Do you buy duplicates of things?

[Rich67]

I do for stuff that I get into long after it's stopped being made. ie - Fender TBP 1 (2). GK 800RB (2). More for parts if/salvage if one conks out. Naturally, neither of these 2 things have (or ever will) stop working.

 

[pjbassist]

This is my entire stable of Warmoth basses. All similar, but different in some way. I have multiple backups of amp and cabs...I even just picked up a 2nd Genz Benz Uber 4x10, partially as a backup, and partially for a "Festival Rig" as if I'm going to play Glastonbury any day now...Haha!

Clothing, shoes and sunglasses seem to be the other items that I feel the need to have duplicates of, for the reasons others have listed. What a great thread OP, I am relieved that I am not alone!

 

[Aussie Player]

No, Used to, but now I want some versatility or difference in the next item. All my basses are different.

 

[funkinbottom]

Not buy, but build....

 

[Smooth_bass88]

yup, two P basses. One with rounds, tuned down a half step. The other in standard tuning with black nylon tapewounds.

 

[Hounddog409]

I have a MIJ Fender Sting Precision bass that I absolutely adore, perhaps even more than vintage Jazz and P basses that I own that are much more valuable. I just put TI flats on it and it's a match made in heaven. Now I'm thinking I grab another "just in case something happens" to the first one. I do this sometimes with other things, usually clothes. Though I used to do it with hard-to-find vinyl records as well. It's some part pragmatism and some part pathology. To date, I have never lost a bass guitar, or had it stolen or destroyed in a fire. The chances of anything "happening" to my beloved bass are next to zero. And yet the voice in my head says "yeah but if anything did happen, it would be hard to track down another." Also, I'm generally not someone with a GAS problem, as far as I can tell. I'm not into collecting instruments or gear. My main instrument these days is acoustic bass and I'd never dream of having an identical backup. No room and I don't have several thousand extra dollars lying around. Do others suffer from this delusion that we need a backup in case lightning strikes?

Why? There is nothing on that bass that can't be fixed.....

 

[GretschWretch]

See rule #6


Mike's Music Gear Rules

1. No white elephants
2. When something isn't working, don't double-down; move on
3. Have an exit strategy
4. Don't buy an expensive cover until you need to actually move it
5. Restlessness is usually a false trigger
6. You don't need a backup/spare anything
7. Don't buy something because you might need it in the future
8. A good deal on something that won't stick is a bad deal

Where were these rules fifteen years ago?

 

[SBassman]

I see two topics here. One - the backups topic, and two, the inclination to have two of the same thing.

As far as having a backup bass, there has been tons of talk on this over the years, and for me, the Only way is to have backups of all critical gear at gigs.

Then there's the inclination. I will admit that I have some bouts with this disease. When I really bond with a bass, I have been known to buy a second. Then I may do slightly different things to each bass - different strings or slightly different setup. Right now, I am in the middle of the disease with a pair of Mini P basses.

I have lots of fun having two, and switching between them. I am fortunate that my wife actually gets this and does not frown on my disease.

 

[smogg]

I have only done it with my #1. I bought the Pharaoh Gold G&L L-1000 and it quickly became my #1. I loved everything about it. But then when I went to my backup, a '62 Fender Jazz, it was always different and I wanted to have a backup on stage that played and sounded the same as my #1 (plus I don't like to leave the aforementioned Jazz just sitting around clubs), so I ordered the Blueburst G&L. It's a little different because of the swamp ash body (the gold one is basswood) and the maple fretboard, but in general, when I pick up #1 and I pick up #2 I am getting the same feel and sound with both.
View attachment 4276426

I have a pair of non identical twins as well. The black teal has been my number one for 20 years. The tobacco sunburst is a fairly recent acquisition.

 

[Shepsdad]

I have two identical Harley Benton swamp ash tele clones, don't know why, but I love them both.

I have 2 copies of the Rush "chronicles" album on CD.

I have 2 copies of Pink Floyd "animals" on vinyl.

I have 3 28 oz framing hammers.

 

[Corigan]

I have two pairs of underwear!

All jokes aside, I dont have any duplicate basses. I have a fretted mim j bass, and want to add a fretless j bass to the collection, but that technically wouldn't be a dupe. I also want to add a multiscale,but don't have one of those either.

 

[OregonJim]

What I *really* need is a backup body. This one's falling apart...

 

[elgranluis]

No, I cant quite understand when someone has 5 Fender MIM P basses. Maybe a different color for for the shirt they are wearing?

you are right. I choose the bass I play based on what I'm wearing. I can pretty much make any bass sound like any other one. For reference , most of the current stable is a mix of ric, Gibson, fender, hagstrom, most are pre 1970.

 

[tylerwylie]

I have a couple similar basses, with completely different strings or number of strings but no duplicates. On the bass end the closest would be the GWB205 / GWB1005 Rosewood / GWB1005 Ebony. Otherwise, duplicate DI boxes are nice - so I have 2 Neve RNDIs. Oh, duplicate cabs too.

 

[logdrum]

No - when I lived worked in San Diego, I bought an upright so I do not have to move my original one in NM which had lived in the dry desert for a long time. Now I have two uprights but tune the other one in 5ths.

 

[John Webb]

.... patch cords......patch cords.....patch cords......

 

[amper]

If I could afford to, I'd definitely buy identical backups of everything. If I were a touring musician, I couldn't afford not to.

But the truth is, in 20 years of rehearsing, gigging, and recording with my old band, I never once had a major equipment failure, and the worst thing I ever had stolen was a Shure Beta 57A microphone, and my little ditty bag that had my instrument tools and Boss TU-12P tuner in it.

I used to bring backup instruments and backup amps, but I stopped, because I never needed them. The one failure I can remember was a spurious fuse blowing, but I had extra fuses, so that didn't even cause a hiccup, since it happened during stage setup, before sound check.

 

[One_Dude]

I have a lot of basses, but I don't have real "duplicates". For instance, I have a MIM Fender P bass, a G&L SB-1 (which is really G&L's version of a P), an Ibanez lawsuit P, a Squire P, and a Peavey Milestone P. The same is true of J basses; different brands of the same style. Add to that basses that are individuals; Gibson Ripper and Grabber, Epiphone EBO and EB1 fretless, and Peavey T-40. So you get the picture, no "really exact" duplicates, but rather, variations on a theme.

I don't usually take a backup bass to gigs, as I have not had a failure that I could not work around. However I did learn my lesson about needing a backup when I took a new bass to a play date and it sounded terrible. It sounded good at home, and good at rehearsal, but bad at the venue in the live mix. No amount of EQ'ing worked to make it sound better. Maybe that bass and that venue just didn't work. So I won't do that again with a new-to-me bass.

With regard to duplicates in clothing or tools, I plead guilty there. I like doubles of hand tools; some are kept in my barn, some in my garage, and some in the house. That way I don't have to go searching for a tool when I need it. I should state that most of my tool doubles I buy used when I see them at yard sales or flea markets. With clothing I will buy doubles of things I like, since the style and fabrics I want seem to be getting harder to find.

Thump on,

One_Dude

 

[Dragan]

If money ain't object, hell, yeah!

 

[Naviiin]

Nah, I'm on a budget and want to diversify. My main is a P and I would love to add something that brings a different flavor, like a semi-hollow or a bass with old school humbuckers. I think another P would just overlap.