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How does one justify owning several basses?

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#21
I have my main bass that covers nearly every tone I need. It is an active bass. I also have a pretty aggressive passive bass to cover the other couple of sounds that are not working on the active...also as a backup incase there is a "dump" of whatever reason on the active. I am looking at an acoustic electric for the "unplugged" rehearsals and a fretless (always wanted to learn to play one of those).

I agree. Why have 100 horses in the stable when just a couple will work just fine.

JMHO
 
#22
Owning several basses can be justified in many ways. Let me go through my list

1st bass: Washburn 80s bass, Now used only at home and for concerts. I bought this somthing happened to the neck while it was getting fixed.

2nd bass: Squier P bass, 50 bucks who can go wrong. Now used only for takign to school its my beat it bass.

3rd bass: Esp 6 string, FOR SALE (b206) bought this thinking i wanted one, When i sell it it will buyy me a fretless

4th bass: Washburn b10 jazz bass, My project bass

+an upright if that counts
 
#23
I mostly have multiple basses because I do a lot of studio session work and it's incumbent on me to provide the producer with options. For live performing I'm happiest if I can only bring one bass to a gig ('cuz basically I'm lazy!) ...but because I play a wide-ranging variety of musics it might not be the same bass from one gig to the next.

I personally have never seen the need to have multiple basses of the same model. That strikes me as being either a form of Collecting, or else insurance against the sort of catastrophic disaster which fortunately I've never wreaked on my instruments.
 
#24
I own several basses in need of different sounds (no bass can provide all sounds required IMHO). I even own several (different spec-ed) basses from the same model, due to the playability and ergonomics being top notch, as well as (vastly) different tones between the same basses
 
#25
I certainly have more basses and gear than I need. Although there is rationale for some of them, it's basically a collection of functional art. I agree that this IS consumerism and that as a species, we'll have to minimize this if we want life on this planet to continue as we know it. However, at least basses are not another disposable curse destined for the landfill. Unfortunately, the same human instincts and traits which were advantageous during our early evolution (like collecting/hoarding, eating to excess and craving sex) have become maladaptive now that we have overrun the planet :-(
 
#26
dan.ablett said:
...so my questions are: why do you have more then one bass; do they all get equal play time/gig time; do you have a favorite; if you have a favorite why keep the other ones; do you play enough to legitamitly have as many basses as you do; do you think it's strange that i think i would feel bad for owning more then one bass at a time?...
Click to expand...
I have more than one bass because each one brings something different to the table. I don't have more than four, however, and one is up for sale at the moment.

I've got a Fender Marcus Miller IV, a FrankenBass single coil P, an Ibanez SR506 (the one for sale), and a fretless Jazz by SX. That's a crapload of tonal variety right there, IMHO.

Gig time on the fretless is minimal. The frankenbass gets used exclusively in one group I play with while the MM gets used exclusively in another.

The MM is my favorite, but that doesn't mean it fits the sound of one of the groups I play with. That's what the P is for.

I DO think it's odd you're asking... Are you ok? When's the last time you've seen the doctor?
 
#27
If you're a regularly gigging player (assuming you don't need to bring a fretless and/or urb to a gig - I think you need 2 basses. One and a backup. There's always the chance of a preamp going bad, a bass falling off it's stand (and getting damaged), etc - and not being able to get it fixed immediately.

With that said, I currently have 10 basses, 3 that would retail over the $2,500 mark (new), a few Stingrays, a Jazz and a few (much less expensive) cheap copies. While I don't consider myself a "collector", some of the interest in playing bass (at least for me) comes from playing different instruments. Even with the 3 Rays, they all have a slightly different personality.

As was mentioned earlier, I use "gig money" to fund almost all additions (so I don't feel too guilty!) and I try to keep to a self-imposed bass quota (where if there's something else I want, then I'll sell something first).

What I also find interesting is that (at least with my friends, associates, etc) that we bass players tend to collect many more intruments than our (guitar playing) counter parts. I play in a "rock band reunion" concert every November, and the 3 guitarists STILL have and USE the guitars they played when we were playing out (from 1979 to 1982)! I have NOTHING left from back then! :)
 
#28
I'm playing only for my own enjoyment and also for recording that I'm doing with a friend (and unfortunately that's kind of stalled ...) so I can't justify owning a lot.

I spent a few years buying and selling basses to arrive at an SR5 HH, which is my one main bass. About a year ago I decided it would be fun and educational to play a fretless too so I'm now entering a phase of buying and selling fretlesses to find "the one". As long as I'm buying used and sell off one before or soon after buying a new one, my wife has no problem with me trying new ones since I generally get back what I paid for a bass when I sell it. In other words, it's kind of a "no cost" way to try different ones until I find one that I like enough to keep.

If I were playing out *and* the money I made from playing could support more than two, then I might buy another one or two to get specific sounds I'd need for the music I was playing. But for the foreseeable future having these two will give me a pair of basic options - a fretted bass with rounds and a fretless bass with flats - that should suit my needs just fine.
 
#29
I only have the one bass and one amp at the moment, I have owned several but unfortunately the money situation means that I have to sell my old gear to partially fund the new stuff that I want/need.

I am seriously considering getting hold of a 5string to complement my 4. It's a tough decision as, being a student with rent and bills to pay, it's going to stretch me financially a bit.

