I don't need more than 1 five string bass. I could get by with that. This time last year I had 1 electric bass. Fast forward 12 months...I don't want to talk about it...
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Do you ever actually NEED more than one bass?
- Thread starter Newer Dave
- Start date
EDIT: I can understand if you're creating very different sounds, like an electric bass with brass wounds and an acoustic with nylon flatwounds, but in the ordinary course of rock 'n' roll......
I could get by on three, possibly two, but I don't have to, thank God.
I used to think I only needed 1 bass back when I couldn’t afford more than 1. Now that I can afford more, I don’t feel that way. I like having other basses.
Yes. At one point I was in three different bands, playing 3 wildly different kinds of music in 3 different tunings. It would have been impossible to do all that with only one instrument.
Did John Entwistle ever actually need all 100 ( or whatever the final count was) basses?
Everything gets sold at some point, either by you or by your survivors. Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick has one of the most extensive guitar collections, that’s actually how he got into the music biz. He’s sell off his collection em masse.
Everything gets sold at some point, either by you or by your survivors. Rick Nielson of Cheap Trick has one of the most extensive guitar collections, that’s actually how he got into the music biz. He’s sell off his collection em masse.
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Yeah. But at the end of the day he was a collector more than a bass player so he doesn't count. I'm talking about your actual basserists rather than dilettantes and talented amateurs.
Entwistle not a bass player?? In most people’s book, he’s in the top 10
This thread will soon be locked. The future success of the musical instrument manufacturing industry and even this website are all based on people drinking the koolaid, buying into the premise that their best bass is ‘the next one’. 
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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If you're playing in a cover band that plays rock music, no you do not need more than one bass.
This thread will soon be locked. The future success of the musical instrument manufacturing industry and even this website are all based on people drinking the koolaid, buying into the premise that their best bass is ‘the next one’.
On the evidence of this thread, there is no sign of a koolaid shortage. I think manufacturers will be safe.
It's kind of funny when bass players get really precious about a particular sound. I know there are some bands / songs / bassists that have distinctive sounds but you can approximate most of those with most equipment - certainly good enough (as they say) for rock and roll. For everything else it hardly matters. You could leave your amp set flat and do all the tweaking you needed on the guitar and the only thing that would trouble your crowd is if you stopped playing. Otherwise they wouldn't even notice you were there.
I know it's a little late in this thread's life but I would enjoy the addition of a "How many basses do you need?" poll very much. I'd say please if I thought it'd help.precious
I think if you’re playing paying gigs it’s definitely nice to have a backup bass even if it’s a beater you pick up used. If for nothing else so that you don’t let your bandmates down. I like to have a backup especially for bigger gigs because over the years I’ve had a few problems, mainly output jacks going bad. I do try to be prepared though and always have a spare battery, little toolkit, and a extra set of strings even though I haven’t broken a bass string since the 90s.
EDIT: I can understand if you're creating very different sounds, like an electric bass with brass wounds and an acoustic with nylon flatwounds, but in the ordinary course of rock 'n' roll......
Right now I just own a dingwall 5 string and a fender acoustic 4 string. I’m looking for another 5. But my bands in preproduction mode right now getting ready to record again so I’m not in a rush. I recently quit smoking cigarettes and that’s allowed me to put an extra $200 a month into the gear fund so I’ll likely end up getting something really nice instead of the cheap beater basses I’ve used for backups over the last few years.
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Agreed. If you're a working / gigging musician it makes sense to have a backup. It would be daft not to, even if you only need it a few times in your career. It's a relatively low outlay for a lot of security and if it saves two gigs then it's probably paid for itself.
