I can't pick one, they all sound good.

[darwin-bass]

I have several basses and I tend to rotate through them for my live (church) gigs. Each time I walk away thinking the one I just played is the best sounding of the bunch. It doesn't matter it whether it's the P, P/flats, J, or MM. It is the best sounding. Until next time when I play a different one and that one becomes the best sounding.

I only need one or maybe two basses, but don't want to sell my best sounding one so ... I continue to have several basses.

Sigh.

 

[JRA]

i'm right there with you!

for me, it's more about how they play/feel, but it's the same conundrum/experience...and you're right, of course: we only need one!

 

[fhm555]

Maybe it’s the amp/pa at church??

 

[thisheregiraffe]

I don’t have a huge collection but I often think I should whittle it down to just one or two. It’s tough! Besides playing bass, one of my next favourite hobbies is building parts basses and tinkering. I also have a big soft spot for Godin basses. So right now I have two Warmoth basses and three Godins, and I’ve got them all playing and sounding just how I like them. The thought of parting with any of them is hard to process If I knew anybody wanting to start learning bass, I’d gladly give one away to get them started. Selling any of them seems silly though.

 

[darwin-bass]

Maybe it’s the amp/pa at church??

Well, I play at 2 churches and am IEM so what I hear is not affected all that much by the PA. And every time I like what I hear.

What I don't know is if each bass I play is the best from the FoH perspective.

 

[prndltech]

Well it’s hard to go wrong with a P, J or MM bass. Of course they all sound good!

 

[jeffb28451]

Good on ya’, mate. You have a bunch of good basses and like them all. Nothing wrong with that! Me too. Last month I sold 6 of my “not favorites “ and this month bought 2 of them back! Maybe wait until one or two of yours have dust on them and then you’ll know; until then, play on!

 

[macribas]

That's called gluttony. Welcome to the club.

Thread 'Bass Hoarding Personality Disorder (BHPD) - You are not alone.'

Nov 4, 2013

As someone whom studied extensively under the reign of the DSM-IV (the "bible" for diagnosing mental health issues prior to the recent release of the new and improved DSM-V) I am considering submitting to the board an entirely new disorder in their next official publication:

Bass Hoarding Personality Disorder or BHPD.

In the meantime, know that you are not alone and that you can get help in this thread.

In response to comments in this post, I have updated the thread for more specific information on diagnosing your disorder:

2-3 Basses - This is completely normal and...

• Neuroman
• buying advice collecting disorders g.a.s. hoarding marriage relationships selling trading
• Replies: 4,391
• Forum: Basses [BG]

• 
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[PJorBoth]

Yes, I too know where you are coming from.
I don't run to a large collection but love all three basses I own. However I am in no doubt about the bass I will take whenever I might be called to play out.
I've been playing Fender Jazz basses since 1964 and that is the sound and feel I associate with Bass.
My Pro II is a great evolution of that instrument line and I couldn't part with that but I love my Ultra II Precision and honestly say that I can get every sound I would want out of that, passive or active.
I never put either Fender down without the thought that it is my #1.

 

[lomo]

It's a psychoacoustic phenomenon. Change appeals...just like the fresh side of the pillow. Tone is a moving target.

 

[BassBrass]

That's much better than being too picky. Of course each bass has it's virtues.

 

[Wasnex]

Sigh.

? I don't see a problem. Keep them all or sell a few.

My guess is you know which you would keep if you were really pushed. If you like them all equally, it shouldn't matter which you sell and which you keep. Consider rolling dice.

As you may know, I have a fairly big amp collection. Every time I rotate a different amp into the playing position, my perception is it sounds awesome. However, I eventually begin to tire of the sound and long for something different. I put another amp in the playing position, and it sounds awesome. Rinse and repeat.

Here's the deal: Some of my amps are naturally closer to my intrinsic tone goals than others. Ashdown CTM300 is awesome, but I probably wouldn't choose to use it on a gig unless I was getting paid big money to deliver the unique tone it is capable of. While I can enjoy the CTM300, I am really more of a solid state guy as I like high-fidelity and massive headroom.

If I could only keep one amp, it would probably be my Genz Benz GBE1200. I don't gig anymore, so the weight wouldn't bother me. If I planned to start gigging, perhaps I would choose the Genz Benz ShuttleMax 12.2, which covers a very similar range of tones, but is way lighter. If it had to choose a tube amp, it would probably be the Mesa 400. The 400+ has considerably more headroom and kicks like a mule, but to me the 400's sounds a bit sweeter and more musical.

I don't have any reason to sell any of my amps, so I keep and enjoy all of them. I may add a few more to the collection if the right opportunities present. Maybe I will eventually get around to selling some of them when I am too frail to lift them into the playing position. Or maybe I won't. I am not going to worry about.

 

[ragetoca]

Well, I play at 2 churches and am IEM so what I hear is not affected all that much by the PA. And every time I like what I hear.

What I don't know is if each bass I play is the best from the FoH perspective.

CCM? Góspel? What genres?

 

[spiritbass]

I have several basses and I tend to rotate through them for my live (church) gigs. Each time I walk away thinking the one I just played is the best sounding of the bunch. It doesn't matter it whether it's the P, P/flats, J, or MM. It is the best sounding. Until next time when I play a different one and that one becomes the best sounding.

I only need one or maybe two basses, but don't want to sell my best sounding one so ... I continue to have several basses.

Sigh.

You are blessed, brother, and your burden is light. All you need to do is re-string your praise instruments as needed. My cup ran over years ago after investing in some custom Dingwall basses. There is no perfection this side of heaven, but the instruments that I've been made the steward of come very close.

 

[Pings Bass]

Keep the two coolest looking basses and sell the rest

 

[bassist4dalord]

That’s a good problem to have! Ask yourself what gain there would be from selling one or a couple of them. Are finances okay? Is space at a premium? If the bills are paid and there’s room for the gear, keep it!

 

[JIO]

Choosing only one never crosses my mind - I totally enjoy owning/playing many awesome sounding basses. Whichever bass I play in any given situation becomes the perfect bass at that moment to play - some very specifically targeted for the music played. Never any regrets.

 

[BullHorn]

The sound is coming from your hands.

When I try out new basses I tend to spend the first 10 minutes unplugged because if it feels right, I'll make it sound right.

 

[SteveCS]

I have several basses and I tend to rotate through them for my live (church) gigs. Each time I walk away thinking the one I just played is the best sounding of the bunch. It doesn't matter it whether it's the P, P/flats, J, or MM. It is the best sounding. Until next time when I play a different one and that one becomes the best sounding.

I only need one or maybe two basses, but don't want to sell my best sounding one so ... I continue to have several basses.

Sigh.

IME there is more to 'sounding good' than just the raw tone or voice of the instrument. More and more it becomes about feeling connected to the notes and tones you produce as you play and less about the differences between the physical and technical aspects of the tone like EQ, pickup type/placement, string type and the like. When this happens with every instrument regardless of those things you can pretty much play what you want according to what the music needs, not what you need. Sounds to me like you are at a level where you can make any bass sound good...

 

[pepj]

I have 2 go-to's and I'm working up a recently aquired 3rd. Its nearly there and I ended up playing the 3rd for an entire gig..mainly because of a tuning issue on my other bass on the night.
The problem I have with the 3rd one is that it is playable but not as playing comfortable as one band's set might require.
And taking it out means I leave my main stay at home.
But it's a nice path to go down and grooving a bass in needs time.

So, these 3 will retire all my others but selling those in today's market is slow.