How many P Basses do you need?

[kazuhank]

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The magnets on the j-pickup pull on the strings and thus the p-pickup never sounds 100% p.

 

[tvbop]

One, a beautiful CV 70, and a beater (very scrappy VM) which is left in the trunk. Oh and before I get flamed Ive had em all over the decades and can honestly say Ive never had a P bass go south on me, so two is plenty.

 

[MtManiac]

I currently have 5 with no plans to get rid of any of them. They all sound and look different, so why would I? How could I? I can’t.

Two P5’s, three 4’s, including one PJ.

 

[MtManiac]

The magnets on the j-pickup pull on the strings and thus the p-pickup never sounds 100% p.

I don’t agree.

 

[MtManiac]

Looking through the comments, it looks like we're mostly doubling the number to make sure all our bases are covered. Let's see:

1 p bass
2 for rounds and flats
4 so each has fretted and fretless
8 for rosewood and maple
16 for thin and thick necks
32 for modest and exotic finishes
64 for pro use and fiddling/modding/lending
128 for active passive
256 for 4 string and 5 string
512 for standard and alternate tunings

and 513 so you have a backup.

Boom. Science.

Technically, each should have its own backup, so 1024. A full gig of P basses.

 

[TeeSee]

I never bother with voting as it always looks like clickbait to me, and I usually skip the thread even if the content turns out to be sound. But I'll bite this time.
I've got 2 in my stable, a MIJ midnight and at the other end of the scale a Harley Benton PB 50. MIJ has flats, PB-50 has rounds. Both are very good at what they do but they're not the be all and end all.

 

[chris_b]

I'm a P bass guy, but one at a time will do me.

I've owned a Precision since 1969. It was my only bass for 26 years, until I discovered the internet!! That bass was retired in 1996 when I switched to 5's and now my main bass for the last 14 years has been a passive Lull PJ5, with TI flats. Tone for days.

If I want any other sound (which isn't very often) I'll use one of my two Jazz basses.

 

[Tommy Sparks]

You only really need one if you like P type of bass.
I have 2 one with rounds and the other with flats.
Although I would be interested in checking out one with a J sized nut.

 

[godofthunder59]

I must have 10 or more P basses and I'm a Gibson Thunderbird guy. Not quite sure how or why but P basses keep coming home with me , eh why fight it?

 

[GMSweet]

My take (since you asked) ... 0, zilch, nada. I have been marked safe from Fender shaped objects for 35+ years.

That just means more for you all who love them. I can't say I never had an FSO, my first bass was a Masada Performer (copyright era clone) which I traded off pretty quickly for a Kramer XVB Yellow "Flying V" and thus my love for non-traditional bass shapes was born. Though my high school Rick 4001 can probably be defined as "traditionally" odd. A Yamaha, Charvel, ATK, Fury 5 and Fury fretless, a Pedulla, and a beautiful bubinga Cirrus 5 (I still miss that bass) passed through my hands before I went the custom route. And now I'm a complete custom guy. I haven't even owned a traditional P or J pickup in 25+ years. The Pedulla was the last 4 string I will likely ever own back in the early 00's.

As the saying goes, to each his own. Enjoy what you play and play what you enjoy.

 

[Stranger Danger]

If your job is playing bass in a studio environment for other people’s music then you need two. One with flats and one with rounds. If you’re not doing that kind of work, then you don’t need any.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Ideally I want:

Main P w/ rounds
Secondary P w/ rounds

Main flats P
Secondary flats P

Fretless P

Budget P for borrowing/tinkering

Best answer so far IMO !

Problem is the budget precision "might" be good enough at the end.

I was in a jam session yesterday and one of the bassist brought his entry level PJ Squier bass because his American workhorse was at the luthier for a repair and he played 8 songs with it and it sounded perfect in every way !

What the …. ?

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

One high quality main P-bass and one cheap stunt/backup/road P-bass works for me.

 

[mikecd1]

I answered two and one is jazz width and the other standard - the Duck Dunner gets all the playing time! Mine also has a really chunky neck that I've also fallen in love with.

 

[Jefenator]

Just got to say: having a good J-bass sure takes the pressure off.
I'll see myself out.

 

[JIO]

one

 

[bgavin]

SR5-HH and Warmoth fretless 5-string P+J.
Had a herd of 4-strings, sold them all, including my favorite player: MIM P with DeMarzio pickup and series/parallel wiring.
Had to force myself to all 5-strings, as cannot adapt between 4 and 5.

 

[brianrost]

I need one from every model year in both 4 and 5 strings when available, every available color and every available fingerboard wood, plus in the years where the “narrow neck” was an option I need that in addition to the regular neck, too. So basically a few thousand

I only have two right now, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[dabbler]

What's need got to do with it?

 

[Mike Vee]

For me, ideally, a rosewood board with LaBellas for thump, and a maple board with Chromes for grind/growl (strings kept clean for brightness)