I find my less expensive basses get played more.

I used to have that problem-- I kept my nice guitars in their cases and the beater guitar on a stand in the living room.

Then, I said "screw it," and I put my beater guitar in its case, while one nice guitar is out in the living room at all times.

Now, the only time my beater guitar gets used is when I have to go to my friend's filthy moldy basement to help him record drums.

Just play the damn things

 

It's weird, I was just thinking along similar lines the other day.

Anymore, I like the oddball stuff, cheap or not, I don't really care. If it plays in tune, and doesn't have action that makes my fingers bleed, I'll play it. There's a useful sound to be found in just about every instrument, if you let it "speak" in it's natural range.

I give informal guitar/bass lessons, and am constantly switching between guitar and bass during the sessions, so I bought two Squiers ( strat and a P-bass) to mate into a doubleneck.

I'll probably wind up playing THAT more than anything else in the stable.

 

I tend to have whatever is interesting me at the moment on the stand. (turns around and looks) Currently it's my SX unlined fretless 5er which is there because I just changed the strings and was working on it. So I'm getting a feel for how it is with ground wounds instead of pressure wounds. Often it's a USA G&L which are my main axes at present. Gig-wise I also tend toward cheap basses in dive bars (SX , Tribby etc.) because of the worry factor, but on the home stand it's more random and interest-driven.

Sometimes I'll pull out the Alembic or the Modulus (even though I'm not in a 6 string mode at present) and put them on the stand just for practice. I have to admit I'm often amazed by these basses as I shake my head and say how I forgot just how GOOD these basses are! But then after the fun of the reminder I'll go back to whatever is a current interest. So there isn't exactly a rule here.

 

All my basses are out on stands, and I rotate through them every day, though typically if I'm working on specific things I'll tend to grab the instrument that "fits" that the best. But all 5 instruments get played every day. 2 basses go to every gig, which one depends on the band/etc. But I don't make that choice based on price tag. If the gig is safe for me, it is safe for my bass.

 

Accessibility is the key for me. I use these Hercules hangers to make it easy to reach each of three basses:

http://www.zzounds.com/item--HRCGSP38WB?siid=122426&gclid=CNLCz9DW48ICFe47Mgod5wsAsg

Well worth the cost.

 

I hear ya! Used to have the same issue so I sold my Epiphone and gave my Squier to a buddy of mine and now I just play my other instruments. It was painful at first. Aint nothin' wrong with playing a "cheap bass". Especially when it sounds and plays damn near as well as an expensive one.

 

At a gig, if the bass isn't in my hands, it's in the case. In 40+ years, nobody has ever dropped beer on it, fell on it, or hurt it in any way.

Actually it's the same thing at home. It takes about 2 seconds to open the case and pull it out.

 

For the most part, I bought my basses, cheap or not, to play. My Sadowsky has been the go-to bass, for the last year. I am a working musician, gig every week, and it is usually the Sadowsky that gets the call. I didn't buy it to leave it at home.
Now, my vintage basses are another matter. As they are rare (hard to replace) I usually only play them on occasion.

 

I recently went back to using my short scale Squier Jaguar the most. It's very comfortable for me to play and sounds right for what we play now.

 

my most expensive bass goes where i go. at home i barely look at it. it just cannot be beat on stage, though. the tone is indescribable through a nice big FOH. that's why i bought it

 

Then get some Musician's Insurance.

 

My most expensive bass gets put in it's case because that's the only convenient place to keep it. Otherwise, as long as it doesn't get stolen, I don't really care much.

 

I'm with you! I have a lot of instruments, but they get rotated constantly. They all get played and if they're not getting played they get moved on. They're all out and easy to grab for a gig, a rehearsal or just practicing at home. No bass left behind....

 

My Ric got semi-retired when I got my FrankenHoppus up and running. Now the FrankenHoppus has taken a back seat to my Nordy. I guess I don't much care about price or value so much as I like to play the newest addition to the stable.

 

Remember - Just because the doctor tells you you're paranoid, that doesn't mean they're not all out to get you!

 

I own a dozen six-string guitars, yet do much of my composing on an acoustic beater I bought in a
London charity shop for ten pounds.

 

I understand Joey Ramone composed on a one-stringed acoustic. So the question is not "Do I really need
an expensive guitar" but "Do I really even need strings?"