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How does one justify owning several basses?

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#41
why do you have more then one bass?

Because I can.

do they all get equal play time/gig time?

No.

do you have a favorite?

Yes

if you have a favorite why keep the other ones?

Because I'm sick.

do you play enough to legitamitly have as many basses as you do?

No, but it's still legitimate, because I paid for them and they are mine, so if I throw them under my bed for 20 years that's fine.

do you think it's strange that i think i would feel bad for owning more then one bass at a time?

No.
 
#44
allexcosta said:
why do you have more then one bass?

Because I can.

do they all get equal play time/gig time?

No.

do you have a favorite?

Yes

if you have a favorite why keep the other ones?

Because I'm sick.

do you play enough to legitamitly have as many basses as you do?

No, but it's still legitimate, because I paid for them and they are mine, so if I throw them under my bed for 20 years that's fine.

do you think it's strange that i think i would feel bad for owning more then one bass at a time?

No.
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Heh, I concur!

How I justify a lot of basses:
1. I worked a lot of hours and can afford them.

2. I'm not married, I answer to nobody! :p

3. I've heard too many of the married guys talk about how they gotta ask permission or can't do it any more.
 
#46
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?
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I agree----I take 5-7 basses to a session, all with different characteristics, but for live I almost always play a whole show on one bass whenever possible, and just use various hand techniques and sometimes a bit of EQ to cop different vibes if the songs call for it. But I'm usually playing behind an artist with a certain vibe, so I'll know ahead of time if the whole gig can work on a flatwound P, or maybe I need the Sadowsky with rounds, or whatever. Frankly I hate changing basses live!
 
#47
spade2you said:
Heh, I concur!

How I justify a lot of basses:
1. I worked a lot of hours and can afford them.

2. I'm not married, I answer to nobody! :p

3. I've heard too many of the married guys talk about how they gotta ask permission or can't do it any more.
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No SO certainly makes it easier, no? I'm in the same boat, and it must be frustrating to have to ask permission for things (providing it's viable within family budget).
 
#48
A9X said:
Because I earned the money and can spend it however I like.
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There's the rub!

For many years I only had my beloved ESP 400 Series Jazz. In the late 90's I liked the sound of a Rickenbacker so my financial situation afforded me to buy a Ric 4003. Great. I was then playing in a progressive Metal band so I decided to try a 6 string bass and I was able to buy an Ibanez SR3006... and so it goes on, I now have 9 basses, including the Bacchus P which should hopefully arrive this week. Different basses help you play different ways. It's a great pleasure to have a selection of differing tones and different ranges to choose from.

Do I need all the basses I have? No, of course not, I could realistically get by on the ESP Jazz. However, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't really drink, I'm not into expensive cars or boats, what I enjoy most in my life is listening to and playing music. I've worked hard for the money I have and if I think I will derive a benefit from getting a different instrument then that's what I'll do and I won't give people who spend their disposable income on their own personal vices a hard time.
 
#49
Doctor J said:
Do I need all the basses I have? No, of course not, I could realistically get by on the ESP Jazz. However, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't really drink, I'm not into expensive cars or boats, what I enjoy most in my life is listening to and playing music. I've worked hard for the money I have and if I think I will derive a benefit from getting a different instrument then that's what I'll do and I won't give people who spend their disposable income on their vices a hard time.
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If you cahnged ESP Jazz to Steinberger XL2, I could have ritten exactly the same thing. Cheers.
 
#50
I currently have four basses, that I have less than $2000 total invested in:

1. G&L L2500 fretted with rounds
2. G&L L2500 fretless with flats
3. G&L L5000 fretted with rounds (stock EMG's)
4. Lakland 55-02 fretless with rounds

I work full-time at FedEx, but I also average playing 5 to 6 times a week.

#1 - For my Monday night gig at the rest home, and any fill-in jobs that come along

#2 - Serves as my main axe in our Acoustic Gospel group. I also take it on 'jam' sessions. My go-to favorite.

#3 - I use at church, Contemporary Praise music. I run direct, and the EMG's work better than G&L MFD pups.

#4 - Again at church for the stuff that sounds better on fretless.

I leave #3 and #4 at church so I don't have to carry two guitars with me to church 2 or 3 times a week. Frettless is my favorite, but some gigs require a fretted bass with round wounds. Contemporary praise demands round wounds on both fretted and fretless. My fretless G&L with ebony board and TI flats fits acoustic driven music like a glove.

To me, an expensive (boutique) bass would list for over two grand. I have had serveral of those, and cannot justify the cost. At the same time, cheapo import basses are not for me. So I look for used bargains in quality built instruments.

Could I get by with only one bass? Of course.

