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basses (and guitars) - how many is too many?

pcake

pcake

Sep 20, 2011
10,169
31,502
Los Angeleez
#1
this question has been asked a lot around here, but for me, i finally have an answer.

we have two 7-instrument hercules racks full of mostly basses and some guitars and a guitar on a stand. we have 9 instruments in wall hangers, and ariex has a couple guitars in cases under the bed while i have 2 in my closet. since we live in a 900 square foot condo with fitness equipment, amps and my husband's guitar workshop area, we don't realistically have space for more - something would have to move to a small dark area for us to be able to house any more basses and guitars...

so for us, the answer is it's too many when you literally can't fit any more :D
 
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#3
The guitarist that I write with has one acoustic, albeit a very nice one and a cheap Washburn electric I bought her to see if she likes electrics (she doesn't). Because of this she hassles me about my huge horde and oft asks me the same question. For what we do, and can see us doing, I think, 2 6s tuned differently (B-C and E-E) with the other SR206 as backup, 2 EGs (SC and HB), a baritone and a 6 and 12 acoustic. That's 8, somewhat less than the 30+ I have.
That said, she loves the look of the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I have and saw a [This invalid link has been removed] she said would look pretty together on stage, so I should get it (~$1500).
 
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#5
Well, you need fretted, fretless, flats, rounds, tapes. Ps, Js, HBs. That doesn’t even get into number of strings or alternate tunings.

I am the only musician in the house and basses plus guitars plus ukes is in the low 20s with 3 in the build queue with Cliff bordwell. I only want a few more than that.
 
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#7
i'm having a barely suitable time keeping up with 6 axes. it requires some work (compared to having one) and sometimes i get a little behind in the maintenance. :D yet i'm getting ready to bring in a 7th....scary! :wideyed: and i have the pleasure of playing my 'creations', mods and parts axes. i really like being able to pick up different axes, each with a slightly different feel, and enjoy both the differences and the similarities.

i've only had this experience in retirement. it's fun. it's indulgent. and of course, it's really, really fun.

:laugh: :bassist:
 
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#8
The correct amount of basses is b+1 where b equals the number of basses you currently have.

There are only too many when you decide there are.

I had over 20 at one point. I got down to 2. Then I got down to 1 plus one in “storage” with a friend while I was traveling. Now I’m up to around 12 or 15 with several of them in various stages of project completion.
 
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#9
I assemble basses to satisfy any concept urge but spread the projects out about twice in a year. The inspiration and the "doing" is a great thing for me. The result (10+ basses) is not what I need but I still have storage space. It's an emotional thing that still has no solution, so maybe it should not be a worry!
 
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#10
I've got 9 and I admit that that's a bit much.

That being said, when I bought my most recent acquisition, I agreed that I'd sell two of them to recover the cost of that new one. So, when I do that, I"ll be back down to seven. Even that's still a bit much, but I do play them all regularly and have giged all but the U-Bass.

Since I agreed to reduce my collection back down to seven, I'll say my answer is seven. :D
 
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#11
I have 9. I was down to 3 for a long time after I stopped gigging back in 2010. During the pandemic I got the bright idea to take on a project, and then another, and then another. I'm still not actively gigging but at least I am now jamming with friends once or twice a month for fun instead of playing 9 basses in my home office with headphones on. So it's all justifiable. That's what I tell my wife, anyway.
 
#12
pcake said:
this question has been asked a lot around here, but for me, i finally have an answer.

we have two 7-instrument hercules racks full of mostly basses and some guitars and a guitar on a stand. we have 9 instruments in wall hangers, and ariex has a couple guitars in cases under the bed while i have 2 in my closet. since we live in a 900 square foot condo with fitness equipment, amps and my husband's guitar workshop area, we don't realistically have space for more - something would have to move to a small dark area for us to be able to house any more basses and guitars...

so for us, the answer is it's too many when you literally can't fit any more :D
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're at least at Stage 3:
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/bass-hoarding-personality-disorder-bhpd-you-are-not-alone.1027851/
 
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#13
pcake said:
this question has been asked a lot around here, but for me, i finally have an answer.

we have two 7-instrument hercules racks full of mostly basses and some guitars and a guitar on a stand. we have 9 instruments in wall hangers, and ariex has a couple guitars in cases under the bed while i have 2 in my closet. since we live in a 900 square foot condo with fitness equipment, amps and my husband's guitar workshop area, we don't realistically have space for more - something would have to move to a small dark area for us to be able to house any more basses and guitars...

so for us, the answer is it's too many when you literally can't fit any more :D
Click to expand...

I have four small wardrobes in my man cave of two different depths. If my man cave had been 7 feet across rather than six, they'd all be the deeper depth. They are on top of shelves. There is also a full height built-in cupboard. They are all Eames with instruments, amps, cables, cases, etc. And there are still two electronic drum kits in the attic. I'm full bar maybe space for one instrument.
 
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#14
Snert said:
The guitarist that I write with has one acoustic, albeit a very nice one and a cheap Washburn electric I bought her to see if she likes electrics (she doesn't). Because of this she hassles me about my huge horde and oft asks me the same question. For what we do, and can see us doing, I think, 2 6s tuned differently (B-C and E-E) with the other SR206 as backup, 2 EGs (SC and HB), a baritone and a 6 and 12 acoustic. That's 8, somewhat less than the 30+ I have.
That said, she loves the look of the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] I have and saw a [This invalid link has been removed] she said would look pretty together on stage, so I should get it (~$1500).
Click to expand...

I play bass but I still seem to have a six and twelve string acoustic for each of standard and DADGAD tunings :)
 
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#18
albert prove.jpeg
 
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#19
I don’t know how many basses I own right now: 9 or 10. Maybe 11 (if you count the permanent loaner from my brother). Two I want to sell but haven’t listed them.

I found 14 was too many for me. YMMV.

I have 6 guitars - 3 acoustic (2 loaned out), 2 electric (selling one) & 1 Classical (a beater for fun when outdoors).
 
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