Does your #1 in your collection suddenly get pushed back in preference?

[Yahboy]

Human taste and feel always change from aged to aged, I love and own superbike in past, now I think cafe racer suit me better.

 

[Yahboy]

Sometimes I like the simplicity of a P bass and other moments I'll reach for something way out there. It always seems to work out though, I've never had a bad night and no one has ever complained. Different basses do make me play differently though.

Or you just need 1 bass guitar with j neck pup, p middle pup and inner/outer coil dual J bridge pup , control those tone combination with switch change ?

 

[Watchootognbout]

There's a reason why I have these four.

Which ever one I pick up at the time is my #1
Until I look over an see the other #1
Then I pick up that one.
Until I look over an see the other #1
Then I pick up that one.
Until I look over an see the other #1
Then I pick up that one.
Until I look over an see the other #1
Then I pick up that one.................

 

[micguy]

I have a small herd - I built all of them. They all have the same neck profile, hardware, and the body shapes on all but 1 are identical. They differ in pickup configuration, strings, and for a couple of them, the eq I use on the pedalboard for them.

Each has it’s own vibe. I pick the bass I use for a gig based on the music, whol I’ll be playing with, and the place I’ll be playing. No number one really, just a few basses with the right amount of sonic diversity between them.

 

[JRA]

Does anyone else go through phases like this?

i voted "yes, and more in recent years!" (in past years i had fewer axes to "push back")

i've had more of those "phases" since i started playing my glarry-bassed parts-axes 3 years ago: that they're lightweight sure makes them fun, but the fact that they play so nicely makes them important for me. so my previous #1 (two octave, ibby-esque) is constantly being challenged by these bantam-weight FSO monsters.

challengers:

 

[taliesin]

No - when I got my Ken Lawrence over 20 years ago it immediately became my #1 and has never been seriously challenged since.

 

[Sam Dingle]

Life is too short to play gear you don’t like…within reason (like showing up to a country gig with a 7 string).

play the bass you currently like, change the strings as often as possible if you want and be happy on the gig. I’ve even brought two basses in case halfway through the gig I wanna play the other one.

**all this to be said if you’re doing it professionally as a side man you have to be true to the music

 

[ADHD librarian]

My 1980s Samick-made P bass copy was my number one for 30 years,
until I bought a second bass (a Kiloton Tribute)
which was my number one for six months
until I found a Mexican Jazz Deluxe in a pawn shop
which was my number one for about a year, until I moved to the desert & the frets all sprouted and the bridge pickup died
Then my kiloton was rediscovered and moved back to number one
until last week, when I finished refinishing the frets on the Jazz; added hipshot tuners & DiMarzio area J pickups

But my new G&L SB-2 (with ebony board) is due to arrive next week so the Jazz may not get a long run in the top spot this time...
at least, I hope the SB-2 kicks the jazz bass off the top spot; because, if it doesn't I've wasted a lot of $$

 

[lbbc]

My #1 gigging bass is a G&L Fallout Tribute...short scale. The only mods I did were to replace the tort pickguard with a white pearloid and changed the strings to GHS Brite Flats. It will always be #1 for gigging!

I have 2 medium scale basses, Alembic Persuader and Dave Pushic Custom that I play every day at home in my music room.

 

[Ric5]

I have 18 basses so there really is no clear number one

most are 5 string, I also have an 8 string and a 10 string, scales 30" 32" 33" and 34", one is fretless, about half are passive and the other half are active, many different body styles, some have 24 frets, some 20, and some 21, maple fretboards and rosewood fretboards, some have skinny necks and some have fat necks ... so to me they are all tools, I choose the toll that best fits the band or songs that I am playing, or sometimes I choose the bass with new strings and a fresh setup.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

For the longest time I would have considered my Yamaha TRBX605 my #1 bass that I'd grab on the way to a gig. The two other 5ers in my collection that competed for spots were an Ibanez BTB675m and a Fender MIM Jazz5 that has been heavily tricked out.

A few weeks back I switched strings on the TRBX and BTB, liking the BTB much better with the new strings and the TRBX605 the opposite because I hadn't used my preferred strings on that bass. But a few days ago I restrung the 605 with my favorite strings for that bass, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. Everything was back on the 605 as it was.

However, in the few weeks I'd been playing my BTB and having a great time playing it. Yeah, it's a little big all-round, but it sounded great and was easier to play than I remember, especially my right hand. I think I played 3 or 4 gigs with it, enjoying each one.

So today, with the new EBCF strings I grabbed the the Yamaha and went for a 2 hr gig at a farmers market. I have to say, even after it being my #1 for 2-3 years, I missed my BTB, which was for the same period my #3 of the fivers. in practice I'm also now preferring the Fender over the Yamaha, though the 9.5" radius feels way different on my right hand, but still it's pushed the Yamaha back in the pack in my mind. I'm debating whether to take the Ibanez or take the Fender just to see how I still feel about it?

Does anyone else go through phases like this?

My favorite bass is my purple PJ. Just because of how comfortable it is, and how effortless it is to play.

Sound wise, whatever works best is what gets played.

Best isn't really the right word though. There is no best, right, or wrong. It's music. A better way to say it would be, whatever gets me there easiest, gets played that day.

