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How many basses do you WANT versus NEED?
- Thread starter bassballs27
- Start date
I always bring a can of fresh air in my jacket. As a backup.
I have seven. 5 of them were $100 or less, and 2 of them were $250. I like them all. They are interesting to me and I use them to play along with songs I like. If I didn't have some guitars and stuff, I would have an empty house.
If I ever need to get rid of them, I'll just take them to Guitar Center or give them away. Wish I recorded the sound when some basses and 12 strings fell over in a chain reaction.
If I ever need to get rid of them, I'll just take them to Guitar Center or give them away. Wish I recorded the sound when some basses and 12 strings fell over in a chain reaction.
I need one and want one. But I love the other ones too and its fun having more than one. I currently have 6.
I'll respectfully disagree with this. Just my opinion, but if you are accepting money to play, you should have a backup bass of sufficient quality that you could play the whole gig on it if your main bass has an issue on the first song of the night. There were times I brought an SX bass as my backup; you don't need two Fodera Emperors, but I think you should have a backup.
There's a whole slew of basses that I want - a bunch of Warwicks, a J style, fretless, upright, and I could go on. There's also so many I can accommodate, which is to say "not a lot." As for what I need, I'm not in any bands, nor am I recording or even writing as much as I used to, so you could make the argument that I don't need any, but I like keeping at least one, since playing bass has been a part of my life since I started middle school over 20 years ago.
USE: Playing in different cover bands....4.
2 with round wounds, 2 with flat wounds. I like having 2 basses on a gig (that get the desired sounds). The cover bands I tend to play with benefit from having these basses to choose from. Covers all the bases (no pun intended).
That covers my "want".
NEED: I would say 2. It wouldn't be ideal to have just two basses for all situations, but I could manage it with a main and a backup.
2 with round wounds, 2 with flat wounds. I like having 2 basses on a gig (that get the desired sounds). The cover bands I tend to play with benefit from having these basses to choose from. Covers all the bases (no pun intended).
That covers my "want".
NEED: I would say 2. It wouldn't be ideal to have just two basses for all situations, but I could manage it with a main and a backup.
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I need 2, I own 2, and want to own 2
...because if I don't keep that mentality I'll end up with a matching rack of basses that will sit next to the $20k of guitars just sitting not being played now
...because if I don't keep that mentality I'll end up with a matching rack of basses that will sit next to the $20k of guitars just sitting not being played now
For me zero, as currently I play guitar/keys/organ/mandolin/harmonica in a couple rock bands. But occasionally, I do get called up to sing lead in a 3 or 4 piece casual where I need to play bass. So I gig with my homemade Gecko. Only have one.. and I gave my precision basses away.
I could make do with 1. But I use 4 (Jazz, Upright, Ric and a Warwick 5). And have 21. Most of those were bought when I was a whippersnapper in the 70's and don't want to part with them. I mean, how can you part with a '71 Ric 4001 signed by Chris Squire himself? I paid $225 back in 1978.
I currently have 18 basses. Realistically I could due just fine with 3 or 4. I'm always chasing the ultimate bass tone so that's one reason. Also I work very hard at my day job which pays me very well and I choose to spend some of that cash on basses. I have buddies that spend more $$$$ on golf gear that I do on music gear.
So I guess I do it because I can.
So I guess I do it because I can.
Attachments
Time to get a bigger music roomWhen you finally get a music room but can’t sit in there because it’s stuffed full of music gear.
Need: two basses. I never go on a gig without a backup.
Want: all I can afford, currently 11.
I don't chase tone, I don't search for the perfect bass. I find them visually attractive and functionally interesting, like any well-designed and crafted piece of equipment. Heck, I find a piston with a smoothly fitted floating wrist pin to be a thing of art.
Want: all I can afford, currently 11.
I don't chase tone, I don't search for the perfect bass. I find them visually attractive and functionally interesting, like any well-designed and crafted piece of equipment. Heck, I find a piston with a smoothly fitted floating wrist pin to be a thing of art.
And....In 10 years your basses will only go up in value. The golf gear....not so much.
Technically, I have everything I could need. But I still have many more in my wishlist.
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buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
"having a bunch is like a painters pallet of colours" that's the way I've always thought of it.
I own a couple of dozen or so basses. Two or three are going up for sale at some point.
The rest all have a place in my heart and my arsenal, even if used only on occasion. Oh, and I almost always bring two basses to gigs. Better to have a backup and not need it than the other way around.
The rest all have a place in my heart and my arsenal, even if used only on occasion. Oh, and I almost always bring two basses to gigs. Better to have a backup and not need it than the other way around.