But I would miss the others :bawl:

Mark
 
#52
A9X said:
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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fair enough, and ofcourse you have the right to spend your money how you want, but i dont think adopting an attitude of "other people can justify exsessive and unnecessary spending habits, so im going to buy more basses" is healthy. NOT saying thats your own attitude.....

personally i think there are just more important things in life then owning a bunch of nice basses, and i believe that the joy in music comes from the playing of music, not the posessing of gear. before my Marcus miller IV, i was playing a Squire Affinity Jazz. the squire was fun no doubt, and i still enjoy playing it (now in posession of my gf), but granted the MMIV is a much nicer instrument. paired with my MarkBass amp, i can dial in a stack of tones, more tones then i use, thats for sure! it has an active/passive switch, some nice pickups, and looks beautiful. the amp can do pretty much anything i want, and ive never turned her up beyond 4. i have a few pedals, a 410 cab...

not to turn this into a drive for social justice, but i can see a grand getting dropped on my next bass going to incredible use for world aid, towards orphanages or mission trips, or even towards a home deposit, an engagement ring, paying off next years car insurance and rego....

considering the usefulness of that amount of money, and the dexderity of my rig, i find it hard to justify ANOTHER bass. i could justify upgrading my guitar to a tele texas or something, as i play guitar at church regularly and should look into something that is step up from my entry level yamaha...
and even if i was earning enough to not worry about car insurance, and i had my mortgage paid and kids had finished school, but my rig still satisfied, there is still 1000s of better places my money could go.

and im not saying my rig is PERFECT, but has handled every situation put in it's path thus far....

does that make sense or is my heart bleeding too much? :hiding:
 
#54
A9X said:
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?
Click to expand...

handbags? to say to the world, "im important. dont believe me? look at my handbag. im important enough to have this handbag, some respect, please"

ferrari in inner city areas? to say to the world "this is to compensate your opinion of my manhood in the event that you might see me naked"
 
#55
does that make sense or is my heart bleeding too much?
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Makes neither more nor less sense than anyone else's personal priorities. My personal preference has to do with what I consider variety. Gotta have 5, 6, and 7 strings. Gotta have 17mm, 18mm and 19mm spacing. Gotta have fretted and fretless. Gotta have wood and graphite necks. Gotta have active and passive electronics. Gotta have 34" and 35" scales. Gotta have symmetric and asymmetric necks. Gotta have soapbars, J and P style pickups! Gotta have plastic, rosewood, and maple fingerboards. So much variety.

Currently, I have ALL of this. I also have only 4 basses, so there's a lot of combinations going on. Which means no matter what bass I might sell, I'd lose a LOT of options. Why would I do anything like that? Now, about that 8-string bass, all I'm really waiting for is to decide what options I'm missing (and also to save up the money to buy it).

Do I play some more than others? Yes, of course, over any particular time period. The bass I play least right now has had the most play over the time I've had them. It'll probably get back into regular rotation again soon. Gotta have that variety. Even if nobody cares (or even notices) except me, it's important to me. YMMV.
 
#56
I own 4 basses and they each do different things.

I have a 5 string Fender Deluxe QMT, a 5 string Bass Collection fretless, a 4 string acoustic and currently a Modulus Q4.

The only one I would say I could do without is the Modulus.

However there is a genuine reason for needing a 4 string when I have the five.

Some bands just don't like 5 string players...and I also hate teaching 4 string players on a 5 string bass.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!
 
#58
i have 5 basses and have them for multiple reasons.

1st- cause I'm left handed and finding quality lefty basses is difficult enuff that when i find a good one, I grab it.

2nd - because they all have different voices and those voices inspire me to play differently, depending on the tune.

3rd - they look freakin awesome on my wall :cool:


Do I play them all? Yes, I try to devote as much equal time to them as possible, since the different string spacings can really screw me up. But i do have my favorites of course ...

The list
96 Ken Smith BSR5EG neck-thru
2001 Ric 4001V63FG
78 P-Bass - blonde
99 MusicMan SR5
90 Fender Jazz - Japanese, modded with barts
 
#59
FeloniousMonk said:
but here on TB, it's damn near a competition. whoever has the most toys wins. because I certainly can't fathom how anyone could justify spending two grand on a bass, much less have half a dozen of em laying around. it's just rampant consumerism excused as nessessity.

in b4 gearwhores justifying their excesses.
Click to expand...

Some people spend money on cocaine, others collect model trains, others are cheap and save all their money and others take cruises and vacations multiple times a year. To each their own.

I have 9 basses currently and will likly be getting that down to 6 or 7. Having multiple basses makes me happy, I can afford them as I work my ass off and make a good living and I actually play them all.

I am not trying to impress anyone. Bass is a hobby for me that I enjoy as is the case for many other TBers.

P.S. NOT having even a cheap backup bass is unprofessional if you are a gigging bassist. Gear breaks and components fail.
 
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