 

[Pyrat]

I used to have a devil of a time finding "MY" bass...and then, I bought a Gibson. #1 and #1+. Mystery solved~

 

[RogerTheAlien]

My number one was my Rick, for years, until I got the Sandberg, much more versatile instrument and a great feel but the rick will always have that soft spot.

 

[eddododo]

Besides making sure I have a the ‘right’ bass for a gig, I own multiple basses specifically in order to summon a muse.. as in I use them to break ruts and to let the individual bass’ voice dictate my approach.

most of my playing is improvised, even the more written stuff, so having access to a new ‘look’ is absolutely invaluable.

My Roscoe stays my number 1 in general, because of the feel and the depth of options, but there are absolutely spans of even weeks where it goes largely unused.

I think a lot of it just comes down to the sweet spots on each instrument.. the ‘kinds’ of things that resonate with it.. if an instrument is good, it will sound pretty good in many-if-not-all settings, so the limitations and strengths of an instrument can really steer the conversation musically, and remove some of the decision making in lieu of creative impetus

 

[MCS4]

Not really. I'll definitely go through (typically short) periods where my No. 1 isn't getting the most playing time for one reason or another, but still it is always the No. 1.

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

My #1 and #2 are very similar Muckelroy headless short scale 4's. They battle each other for top spot at times, as I go back and forth on which one's tone I prefer. But beyond those two, none of my other instruments are really in the running.

Reason is that the 2 mains are so much more specifically tailored to my preferences than the others in the collection. They're the lightest, the most economical, best balanced, best playing. They're headless, which I prefer. The weird body cutout at the bottom makes them not need stands, which seems like a minor point, but is actually a factor when I'm trying to reduce how much gear I need to carry and set up. They also have the best electronics and best shielding of all my instruments. So when push comes to shove, they always win. They're the safe bet.

Though at times I do toy with the idea of making something else from the collection a main. But whenever I start to go down that road, I realize why the Mucks have held top spot for so long. They just do the job and don't have any tragic flaws like "it's a great bass, but it kind of neck dives", or "I love how it looks, plays and sounds, but it's a bit heavy" for example.

 

[Scarysharkface]

For the longest time I would have considered my Yamaha TRBX605 my #1 bass that I'd grab on the way to a gig. The two other 5ers in my collection that competed for spots were an Ibanez BTB675m and a Fender MIM Jazz5 that has been heavily tricked out.

A few weeks back I switched strings on the TRBX and BTB, liking the BTB much better with the new strings and the TRBX605 the opposite because I hadn't used my preferred strings on that bass. But a few days ago I restrung the 605 with my favorite strings for that bass, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats. Everything was back on the 605 as it was.

However, in the few weeks I'd been playing my BTB and having a great time playing it. Yeah, it's a little big all-round, but it sounded great and was easier to play than I remember, especially my right hand. I think I played 3 or 4 gigs with it, enjoying each one.

So today, with the new EBCF strings I grabbed the the Yamaha and went for a 2 hr gig at a farmers market. I have to say, even after it being my #1 for 2-3 years, I missed my BTB, which was for the same period my #3 of the fivers. in practice I'm also now preferring the Fender over the Yamaha, though the 9.5" radius feels way different on my right hand, but still it's pushed the Yamaha back in the pack in my mind. I'm debating whether to take the Ibanez or take the Fender just to see how I still feel about it?

Does anyone else go through phases like this?

Each of my basses are different enough that I have no practical #1 bass. They are all nice and any one of them could be my desert island bass.

John

 

[vindibona1]

My "top basses" list gets reshuffled all the time, trigger could be a NBD or just cleaning up a corner of the house and coming across an old gem I haven't played in a while...

My basses are in constant rotation. Everyone gets a chance to boogie in the spotlight.

The rotation thing was something that was previously just a normal routine for me. I'd think that one bass (of my 5ers) didn't get gigged for awhile and would rotate just to see how they sounded on similar gigs. However that changed when I put Slinkys on my BTB675. I really liked the improved sound, and the feel on my right hand was greatly improved. I think it was adding the stiffness over the previous NYXL strings. So I've been gigging the BTB for the last month or so. Yesterday after changing strings on my Yamaha, back to my favorite strings for that bass, Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, I took it for a spin at the local farmers market. I was not happy playing it! I think my hands just got used to the BTB and began liking it as I never have before.

Tonight I think I'm going to grab my Fender Jazz5 just out of curiosity and that I haven't played it outside for quite awhile. I really like the Jazz5 but the 9.5" radius is a totally different feel. I think I'm going to do some short practice noodles a few times today to acclimate to the different fingerboard. Also, the Jazz5 has DR Sunbeams on it with an Audere preamp, yet the mids tend to be scooped naturally. But right now my Yamaha, which had been my favorite seems to have been pushed to the back of the pack of the 5ers.

 

[JC BASS 91]

For me, it depends greatly on what kind of music I am playing. My primary choice for one type of music is completely different for some other genre.

Classic Rock covers - Carvin LB-70
Blues - Fender Precision w/ flats
Hard Rock/Metal/Prog - Fender Jazz 5 (preferably my passive American)

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Yeah, what ever I buy it will be my number one! Right now my cheap bass has been my main player for 3+ years. Bought & sold 3 others in the past year, just cant seem to like any of them..