How do you guys with bunches of similar basses do it?

In my case, I think I have a collector mentality. I have 12 basses and 6 guitars. I also have all of my baseball cards and comic books from when I was a kid and I have a large vintage wine collection.

I buy/sell/trade basses all the time and almost always buy used, so I rarely lose money on a purchase. Also, I just started playing again a couple of years ago after a 10 year hiatus so I am just figuring out what basses I want to keep long term (after trying almost everything out there).

Bottom line... some people buy drugs, motorcycles, cottages, boats with their disposable income.... I buy basses. It is my hobby!

Why not have similar basses? I love Stingrays and Roscoes... why not have similar (not the exact same) for gigs? My Roscoes are 5 and 6 strings and my Stingrays are 4 and 5 string. Similar but different.

 

Every man has his vice. I like basses so I consider my vice a virtue. I have 10 right now and I play them all. I don't consider myself a collector however. Can't let a great instrument just hang there

 

I like to have a variety of tones, even though my bass collection is small.

I do archery as well, I love my Laminate Bow, but for a quick mess around in a field I keep going back to my recurve

 

They probably have different specs on each. For example, I have three Aria Pro II SB's but each one has different specs.

 

You answered your own question:

Yes, there are some guys that do this for collection reasons, but the majority of guys with multiple similar basses appreciate all of the unique characteristics that each bass has. If I had unlimited $$$ I'd have 10 MTDs with different wood combos and 10 boutique jazz basses with different flavors.

 

I have a fretted 5 and a fretless 4 and I sometimes think I have too many. I got the Squire fretless for my jazz gigs but I don't really like it. To get the fretless I'd like is more than I can spend right now.

I am tempted to sell/trade the fretless for something I could use (not sure what that is) and just play my fretted 5. I did jazz gigs for a long time on my fretted bass and no one really cared.

Yes, it's nice to have something more "uprightish" but I can certainly get by.

 

I have 11 instruments right now..and need at least 100 more.... I can explain it simply...I surround myself with the things I love..Bass is not the only part of music, and I enjoy acoustic guitars, banjos, les pauls, keys... .My studio has instruments hanging on every wall, and it makes me grin whenever I walk in there. I would not hesitate to own an instrument which I never played...as a collector piece. It is also a form of banking for me..I have spare cash I buy an Instrument with high resale value, usually used...if I'm ever short a few bucks...I can sell them quick like....Some wealthy people do the same with art...think 100000 dollars in the bank...or 100000 dollars hanging on the wall insured... money in bank gets interest...money on wall gets the benefit of increased value of the collectible...I paid 1000 bucks for a guitar amp, used it for a year and sold it for 1300 bucks....

 

if money never a issue id have more basses then guitar center.

 

I'm stuck between your opinion and a collector's opinion. I love instruments, and I'd like to get as many as possible, but I believe that they deserve to be played. Sometime somewhere, someone have made that instrument to bring joy to others, so I feel that an instrument should be played. Therefore I don't think I ever could buy an instrument just to own it, but I could buy 10 instruments if I knew that I would use them (exaggerated, but you get the idea)

 

I have 3 electric basses (4,5,6) an electric upright bass and an acoustic double bass. Each fills a niche and does something different. Same with the guitars: a classical, a small bodied steel string acoustic, and full bodied steel string with cutaway and an electric with two humbuckers.

I don't really get buying 5 of the exact same type of instrument when owning 5 different axes with different features (passive or active, fretted or fretless, different # of strings, maple, rosewood, ebony or composite neck, etc.) seems like it would give you so many more useful options.

Then again, some cats I know just get to know one nice bass really well. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

I have 2 Jazzes but each seems to have its own personality ( different strings , bridges)
one is more suited for slap and the other is awesome for fingerstyle

 

30+ years and most of the time I just have a bass. Works for me 'cept lately I have been GASing for a fretless bass. Then I'd have two..., well..., three counting my beater.

 

I wondered the same thing, but recently I stopped wondering. I figure, if you can tell the difference between your 13 jazz basses or 12 Conklins, or 8 CT's, or 17 P-basses, and you have the disposable income to do so, then it's your decision to make. I can neither appreciate the differences or afford the collection, but that's why it's not my collection. I own 10 very different basses, but to the guy who only wants 1 or 2, I'm overkill. It's all relative.

 

Honestly, I have several basses for collection purposes only. Don't really need more than 1 or 2...

 

I just love P-basses. I think it`s fantastic If they are old and rare, and got a long life on the road. They all got a unic sound.

 

Well put.

I have a good friend that is an accomplished jazz bassist and he thinks I am ******** with my 12 basses gigging 2-3 times a month.

He gigs 4-6 times a week and records in studios 2-3 times a week and he owns an old upright, a '70's Jazz and a '70's P. 3 Basses and won't even look at the basses in a music store when he buys strings/cables, etc. He is fairly wealthy too but just can't see the need to add more. He has had these 3 basses for 15-20 years and that is that.

The difference between my friend and I is that Rob looks at his basses as tools in the same way a carpenter looks at a saw or a drill. I look at them as a hobby that I am passionate about.

To each their own.