Is your newest always your favorite?

[Paulabass]

To those who own multiple basses-
Is your newest bass always your favorite?
How do you choose what bass to bring to a show/rehearsal?
Do you have one you always seem to go back to?
(If you are in multiple bands/projects) Does each event have a bass that works best?

Me:
Kinda, sorta. I always bring my newest to the next show.
I try to mix 'em up.
I think my Modulus will be my go-to.
Loungey/jazzy (but not renewed for the new year) P-bass with flats. rock- Modulus, Jazz, or Ric. Country- a five string (always need that low G)

 

[Haroldo]

1) For awhile;
2) Mix and match - tho', like you, always bring the latest;
3) Jazz bass (and this is from a born 'n bred P guy!); Renaissance fretless 4;
4) I am a victim of caprice and whimsy.

 

[Bodeanly]

My newest is not always my favorite. Sometimes I will just buy a bass so no one else can have it.

Spoiler

 

[two fingers]

Right now, yes. Quite often, no. I like to try things. Sometimes the basses I try become my favorites, and sometimes not so much.

My most recent is my favorite ever. I asked @MarkoYYZ for some very specific features and it turned out fantastic. It combines features from many of my other favorites over the years.
Behold, the Hammersmith TF-5 (OK, that's not what Marko called but I can dream, Right? )

Blacked out like a Carvin LB76 I owned years ago.

35" scale and 19mm spacing from my old trusty Ibanez BTB.

P bass body shape, simple volume and tone and neck pickup from my USA Precision 5 string.

Dual coil bridge pickup with series/single/parallel switch, and neck/both/bridge selector from my Fender Roscoe Beck Signature V I used to own. So, I guess the short answer to your question is that my newest bass is ALL of my favorite basses.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Right now the most awesome bass I ever played in my entire life is a Mustang P/J.

You tell me.

 

[ajkula66]

Generally, no.

Nowadays I buy instruments - not just basses - in order to "fill" certain holes in the palette of sound(s) that I'm looking for. It's a slow process since I'm not independently wealthy but I'm getting there.

I don't gig nowadays, but when I did so - decades ago - with three different bands in as many genres, there was a bass dedicated to each of them.

 

[kinopah]

I would say that my most recent bass is the one I'm most EXCITED about, but not necessarily my favorite. In my current situation, my most recent bass (from a few months ago) is the best bass I've ever owned. But often I'll buy something on a whim and hope to like it, but not be terribly surprised when we don't gel. Most of my instruments are pretty versatile, so they work in any number of settings (which is good as I don't have a regular band and play with other peoples' groups with established repertoires).

 

[Paulabass]

Right now the most awesome bass I ever played in my entire life is a Mustang P/J.
You tell me.

I'm curious how your endorsement deal works. Many years ago I was offered one, and they asked me not to be photographed playing any other bass. I turned it down, cause it was not as good as my Alembic.

 

[bassbenj]

Well sometimes it is because I probably bought it for whatever music/project/activity I'm currently into.

But as a general rule I pick the bass that best fits what I'm doing. If it's the first bass I ever bought, I still get excited about it if it fits perfectly.

 

[bobyoung53]

No, I take the one that's most appropriate for whatever gig I'm doing. For example I did a 60's British invasion gig Friday night and I used my Rickenbacker 4001, I have a Fender P/J bass with LaBella flatwounds that I use most of the times on blues gigs or old rock n roll. I'm going to do a cover horn band (Earth Wing and Fire, Steely Dan, Chicago etc) in a few weeks so I'll take both the flat wound P bass and a round wound Jazz. That being said the P/J bass fits just about everything I do.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I'm curious how your endorsement deal works. Many years ago I was offered one, and they asked me not to be photographed playing any other bass. I turned it down, cause it was not as good as my Alembic.

My deal with MM was a handshake deal, as are all their deals if I’m not mistaken. At least they were in 2004 when I hooked up with them. They were always fine with people playing other instruments, also. That’s one of the many things I love so much about those guys. I always got a sense that they REALLY cared about musicians, and making the best musical instruments they possible could. It seemed it was always about that, as opposed to just making as much money as they possibly could.

Was the deal you were offered with Musicman? If so, my only guess as to the response you got was that maybe they sensed you weren’t truly a lover of their instruments - and only looking for a discount? When I got my deal I had already been playing MMs for a while, and my love for their basses was clear - here on TB, and other places online.

 

[Paulabass]

^ Thanks Joe. No, my offer was not with MusicMan. However, last night I was out with their rep, and I've met Sterling a few times. I know how much MM loves their endorsers, and treats them well. A few years ago, you may have read about it, one side of a P.A. came down on Dave Ziemba's rack of MM's. They had enough replacements (from dealers stock) to continue the tour -THE NEXT DAY!
My favorite MM story tho' is opening for Albert Lee. MM lent us some nice stuff for the night.

 

[Whippet]

newest one that I have not bought yet. That is my favorite.

 

[JRA]

Is your newest bass always your favorite?

no. none of my instruments are my "favorite" until they've been thoroughly 'vetted' and 'proven' over time.

i did have a quick fling with one or two over the years, but it wasn't serious --- not true love!

 

[DavC]

no ... it's just Different

 

[Liam Wald]

I collected instruments for many years but have recently sold almost all of them. At this time I only own two basses.
A 1981 Aria Pro-II TSB 550 that hasn't been out of it's case for many months and a 1998 Alembic Epic that I play every day and take to every gig.
For me, "Less is more... more or less".

 

[the_home]

Well, over the past couple of years I've moved over to 5 strings (and only bought 5 strings) and rarely play my 4s anymore. For my various 5 strings (my 'new' basses), I play one (Modulus Q 5) in one band and rotate a couple of Alembic 5s through the other band.

I really need to get the 4s into some play rotation. I almost feel guilty not playing them. Almost.

 

[Spidey2112]

Right now, I'm going to say no...

... no.

There... I said it... no.

 

[secondbestcody]

Right now the most awesome bass I ever played in my entire life is a Mustang P/J.

This. Since I’ve gotten my Mustang I haven’t played any of my other 3 basses. And it just looks so good.

 

[Gar Longworth]

All over the map on this one. Started in 1969. Almost every new bass became my favorite and main bass for gigs. The last one was a Gibson Victory Artist 1982.
Then I bought a P-bass, for sound and looks, to play at gigs when I joined a Motown review band.
In the late 90's Peavey started selling the Cirrus and you could custom order different combinations of wood & hardware. I had a 5-string built with a bubinga body. I never went back to 4 strings.
I continued to buy many basses to fit different projects and some that I played and thought they would be my knew favorite but I always end up going back to the Peavey. I enjoy the variaty and playing different basses, and I recently played a Godin A5 fretless causing me GAS, but nothing looks, sounds and plays better for me than my Cirrus.