Although If you have the means then I see no reason to not own multiple basses

(and damn this place for it's GAS inducing ways)
 
#30
Three is the miniumum for me.

A no. 1 gigging bass.

A back up.

and a back up for the back up, if one happens to need to be in the shop for some strange reason.


As long as your not diverting money away from putting food on the table, and a roof over your head, what does it matter how many basses someone else has? If they can afford it, why not have as many as makes you happy.? I don't hate myself enough to limit myself to just having one bass or one anything for that matter. Why impose some form of self punishment? Oh, I don't deserve more than one...B.S. If one was all I could afford...so be it. When all I could afford was one. One was all I had. If you can afford 100 Custom creations, what does that matter to anyone else? I just don't understand that line of thinking.

Currently my stable of working basses is 5.
Why 5? 'Cause that's what I'm comfortable with right now.
 
#31
I definitely do not need all the basses I have. Currently, seven.

I do routinely gig three basses .... a 7 string (works every job without fail), a fretless 6 string (the primary backup, works almost every job) and a Barker vertical bass (usually used at lighter gigs - brunches, coffee house, light jazz).

I also have a 4 string MIJ Fender, a 4 strong vintage Goya, a 4 string Dean Stylist hollow-body, and a Kay DB. All four of these basses get very infrequent use .... the only one that gets any kind of gig time is the hollow-body, but that isn't often.

I have the basses for a variety of reasons, but mostly because I love each and every one of them. I have no desire to sell any of them, except for maybe trading the Stylist for an acoustic 5 string (maybe ;)) .... :cool:
 
#32
OK, I got all jokey on my first response. Truth is there are many reasons. Here's my current batch

Epiphone Allen Woody Rumblekat. Other than that I really love Allen Woody's sound, and love the way this bass sounds the truth is I'm getting old. I have severe arthritis in my hands, and recently picked up this short scale to alleviate the pain.

Fender P. Can't give more info than that... I love her. It's one that I won't ever give up, even if I never play her again.

Ibanez SR406. When I bought this one, I was really into progressive music, and I enjoy the possibilities and challenge of playing the six. That said, if I had to sell one, this would be the first to go.

Hamer Slammer. OK... this was one I bought for like $129 fifteen years ago. It now is used as a prop when I host karaoke gigs.

Truth is, I also like collecting. I know roughly 5 chords on guitar, yet I own 6 guitars... A Strat, a Les Paul, an Ibanez Artcore semi-hollow, an Alvarez acoustic, and a Fender acoustic... oh yeah, and a POS that is used as a prop.

I also have a Yamaha P-90 stage piano that I can barely remember how to play Chopsticks on.

Oh and a combination of Yamaha's DTXpress III Special and DTXtreme IIs drum kits. Drums were my first instrument, and I still play.

To sum it up: Music is my life. My brother and his wife spend most of their 'mad' money antiqueing. My dad is really into his motorcycling. Without the expression of music, my life would be empty.
 
#34
lpdeluxe said:
Mine are all Fenders, and all different: a '51 P RI, a Classic '50s P, a fretless P, and a fretless J. None of them sound, or play, or feel, like any of the others, and each one has its uses.

Oh, did you say, "high-end basses?"
Click to expand...

when i say high end, i can completely understand having a ****kicker around because it was your first instrument, and its fun to noodle with when you watch tv.

high end to ME means anything gig worthy... or over $800 in value new.

i aim low
 
#37
dan.ablett said:
so is this in regards to a studio situation? or as a live performance? i can completely understand different basses for different vibes on a recording, but surely live you just want to pull a sound that reflect you and then alter the rest with your amp settings/effects/technique?
Click to expand...

Dan,

Well, both to be honest. Live my benavente get's about 70% of the playtime right now, and my warrior is always right behind me as a back-up, and depending on the flow of a show, I may switch out for certain stuff, but sometimes I don't. In the studio, I use many different ones, but mainly my warrior there. Regarding my rig, I would rather not change things drastically on my rig, if I can just switch basses and be done, but I do not mind tweaking a bit here and there. My next bass purchase will be a super P of some sorts, which will fill another void....the vintage P bass look and sound, mostly for live gigs.
 
#38
I need a main gigging bass, a back up (which should be the same as the main one, because sometimes I don't have time to change the amp's EQ when switching to a different bass during a show)...and maybe a second back up (it happened at a local gig: both my main and back up bass' strings cracked one after another, exactly before the begining of the show...fortunately I also had a 5er with me - that one saved my ass). Apart from these, although I play 4ers most of the time, I also need a 5er for some heavier stuff. Everythig else is not needed, but much appreciated & loved :) I can afford 'em (then again, for now I own only medium priced instruments, so no big deal); sometimes I decide to let one go only because I feel sorry for not being able to play it as much as the others...IMO instruments are made to be played, not to be hanged on walls as some sort of modern art :) And sometimes some basses look & feel so good that it would be a shame to let 'em stay in the music shop, hehe :) My home is a like a crowded inn - some stay longer, other go after a short period of time.
 
#40
Because I earned the money and can spend it however I like.
How do people justify $4k handbags or Ferrari's that are hardly ever driven outside the inner city areas and can't legally do more than a fraction of their potential and stay within the law?
 
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