quality vs quantity

[JimmyM]

I literally couldn't give a crap one way or the other. I have expensive basses, I have cheap basses. They all sound the same in the stand, and none of them sound like anything till I start playing them.

[nubs]

i want the bass that i enjoy playing, that sounds good to my ears and blends well with the band i am playing with. price tag is futile. i have a few "more" expensive basses and a few cheaper ones as well, my favorite players are not always the ones that set me back the most

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by the wako kid

this is pretty simple.would you rather have one great playing expensive bass(for the sake of an example lets say a warwick corvette,or an MIA fender,or ernie ball MM) or 3 or four great playing,but cheaper basses(squier cv,rockbass warwick,low end ibanez etc)?

just wanted to know what you guys think.I'm part of the quantity group,I own 3 200 dollar basses.

A couple good ones and a back up will do just fine.

[klejst]

I would rather have a bass (or basses at least one backup of course) that is expensive or not, but that I love to play and has great tone. To me quality is always above quantity to me.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

I literally couldn't give a crap one way or the other. I have expensive basses, I have cheap basses. They all sound the same in the stand, and none of them sound like anything till I start playing them.

That is where you are wrong... the low quality ones will make a nasty humming noise until you pick them up and touch them.

[bigscore1000]

IMO...

I'd rather have at least 1 "official" bass and a few "Squiers" than just only 3 "Squiers"..

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by DiabolusInMusic

That is where you are wrong... the low quality ones will make a nasty humming noise until you pick them up and touch them.

You leave all your basses plugged in and turned up at the same time?

[BKuettel]

Funny thing is my "quality" bass is a warwick corvette and I love that thing to death, so I would go with quality vs quantity. A lot of cheap basses looks good, but is pointless if you are playing shows. The downside of having a quality bass is risking it breaking and not having another spare. So if I could have like 2 great basses then I would be a happy camper. I would have my quality and mix things up depending on which one I wanna gig.

Plus, my other basses would "feel bad" if I only play one bass and leave the other ones untouched. Its kind of like playing favorites with children, but with basses in this instance.

[metron]

Always quality for me. I realized a long time ago that with some exceptions, generally i can play whatever i need on whatever bass. Some work better than others depending but for the most part, one killer bass can do anything.

[xUptheIronsx]

for me, I would rather have a bass that feels good...regardless of price. Luckily, my most favortie feeling basses are Jazz or P basses, and the come in a wide variety of prices. That being said, I would rather spend a little extra for a solidly built J or P. Looks really don't have anything to do with it.

Most of the boutique basses I have tried do not feel good at all in my hands or on my body, so that weeds out most of them. The boutique basses that do feel good have he J or P specs as far as shape/weight/neck etc. That being the case, I would just buy the Fender.

I guess I am old and boring, but I know what I like...

[bass151]

I would try and figure out how much my total investment overall would be. I would then shop for THEEEE single bass that really does it for me and will cover most or all my gigs and buy it. I would then take the rest of the cash and get the best I could find for that amount (always good to have something different as a back up) Having owned as many as 11 basses at one time, I always wound up playing 1 or maybe two.

[canadian_man_44]

I have around $1150 invested in a MIA Fender Precision Deluxe(2006) 5 string and a Peavey BXP Grind 5 string. Both are great basses and I got them at great prices. Both of them feel good(putting flats on the Peavey tonight so it feels better). Both of them play amazing. One of them would be considered a cheap bass by some. Can you guess which one? LOL

[john_martin_sai]

I'd rather own one great bass over 10 'decent' or 'average' basses.

[onosson]

As with many things, I find it's worth it to not own the very cheapest thing that will do the job... go up a notch or two from there, at least.

[coyote1]

No one bass can do everything. Except the fretted/fretless convertible thing, but even at that it will probably not give you every sound you want.

So for me: Multiple basses, each good within itself, each doing something different than everything else I have.

[troy mcclure]

Both, I won't buy anythng I think sounds or plays like junk. Many of us change our stuff often anyway, it is part of the hobby.

[Bongolation]

I have a few dozen basses. Some are purely there because they are vintage pieces appreciating in value, which I don't play and therefore don't count.

Except for three or four, I wish I'd never bought the rest, frankly, and would love to be rid of them.

I am a player of "electric bass," not "bass guitar." They are not the same thing.

"Bass guitar" is a concept I hate beyond my ability to adequately convey.

I'm a strong believer in electric bass in the traditional sonic role of bass instrumentation in ensemble music.

That's pretty much an exceptionally good specimen of a Precision with flats, and you'll have to go through a lot of mediocre Precisions to find one.

"Versatility" is not a goal for bass. Nobody goes up to a double-bassist and says he needs a more versatile sound.

Bass is supposed to sound a certain way for it to do its job in the mix.

Anything beyond that falls into the category of "effects" tracks, and that has its place, but it's not bass.

[Munjibunga]

I'd rather have three or four great, expensive basses. Or 10 or 15.

[ksandvik]

Both.

[superdick2112]

Whether we are talking basses, amps, cars, food, houses, furniture, T.V.s, girlfriends, clothes, toilet paper - almost ANYTHING - I will always take quality over quanity.
Life is too short to deal with any of the above items that are substandard.