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If you could only keep one forever
- Thread starter Frety_Kruger
- Start date
I could make do the just one Fodera Emperor J5 Standard:
My number one, a 2003 Ernie Ball Music Man Sterling with a 2012 quartersawn neck. It's everything I've ever wanted in a fretted electric bass guitar. I'd hate like hell to just play one forever, but if I had to, it'd be this one.
Tough choice, but I’d have to go with my Numero Uno...I think I could get by. 
G&L SB-2T with parallel/series and Q-filter switch mods. Strung with Labella copper white nylon tapes. That's my main player.
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It would have to be my Squier VM Fretless Jazz with TIJFs.
I’ve actually given some thought to this question recently. I’m normally a single instrument at a time player, other than keyboards/synths in the past. I got my first bass in fall of 2017 (Rockbass/Warwick Corvette), upgraded to a nicer bass from the same maker (masterbuilt Warwick Streamer stage 1) on Xmas day 2018, and felt that I had the only bass I’d ever need/want.
I had become curious about P basses around that time, and I even saw a nice vintage Yamaha copy a couple of months later but didn’t buy it because my hobby budget was busted after the German Warwick. I came to regret that as it sold within a few days and I couldn’t find anything of similar quality for less than 3 times the price for over a year.
I finally got lucky and bought an old Tokai Hard Puncher in March.
A bunch of mods later it’s become the bass I play most of the time.
Which brings me to the subject of this thread: which would I keep if I had to choose…
The Warwick is the obvious choice as it’s made of the finest woods & parts by great craftspeople in a state of the art factory, has many modern advances, sounds great, and plays like the musical equivalent of a high end Porsche. The Tokai is more like a nice pickup truck or an old muscle car; it gets the job done, is very simple, reliable, and easy to maintain. Like a muscle car it’s a bit “loose” in handling compared to the Warwick/sports car, but very fun and comfortable like a pair of old jeans.
Honestly I don’t know if I could choose right now, my head says Warwick even just looking at replacement cost, but my heart says Tokai probably in part because of the effort I’ve put in to make it my own. For the purpose of this thread I’ll go with the Hard Puncher but I’m happy that I have both.
The Tokai:
The Warwick:
The Yamaha that got away:
I had become curious about P basses around that time, and I even saw a nice vintage Yamaha copy a couple of months later but didn’t buy it because my hobby budget was busted after the German Warwick. I came to regret that as it sold within a few days and I couldn’t find anything of similar quality for less than 3 times the price for over a year.
I finally got lucky and bought an old Tokai Hard Puncher in March.
A bunch of mods later it’s become the bass I play most of the time. Which brings me to the subject of this thread: which would I keep if I had to choose…
The Warwick is the obvious choice as it’s made of the finest woods & parts by great craftspeople in a state of the art factory, has many modern advances, sounds great, and plays like the musical equivalent of a high end Porsche. The Tokai is more like a nice pickup truck or an old muscle car; it gets the job done, is very simple, reliable, and easy to maintain. Like a muscle car it’s a bit “loose” in handling compared to the Warwick/sports car, but very fun and comfortable like a pair of old jeans. Honestly I don’t know if I could choose right now, my head says Warwick even just looking at replacement cost, but my heart says Tokai probably in part because of the effort I’ve put in to make it my own. For the purpose of this thread I’ll go with the Hard Puncher but I’m happy that I have both.
The Tokai:
The Warwick:
The Yamaha that got away:
Oh man! you do ask hard questions don't you?
I suppose if it had to be just the one it would be this one;
Neuser Cloudburst 5, I just had it re-fretted and it's sweet!
