Are you happier owning only one bass?

[ElectricBass72]

I couldn't stand only having one bass. I like to have options.... like access to Rickenbacker with stainless steel roundwound strings.... and then a Fender Precision with flatwound strings. Active and passive basses.... contemporary and classic. 4, 5 and 6-string basses. Right now I have 8... and soon to be 9. My tenth bass will be a 5-string multi-scale... haven't decided on Spector or Ibanez.

 

[bassobrutto]

Since returning to the musical fold after a long break about ten years ago, I have had a few different electric basses, but never more than one at a time. The current incumbent is just a humble Squier Affinity Jazz, strung with Fender flats. It would be fun to have, say, a Ric, an SG bass, or a hollowbody as well for a bit of variety. But I know from experience that, between them, this Jazz bass and my upright can handle any music I would actually want to play quite adequately. Apologies for letting the side down!

 

[NoiseNinja]

I do own a small handful of basses now, but for the first 10 years or so of me playing bass I only owned one, and still to this day I almost exclusively play my main, mind not the same bass.

Still in the about 28 years I played bass I really only had 3 mains, so in spirit I am pretty much a 1 bass kind of guy.

 

[TrevorG]

I could be happy on one bass and have been in the past. Talked to a guitar vendor last week who talked in terms of bases for gigging and bases for recording(i.e. too precious to take out of the studio). Can't see it that way myself. If the one bass has the sound I want it's coming everywhere with me. That said, you'd be wise to have a spare. Nothing lasts forever.

 

[CallMeAl]

Old thread bump, and a year-after check in: I put a J neck on my p bass, and it’s my absolute favorite bass ever! I sold the Jazz, and got a Squier PJ. But the PJ is an emergency backup, I hardly ever play it. My main bass does all my gigs, and makes me very happy
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Zombie revival!

Since last time I still have my parts precision. Going on 2.5 years (1.5 with current neck) as my main squeeze. It’s my go-to for everything. I noodle on the others but I see myself as a “one bass guy” when it comes down to it.

Traded my PJ for a Peavey J-type bass. It’s OK but doesn’t wow me or inspire me to pick it up. Still I like to have a backup of some sort (so to the point of the original question- no, I don’t think I’d actually be happier with one.)

I also have an acoustic, which is technically my wife’s. I noodle on it, but wouldn’t miss it. We’ve got a move coming up, so we’ll see if it makes the cut!

 

[mojomike001]

We're all different. Some of us are primarily players. Some of us like to play, but also like to collect and/or build. I'm definitely in the latter category because I have a good deal of free time. It's all good. Since I've run out of space for collecting, I've started building Fender-style basses for friends at the cost of the parts. Fun!

 

[bassdude51]

I'd be better off if I did only own one bass!

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I have owned 7 basses at once, 10 total. I have only played pretty nice basses, minus my earliest, earliest bass guitar. I had a Music Man sterling for about 20 years as my one and only. I had to make payments for a couple years in high school and college. Only when I got older and further along in my career was I able to get into buying and selling basses. I bought a Rick 4003. Played it for a little over a year, sold the Music Man. Got a Fender American Vintage 63 Precision. Played it, it became my favorite once I played it with my band. Bought a used Custom Shop Jazz Bass. It was awesome; but I decided I was more of a P bass guy. Grabbed the AV 58 P. Made a parts P. Got a Gibson Thunderbird and put thunderbuckers, a bad bird 2, some hipshot mini clovers. Got a Flea active preamp Jazz.

For a while, while I was in my band, I loved playing a bass for a few months and then playing another one for a few months and so on. I loved having classic basses and being able to thoroughly try them out, gig with them, compare them, play them back to back and feel the difference.

Anyway; this went on for a while and it was really cool. However, I had 7 basses and 7 cases. I would keep a few on stands at a time, had a bunch in cases stored away at a time. That was another rotation. It was kind of a pain actually.

Eventually I moved and then quit that band. I auditioned for another band but eventually decided to learn guitar and start a band. So that’s what I did. I bought a guitar and decided to keep one bass and sell the rest. I kept the American Vintage 63 P bass. It was my overall favorite of the bunch.

