income, but it can also be a way to bring fun back into your bass playing adventure.  Having fewer basses makes a collection easier to maintain, while diversifying a collection provides more tonal options and stimulates inspiration.  Always remember that the goal of this adventure we are on is not only to make music and a joyous noise, but to have fun along the way.  Thinning the herd is simply one part of the larger adventure. 

...Stay tuned, and in tune!