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Do we really need more than 1 bass (why the GAS)?

#61
Need...Want...there is a big difference in the meaning of those words. Not many of us would need more than 1 bass....I know, there are exceptions....(me included)...but, want....well, there ya gotta go with the GAS....I want all kinds of basses....I have 12 right now...all 4 strings. I am eyeballing a few fivers right now. I find that I think I need a bass only to find out after I get it, that it really is not so important anymore. It's the "hunt" so to speak that turns me on.......wanting, is far more exciting than actually getting. The pictures are exciting, so now I collect pictures and dream of basses that I "want" and then go into my studio and look at the basses I have....and realize, I have all that I need. But that won't stop the wanting and in turn won't stop the spending. Wanting and Needing are so very subjective. So very seductive......so very expensive.
 
#64
MysticMichael said:
Nothing at all wrong with collecting. But at a certain point - and this is different for every individual - the emphasis really should begin to shift from accumulating tools...to developing and refining one's ability to be productive with the tools one already owns...

:hiding:

MM
Click to expand...

Point taken :) BUT, I don't quite agree... Having several "tools" rather than just one (or a few) has never reduced development, refinement nor productivity for me - on the contrary.

When I got my first P-bass just a few months ago, I was breathtaken - I never really liked P-basses, but I decided to give it a real chance, and it inspires me in totally different (not better!) ways than the J-basses I have always played.

The same goes for trying a new kind of neck profile, width, a different tone (and my current 2 Fender P's sound VERY different even though they are manufactured just one year apart), etc., etc...

In fact, I feel like I have developed both productivity and playing ability more over the past few months than I did the two months before I got hit by the GAS... :D

And just to make it clear, I do not consider myself a collector. I simply find it both interesting and rewarding (creatively) to be able to try out different kinds of basses - because I am a musician! If I don't like a bass, I simply sell it again (ususally for the same price as I paid).

PS. That's why I currently have like 5 basses for sale...
 
#66
Baryonyx said:
It's all just searching for what you like, trying out new basses until you find the ones you really like. For instance, after a bit of playing this year, I've decided fretted jazz basses are not for me.
Click to expand...


+1 Yes, I agree. The very reason that I got the GAS in the first place is probably because I started looking for another Celinder J-Update 5 as a back-up, and those were hard to find pre-owned.

Unlike you, I just happened to discover that I indeed am into fretted J-type basses :)

In fact, I have already found the bass I really like - Celinder J-Update 5, but this "shipping around" has also made me want to try other boutique J-basses such as Alleva-Coppolo...

And then I discovered the vintage ones that IMHO only has one flaw - they miss a B-string... :hmm:
 
#69
I NEED 4 basses (2 4 strings and 2 5 strings). I WANT many more and I currently OWN 14 basses.

I agree we are all nuts! I bet next to none of the old school bassists that were big in the 60's, 70's and 80's owned more than a few basses! There would be exceptions, but most bassists played the same 3 or 4 basses for years!

I make $100-150 a gig and I have 6 basses that are worth $1500-2000+. How mental is that!
 
#70
I've been leaning towards one really good bass. And a backup. I've had problems on a gig that a second bass mitigated. Think single coil vs. 'bucker.

But, I've also struggled with being able to play at my best on more than one bass. For me, the fine motor skills need significant practice effort to achieve, and when I move to a different bass it takes time to get it together.

I'm gearing up for a two bass solution. It might end up being two of the same thing! As I age (and advance) I really don't like change in how the instrument feels.
 
#71
For me, as sure for a lot of us here, it grew to a hobby and an interest in getting to know more about the instrument. I started playing the bass this spring, and now has the following axxes:

1 Ibanez Musician 4 string, 1979 setup as BEAD (flats)
1 Peavey Zephyre 5 string fretless, my first bass, (flats)
1 Carvin BB75 5 string, active, (half rounds)
1 EBMM Stingray 4 string ~1996 on incoming

Project Basses
1 Univox Hollowbody EB2 style shortscale, ~60-70's
1 Kingston Jazz style shortscale, , ~60-70's

Then I have an Aria TSB medium scale from ~80's that I will fix up and then sell to get some more cash for tools/another bass etc.