I began buying and selling guitars and eventually settled on two parts guitars and an acoustic. I ended up selling the AV P bass and buying a 2020 Fender Custom Shop 62 P bass. It took 5 months. It is incredible. It is the best bass I have played and it is all I need. It is nice having one bass.

 

[HeavyJazz]

One bass would be like having one pair of shoes. The same exact shirt. One set of pants. Salt or pepper - not both!

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I can’t believe I have 4 basses at this point in time (5 counting the Ibanez TMB100 in my work truck).
But after thinking about it for a bit, I think I would be happy if I had to have only my L2500. It is still the best sounding and best playing bass I have....and the only one I would NEVER sell.

 

[chris_b]

I started playing in the 60's, we couldn't afford 2 of anything back then. These days I have 2 of every part of my bass rig, but that's for insurance purposes. If I had the cash I would buy better basses but I'd sell what they replaced.

 

[west al]

For several years, I played one bass. Then later on, I acquired a few basses at a time. Now I'm back to playing one bass again, an Epi EB-0, strung with D'Addario ETB92S Nylons. It's playing through a Fender Rumble 100. A simple setup that plays well together. No problems here!

 

[Billyzoom]

Having one bass as my MAIN player makes sense for me. However my appreciation for the instrument itself won’t let my desire to enjoy different tonal options be satisfied with just one bass.
Sometimes I want to hear that Pbass with flats vibe. Other times it’s a Jazz bass. My MusicMan Caprice does its own special thing that makes it my main player .

I enjoy different styles of music and that requires more options. Sometimes that low B string and added flexibility of an onboard preamp .
I tried the one bass routine for a while. Just couldn’t do everything I wanted with one or 2 basses. 3 basses seems to be the sweet spot for me.
Anything else is just icing on the cake .
I wouldn’t want to go through life using only 1 color in the crayon box.
I’d really like to have an upright and maybe a fretless and some type of key bass setup. But then I’m getting into do I need the 24 count or 64 count box of crayons territory.

I’ll probably continue to make due with my current lineup.
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All beautiful instruments.

 

[Billyzoom]

There was quite some time where I only had one bass, a Peavey Fury P/J, And I use it almost exclusively on the P setting. I was pretty happy with it, but I just play for fun at home and I’m really not much of a bass player. I’ve never wanted to start taking it seriously.

Since I decided to start focusing on it a month or two ago I’ve purchased three more basses and really they’re rather unnecessary but they are nice in terms of different tones and such.

To me there’s something to be said for feeling like picking up the bass and just picking up your only bass. You are used to the feel, the tones, etc.

Right now I have five, one of which is gonna be up for sale, so where I tend to run into trouble is when they tend to sit and then I get a guilty feeling as though somehow I am not being responsible with my money or whatever. But if I can afford them and I’m not hurting myself in any other way what’s the harm?

At one point I had so many guitars that when someone asked me how many I had I really had no idea (the answer was 17). That’s when I realized I had a little bit of a accumulation problem and I had to reign in my spending. It wasn’t so much a matter that I needed instruments it was more a matter that I was looking for something to fill some void in my soul I think and I had to reckon with that .

So I think it’s nice to have just a few instruments but I think if you have the means for many and want to enjoy all of them, whether it is just by looking at them for their aesthetic beauty, as part of a collection, or for using him as functional instruments,I think that’s great too.

 

[Buster Brown]

Not to start a flame war here.
It's just about getting some opinions and thoughts.

I am blessed to have owned some of the best instruments, and I owned 15 basses at the same time at some point in my life.

Now I'm the lucky owner of a Sadowsky NYC Will Lee 4, a Sadowsky metro MV5, and a Fender Precision bass CS Pino Palladino, so 3 amazing instruments.

Except for a band where I'm really asked to bring the 5 string, most of the time I find myself Asking myself which bass to take, knowing that owning the gear I own , whatever bass I take will be ok ( unless they don't want the flatwounds vibe...)

But I remember when I only owned one bass ( those days are pre TB) and doing everything with that bass , finding ways to get the tone I want from one bass...

I often ask myself if I wouldn't be happier just owning one bass and just do everything I need with one, ok it's cool to have loads of instruments to choose from, but at the same time it's great not to have to think about anything and just grab what you got when you only have one bass, and just play the role of the bass player.

