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How many basses are too many?

#141
gebass6 said:
When some don't get played.:bored:
When you forget that you bought a certain bass.:jawdrop:
When you have a bass missing(some where in the house) and you don't know it.;)
When you forget why you bought a certain bass.:unsure:
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I think this is a good set of guidelines. Really, there's no universal limit, if you're a collector. Some people collect art or postage stamps or snow globes. Some people collect instruments. If that's the case, then collect as many as you can afford and put them in a museum or warehouse or something.

For me, I want to have a purpose for each one. I have five. I'm pretty good with that. I wouldn't rule out a sixth, but I don't need one. It would have to be something different, that I had a purpose for.

Dradder said:
I suppose it's like that line reformed alcoholics say, about how many drinks were sufficient back in their boozing days: "One was too many, and a hundred wasn't enough."
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I thought that was women.
 
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#142
If you're not even sure how many you have, it might be too many. IMG_4628[1].JPG This is around 2/3rds of my collection, total number is around 22 to 25.

KWUYjbM.jpg
 
#143
I think if you have the money and interest in owning numerous basses, go ahead and own a large collection.

If you want a few, it would probably be best to have completely different ones. A Jazz/Jazz alternative, a Precision/Precision alternative, something with active humbuckers, a 5 string, and maybe a fretless. I own two basses right now, but my eventual idea is to own one from each of those categories.
 
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#144
I'm good with just the one.
But I do have 6 other basses on my wish list.
But they are all way to expensive to justify having any of them and the one I have now.

So I guess too many for me would be any more than I can actually afford.
Which is more than one.
Now, if I could afford it; well, I'd have MANY!
 
#154
two fingers said:
I don't have a cut off.

Some people gig and record a lot. They may need or want quite a few. Some people just collect.

It's a triangle for me. The three sides are...

1) Money - Can you afford another one without going into debt? Going into debt to buy a bass is dumb.... unless you are broke and some famous artist calls and says " If you buy XYZ bass and meet me in New York tomorrow at noon I will pay you $800 per show plus expenses for guaranteed 1,000 shows. Then you can pay it off next Tuesday. Everybody else should save up.

2) Enthusiasm - Life is about choices. If you collect basses, skateboards, spatulas, and pinecones you will have to choose every time you add to your collection which is next on the priority list.

3) Practicality - Can you afford, store, play, maintain, etc. 347 basses? If so, go for it.
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I have 14. Usually after 15, I start feeling guilty and re evaluating the collection. I purchase basses to perform a particular function to songs that I have in my head. Sometimes the bass that I chose for a particular song doesn't work for that sone and I will choose another bass. I hate not having a bass that don't cover a particular genre when I'm writing. I like/need to have the bass to cover the material.
That's how I justify have as many as I have.
 
#155
Skokiaan said:
I go by a different variation of practicality.

A) I have to be able to gig with it. I don't buy anything just to have at home.

B) Each bass I own has to be a different type than the others. Therefore, I own:
  1. Fretless (I have done 95+% of my gigs since 2001 with this one)
  2. Fretted
  3. Electric upright
  4. Electric/acoustic
  5. Ukulele bass
I would consider adding a fretless acoustic, a bass lute, banjo bass or other oddity.
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same. I do have a few "duplicates" that are for different purposes such as variant tunings.
 
#157
For me and bass gear, I like to have just enough stuff to do what I do and have all my actual needs met, then spend gig and extra $$ on other musicy stuff. My bass playing doesn't really need a ton of variety. Just bass regular. So it's 1 bass, 1 chunky gig rig, and 1 crappy little practice amp for when I dont want to shake the house.

Before anyone freaks out, also 3 electric guitars, 2 guitar amps, an acoustic guitar, an electric piano, a synth, a sampler, midi keyboards, digital piano, DAW on a killer computer, MPC, powered monitors, a few average mics, maybe 6 pedals, a weird oud-like thing, 5 string banjo, and 2 ukes...all in a 12x10 room with a chair, armoire, a dying plant, and collection incredibly creepy Japanese cat figurines my sister in law keeps giving me for special occasions. Tetris skills payed off in "grown up" life.
 
#158
I can certainly understand collecting for various reasons, but that's not me. For the gigging I'm doing, 1 is enough. I had 2 for awhile, and left one tuned to Eb for blues stuff, but really wasn't needed. I'm down to just a Stingray Classic(1 pickup). From P&W, open mics, Rockabilly, and blues it does everything I need. I tried fretless but it wasn't my thing so the only possibility I would consider might be a 5, but for what I do it's an answer that had no question. A very few times in the PW gig I could have used a low D, but a D-tuner would cover that.
 

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