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basses (and guitars) - how many is too many?
- Thread starter pcake
- Start date
13 basses, 8 trumpets (a few just ornamental and one awaiting valve job), 2 flugelhorns, 6 cornets (most just ornamental) various hand and mallet percussion including slit drums in wood and metal, ocarinas, bell collection, wooden flutes, recorders and penny whistles. If I didn't have the space there would be less basses for sure. A talking drum on the end table really pulls a room together.
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The correct answer, as always, is 42.
Counting all stringed instruments, elec., ac. bass, guitar, mando, mini's, EUB, fretless, variable numbers of strings (2 to 8 on basses; 6-12 on guitars), I exceed that amount.
But look, I like P's and J's and P/J's, I like solid body and thinline and hollowbodys, acoustic and electric, shortscale and regular scale and fretless and fretted and even 1/2 fretless and multistrings and bass round, 1/2 and flats and coated and even rubber strings, Bigsbys and Floyd Roses, ... I have no doubles except I do have a few Teles (my fave electric guitar) of different manufacture as well as thinline and not, as well as Jazz basses and P/J's, active and not, acoustic and A/E and electric, I do have multiple standar-size acoustics of different manufacture, ... and I do have two L1000's (my fave bass). And I do have a koto.
Counting all stringed instruments, elec., ac. bass, guitar, mando, mini's, EUB, fretless, variable numbers of strings (2 to 8 on basses; 6-12 on guitars), I exceed that amount.
But look, I like P's and J's and P/J's, I like solid body and thinline and hollowbodys, acoustic and electric, shortscale and regular scale and fretless and fretted and even 1/2 fretless and multistrings and bass round, 1/2 and flats and coated and even rubber strings, Bigsbys and Floyd Roses, ... I have no doubles except I do have a few Teles (my fave electric guitar) of different manufacture as well as thinline and not, as well as Jazz basses and P/J's, active and not, acoustic and A/E and electric, I do have multiple standar-size acoustics of different manufacture, ... and I do have two L1000's (my fave bass). And I do have a koto.
I do my best to play the 7 that I have in the house. I keep 2 in the double gig bag. But because of limited time, I only really play the upright and the hybrid bass+guitar almost daily.
5 saxophones (alto, 2 tenor, baritone, soprano)- 4 get used all the time in gigs. The home bound is now an expensive Selmer SBA tenor (1953) -- I do play it at home and gig with the Yamaha. I practice with the baritone mostly because doing that keeps my chops and lungs set for the other 3 - whch get action when playing out.
I do not have a regular strat anymore since I converted mine into a baritone. I have not played my tele for more than a year and my Godin ES-335 style get's played every 1-2 month. I sketch out ideas with my nylon and use it for the occasional singing and chanting.
5 saxophones (alto, 2 tenor, baritone, soprano)- 4 get used all the time in gigs. The home bound is now an expensive Selmer SBA tenor (1953) -- I do play it at home and gig with the Yamaha. I practice with the baritone mostly because doing that keeps my chops and lungs set for the other 3 - whch get action when playing out.
I do not have a regular strat anymore since I converted mine into a baritone. I have not played my tele for more than a year and my Godin ES-335 style get's played every 1-2 month. I sketch out ideas with my nylon and use it for the occasional singing and chanting.
As others have said, if someone is happy with 20, 500, just one bass that is all good for them, as long as they are not financially hurting themselves dangerously, storing basses/guitars that hurt others (Like replacing using a whole room just for basses' instead of their kid for example) and other things along those lines.
I have two basses but I think my max would be 5 to 7. I do always dream about owning this bass and thing but I am the type who thinks if it is for one thing or doesn't serve me for many projects, I rather it be in the hands of someone using it no matter who they are. I also do photography, fishing, digital and film, lots more of stuff and fashion so I have a lot clothes and now you can argue I have too much of that LOL.
It's a case by case and opinion by opinion thing to me personally, it can be applied to many other hobbies as well.
I have two basses but I think my max would be 5 to 7. I do always dream about owning this bass and thing but I am the type who thinks if it is for one thing or doesn't serve me for many projects, I rather it be in the hands of someone using it no matter who they are. I also do photography, fishing, digital and film, lots more of stuff and fashion so I have a lot clothes and now you can argue I have too much of that LOL.
It's a case by case and opinion by opinion thing to me personally, it can be applied to many other hobbies as well.
Too much is probably when you start to double up, i.e. more than one PBass, more than one JBass
I'm at 11.
3 jazz with different strings and set ups.
1 split coil p
1 single coil p
1 humbucker
1 acoustic
1 upright
1 semi hollow body
1 6 string guitar
1 fretless j
Seems reasonable. I play them all. They all feel different and inspire me in different ways.
My wife is an enabler. She surprised me with a few of them as gifts.
Generally, I store them in their cases in a closet. I leave 3 out at a time to play and I cycle through them.
Honestly, there is only one that I ever play out with and it's always by the door in its gig bag. If I had to, I could narrow it down to that one bass (94 MIM J).
3 jazz with different strings and set ups.
1 split coil p
1 single coil p
1 humbucker
1 acoustic
1 upright
1 semi hollow body
1 6 string guitar
1 fretless j
Seems reasonable. I play them all. They all feel different and inspire me in different ways.
My wife is an enabler. She surprised me with a few of them as gifts.
Generally, I store them in their cases in a closet. I leave 3 out at a time to play and I cycle through them.
Honestly, there is only one that I ever play out with and it's always by the door in its gig bag. If I had to, I could narrow it down to that one bass (94 MIM J).
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
My guide line is zero more than you need to make your art. The most basses I've ever had at one time is two, and we're going back 50 some years here. For the past 27 years only one, until I added a 5 string in 2015.
For me, art is not found in a bass. The art comes from what I bring out of the instrument.
That said I see no problem with collections of any sort. It's normal to want to be surrounded by what brings you joy.
Where it goes off the rails is when people start accumulating collectionS that interfere exercising sound financial judgement. Instead, investing in things like their 401k, investing in "Pet Rocks" ( 70's craze. Must have been the drugs), fiesta wear, depression glass and such thinking they are going to make money on resale in the future. I had a client that collected railroad spikes and glass telegraph wire insulators and was
wondering how he was going to retire.
Gotta disagree, altho' I admit recording and production activities expand my "needs". Not much of a Jazz player me, but my 40th Anniv. is different than the Toby V than the Thomann Jazz (all my Jazz are inexpensive), the P/J's are certainly more different - I even have one where the Jazz pup is active and the P pup not (a JP90).
And nothing else sounds like a Jazz or a P except P/J's, and L1000's, and they do both and more. As does the T-40. And I have a cuppla different basses (Tremor, Mercalli and Ray, etc.) with Musicman-type pups.
I remember that as a very small child I would feel sorry for my clothes if I threw them on the floor and left them there. And even now, I regret that I don't have time to give all of my basses a fair share of my attention. So, I'm feelin' like I have too many. That's too many, for me, I think.
No matter how many you have, that number will always be closer to zero than infinity. So.....
One is all right, two is too many, and three is not enough. No, wait... that's martinis.
I like having three, It's a magic number.
Seriously though, I feel really good having three. I can live with one, but three is just perfect.
Seriously though, I feel really good having three. I can live with one, but three is just perfect.