I say to myself that owning a great 5 string is all a bass player would need ( of course it's not a 4 and somebody could tell me what about the flatwound tone etc...)

I'm a pro bass player, I earn my income playing bass, and of course a pro needs some tools, but sometime, just a great sounding bass is enough, for example, I always have compliments about my tone when I bring one of my Sadowsky basses, or people love the "velvet" tone of my pbass, so whatever bass I bring, I always have a good tone.

It's just that sometime, I miss those days where it was simpler, just owning a bass and doing everything with it.

If you guys only had to own one bass, would you get a passive bass, active bass? 4 or 5 string? Jbass or Pbass oriented ( or maybe something else like a Musicman or whatever?)

for the ones that went back to owning one bass, are you happier?

It's funny when you think about it...I mean, I started out in the 60s with one Rickenbacker. Played it for several years then began switching up - I'd see a guy playin g "brand X" or whatever, liked the tone so I would save up and buy one. Took me (idiot) to fin ally come to the realization that it was more the player than the played...

Grabbed a Ovation Magnum 3 - for about 3 years, it was my only bass. Played like a dream. But alas...things change. Played a couple of Daions for the next three or four years - loved them as well...then back to Rickenbacker and Fender. Then the damned "collecting" bug hit. Hell, at one time I had 4 Rickenbacker and 7 Fenders....today? I have one Rickenbacker, 3 Fenders and one Lakland.

I swear, I'm not getting any more................

 

[selowitch]

I was a one-bass-at-a-time guy for about thirty years and it was only in the last four or give years that I made acquiring more basses a priority. I now own about seven with two on their way to being sold. Sometimes I get annoyed with maintaining and storing them all (and their cases) along with the guitars I own, but basically I’m happy. Two Fenders, four Ernie Ball Music Man, one Traveler. One of the Fenders is a fiver. Life is good.

 

[pablohonig]

I sought out this (zombie) post as I was starting to fill out an order form and send a deposit for a second custom bass....

I resonate with the Aldi approach to life. That isn't for everyone, but the psychology holds true for me. Being around TB, especially those with a "collector" mentality and the disposable income or woodworking / building skills to satisfy their desires, creates a constant dissonance that makes me feel that I need additional basses to achieve "x" sound goal or "y" aesthetic. Then I pick up my incredible custom instrument and realize that I can leverage the versatile EQ, a modest pedal board, string changes, and most critically, technique, to achieve most sounds I could need.

It is worth noting, that I play entirely for hobby, and mostly at home at the moment. Even if I were playing with a small group, I just don't see the need until there are steady gigs and a backup becomes a necessity to ensure my reliability and integrity as a professional musician.

YMMV

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Lately I've felt a little guilty for owning 10 basses. I really like most of them a whole lot. A few of them are one trick ponies, but the trick is so good I won't sell them.
It's a quiver. Each axe in the quiver has a different purpose.
I was playing my fretless 5 Precision today and it's one trick is with the tone rolled all the way off. It's a good trick. Sometimes a bass only needs one dynamite sound to justify its existence.
Therefore I need all 10.

 

[selowitch]

As a gigging semi-pro (semi-amateur?) bassist, I only really need two basses (a five-string and a four-string) but the other four I own give me pleasure so it ends up being a small investment in my happiness. My music expenditures are all budgeted and paid for (no revolving credit) so I don’t feel over-extended.

 

[Aussie Player]

I had 1 bass for most of my first decade playing until it got stolen. It was emotionally earth shattering because it was MY bass. Gibson EB3 SN# 909720, 1968 model, Walnut finish. Gone but never forgotten.

Since then I never had less than 2 but the number has increased to over a dozen now. Have a 1965 now to replace the above but it never really does.

The other point is, that when you lose your one and only, you are musically destitute. I had to rent basses while I looked for a replacement and tried a lot of instruments which I hated. Ergonomics, punch and note clarity could never be matched until I found Alembic. Not the same, different, but in a good way. Had 4 since.

Have over a dozen now so a harem is better than a monogamy as it makes it easier to fill the gap created by a loss.