I long for a P-bass and for a MM Stingray fretless 4/5 string.

I really don't need these axxes, I don't even play in a band.. But I think this is a great hobby, both playing and learning about the instrument and how to fix them up...

D.Don
 
#72
I've only got 2 basses right now, but i've got a good reason for having more than one. The two are polar opposites in terms of sound, feel, style, etc. Of course, I've been GASsing like I just consumed all the food south of the border, so we'll see how long that lasts :atoz:
 
#73
I've got different basses for different things - and I have so much love for basses that it's too much for just one! :p

I like to have basses that are as different in all aspects as possible:

The '63 Precision for Motown and rock, the '69 Jazz for jazz and blues, the Fodera for modern jazz and slapping/tapping/technical fun stuff, the fretless Ritter for all my fretless needs, and soon the new Ritter Roya 5 will be here to cover my broad fretted 5-string needs (read: needs=luxury overflow of tonal range, etc).

At the moment, these basses more than cover my "needs", and it will be a while before they're paid out, so until then I have promised myself just to look - even though I'm as GAS-stricken as anyone! I guess I'm almost obsessed, because I start dreaming about Dingwall Super J's, silver sparkly Modulus Flea basses, more Ritters, custom orders CT's, etc etc... :p

But it will stay with the dreams this time 'round... although this place is not helping me! As many others, I also find my GAS to be disappearing when I'm not wading through posts here and I'm having fun playing out in the real world :)
It has been said before, but gigging IS the ultimate reducer of GAS - probably because it makes you see basses more as tools intead of pieces of art, or whatever it is that drives the GAS. Personally, I think what drives mine is the dream of having all kinds of different basses that I can pick up whenever I feel like it because it suits my exact mood at that moment. What a problem that I don't have this :D
 
#75
I have six, but only really need my three Warwick 5-strings. From the ultra-vintage sounding Flashback to the bright and present Thumb, and the F1 somewhere in the middle, I've got every tone I actually need. If I could trade my Stingray for a fretless Wick... well....
 
#76
Acquiring musical equipment and getting rid of it can both be satisfying. I find that periodically I feel a strong urge to buy--but it's not necessarily based on a specific musical need. Similarly, I periodically feel a strong urge to sell some musical possession---but again, it does not appear to be rationally driven.
 
#79
It's nice to collect. However, I think most people don't collect. They just run out and buy the next best/newest thing on the market. Lets face it, marketing strategies can and often do make people think that the good gear they already have is obsolete, not as good, and to some, useless. So they run out and get a new bass when they don't need to. Also and if you really think about it, owning many basses can be a status symbol. I know that no two basses (even the same model) are going to sound exactly the same, but IMO/IME not many basses sound that drastically different to warrant owning them all.

I agree with what was said about collecting. Its nice to collect, but there does come a point where you need to invest in refining and honing your skills more as a musician. If you are a mediocre player then that $6000 Fodera isn't going to sound as good as it could. Likewise if you're a very good player then that $700 Ibanez will sound pretty decent. If you collect and can refine your skills at the same time then great. But most of us cannot. So IMO/IME be happy with what you have and quit trying to keep up with the Jones's.
 
#80
It's nice to collect. However, I think most people don't collect. They just run out and buy the next best/newest thing on the market. Lets face it, marketing strategies can and often do make people think that the good gear they already have is obsolete, not as good, and to some, useless. So they run out and get a new bass when they don't need to. Also and if you really think about it, owning many basses can be a status symbol. I know that no two basses (even the same model) are going to sound exactly the same, but IMO/IME not many basses sound that drastically different to warrant owning them all.

I agree with what was said about collecting. Its nice to collect, but there does come a point where you need to invest in refining and honing your skills more as a musician. If you are a mediocre player then that $6000 Fodera isn't going to sound as good as it could. Likewise if you're a very good player then that $700 Ibanez will sound pretty decent. If you collect and can refine your skills at the same time then great. But most of us cannot. So IMO/IME be happy with what you have and quit trying to keep up with the Jones's. Unless of course you have real crap gear like a Hondo, Squire, Crate, etc.
 

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