To the extent that I even play anymore, this one (it's a 77 or 78) always feels like home.
We will part only under the most dire of circumstances:
We will part only under the most dire of circumstances:
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Do you have the one that could be, your ONLY one?
- Thread starter pbass2
- Start date
I have three that could be the one,
a 2004 Lakland JO,
a 1966 Jazz neck on a 70 P body and
a 1972 Jazz neck on a 2001 P body.
The last one look familiar mr dalkowski?
My semi-hollow Wilkins PJ5 with an ancient wood neck. The only problem is that I always want one bass with flats and one with rounds, so I must have 2. Luckily, I have another Wilkins Roasted PJ5 for that exact purpose. I neither need nor want others.
If I had to pick, it would be my American Performer P-Bass in Satin Lake Placid Blue, not only because it plays great, but because it sounds great, too. It has that crisp and clean high end without being to muddy on the bottom. I own a few P-Basses and it's the only one that sounds like that. It sounds kind of like Steve Harris' sound.
Agreed, and out of my herd, I could get by with my M-2500 which covers everything beautifully (or brutally
). But for an only bass, I'd want a passive mode so an L-2500 might be better, and I regularly suffer bouts of L-2500 GAS.
I'm thankful to be able to post to this thread.
Back about 4 years ago, I bought my "dream bass". A high mileage Fender 1953 Precision Bass. With a bass collection of over 20, the '53 could be my ONLY one.
But, I have to be honest with myself and the bass that I play the best or easiest is a 1986 Carvin LB90. And, it sounds excellent also. So, it could be my ONLY bass too.
My basses are like "children" and I hate to have favorites.
Back about 4 years ago, I bought my "dream bass". A high mileage Fender 1953 Precision Bass. With a bass collection of over 20, the '53 could be my ONLY one.
But, I have to be honest with myself and the bass that I play the best or easiest is a 1986 Carvin LB90. And, it sounds excellent also. So, it could be my ONLY bass too.
My basses are like "children" and I hate to have favorites.
Never had one, never will. Why would I want to get stuck with one axe from now on ?
It would have to be one of these two. The '92 P-Bass Plus was my only bass for years and years, and it did the job wonderfully - gigs, recording, whatever. But I've really come to love the Yamaha TRB, which I upgraded the pickups to Nordstrand Zen Blades - it's ridiculously versatile- active, passive, series, parallel, etc. I really have the best of both worlds.
I could say my Elrick, but I like having a bass with rounds and one with flats.
Plus leaving my Squire P5 in my car in New England doesn't make me worry.
Plus leaving my Squire P5 in my car in New England doesn't make me worry.
Sure, but having only one bass goes against everything being a bassist is all about.
Tough call. If I had to sell all of my basses, though, I suspect my Kania would be the last to go:
I've bought four basses in my career that do not qualify.
-My first bass, because it was only for trying out the ways of the musician and was meant to be replaced if bass stuck to me.
-A fretless bass, because I wanted to try fretless. It's been a keeper for sure, but I'm a fretted player at heart, so this could never be The One.
-A cheap Steinberger copy that is my dedicated backup bass. It leaves the gigbag about twice a year to check if everything is still in order.
-A U-Bass (if they count). That one's for fun and maybe for busking.
Every other bass I ever owned has had the potential of being The One.
My gallery wall has three hooks. I currently dangle a 4 string, a 5 string and a 6 string there, and I could get by with playing only one of them for the rest of my career.
However, I feel like I owe it to my bandmates, the audience and the people who pay money so I play to own at least two instruments of solid quality that are good enough not to bottleneck my abilities.
I've gotten by with one bass for more than a decade, but that one gathered hackjob fixes - repairing it with whatever material was available because there's a gig tonight and I don't have another bass. Not being able to hand it in to a luthier to get it properly fixed because I need to play it three times a week ... this was kinda fun while it lasted, but I'd much rather not go back there and have another bass at home that I can use if my main player needs to visit the hospital.
-My first bass, because it was only for trying out the ways of the musician and was meant to be replaced if bass stuck to me.
-A fretless bass, because I wanted to try fretless. It's been a keeper for sure, but I'm a fretted player at heart, so this could never be The One.
-A cheap Steinberger copy that is my dedicated backup bass. It leaves the gigbag about twice a year to check if everything is still in order.
-A U-Bass (if they count). That one's for fun and maybe for busking.
Every other bass I ever owned has had the potential of being The One.
My gallery wall has three hooks. I currently dangle a 4 string, a 5 string and a 6 string there, and I could get by with playing only one of them for the rest of my career.
However, I feel like I owe it to my bandmates, the audience and the people who pay money so I play to own at least two instruments of solid quality that are good enough not to bottleneck my abilities.
