one bass?

[Luke S Mouse]

Who here on the wonderful forums on talkbass finds themselves content with a single bass? It comes up cause I have found a really good bass which I kind of can't seeing myself needing anything else. The most famous example of this I can think of off the top of my head is Carlos D from Interpol and his black Fender Jazz.

[Baird6869]

I have a bunch but I play a huge range of music.

If I only played blues, I would likely only own/play a P.
If I only played Funk, I would only own/p,ay a Jazz.

Etc.

[::::BASSIST::::]

I am very satisfied with my bass. Its a $2000 Stambaugh. For a while I used a Squire Jag at home, but then wondered why I didn't just play my Stammie at home too. So now I do and the Jag sits untouched in its case. I have a couple of SXs and the Squire Jag, but never touch them. Soon I'll be selling all my basses and just keep to the one. I am tempted to keep the Jag as a backup, but I have never damaged a bass (ie broken tuner), much less broken a string and never bring a backup to a gig. Worse case scenario I could always rent a bass in an emergency.

There will be alot guys saying they need more than one bass for a variety of tones they bring, but I am a 'one trick pony' player. My Stambaugh is miles better than any other bass I've ever owned or even tried at a music store. Life is too short to play anything else.

[LanOsb133]

My 2002 American Deluxe P bass. I will always want more basses as no two basses are the same. But If I were to only be allowed one bass, it would be my American Deluxe. So much tonal variety and I just love the balls that she has. Quite beautiful.

[Luke S Mouse]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

I am very satisfied with my bass. Its a $2000 Stambaugh. For a while I used a Squire Jag at home, but then wondered why I didn't just play my Stammie at home too. So now I do and the Jag sits untouched in its case. I have a couple of SXs and the Squire Jag, but never touch them. Soon I'll be selling all my basses and just keep to the one. I am tempted to keep the Jag as a backup, but I have never damaged a bass (ie broken tuner), much less broken a string and never bring a backup to a gig. Worse case scenario I could always rent a bass in an emergency.

There will be alot guys saying they need more than one bass for a variety of tones they bring, but I am a 'one trick pony' player. My Stambaugh is miles better than any other bass I've ever owned or even tried at a music store. Life is too short to play anything else.

That's my exact feeling with my Warwick Rockbass I bought just a while ago. Cost me more than any other bass I've ever bought, and the sound certainly shows it.

[Interius]

I already have what I need, but not what I'm GASing for. Got a Fender Jaguar, and a currently neckless Jazz, but I'm saving cash for a P-bass, probably Am.STD. Ain't nothing like that P-bass sound..

[deste]

Just one bass? Why? I've managed to just one woman, and that's not easy: so, why should I limit to just one bass?...
Seriously: currently I own seven basses, and each one of them has its own personality, its own use, and seldom I use the same bass in different types of gig. I know, with my modded J I could cover many situations, but I like to enjoy all the thinnest nuances of sound and feel I can obtain from each single bass.
I must admit: I'm quite satisfied with my basses, I plan to sell the only fiver beacuse I don't play it anymore, but surely I'm ready to buy some more basses, according to my needs and my money.

[xUptheIronsx]

I own 3 basses, but find my self gravitating to one for very long periods of time. Recently it has been my J bass. I think it wouyld be weird to not have the other two. It is cool to know that when I get bored with one, I have the other ones to relieve the boredom.

I could never see myself owning more than 5 though. I feel bad enough that the other two get ignored

[::::BASSIST::::]

Just one bass? Why?

I am trying to minimize everything in my life. I only have two arms. Tonal variety is not important to me.

[96tbird]

It's nice to have one with flats and one with rounds. If you don't want the tonality of both, one bass is all you may need; nothing wrong with that. I have six and I am merely a recreational player. It's just that so many really nice inexpensive basses are available now that its fun to play them all and I contend they are the nicest things in my living room. A big nod to my wife whom allows me to display and play them there.

[Munjibunga]

One at a time, maybe. A salesman at GC told me he had 41 basses, right in front of my wife. So now I believe 41 basses is the optimal number, and so does my wife.

[jlepre]

Unless you are a studio musician, or do a lot of pickup gigs, one bass should suffice. In a live situation as long as the tone sits in the mix, one bass will be enough. In a studio situation you may be asked to have the standard P or J. The same may be the case for a specific fill in situation.

[Luke S Mouse]

Originally Posted by deste

Just one bass?

For me it has everything to do with the financial aspect. GASing is a strain on the wallet and I'd rather just have some stability in the bass playing aspect of my life rather than be looking for the next bass all the time. I don't know, maybe it'll change but for now my current setup just feeling right.

[mjac28]

Line 6 Variax 700 done

[monti2889]

but, it's always nice to have a spare/back up. It's a pain in the butt to change a broken string in the middle of a set, or a broken ground...etc. If you do studio stuff and have a favorite then you may not need the back up, cause if something goes wrong, you can fix it and just re record the track. Also, most studios have stuff there that you can try or use.

I have 2 main basses that I use, I have a semi acoustic fretless for more acoustic gigs, and then just a couple hanging around for more sentimental reasons.

[Dean N]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

One at a time, maybe. A salesman at GC told me he had 41 basses, right in front of my wife. So now I believe 41 basses is the optimal number, and so does my wife.

I need to get your wife to meet my wife.

If I had to go with just one, it'd be a jazz with active/passive option. No, who am I kidding? It'd be a Wal.

[kreider204]

I have one upright, one fretless, and one fretted. I don't consider any of that redundant - they're different beasts. So that's kinda like one bass ...

... okay, I have another fretted too. It doesn't get played, but it's got too much sentimental value to sell.

If I had to go with one, it would be my upright, as that's what I'm playing 95% of the time these days.

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I find myself content with several single basses.

I could get by with one bass and sometimes I wish I had only one (or two...). But, I'm fortunate enough to have more and also like just picking up a different one now and then and most of them have their own sound and feel.

That being said, I have been gravitating towards two basses these days.

[Mykk]

Do you need more than one car?

Would you like to have the option of driving the Porsche today instead of the Escalade?

I have my favorite bass that see's 90% of the studio & stage time. And than I have four more, for options.

[mcm]

Use to have 5 or 6 basses sitting around. Wanted to go back to simplicity and the basics. Got rid of them and kept my 08 Mia pbass 4 string w flats. Prob help my playing actually.