I've spent a lot of money (for me) on gear this last month, but it was buying things that really filled a need. I don't understand the mindset of buying things that you have no use for.
If I were you guys, I would sit down and make of an inventory of all the gear you own, and rate it in terms of usefulness. Then I would sell every piece of gear that is not being used.
The only way I would keep a piece of gear that is not being used, is if I had definite plans for using it in the future, AND it is a rare piece and would be difficult to find in the future when I needed it.
Dave,
It sounds like you have a lot of money tied up in gear. I may be wrong here, but it also seems you have gear that is not being helped by being shelved. I know tape machines are not particularly helped by sitting around and not being used. When they've set for a long period of time, they sometimes have problems when you crank them up. If you sold all those stacks and stacks of gear, you might have the money, and the room, to buy that 2" machine you would like to have. Nevertheless, you could reward yourself with some purchases that you could find useful in your recording chain. Heck, sell those three Tascaam D-38's at the price you were saying they would sell for, and your $1,000 away from a Neumann M-149
Another point, some gear holds it's value, other gear becomes boat anchors. It would be advantagous to sell anything that is depreciating because of technological advancement.
There's something else that works for me, more out of necessity than anything else, because I don't have that much money. But, it might work for you guys too. If you have some funds available, decide how much of it you will spend on gear, and stick to it.
I was once a very impulsive buyer too, exercising little self-control when it came to these kinds of things. Simplifying my life, and in the process, heavily restricting my cash flow coming in, has forced me to change some of these habits.
Having a set budget for gear expenditures will help you in two ways. It will help you to spend your money wiser, and it will satisfy (at least it does for me) that lust you have for gear.
When you have an allocation of money that you are spending on gear, and you know this will be it for a while, you really want to make those dollars go far for you. That really helps to avoid the impulse buying. You see something you really want, but you're thinking in the back of your mind: "If I buy this right now, what will it prevent me from being able to buy tomorrow." Having that limit, really makes you put a lot of thought into your purchases, and really helps you to get the most bang for your buck. Tube Dude said something in another thread that really struck me, and I thing it will be motto for buying gear from now on. He said: "think smart". It's a pretty simple precept, but it says a lot.
I also have this driving preoccupation in my brain that you guys speak of. When I'm driving in the car, when I'm at work, no matter what I'm doing, I'm thinking about gear. For some reason, knowing that I have this money to spend, makes me very contented. Because I know I will be able to satisfy these cravings that I have. I know I won't be able to buy everything I want, but I will be able to buy some things that will satisfy that thirst a little bit.
Even that in itself helps me to exercise patience when it comes to purchasing. I know once I spend the wad, it's gone. So that contributes to my mulling over these purchasing decisions and getting the best deals.
Delaying your purchasing is also good in another way. When a whale of deal comes along, you have the money to jump on it. And, they do come along. I've made some of my best purchases because I was at the right place at the right time, and I had the jack on my hip. I read RAP religiously. Some incredible deals come through there. I bought a pair of NS-10M's that are in absolute mint condition for $200. In my latest cash allotment, I knew I wanted to go ribbon. I just happened to be the first to reply to a message from a seller this past month on RAP, and I picked up two
Beyer M-260 ribbons for $400, that had just been modded by Steven Sank.
Another example of how delaying and ruminating over a decision has helped me. My decision was to buy a couple of good preamps. I wanted one that was clean, and one that was colored, and I wanted both of them to have enough gain to accomodate ribbons. After doing much research and talking with some knowledgable folks, I had decided on going with the Great River MP-2, and a Peavey VMP-2. I was later reading one of the mic pre threads, and Harvey said if he could buy two pres now it would be the MP-2 and the VMP-2. That made me feel pretty good about my conclusions. Purchase was still delaying though, as I was contemplating the best price I could get them for.
In the process, another possibility came up, the Sytek MPX-4Aii, I think it compares favorably with the Great River, and you can buy them straight from Sytek on eBay right now for 53% off of retail. That saved me a bundle I can now spend on other things.
I know everyone's situation is different, and this might not work for you at all. YMMV. But this really seems to work well for me. It satisfies that gear lust, to an extent, and helps me get the most out of my purchases.
Taylor
Actually I am beginning to think that I might catch a bad strain of it, I'm suscribed to Mix, Electronic Musician, Recording mag and lately I see gear everywhere, when I 'm driving, at work, during my sleep, i only think about this piece of hardware that I want, that software, this mike, that processor....it is starting to haunt me.....am I in trouble???? please help!!!!!!!!1
