Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
How many basses is too many?
- Thread starter Dbt25677
- Start date
I have limited myself to 3 plus 1 electric guitar. I fear that I would buy several cheap bases if I did not have this self employed rule. It is not just money (which is a factor) but after a while it just waters down the collection.
It's too many when they don't get in the rotation for playing. I have one "antique" that I don't play out (a 1969 Mustang), but I do play it once in a while at practice.
If a bass doesn't see any action for over a year, it's probably time to let it go. And "action" doesn't have to be a gig; it may just mean pulling it out of the case long enough to be inspired for a few minutes.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
How many basses are "too many"?
Check your dictionary for the definition of the word "oxymoron"...
I have only one. Have my eye on two others. THEN I'm CERTAIN I'd be happy...
*stifles a giggle*
Check your dictionary for the definition of the word "oxymoron"...
I have only one. Have my eye on two others. THEN I'm CERTAIN I'd be happy...
*stifles a giggle*
In all seriousness, this is an important consideration.
If an instrument inspires you, NEVER get rid of it.
Once I got my Alembic, I thought I was satisfied, until I realized I needed a fretless. Then I realized I needed an acoustic bass guitar. Then I realized I had to have a Danelectro Longhorn reissue. I'm sure I'm done now. Aren't I?
"I think that once you get beyond about 5 or 6 basses then its no longer about musical need and becomes more about collecting..... I prefer to have one or two instruments and really bond with them."
I have 12... 6 all-time favourites, but 4 cover 99% of my gigs.
My Tobias 5 and my Duesenberg for my rock-pop needs. My Seafoam '69 P Bass for funk/soul/Motown/etc. And my Takamine B10 does the URB-like sound for Jazz gigs.
+1. I'm about to sell 4 basses I never really clicked with, plus a bunch of unused gear. It will completely fund a luxury purchase (Monique + Minnie). I've tried quantity, but I'm a die hard quality fan.
I have 12... 6 all-time favourites, but 4 cover 99% of my gigs.
My Tobias 5 and my Duesenberg for my rock-pop needs. My Seafoam '69 P Bass for funk/soul/Motown/etc. And my Takamine B10 does the URB-like sound for Jazz gigs.
+1. I'm about to sell 4 basses I never really clicked with, plus a bunch of unused gear. It will completely fund a luxury purchase (Monique + Minnie). I've tried quantity, but I'm a die hard quality fan.
Couldn't have said it better myself... makes me feel sick to my stomach thinking how I got along for 20 years with just 1 bass, but I did!
Depends on size of apartment(or house)/paycheck/and tunings, but for me:
ESP Vintage 4 - DROP B - Stock (SD Basslines P + J HOT, Passive Eq)
ESP B-1 - Standard E/Drop D/ Standard Eb/Drop Db - Stock (SD Basslines MM, active EQ)
ESP LTD EC-404 - DROP B - Modded eq (EMG 35dc/35cs, BTS active eq)
Ibanez BTB-455qm 5 String - Standard B - Modded eq (Bartolini MK1's, active/passive push/pull EQ)
Ibanez ICB300 90's USA - DROP C - Stock (DX4 soaps, passive eq)
The Vintage 4 / EC-404 are for a band I'm in, hence the duplicate tuning. The others are for home use. Haven't found a need for anything else as far as tunings/pup type, etc...
ESP Vintage 4 - DROP B - Stock (SD Basslines P + J HOT, Passive Eq)
ESP B-1 - Standard E/Drop D/ Standard Eb/Drop Db - Stock (SD Basslines MM, active EQ)
ESP LTD EC-404 - DROP B - Modded eq (EMG 35dc/35cs, BTS active eq)
Ibanez BTB-455qm 5 String - Standard B - Modded eq (Bartolini MK1's, active/passive push/pull EQ)
Ibanez ICB300 90's USA - DROP C - Stock (DX4 soaps, passive eq)
The Vintage 4 / EC-404 are for a band I'm in, hence the duplicate tuning. The others are for home use. Haven't found a need for anything else as far as tunings/pup type, etc...
Serious answer: When having more basses stops adding to -- or even starts detracting from -- the joy and fulfillment you experience from playing. For pros, add considerations regarding basses needed to cover different sorts of gigs.
I had one bass forever. Then I got a backup. Then a fretless. Then different fretless basses and forays into five and six string basses -- all the stuff I was curious about but never tried in high school. I think I hit 10 basses. I don't regret the experimentation and the exploration -- in fact, I'm not done with it -- but 10 is too many for me to have long term.
Why?
I've always thought of myself as a player, not a collector. Starting to feel like a collector.
I feel stupid heading out to a jam and, on the threshold of leaving, agonizing over which instrument to take.
Something to be said for really getting to know a specific instrument.
Something to be said for putting all the energy that could go into scoping out and comparing gear into the craft of playing.
That said, I'll always have a fretted and a fretless. There's a good chance I'll still have a backup/alternate to my main four-string. And, though I've never found one I've truly bonded with, I am still curious about five and six-string basses. Not ready to stop exploring that, yet, but I would like to downsize. I'm down to eight now, hope to be down to five before too long and, from there, to refine what I have. I could see myself with three or four, and could live with two (if I put the 5/6 exploration on hold).
This is how I feel about my own situation. Do I think that some people have too many basses? Sure, but I don't worry about it too much -- or I won't here, anyway.
ADDENDUM: I acknowledge that different instruments have taught me different things about playing -- some of the funkiest lines I've ever come up with have been on $100 Squiers with 20 frets. That's not to say I prefer $100 Squiers with 20 frets for everything, but I did learn something playing the last one I had.
I had one bass forever. Then I got a backup. Then a fretless. Then different fretless basses and forays into five and six string basses -- all the stuff I was curious about but never tried in high school. I think I hit 10 basses. I don't regret the experimentation and the exploration -- in fact, I'm not done with it -- but 10 is too many for me to have long term.
Why?
I've always thought of myself as a player, not a collector. Starting to feel like a collector.
I feel stupid heading out to a jam and, on the threshold of leaving, agonizing over which instrument to take.
Something to be said for really getting to know a specific instrument.
Something to be said for putting all the energy that could go into scoping out and comparing gear into the craft of playing.
That said, I'll always have a fretted and a fretless. There's a good chance I'll still have a backup/alternate to my main four-string. And, though I've never found one I've truly bonded with, I am still curious about five and six-string basses. Not ready to stop exploring that, yet, but I would like to downsize. I'm down to eight now, hope to be down to five before too long and, from there, to refine what I have. I could see myself with three or four, and could live with two (if I put the 5/6 exploration on hold).
This is how I feel about my own situation. Do I think that some people have too many basses? Sure, but I don't worry about it too much -- or I won't here, anyway.
ADDENDUM: I acknowledge that different instruments have taught me different things about playing -- some of the funkiest lines I've ever come up with have been on $100 Squiers with 20 frets. That's not to say I prefer $100 Squiers with 20 frets for everything, but I did learn something playing the last one I had.