I've gotten by with one bass for more than a decade, but that one gathered hackjob fixes - repairing it with whatever material was available because there's a gig tonight and I don't have another bass. Not being able to hand it in to a luthier to get it properly fixed because I need to play it three times a week ... this was kinda fun while it lasted, but I'd much rather not go back there and have another bass at home that I can use if my main player needs to visit the hospital.
This is a multi-dimensional question so I have to answer it thusly.
The single bass that could do anything I'd ever need it to do ever, would be my Skjold 6-string:
The single bass that is the closest incarnation of my own idea of what a bass should be and sound like would be my Skjold 5-string:
But I also have two basses either of which could probably cover any conceivable gig I might get, regardless of style, regardless of musical situation - my Valenti J5 and my Fender P.
The single bass that could do anything I'd ever need it to do ever, would be my Skjold 6-string:
The single bass that is the closest incarnation of my own idea of what a bass should be and sound like would be my Skjold 5-string:
But I also have two basses either of which could probably cover any conceivable gig I might get, regardless of style, regardless of musical situation - my Valenti J5 and my Fender P.
I have been fortunate to acquire 8 pretty special-to-me bass guitars through my 5 decades of playing. My wife has been pretty darn tolerant of my "hoarding." They run the gamut from parts basses worth less than the sum of their parts to fabulous works of luthiers, such as Sadowsky, Tobias (MTD), and Alembic. Despite every one of those being serious players, this is the bass I tend to take these days.
Here are the reasons:
1) It's a Fender. Yeah, not the "fanboi" thing; it's just that I've been in and out of auditions a LOT. Fender on the headstock helps. Also, I tend to play covers; and the vast majority of hit tunes were recorded with some type of Fender bass. This particular Fender bass is able to cop 95% of the P and J tones I need to cover.
2) It's a 5 string. Don't get me wrong, I will take one of my 4 strings any time I get a chance. It's just that the vocalists I'm backing tend to transpose the tunes into all kinds of different keys; and the 5 just makes the transpositions a lot easier on the brain.
3) This is a parts bass, which just happened to come together in an amazing way. Divine providence I suppose. In a sense, this bass actually kind of found me. By far and away, the most Jazz Bass 5 string I have ever played; and I've gigged a bunch of the candidates. I had it at an audition about a month back, at which there were two other bass players, who both absolutely gushed over it. "Easy to play;" Very even like my 4;" etc etc.
Oh yeah, 9 pounds 4 oz. Just a tad beefy, but not too much.
Yup. I got very lucky with this one. Nothing else like it that I've found.
Here are the reasons:
1) It's a Fender. Yeah, not the "fanboi" thing; it's just that I've been in and out of auditions a LOT. Fender on the headstock helps. Also, I tend to play covers; and the vast majority of hit tunes were recorded with some type of Fender bass. This particular Fender bass is able to cop 95% of the P and J tones I need to cover.
2) It's a 5 string. Don't get me wrong, I will take one of my 4 strings any time I get a chance. It's just that the vocalists I'm backing tend to transpose the tunes into all kinds of different keys; and the 5 just makes the transpositions a lot easier on the brain.
3) This is a parts bass, which just happened to come together in an amazing way. Divine providence I suppose. In a sense, this bass actually kind of found me. By far and away, the most Jazz Bass 5 string I have ever played; and I've gigged a bunch of the candidates. I had it at an audition about a month back, at which there were two other bass players, who both absolutely gushed over it. "Easy to play;" Very even like my 4;" etc etc.
Oh yeah, 9 pounds 4 oz. Just a tad beefy, but not too much.
Yup. I got very lucky with this one. Nothing else like it that I've found.
I have a relative boatload of basses that I've gleaned through selling twice as many. Each has traits that suit me well.
But if I HAD to take only one to a desert island, it would have to be my Warmoth Dinky P with Ebony neck. This bass looks, plays and sounds a complete package. It all came together to become my number one!
Leaving the other children would break my heart, so thankfully this kind of decision will never have to me made.
But if I HAD to take only one to a desert island, it would have to be my Warmoth Dinky P with Ebony neck. This bass looks, plays and sounds a complete package. It all came together to become my number one!
Leaving the other children would break my heart, so thankfully this kind of decision will never have to me made.
Oh man, its between my Fender P 57 japanese RI US and my Lakland Skyline JOsborn...
Its really though, but there is something about the Fender that just feels amazing, I think is the neck, the vintage radius, it just feels like home to me.
Its really though, but there is something about the Fender that just feels amazing, I think is the neck, the vintage radius, it just feels like home to me.
