Are you a one bass for all guy or...?

[RedHatter]

P with flats and a Ric. I float between the two as the mood hits me.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Every bass is different and has its purpose

 

[Dragan]

Are you a 1 bass type of guy. I don't mean you only own 1 bass. I mean do you always use your number 1 bass for nearly everything, every situation?

Or, do you use a different bass for every different situation?

Personally, I'm a 1 bass guy. I own 3 basses, but I use my Jazz 5 for everything.

Jaco was a one bass guy, used the bass of doom for everything.
Sean Hurley uses different basses for everything.

I have my no1 which is my USA Fender jazz V with Nordstrand pickups. he aint going anywhere, it felt like home from 1st moment I took him in my lap in music store till today... Having said that, I buy/exchange/sell every now and then other basses...

 

[bholder]

I'm more of an "all basses for one" kinda guy.

 

[Ric5]

I have 15 basses ... my favorite is usually which ever one just got new strings

 

[scuzzy]

I am one of those insane musicians that thinks the crowd can hear a difference in every bass I own.

I play each bass regularly and match it to the "set-list". My DP custom 5 and my Fender Starcaster have become recent go-to's, but they all get their time.

 

[Rib 13]

Are you a 1 bass type of guy. I don't mean you only own 1 bass. I mean do you always use your number 1 bass for nearly everything, every situation?

Theres two types of "One Bass For All" players in live situations:

1) "Set-It-And-Forget-It -Players" that use one voicing setup for all the songs or with minimal or no tonal variations for the voicing setup. If a player chooses variations of that voicing setup within a given night, its by plucking hand positioning and/or the use of outboard fx processors.

2) "Swiss Army Bass" Players who do all of the above but will also switch pickups and make electronic variances to further widen the pallette in which one bass will be used to mimic many others


Im in School #2 for live....However, studio is different: "string type" comes into play so its better for me to bring different instruments

 

[ToneMonkey]

I only own one bass, a EB MM Stingray 4 string. I chose it specifically because it performs well sonically in a variety of contexts and never looks out of place.

 

[Thumb n Fingers]

2 bass guy. Jazz for slap, Precision for finger style playing. So really, I guess it depends on the gig. If I'm only taking 1, it'll be the jazz.

That said, if I ever spring for a new set of pups for my Guild Pilot, that may go back to be my "all purpose" bass. Really did well for all styles of playing until the pups died. Hate the replacements, just haven't got around to getting a new set.

 

[inthebassclef]

I'm a two-bass player - 50/50 P & J.

That is pretty much me. My P and J have traditionally gotten equal time. Depends what songs we play.

 

[Pumpkin]

I own five (which sounds crazy to me, but I know it's fairly common place around here) and I definitely have a number one. It's not that it does every sound or has the single best sound, but it's the bass that I never want to leave for a gig without. I can't say that about any of my other basses.

 

[dave64o]

I could use my Stingray for anything and be quite happy with the results I get from it. It's my favorite by far and it's the one I grab when I grab a bass without thinking which one I'm going to play. I generally have to make a conscious decision to pick up one of my others.

 

[billgoodwin]

own 3 - but my VM jazz is just a workhorse, love it / use it for everything.

 

[Gaolee]

I have more than one. They all get played. They get selected by whim. I'll play anything on anything.

 

[InhumanResource]

Despite my multiple love affairs with other basses, my active Fender J gets all the gig time...though I recently scored a fretless MIJ model, unlined, and after using it alone for my last rehearsal we are bonding nicely. It might become my number 1 this summer.

 

[etorgerson]

I have a 1980 Ibanez P style for most things and a 1990 fretless Yamaha P clone, both with chrome flats. These two can cover most styles for me with the right outboard gear (distortion, eq, limiter, compressor, etc.) If I was an individualist like Squire or Jaco, yeah I could get by with one. I got rid of my 70's Fender Mustang, 80's Fender AP, & 80's Ibanez Musician years ago.
Ideally, I'd have another passive fiver and an active slap bass, but I haven't had the need apart from my interest.

 

[SurferJoe46]

I have 10 basses in my practice room, and really don't use them all, all the time.

Strangely, I tend to grab one of two of the basses I built instead of one of my Fenders.

One of my 'grab me' basses is a little thinner than a standard bass - since I made it from a pattern body that I decided was just deep enough to hold the electrical parts and a neck without the back of the pots sticking out the other side of the body.

I'm not being fair though - since I just had my right knee replaced and holding a heavy bass body on the site where the tourniquet was during surgery, hurts like crazy. So I grab a lighter bass usually. The thin bass came in a 6lbs, 2 ozs.

This too, will pass.

 

[himluis1]

got 2 right now ... i had 3 at some point but always find myself playing my vintage modified jazz bass v by squier ... my other bass is a mim fender jazz bass 4 string ... love both , play mostly the V

 

[Acoustic356]

My Fodera with Duncan dual coils covers almost everything...

• Passive precision tone? Got it
• Active precision tone? Check
• Passive jazz tone? Yep
• Active jazz tone? Definitely
• Modern? Yes
• Vintage? Yes

Why then do I have 3 other basses?

1. You can't get a rosewood neck jazz tone out of a maple neck jazz bass
2. You can't get a rosewood precision tone out of a maple neck precision
3. You can't get a low B out of a standard tuned 4 string

 

[MCS4]

I'm not afraid to change basses if the situation dictates, but I usually end up finding my No. 1 bass to be the best fit for the vast majority of situations. I've done exactly one recording session with a bass other than my No. 1 and it was a mistake.